Jim Parsons won an Emmy tonight and he thanked both his agent and his manager. Can someone explain to me what a manager does vs. what an agent does for a working actor?
Wild guess, the agent gets him roles, the manager handles the business–photo shoots, endorsements, lawsuits, paternity claims, the usual.
In broad terms, because any relationship between an actor and his agent can be very different from the relationship of a different actor and agent and ditto managers . . .
Your agent is the middleman between you and any given specific job. Your agent finds out what’s out there that’s being cast and arranges an audition for you for anything you might fit.
Your manager puts together a long term game plan for your career: the best way to brand you and then the best way to market your brand, setting career goals then determining the kind of work and publicity that will lead you to those goals, rather than a short sighted look at what jobs are there that can be booked right now.
ok, so the agent and manager should be working hand in hand, no?
In theory.
But the agent is the one who goes to studios and digs out new roles that their client might have a chance for. He gets news for auditions and talks to producers to try to find out what’s upcoming. He also usually negotiates the contracts with the studios. If you’re an established actor, he’ll look over scripts to decide if they’re worth passing on.
A manager handles the financial end. He invests what comes in, keeps track of when payments are due, deals with tax consequences, fills out tax returns, sets up bank accounts, hires staff for the actor, etc.
Exactly. A bad agent can destroy your career. A bad manager can destroy your life.
Another difference (in Hollywood anyway) is that talent agents in California must be licensed and are strictly regulated by the state. Most agencies require agents to be practicing lawyers as well.
But anybody can be a manager, and management responsibilities may vary from just financial management to working hand-in-hand with the agent to secure deals to being a glorified assistant.
Here is how it works in NY for kids at least. A kid has one manager who is responsible for pushing the kid. A kid can have several agents who interact directly with casting agents. Except for an initial audition, the agent and actor never interact. The casting director calls the agent, who selects some actors to audition and then the agent calls the manager who is responsible for interacting with the talent. Good managers can short circuit the process. LA is slightly different, and it is also different for adults who often just have agents until they get big enough to be able to afford a manager - both take cuts of the pay.