The simple answer has always been, “you don’t need a manager until you have a career to manage.” What this means is that for an actor starting out, a manager won’t be much help and a good manager (more on that later) won’t likely find you all that interesting until you do have the start of a career on your resume. Since managers take on fewer clients than agents, they have to make money on every single one.
But is it always that simple? Isn’t this a business based on the exceptions and not the rules? Don’t we hear stories of actors who achieved success by ignoring the simple answers? This is where it gets complicated.
Remember that this is a business and talent reps, both agents and managers, are in business for themselves as much as their clients. Like most of us, they want to do their job to the best of their ability as easily as possible. What does that mean?It typically means that a manager chooses his or her clients based on how easy it is to get them quality roles. Why do you think so many managers opt to target young talent?
And often those young actors are attractive. Why? Numbers. There are more roles for attractive people than character types. Attractive leads make more money than the average character actor. This is simply a reflection of what sells. Hollywood didn’t invent this. You did.
I firmly believe that a great manager is a positive addition to an actor’s team once they are working enough to need to have someone in addition to the busy agent. Agents have a lot of clients if they are successful. Fact. So the manager/agent dynamic can be perfect for the working actor.
The agent does the lion’s share of the submitting and generating auditions while the manager deals with the day to day scheduling and career-building issues for the specific client. The actor wins when both reps are doing their jobs well.
Don’t just sign with anyone calling he or herself a “manager.”
You are better off on your own than with a manager that has fewer contacts in the business than you. And at the first sign of a bad attitude from any rep, run for the hills. If they treat their clients that way, imagine how they deal with everybody else. I have watched so many reps drift into obscurity because eventually enough people got so tired of their drama that they couldn’t get their clients appointments.Any great manager will have strong relationships with top talent agents.
That’s where those agent meetings come from most of the time. You will tend to see an agency with several working clients at the same management firm. This is good for everyone because it tightens the relationship between reps and that means that all of those clients win.
Be wary of managers that try to pressure you into a long-term contract.
A year or two should suffice for both parties to determine if this is a good fit. You never want to be trapped in a five-year contract only to discover that your rep isn’t who you thought they were.For young actors, a manager can help with every aspect of your career. They can suggest professional photographers, teachers and also help guide parents with the things to avoid in Hollywood and the things that can be beneficial to a young actor’s career. Find a manager with over ten year’s success with young actors and you have found a gem. You want people that have consistently fostered young talent into great careers in the industry.
And finally, you are not ready for a Los Angeles manager until you actually live in Los Angeles.
Don’t try to fool them and be very wary of anyone signing adult out-of-town talent because that is just highly unusual. Move here. Stay here. Work here.Don’t rush into signing with a manager until you have had time to do the proper research. Don’t sign a long contract and make sure you are ready on your end to deliver what is needed. That is when an actor needs a manager.