Talent Managers for Life. Talent Agents short term.
Talent managers and talent agents are completely different in how they assist in your career support and development as an artist.
If you have a talent agent they would be bringing auditions to you and you speak to them mostly only for that.
Your talent manager on the other hand oversees you day-to-day. They will for example discuss with you auditions that are brought from your agent – how to prepare best or even to see if it aligns with your career goals long term.
If your career goals are very niche and you have a well-known talent manager, many times a talent agent is not even needed as your manager will also pick up on auditions available in the market that fit your goals.
As your goals are clear and you and your manager align each opportunity that comes your way, of course, it would mean fewer self-tapes but the right self-tapes and people looking at your auditions and hearing about you.
Self-tapes are not just for the role you are auditioning for but have a twofold advantage that is often overlooked:
(1) an opportunity to master your craft
(2) and the opportunity to be seen by the individuals who will be looking for talent for future projects.
Thus your talent manager will always remind you that it is better to submit no self-tape than a bad self-tape as you never know who will be watching your footage.
Your talent manager will, of course, prioritize getting the best self-tape out there always and on every single opportunity again because you never know who will be viewing that self-tape that might not get this role but will be the catalyst for a career shift and opportunity.
Choose wisely when you select a talent manager. Look for the same qualities you look for when you select friends. You want to see this person on your side at red-carpet events, at your family celebrations, your highs and lows – many decades from today.
When you decide it is the right time to appoint a talent agent your manager will assist with that.
A talent agent on the other hand will never introduce you to a manager as it falls outside their scope of duties. They make money only on roles you book.
Compensation for many artists is a tricky topic in a cutthroat industry. Both your talent agent and manager receive % of deals booked.
Remember that your manager might even advise you to not take a role and thus not earn a commission because a role or project is not in line with your career goals. This is where you see the difference in how they protect you and not themselves (as agents typically would tell you to take every opportunity as it means commission for them). If you choose the right manager and they secure you the best talent agent – the three of you could be an unbreakable team achieving your goals and dreams.