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The Personal Manager. Be careful who you
select for a Personal Manager. They are NOT State licensed or
regulated. They can be anyone. There have been some that try to demand
payments up front for their services. Fees are usually a standard 15 percent of wages earned. Legit Managers may be members of the Conference of Personal
Managers, or Talent Management Association, and be subscribed to Breakdown Services, so they can
be aware of all appropriate upcoming auditions.
If you must have a Personal Manager, find a GOOD one! Around 40% of young Agent clients are found by way of a good Personal Manager. You can become very unhappy with an inexperienced one, who is not working hard in your behalf. Check around. Don't just pick ANY Personal Manager! Dig around, and see who is representing other successful young Actors. (For 15%, you want a Rolex, not a Timex!!)
Do You Need a Manager? Why do you need a Personal Manager? Most of the biggest young talent are managed by their parents! Is your child so busy with films and television shows that you just cannot handle it? Save the time and trouble, and do it yourself. You can do it. Do your homework, read the booklets and publications mentioned in previous pages. Mingle and network with those in the same boat. You will see a lot of the same faces if you are coming to Hollywood during Pilot Season! Read, ask questions, use common sense. You can be your child's best Manager, and save 15 percent of all wages earned. (That's $150 saved on every $1000 earned.) Put more effort into getting auditions, and an Agent! If you MUST get a Personal Manager, check to see who else he or she has represented, their credentials, how many clients are they representing? What is their success rate? Do you get a good 'feel' about the person and the office surroundings? Do they have any clients listed in the Academy Players Directory?. Always listen. Try to absorb any and all information you can get, and check it out if necessary. If you think you know it all, you may go home with no luck, discouraged, with less exposure and some missed opportunities. Be aggressive and seek all the contacts and information you possibly can. Take a break and have some fun, don't make it tedious. Make friends with parents in similar situations. Take the time to 'network' with anyone who may have influence! Why am I telling you this? As one who has been in the business over 25 years, (many as a Personal Manager), I have seen some incredible schemes and unscrupulous operations. The only Clients I would accept were ones that I personally had a 'good feeling' about from my experience in the biz. I also would limit my clients, so I could spend more time with my efforts for them. I worked with parents that had some serious talent on their hands, without a clue as to what to do, or where to go. Check for a reputable, well known, successful Personal Manager, if you feel you really need one. |
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