What does a talent manager do? An actor's guide to managers, commission and California law

A talent manager guides an actor's career as a whole: which materials and training you need, which agents you should meet, which kinds of roles to chase, and how the pieces fit together, in exchange for a commission on what you earn. In California a manager is not licensed to find you work, so the legal job is advice and coordination; getting you auditions and negotiating your deals is the licensed agent's job, and a manager may only negotiate alongside an agent at the agent's request (California DIR).

That split shapes what to expect from a manager, what you will pay and what to check before you sign. This guide covers each for actors in Los Angeles; it is general information, not legal advice. For the agent side of the story, see how to get an acting agent.

California's Supreme Court, quoting an earlier case, put it this way: personal managers "primarily advise, counsel, direct, and coordinate the development of the artist's career," and they "typically have a smaller client base and charge higher commissions than agents" (Supreme Court of California). In an actor's week that usually looks like:

• Materials. Deciding whether your headshots read as the roles you can book, what your résumé should lead with and which clips belong on your reel. Acting Magazine lists headshots, demo reels and choosing an agent among the things managers help with (Acting Magazine).
• Training. Pointing you at the class or coach that fixes a specific gap: a cold-reading weakness, a dialect, comedy timing.
• Finding an agent. Helping you find and choose an agent is on both Acting Magazine's and The Modern Actor's list of what managers do, which is why some actors sign with a manager before they have an agent (The Modern Actor).
• Strategy. Which lanes to pursue (comedy or drama, commercials or theatre) and which roles to take. The Modern Actor says a manager can help you choose roles that raise your visibility and image in the industry (The Modern Actor).
• Coordination. Talking with your agent about what you are being submitted for, and keeping your profiles current. Breakdown Services lists managers among the people who use Breakdown Express, and one Actors Access profile can be shared with all your agents and managers (Breakdown Services).

Managers tend to sign actors earlier than agents do. Acting Magazine notes they are more likely to take on actors "who might need more time to develop" (Acting Magazine), and The Modern Actor says managers help most early on, with headshots, class suggestions and finding an agent (The Modern Actor).

California's Talent Agencies Act defines a talent agency by what it does: procuring, offering, promising or attempting to procure employment for an artist, and actors are named as artists. The same section lets agencies also counsel artists on their careers (Labor Code 1700.4). Anyone doing the first part needs a license from the Labor Commissioner, whatever their business card says (California DIR). The key rulings:

• Conduct, not labels. In Marathon Entertainment v. Blasi (2008), a manager on a 15% oral contract with actress Rosa Blasi was accused of procuring her role on Strong Medicine. The Supreme Court held that the Act "regulates conduct, not labels" and applies to individual incidents of procurement, and that a court may void the whole contract or sever the unlawful part (Supreme Court of California).
• One narrow exception. An unlicensed person may act "in conjunction with, and at the request of, a licensed talent agency in the negotiation of an employment contract" (Labor Code 1700.44(d)) (California DIR).
• Read narrowly. In Williams v. Perrie (2021), an actor's former manager said he worked with the actor's agent. The Labor Commissioner held the exception covers negotiating at an agent's request, not soliciting work on the manager's own initiative; it is not met when an agent appears only to finalize a deal the manager started; and "at the minimum, an agent must be aware of the manager's procurement activity." The manager could not prove the agent was licensed in California, the contract was declared void, and he had no right to any money from it (California Labor Commissioner).
• Who decides. Disputes under the Act go first to the Labor Commissioner, with an appeal to superior court within 10 days. Claims must be brought within one year of the alleged violation, and failing to hold a license is not itself a crime (Labor Code 1700.44(a)–(c)) (California DIR).

What this means for you: if a manager says they will get you auditions and negotiate your deals themselves, with no licensed agent involved, they are describing work California reserves for licensed agents. A manager who works with your agent, and lets the agent run submissions and negotiations, is working the way the law expects.

• License. Agent: licensed by the Labor Commissioner. Manager: no license; may not procure work on their own (California DIR).
• Main job. Agent: submits and pitches you, negotiates. Manager: career direction, materials, introductions, coordination.
• Commission. Agent: guild rules generally cap it at 10% on union work. Manager: no guild cap; the Blasi contract was 15% (Supreme Court of California).
• Roster. Managers typically keep fewer clients than agents (Supreme Court of California).
• When they sign you. Managers are more likely to take a developing actor; agents usually want proof you can book (Acting Magazine).

Some actors have both, some only one. The agent guide covers which to pursue first.

A legitimate manager is paid a percentage of what you earn and nothing up front. There is no legal or union cap on a manager's commission, so it is whatever your contract says (The LA Actor Guide). Here is what the sources do say:

• 15% is the common figure. Acting Magazine calls 15% the standard rate, especially when the actor has no agent, and says some managers drop to 10% to match the agent (Acting Magazine). The contract in the Blasi case was 15% (Supreme Court of California).
• The trade association's ceiling. The Talent Managers Association's code of ethics says members work on commission only, may not charge more than 15% of a client's gross income (20% in music and modeling), and may not charge fees for classes, coaching, headshots, website listings, publicity, clips or administration (Talent Managers Association).
• No advance fees. California's Labor Code 1702 bars advance-fee talent representation, which includes charging an artist to manage or direct their career or to find them an agent or manager. A fee calculated as a percentage of income the artist actually earns is not an advance fee. A willful violation is a misdemeanor (California DIR).

Do the stacked math before you sign. With a manager at 15% and an agent at 10%, a $10,000 job costs you $2,500 in commission before taxes. Ask whether the manager's rate changes once you have an agent. For how commission fits into a year of acting income, see how much actors make.

There is no rule, but the job description above suggests when one helps and when it is mostly a cost:

• A manager helps most when you have training and some credits but no agent, your materials are not landing, or you are changing lanes (a theatre actor moving to on-camera, a comic moving to drama) and need someone who knows the LA market to steer.
• It can wait when you have not trained or booked anything yet. A manager cannot do much with a résumé that has nothing on it, and the work of the first year (classes, headshots, self-submitting through casting sites) is yours either way.
• It may not be worth it when you already have an agent who calls, submits you regularly and answers questions about your career. Ask what a manager would add before you give up another 10–15%.

If you are not ready, put the effort into what managers look for first: steady training (the beginner classes guide and the Price Index show what LA classes cover and cost, and Arlo lists private acting coaches for one-to-one work), current headshots, a clean résumé and a short demo reel.

1. Start with referrals. The Modern Actor calls referral one of the best ways to find a manager, from a friend, colleague, agent, producer or casting director, and suggests the person referring you send the first email (The Modern Actor).
2. Build a short list that fits you. Look up each manager's client list on IMDbPro and keep the ones whose clients match your age range, genres and type (The Modern Actor). The LA Actor Guide adds a second check: are those clients actually working (The LA Actor Guide)?
3. Use the trade association's list. The Talent Managers Association, based in North Hollywood and first incorporated in 1956 as the Conference of Personal Managers, publishes a current member list. Membership is held by individuals, not companies, and it is not a guarantee of quality, but members agree to the code of ethics above (Talent Managers Association).
4. Send a short, specific email. The Modern Actor's sample links a demo reel, résumé, clips from earlier work and a headshot (The Modern Actor).
5. Be ready to perform. If a manager asks for a monologue, The Modern Actor advises keeping it grounded and to one minute or less (The Modern Actor). Find material on Offbook and see how to choose an audition monologue. For a cold read in the room, see cold reading.

A meeting with a manager is an interview in both directions. These questions come from The Modern Actor and The LA Actor Guide, plus the legal points above:

• What is your commission, and on what? The rate, and whether it applies to all your acting income or only to work during the contract. The LA Actor Guide suggests settling whether work you find yourself is commissionable (The LA Actor Guide).
• How long is the contract, and how do I leave? The Modern Actor says to ask how long the contract lasts and, if there is no contract, why not (The Modern Actor). TMA members may not sign actors to management contracts longer than three years (Talent Managers Association).
• What happens after it ends? Some contracts let the manager keep commissioning work after the relationship ends (a "sunset" clause). The LA Actor Guide calls sunsets normal but warns against ones that never end (The LA Actor Guide).
• Who negotiates my deals? The LA Actor Guide treats "I do" as a sign the manager is procuring (The LA Actor Guide), which is the line drawn in Marathon and Williams.
• What have you done for your clients lately? The LA Actor Guide suggests calling two clients and asking what the manager did for them in the last six months (The LA Actor Guide).

Take the contract home and read it. Marathon began with an oral agreement and ended in years of litigation; a written one protects both sides.

• Any money up front. A signing fee, a monthly retainer, an "evaluation" fee or a website listing fee. California's advance-fee rules and the TMA code both rule these out (California DIR; Talent Managers Association).
• A required photographer, class or reel editor, especially one the manager is tied to. The TMA code bars members from charging for classes, coaching and headshots (Talent Managers Association).
• Promised auditions or bookings. The TMA code bars false or misleading representations about a client's ability to reach career goals, and a manager who promises to book you is promising work California reserves for licensed agents (Talent Managers Association).
• No written agreement, or one you cannot take home. The LA Actor Guide lists this among its red flags (The LA Actor Guide).

Managers of child actors need a state permit. Anyone who represents or provides services to a performer under 18 in California for a fee, including "managing or directing the development or advancement of the minor's career," must hold a Child Performer Services Permit. Applicants pass a Live Scan fingerprint check against FBI records, pay $198 (renewal $166) and renew every two years, and the Labor Commissioner keeps a searchable list of permit holders. Working without one is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, up to a year in county jail, or both. Since January 1, 2026, managers who work with minors are also mandated reporters of suspected child abuse under AB 653 (California DIR; CPS FAQ). Parents should look the manager up before signing; the child actor guide covers the rest of the paperwork.