There is a little confusion at times on the difference between an agent and a manager. So I decided to write up a basic outline of the differences between the two.

An agent’s job is this: They submit you for auditions. They plug you to get the door into auditions. They negotiate contracts for productions. They are licensed and cannot call themselves agents without certification. Agents follow union standard contracts on commission, which is 10% for union work. Industry standard for non-union work is 15-20%. Contracts with agents are typically for a period of a year.

Only agents or attorneys can negotiate a contract for a union gig. That is their job. As a courtesy and a point of self interest, they will refer you to places for headshots and/or help select headshots, as they need these to a certain standard to be able to their jobs. There are a handful of agents that will do more than this. But in all honesty, they need to be on those phones and getting their talent out there.

Agents have to have a lot of good actors to make their bills. They will focus more on their actors with good booking ratios, because that is where they will make their money. Agents also develop relationships with casting directors, which is vital to their success. The best agents are on all the good casting directors’ radars.

A manager’s job is this: A manager does more than an agent in that they help drive your career. But its tricker because they do not require certification. There are several out there who are more talk than actual work. This makes it a bit tougher for actors to find their match. Managers typically follow industry standards on commissions, taking 10% for union and 15-20% for non union. Contracts for managers are generally for a 3-year period.

Most managers can and will submit you for work. However they cannot negotiate without an agent’s license or unless they have a law degree. A great manager not only helps get you in the door and pitches you for work, they also scope out good acting classes and headshot photographers. They help tweak your bio, quality check your website, quality check your LA Casting site, Actors Access, etc. Make sure that if you aren’t booking work, that whatever your weak points are get correctly spotted and handled so that you are booking work. They help you by making sure your agent is negotiating your contract in your favor and is not just aiming to make the casting director or production happy. They make sure that if your agent is not working for you, they have a better one to move you to. When you have a project coming out, they help you line up public relations reps and fine tune you for interviews and red carpets. In other words, they are your strategic mastermind.

Do you need both an agent and a manager? Maybe not, but if you have a great manager they are worth their weight in gold.

–Jess