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Sometimes being inside the “industry”, I take a lot of the language that we speak for granted and I forget that at times the people I deal with on a daily basis don’t always speak the same industry dialect. So, I thought I’d write a post addressing one of the more popular questions I get: What is the difference between an agent and a manager? An agent and manager have vastly different jobs. Why, you ask? .
The easiest way to sum up the difference between the two jobs is: An agent is typically responsible for only the live aspect of a career, whereas the a manager is responsible for managing an overall career, not just live appearances. Think of an artist’s career like a hockey game (since I’m Canadian and it is Olympic time!). The coach (aka. the manager) is directing his players as to how to play the game. The agent would be the centre and is responsible for the offense. All the other players each have their roles and they are all directed by the coach. The coach also has a boss: the owner (aka. the artist). .
As coach of the artist’s team, a manager basically acts as a hub or a filter for all aspects of the artist’s career. For a musician, this might include the record label, publicists, endorsement deals, social media consultants, merchandising, website designers, and agents. All of these team players would report to the manager - even the agent (Wayne Gretzky had to listen to his coach too). To continue with the music example, the manager may have many agents working for them in different parts of the world. I manage an act that has an agent in the US, Canada, London and Singapore. All of these offensive players report back to me, the coach, for their given territories.
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Now, forget the hockey analogy. There are times where it isn’t worth having a manager. In comedy for instance, a lot of high earning comedians will work directly with an agent as their businesses may be entirely focused on live bookings, therefore paying a manager may not make sense. .
The role of the agent is typically very sales based. Their job is to get you gigs. When the artist has a manager, the agent, artist and manager would together lay out a strategy for touring or attracting live shows. The agent’s job is to implement the strategy and bring offers for performances to the manager. The manager, along with the input of the artist, then chooses to accept or pass on those offers. .
To sum it up, a manager’s job is typically more a partnership with the artist in implementing an overall business strategy and an agent is usually responsibly for a very specific role (live bookings) in artist’s career. .
- Justin Sudds – Gigsmacked.com
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Feel free to comment or let us know what you think
I’ve found over the years that there is a common theme with performers that they feel that they need to have a manager long before they actually require one. In a previous post, I spoke about a bit about what a Manager is looking for, so here I thought I’d provide you with what I see as 3 good signs that you’re ready for a Manager.
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You are so busy being the business that you can no longer effectively run the business. A good sign that you fit this category is that you have so many inquiries for gigs that you are spending all your time responding to emails and voice mails and as a result you haven’t had the time to rehearse
Many new career opportunities are coming your way and you feel a Manager may be able help make sure you are making the right career choices, getting paid fairly and that your brand has a professional face on it. Some examples of opportunities would be major media appearances, high profile shows, licensing deals, record deals or sponsorship agreements.
You are having great success in one aspect of your performing career, but would like to focus attention on developing a new revenue stream or artistic endeavor (eg. You’re a successful actor and want to build a stage show or you’re a successful musician who wants to try acting). You therefore need to have someone maintain the performing side and help you guide the new revenue stream.
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These are the 3 most common scenarios that I find lead to a successful Artist – Manager relationship. There are of course exceptions to this, but as a previous post points out, be the rule, not the exception.
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This is worth discussion for the simple fact that a lot of performers feel that because they aren’t good at negotiating for themselves, because they can’t seem to find gigs, or they haven’t been able to draw attention from a record label, that a manager will be their magic solution to all this.
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Here’s the reality. All those things I just mentioned are HUGE red flags for me that you are not ready for a Manager and possibly that you aren’t taking your career as a performer seriously enough. If you can’t find yourself shows, to me, this is a sign that you’re either not good enough yet, or that you’re not pushing hard enough on your own. Honestly, as a Manager, these are things that I’m looking at and the rules are the same whether you’re an indie rock band, a stand up or a ballet dancer.
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Prove to the industry and more importantly yourself that you can accomplish a lot on your own. The industry will take notice of successes, especially those generated without help. In fact, finding those scenarios are what every Manager is looking for!
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- Justin Sudds – Gigsmacked.com
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We’d love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment or drop us an email.
My wife and I had a date night a couple of weeks ago and since she got to choose the movie, we ended watching “He’s Just Not That Into You”. Okay…admittedly, this movie made me laugh enough that I have to say I enjoyed it, but more importantly, it had a very great message that applies perfectly to entertainers:
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BE THE RULE, NOT THE EXCEPTION
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The rags to riches story of overnight fame and success are poison to entertainers. I won’t dwell on this cliché and don’t get me wrong I am a huge believer in dreaming big. The problem is just that the dreaming (or goal setting) needs to be follow up by intense work in order to make your dreams reality. No short cuts. No right place, right time. Don’t try to be the exception. Be the rule – What’s the rule you ask? 3 words:
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Do – The – Work
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The rule is that if you’re better than everyone else at what you do, you’ll succeed. In order to be the best – do the work. Once you’re the best at your craft, be the best at getting followers on Twitter – do the work. Once you’ve got that, be the best at branding – do the work. After that, be the best at booking your own gigs – do the work.
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Don’t book a gig hoping that the right person will be in the room that night who can take your career to new heights. That is a very frustrating trap you’re creating. Book a gig thinking it is another opportunity for you to get better at your craft. If you do the work and become the best, the right person will find you. It’s a rule.
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Focused, passionate, hard work brings success. Be the rule.
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- Justin Sudds – Gigsmacked.com
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As you can imagine, I get hit with a lot of emails and phone calls from people looking to be represented. I fully admit that I don’t respond to the vast majority of these inquiries. If something strikes me, I will click through to a link if I’m intrigued.If you get this far with a cold call email with any agent or manager, it is your time to shine. Whatever comes after that click determines whether I spend another 3 seconds or another 30 minutes getting to know what you do.
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Here’s the reality: I know extremely quickly most of the time. The talent involved is obviously my primary concern, but I’m looking for WAY more than talent. I want to see that you have thought seriously about your own career; that you are legitimately pursuing your passion with everything you’ve got. If I feel that the talent is there (which is fully subjective of course) then here’s what happens:
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I spend 2-3 minutes (literally) searching YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and browsing your website.
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It will be clear to me within that time frame whether or not you are taking your career seriously. If you haven’t invested time in creating audience loyalty and connections through social media, I’m out! If your website is bad or very out of date, I’m out. If I can’t find something that makes your talent shine on YouTube, I’m out.
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If I am going to invest my time by partnering with an artist, I want to definitely make sure they are extremely serious about what they do. Take a few minutes and really evaluate how your business or talent is being presented to the world. Focusing on this a few times a month can really make a huge difference for you!
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- Justin Sudds – GigSmacked.com
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Leave us your comments below and let us know what you think?
What’s the deal with getting an agent or manager? How important are they?
From Reuters
Dec. 23 2009- An unknown director shoots a short film that cost 300 dollars (USD) to make, puts it on YouTube and ends up signing a reported 30 million picture deal. While this may sound like the stuff of an urban or rather Hollywood legend, the fact is, it just happened to Federico Alvarez. The 31-year-old producer from Uruguay was an absolute unknown when he uploaded his short film “Panic Attack” to the internet just 5 weeks ago. A few days later he was an internet sensation and one of the hottest new filmmaking talents in Hollywood.
“I posted on a Thursday and by Monday my mailbox was full with all e-mails from Hollywood. It was like, what? It was crazy. So, over the next week I started to get a lot of email from here like, ‘Oh your short is great, we want to meet with you.’ So, I was like ok let me go over there.”
Once in Hollywood, Alvarez’ services were heavily courted by studios and A-list power players. The now former advertising executive, who previously made a living shooting commercials in his home country, reportedly inked a 30-million dollar deal with “Spiderman” director Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures to direct an original film.
“The great thing is that something happened and that is why everyone is amazed. In just three days in the city like Hollywood to have all this stories of people sleeping in their cars forever to try and get a gig. It was great to have three days in the city and to get a movie deal.”
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“Panic Attack” is just under 5 minutes long and depicts an alien invasion with giant robots and certainly gets your attention.
Alvarez told Reuters that his upcoming film will also involve an alien invasion, but will differ from the original short.
Thanks to John Russell from Reuters Los Angeles for this article.
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WILL YOU get a 30 million dollar deal by posting something on the internet? No guarantees. This is the exception not the rule. In the case of Alvarez this filmmaker took things into his own hands and created an opportunity for himself, which in turn generated huge interest. Who knows how many of these he made before the right person (and millions more) saw his work.
Creating opportunities for yourself is the only guaranteed way to get the attention of agents, managers, producers, people who can make the difference in you building a foundation for a solid career with true success or you wallowing in a used rubber career of excuses, ‘could have/used to know’ stories and mediocrity.
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear from performers is thinking that they need an agent or manager first, which will in turn provide them with a career. Dead Wrong. Stop wasting time mailing things to people with false expectations about the perceived outcome. There isn’t an agent or manager on earth who will provide you with a career and any who promise this deserve to be hung by their short and curlies. Like any other business if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. There are agents and managers who can take your career to the next level but you must give them something to work with. As the performer (mime, actor, juggler, magician etc) you and you only have the power to give agents and managers a reason to pay attention to you.
This begins with being honest with yourself about your strengths and your weaknesses. Stop asking your family and friends if you’re good enough. They’re supposed to say yes. Watch American Idol or any talent reality hybrid show. Most of those horrible auditions are a result of delusional people who have been told all their lives by friends and family that they’re the next big thing.
How do you stand out above the rest?
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1. PUT YOUR TALENT TO THE TEST. Take your act or a portion of your act as it is and hit the streets. Find a street corner with lots of foot traffic and see if anybody stops to pay attention. The objective here is to find out what you’re made of and how passionate you are about your craft. If you can stop people on the street for GOOD reasons you have something to build upon. The more you do it the better you’ll get. Give yourself four tries minimum. Instead of a hat for money which makes people feel obligated put a sandwich board or piece of paper and a pen out there and ask them to write down what they did or didn’t like. Nobody stopping? There’s room for improvement – keep going, it will work. If this scares you find another vocation.
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2. REHEARSE YOUR ASS OFF Take the feedback from your street gigs, get in the mirror and implement it. Some of the suggestions from the public may seem silly but take everything in, try it and throw out what doesn’t work. Some of the best advice you’ll get comes from some unlikely sources. The fact that the sources aren’t related to you tells you they don’t have any reason to lie. Practice makes perfect. Sounds simple but you wouldn’t believe how many performers simply don’t rehearse. Everyday work builds power. Remember – feedback is a two way street and requires discernment on your part. There are people who like to give feedback just to prove that they’re intelligent (but aren’t) and then there are people who honestly just tell you like it is. You want the latter.
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3. FIND A MENTOR Find someone who is already successful at what you’re doing and ask them to mentor you, tell them what you’re trying to do. So many performers are following in the footsteps of someone with war stories but have never been on the front lines. There is no grey area when it comes to advice. Find the real people who are already doing what you want to do. Don’t have Internet? Pick up a phone book. Not sure what to say? Here’s a start:
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Dear SoandSo,
My name is McLovin and I am a senior citizen pig juggler. I caught your act the other night at the Poontang Cafe and was wondering if I could buy you a coffee sometime to discuss the possibility of mentoring. I won’t be badgering you for autographs or anything, just honest feedback and hopefully a chance for you to share some of your wisdom with the next generation of senior citizen pig jugglers. I can be reached at 999-999-9999 or 999@gmail.com.
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You get the idea. Again, use discernment. Don’t expect John Leguizamo or David Copperfield to call you back right away. There are plenty of wonderfully talented working magicians/speed painters/actors/whatever that are more accessible and it’s going to take work on your part to contact them. The Internet has made it easier than ever to find people.
REMINDER:
Don’t stop until you get a mentor. If you get discouraged remember that it’s part of the journey.
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Once you have a mentor in place remember that it’s about the journey not the destination. If you create something with honest feedback, integrity and killer talent agents and managers will find you. It’s a fact.
-Kahlil Ashanti
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