Questions to Ask a Talent Manager
A list of questions to ask a talent manager at a first meeting and before you sign, written for actors, musicians, comedians, models and creators. Treat the meeting as an interview you are running too: an actor weighing up talent managers and a singer or band choosing between artist managers need most of the same answers. The 63 questions start with the ones to ask first, then cover the manager's roster and record, their plan for you, with the parts of it that differ for actors and for music artists, the money, the contract, and how the two of you would work day to day.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Ask first
What is your experience in my particular field?
Why ask it
Management does not carry over neatly between music, acting, comedy, modelling and online video, because the buyers and the deals are different in each. Ask for the last deal they worked on in your field and who was on the other side of it. Wanting to expand into your area is not the same as having worked in it.
How many clients do you have right now?
Why ask it
There is no correct number, only one that fits the attention you are being promised. Ask how many clients each manager looks after personally, since a company total hides that, and how many of them are busy right now. The busy ones are the queue you would be joining.
What would you actually do in the first three months?
Why ask it
Look for named steps: a reel recut, a meeting with a particular agent, label or producer, a date for the next release or showcase. Write them down as they talk. In three months that list is the fairest way to judge the start, and they will know you have it.
What is your commission, and is it calculated on gross or net?
Why ask it
Rates differ by field and by country, so ask what is usual where you work and compare it with what other artists tell you. Gross is the fee before anyone else is paid, and net is what remains after deductions, which the contract should list one by one. Have them run the sum on a real job of yours so you are both looking at the same figure.
How long is the term, and how does either of us end it?
Why ask it
Get three things: the number of years, whether it renews by itself or at the manager's choice, and the notice either of you has to give. Then ask whether you could leave without having to prove they did something wrong. This is far easier to raise while you still like each other.
How would you describe the difference between what you do and what an agent does?
Why ask it
Broadly, a manager guides the whole career and an agent finds and negotiates the jobs, but where the line sits depends on the place. Some states and countries let only licensed agents seek work for a performer, and in others managers do it openly. Ask which applies where you are, and be wary if they have never had to think about it.
What is it about my work that made you want to manage me?
Why ask it
Someone who has done the homework names a particular thing: a scene, a track, a set, a clip that travelled. If all you hear is that you have potential, ask which piece of your work they would show someone first. That piece is how they would be selling you.
The manager
How did you get into management, and how long have you been doing it?
Why ask it
Managers arrive from agencies, labels, casting, production, law and performing, and each route leaves different contacts and different blind spots. Two years in is not a mark against anyone who is honest about the gaps. Ask who they ring when a deal is outside what they have done before.
Do you work alone or inside a management company, and who else would I deal with?
Why ask it
With a solo manager you get the person you met, and nobody covers when they are ill or on a set with another client. At a company the partner may sign you and an associate may run your days. Meet whoever would be answering your messages before you agree to anything.
Who else do you manage, and is anyone on your list close to what I do?
Why ask it
Look the roster up beforehand if it is public, so you can ask about people by name. A client or two in your lane means the contacts already exist. If nobody on the list works in your area you would be the test case, which can be fine as long as you both say so.
If two of your clients are right for the same opportunity, what do you do?
Why ask it
On a small roster this comes up rarely, and when it does it matters a great deal. Listen for a rule they apply every time, such as putting both forward and telling each of you. If it comes down to who is earning most that year, bear in mind that is unlikely to be the newest client.
Can you tell me about a client you took on at about my level, and where they are now?
Why ask it
The before and after is what counts here. A well-known name who was already established when they joined says little about development, which is the work you would be paying for. Note the client and the dates, then check the credits or releases on either side of the signing.
Who is your longest-standing client, and why do you think they have stayed?
Why ask it
Long relationships are hard to fake, and the reason they give shows what they believe they provide. If nobody on the roster goes back more than a couple of years, ask politely where the earlier clients are now.
How many clients do you take on in a year, and how many leave?
Why ask it
Heavy traffic in both directions suggests signing widely and keeping whoever takes off. Adding a person or two a year means you were chosen on purpose, and they should be able to say why there is room now.
Which of your clients would you be happy for me to speak to?
Why ask it
A name and a number within a day or two is a good sign in itself. When you ring, ask that client what the manager did for them last month, not whether they like them. A promise to check followed by silence is an answer too.
Who do you deal with regularly in my part of the business?
Why ask it
Expect names with jobs attached: casting directors, bookers, label staff, producers, brand teams, whichever fit your field. Then ask when they last spoke to two of them and what it was about. A recent, ordinary conversation tells you more than a well-known name from years ago.
What have you done for a client lately that they could not have done alone?
Why ask it
It is a fair test of what the percentage buys. Strong answers are concrete and recent, such as a meeting they opened, a bad clause they caught, or a tour or shoot they reorganised when it was going wrong. Be wary of stories where a client's own breakthrough gets retold as the manager's.
Have you had a client relationship end badly, and what happened?
Why ask it
Anyone who has managed for a while has one. Listen to whether they can tell it without putting the whole fault on the client. The way they describe a former client is a preview of how they would one day describe you.
Do managers need a licence or registration here, and do you belong to any professional body?
Why ask it
The rules differ widely. Some places regulate only agents, some require a licence from anyone who finds work for performers, and some have voluntary associations with a code of conduct. Ask how it works in your state or country, then confirm it with the performers' union or the relevant authority instead of taking the answer on trust.
The plan
How do you see me, and where could I realistically be in three years?
Why ask it
Have them describe you the way they would to a stranger in the business: your type or sound, your audience, the artists you would be filed next to. A description you do not recognise needs talking through before anything else, because it is the one they would be pitching. For the three years, listen for stages with something to show at each.
What would you expect me to change?
Why ask it
Specific criticism at this stage is a good sign, because it takes a close look at your work to have any. If everything is great and all you need is exposure, there is optimism on offer and no development. Decide beforehand what you would not change, such as your name, your sound or where you live, so you notice when the conversation reaches it.
Would I need new photos, a reel or a demo, and who pays for them?
Why ask it
Get the order and the budget as well as the list: what has to be redone before they can start, and what can wait until there is income. The cost is normally yours, so the choice of who makes it should be yours too. Be very careful with an offer of management that only begins once you have bought a package from them.
How do you decide which opportunities are worth pursuing?
Why ask it
Ask for a job they told a client to turn down, and why. The reasons show what they weigh against the fee: the credit, the audience it reaches, how long it ties you up, what it does to the next offer. If no example comes to mind, every paid job probably looks good to them.
Do I need an agent yet, and how would you help me find one?
Why ask it
'Not yet' is a fair answer when it comes with a reason, such as waiting for a stronger reel or a release with numbers behind it. If the answer is yes, ask which offices they would approach and what they would send. Should only one agency ever come up, ask what their arrangement with it is.
When you and my agent disagree about a job, how does that get settled?
Why ask it
Both are paid when you work, but the agent's job is the offer on the table and the manager's is meant to be the years after it. The answer worth hearing is a three-way conversation that ends with your decision. Contempt for agents in general is a bad sign, since you would be the one standing between them.
Who else do you think I need on my team, and in what order?
Why ask it
A lawyer, a publicist, a business manager and a booking agent each cost a fee or a percentage, and hiring them all at once can leave you working for your team. Listen for a sequence tied to what you are earning. Ask too whether they receive anything for referring you to the people they recommend.
What part would my online audience play in your plan?
Why ask it
Some buyers look at follower counts before anything else and some ignore them, and a manager should know which is which in your field. Be cautious if the whole plan turns out to be 'post more'. If brand deals come from your channels, ask whether those are commissioned as well.
Does it matter where I live, and would you expect me to move?
Why ask it
Some work can be chased from anywhere with self-tapes, files and video calls, and some still goes to whoever can be in the room tomorrow. Ask which kind yours is, and how they have managed clients based outside the main cities. If a move comes up, get their view on when it would pay for itself, since the rent starts before the work does.
How do you hear about roles before they are cast, and who puts my name forward?
Why ask it
Some managers see casting breakdowns and pitch clients themselves, and others leave every submission to the agent and work on introductions an agent would not make. Whether a manager is allowed to submit you at all depends on local rules, so ask how it is done where you work. What you need to leave with is whose job it is to get your name on the list.
Which parts cast in the past year do you think I should have been seen for?
Why ask it
Have them name actual parts, in shows or films that have already been cast, and say who got them. It shows whether they follow what is being made and whether their idea of your casting matches yours. A list of leads only, with nothing you could book next month, is flattery.
How many auditions do your actors at my level get in a normal month, and what do you change when they stop?
Why ask it
Nobody can promise a figure, but they can tell you what clients like you are being seen for at the moment. The second half matters more: listen for something they would change, such as the headshots, the agent or the range of parts you go up for. 'It is slow for everyone' may be true and still should not be the whole answer.
Does my union status matter for the work you would go after, and when should I join?
Why ask it
Rules on which productions a union member may work on differ by country and by union, and joining early can close off the smaller jobs that build a first reel. Ask how it works where you are and what their other clients did. Then put the same question to the union, which sets the rules and can tell you them directly.
How involved would you be in a release, from choosing the single to the week it comes out?
Why ask it
In music an artist manager often runs the release calendar: the choice of single, the artwork deadline, the pitch to playlists and press, the shows around it. Ask them to take you through the last release they handled, week by week. If each step turns out to have been the label's or the distributor's job, find out what the manager was doing meanwhile.
Who looks after things on the road, and would you come to my shows?
Why ask it
On a small tour the manager may be the one advancing the shows, settling up with promoters and driving. On a bigger one a tour manager is hired and paid from the tour's budget. Ask what size of tour they have run, and whether touring costs come off before their commission is worked out.
If a label or publisher made me an offer, what would you look at before advising me to sign?
Why ask it
Listen for the things that outlast the advance: who owns the recordings, how long the deal runs, and what has to be earned back before you are paid. A manager who takes commission on an advance has a reason to like a large one, so ask how they keep that out of their advice. The contract itself still goes to a music lawyer who acts only for you.
How would we know in a year whether this has worked?
Why ask it
Push for markers you can check: income, the level of rooms you get into, specific projects completed. Without them, review conversations turn into arguments about effort, and it is very hard to leave a relationship you cannot measure.
Money
Would you commission work I booked before we met, or work I generate myself?
Why ask it
Agreements go both ways: some leave out existing deals and income you bring in yourself, and others commission everything you earn in the field. List what you already have running, such as a residency, a brand contract or a recurring role, and ask about each one by name. Whatever is excluded needs to be written into the contract, not remembered.
Is your percentage the same on every kind of income, or does it change?
Why ask it
Some agreements set one rate for everything, and others treat touring, recording, merchandise, endorsements or online revenue differently because the costs behind each are so different. There is no single standard across fields or countries. Have them go through your income sources one at a time and say what they would take from each.
Which parts of my work and income does the agreement cover?
Why ask it
Management contracts are often drafted to cover everything you do in entertainment, and sometimes income from outside it. If the manager has no contacts in an area, such as your writing, your teaching or a business you already run, ask for it to be carved out or commissioned only when they bring the deal.
If I also have an agent, what does the combined commission come to?
Why ask it
Manager and agent commissions stack, and a lawyer or business manager may take a share as well. Add them up out loud using the fee from your last job, then remember that tax comes off what is left. That remainder is what a booking is really worth to you.
Do you charge anything besides commission, and which expenses would be billed to me?
Why ask it
A manager's pay normally comes out of what you earn, so a signing fee or a monthly retainer deserves a hard look and, in some places, a call to the union to ask whether it is allowed. Expenses are a separate matter: travel, couriers and similar costs are sometimes recharged. Agree a figure above which they need your approval first.
Does my income come to me first or to you, and what statements would I get?
Why ask it
In some arrangements the manager collects, deducts commission and pays you the balance. In others you are paid directly and settle up against a statement. If the money passes through them, ask whether it sits in a separate client account, how quickly it moves on, and whether you may have the books checked.
Do you have a financial stake in anything you might put me forward for?
Why ask it
Managers sometimes produce, publish or own companies that could hire you, and that can work in your favour. It needs saying out loud, because the person advising you on a deal should not quietly be on the other side of it. Ask whether they would still take commission on a job their own company pays you for.
The contract
Do you start with a written agreement or on a handshake?
Why ask it
Handshake arrangements are common early on and can feel friendlier, but they leave the rate, the scope and what happens afterwards to memory. If there is no contract yet, write down what you both said the same day and ask them to confirm it in a reply.
Is the agreement exclusive, and which countries does it cover?
Why ask it
Many management contracts ask to be your only manager, in every country and for every kind of work, so find out whether this one does. If it claims the world, ask what they could really do for you abroad. Where a second manager is brought in for another territory, check whether the two split one commission or you pay both.
Would the agreement let you sign or approve anything on my behalf?
Why ask it
Some management contracts include a power of attorney that allows the manager to accept engagements, sign documents or cash cheques in your name. It is fair to ask for it to be limited to small, named cases, such as confirming a one-off date when you cannot be reached, or taken out. Put this clause in front of whoever reviews the contract for you, because the wording decides how far it reaches.
Would you accept a clause that lets me leave if agreed targets are not met?
Why ask it
Sometimes called a performance or earnings clause, it sets a level of income or activity by a certain date and gives you a way out if it is missed. Whether one is usual depends on your field, so ask a lawyer or your union what is normal. The target the manager proposes tells you what they privately expect.
What happens to me if you leave the company, or it closes?
Why ask it
Find out whether you would be signing with the person or with the firm. A 'key person' clause lets you go when your manager does. Without one you could be reassigned to a colleague you have never met for the rest of the term.
Would you keep commissioning anything after the agreement ends?
Why ask it
Many agreements go on paying the manager for deals made during the term, sometimes for a set number of years and sometimes for as long as the money comes in. Ask whether the rate steps down and on what date it stops. Read the clause itself with your lawyer, since a loosely worded one can follow your income long after the two of you have stopped speaking.
How long can I have to get the contract read by my own lawyer?
Why ask it
Ask for a week or two and see how the request lands. Some performers' unions will read a contract for members, so ask yours if a lawyer is out of reach. Turn down any offer to have the manager's lawyer explain it to you, because their lawyer works for them.
Working together
How often would we talk, and how quickly do you usually reply?
Why ask it
Push past 'I am always available', which everyone says. A call every fortnight and replies the same day is an answer you can hold someone to, and so is 'I am slow on email, so ring me'. Check it later against what their client tells you.
Will you tell me about every offer and enquiry that comes in, including the ones you would turn down?
Why ask it
Quiet filtering means someone else is making your decisions, however good the intentions. Agree that everything gets reported, even as a single line in a weekly email. You can always tell them later that the small things no longer need to reach you.
If we disagree about an offer, who has the final say?
Why ask it
The answer should be you, without hesitation, because a manager advises and the career is yours. Then ask about a time a client overruled them and how it turned out. You are finding out whether they can lose an argument and keep working just as hard.
How do you manage a band when the members want different things?
Why ask it
Managing a group means working for several people who share one name, and arguments over money, songwriting credit or a member leaving end up on the manager's desk. Ask who they take instructions from, and what happens to the agreement if the line-up changes. Solo artists can leave this one out.
Will you give me honest notes on my work before it goes out?
Why ask it
Development mostly consists of notes, and it is the part of the job a contact list cannot do. Ask for the last piece of feedback they gave a client that was hard to hear, and whether they come to shows or watch the cut before release. If no example comes to mind, they may not be watching closely.
What do you need from me to do your job well?
Why ask it
Quick replies, current materials, honesty about when you are free and no surprises in public are the usual requests, and they are fair ones. Whatever they stress most is probably what a past client got wrong. Say now if any of it will be hard for you, such as answering messages during a day job.
What do you not handle for clients?
Why ask it
Bookkeeping, tax returns, legal drafting, travel bookings and running your social accounts are common exclusions. Each one named is a gap you still have to fill yourself or pay someone else to fill. Be doubtful of 'we do everything', which can mean nobody has decided who does what.
What do you do when a client gets bad press or a backlash online?
Why ask it
Get the story of a real bad week for one of their clients. It shows whether there is a publicist they work with, whether they pick up the phone at night, and whether their instinct is to get ahead of a problem or hope it passes.
What do you do for a client in a year when the work dries up?
Why ask it
A percentage of nothing is nothing, so a quiet year is when a manager's attention is most likely to drift toward whoever is earning. Ask about a real client who went through a slow stretch and what the two of them changed. A specific story beats a promise of loyalty.
What happens when a client is worn out and wants to slow down?
Why ask it
Your manager earns when you work, so the incentive runs one way. Find out whether they have ever advised someone to take less on, and what they said to the people waiting on that client. It matters most for young performers and anyone fitting school, a second job or a family around the career.
How do you work with clients under 18 and their parents?
Why ask it
The law sets the permits, the hours, the schooling and what happens to a child's earnings, and it is different in each state and country, so ask who takes care of each of those where you live. A parent or guardian normally signs, and should be in every conversation about money. Notice whether the manager also speaks to the young person directly and waits for the answer.
Is there anything about me or my situation that gives you pause?
Why ask it
Asked near the end, it brings out the doubt they would otherwise take home with them: your location, your day job, a gap in your credits, another commitment. You get the chance to answer it, and you learn whether this person will be straight with you when the news is unwelcome.
What happens after today, and when would you want an answer from me?
Why ask it
It gets you a date, and it tells you whether they are seeing other people for the same place on the roster. You do not owe anyone a yes in the room, however well it went. Say when you will come back to them, then use the days in between to ring the client they named and check what you were told.
How to approach the meeting
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Work out first whether you need a manager
Be clear what you want a manager for
If your problem is that nobody is putting you forward for work, an agent addresses that more directly. Management earns its percentage when there are more decisions than you can handle alone: competing offers, a team to coordinate, or a direction that needs a plan.
Do the arithmetic on total commission
Add the manager's percentage to your agent's, plus legal costs on deals. Run it against last year's earnings before the meeting, so you can tell whether the arrangement only makes sense at an income level you have not reached yet.
Talent manager, artist manager, personal manager
The titles overlap. Music mostly says artist manager, film and television say talent manager or personal manager, and the job underneath is the same: advice across the whole career in return for a percentage. What changes from field to field is who else is on the team and whether the manager may look for work for you, so ask how it is done in yours.
Using a list this long
Start with the first group
The questions under Ask first decide whether a second conversation is worth having. For a half-hour coffee, those and two or three from The plan are plenty. That group also holds the questions for actors and for music artists, and you only need the ones about your own work. Nobody gets through the whole page in one sitting, and a manager who feels cross-examined will not show you much.
Keep the contract questions for the contract
At a first meeting, cover the commission, the term and any fees. The questions under The contract, such as exclusivity, power of attorney and what happens if your manager leaves, are easier to settle with the draft agreement on the table and a pen in your hand.
Put the same questions to a client
When a manager gives you someone to call, ask that client the Working together questions: how often they hear from the manager, whether every offer reaches them, what happened in a slow year. Answers that match the manager's are the best reference you will get.
Warning signs
- A signing fee or any other charge for being taken on, or a monthly retainer nobody can explain.
- Management that only starts once you have paid for their photographer, studio, producer or course.
- Guarantees about specific jobs, deals or timelines.
- A long term with no clear exit, or a broad post-term commission clause.
- Undisclosed interests in companies that would employ you.
- Refusal to put you in touch with any current client.
- Pressure to sign at the meeting, or before your own lawyer has read the agreement.
Before you sign
- Have an entertainment lawyer read the agreement, or your union if it offers contract checks to members.
- Ask for the commission calculation written out against a real example of your own earnings.
- Check whether prior bookings and self-generated work are excluded, and get any exclusion into the document.
- Find out who collects your income, and whether the agreement lets anyone but you sign for you.
- Ask what happens to the agreement if your manager leaves the company.
- Ask your union or the local regulator whether managers need a licence where you live, and whether they may seek work for you.
- Speak to at least one current client and, if you can, one former one.
Things people get wrong
Treating enthusiasm as evidence
Managers are persuasive for a living, so a meeting that leaves you excited is not information. Judge on named clients, recent results, and a concrete plan for your first months.
Relying on verbal promises
Anything that matters, response times, who handles what, which agent you use, belongs in the agreement, or at minimum in an email you send afterwards summarising what was said.
Signing while a deal is pending
Being brought in during a live negotiation is how people end up paying commission on work the manager had nothing to do with. Settle the scope first, in writing.