In the high-intensity world of media, sports and entertainment, agents and business managers negotiate contracts to secure the best deals and opportunities for artists, athletes, and other performers. Agents and business managers represent their clients to current or prospective employers, they handle contract negotiations, schedule appearances and performances, and may also manage travel arrangements, ticket sales, and advertising. Many provide legal and financial advice. A major responsibility for agents and business managers is staying on top of industry trends and potential opportunities. Getting a meeting set with decision makers and having a positive interaction often determines whether or not deals go through, from authors landing a book contract, to actors signing on to a film, to a baseball player joining a new team. Agents and business agents also need to build strong relationships to retain their clients, discussing plans, sharing a vision of possible career directions, and explaining how the agent’s efforts will benefit the client. Agents are usually paid a percentage of their client’s salary or contract. Agents and business managers typically need a bachelor’s degree as well as a considerable amount of work experience to build skills and contacts, although some have an exceptional ability to build connections, and bypass typical requirements.
What they do:
Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.
On the job, you would:
Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals.
Keep informed of industry trends and deals.
Business
customer service
sales and marketing
Arts and Humanities
English language
music, dance, visual arts, drama, or sculpture
Communications
multimedia
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
reading work related information
Social
bringing people together to solve differences
talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Persistence
Initiative
Dependability
Integrity
Attention to Detail
Cooperation
You might use software like this on the job:
Web page creation and editing software
Facebook
LinkedIn
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Electronic mail software
Email software
Microsoft Outlook
bachelor's degree or high school diploma/GED usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.