Expert: Peter Messaline - 5/16/2007

Question
for nyc...what are the fees personal manager's are asking for from their
talent ?....10% or 15%....what do you think is fair? also how long of a contract is
normally asked of an actor to sign for

thns

Answer
I'm not a NYC maven, but I believe that personal managers regularly charge 20%.
Here is a quote from a talent agent in LA:
"Managers are prohibited from “acting as a Talent Agent”. Managers are not bound to a specific union and therefore are not bound to a set of rules or laws. Managers can produce, educate, coach and promote their clients. They typically settle for 15% but some go to a much higher percentage, especially for new talent."

(http://www.swnewsherald.com/online_contentcrf/2006/06/062606crf_aae_movies_actmg...)

The length of the contract is not as important as the actor's ability to get out of it. Routinely, actors find themselves in agent and manager contracts that bind them but not the agent or manager.