Expert: Phil Nemy - 9/13/2010

Question
hello....
 my wife is trying to establish her career as a model. she has done several magazine covers(black men, smooth....), a calendar, guest appearances, and has been a feature in another magazine. with no help from me. she has also never had a manager. now she wants me to manage her (which i find to be a good idea.. i would only have her best intentions in mind). my question is where do i go to get the BASIC understanding of what a manager does? long winded question, i know, but any help would be great.

Answer
Eric,

Thanks for writing. Here's what I can tell you:  A talent manager guides the professional career of an artist. He oversees the day-to-day business affairs of the artist, advising and counseling the talent concerning professional matters, long-term plans and personal decisions which may affect their career. A manager can also help an artist find an agent, or help them decide when to leave their current agent and identify who to select as a new agent.

Talent agents have the authority to make deals for their clients while managers can only informally establish connections with producers and studios but do not have the ability to negotiate contracts (that's the law).

Talent Managers generally take 15-20% of the income earned by the artist while a legitimate agent may only take 10% by law.

Hope this helps.

Phil