# Agent vs Manager: What Each Does for an Actor, and Whether You Need Both

> Who gets you auditions, who shapes your career, what each one takes, and the math on paying both. A decision guide by career stage, with the questions to ask before you sign anything.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/agent-vs-manager-for-actors
- Published: 2026-10-15
- Last updated: 2026-10-15

A manager emails after your showcase. A friend swears you need an agent first. Someone in class says the real players have both, and someone else says a manager is just a second person taking a cut. You don't have a single rep yet, and you're already being asked to pick a side.

The two jobs overlap enough to confuse anyone, and the advice online often blurs them. But the line between them is real, it's partly written into law, and once you see it, the choice gets much simpler.

The short version: an agent's job is to get you auditions and negotiate the jobs you book. A manager's job is to guide your career: your materials, your choices, and which agents you work with. Agents should be franchised by the unions, are generally licensed by the state, and are generally limited to 10%. Managers aren't licensed or franchised and generally take 10% to 15%. Which one you need first depends on your stage. A manager earns their cut when you're too new for agents to notice you, or busy enough that you need a strategist.

## What an agent does

An agent sells you. They get breakdowns, submit you for roles, pitch you to casting directors, and negotiate your deal when you book. In the states with the biggest markets, that work requires a license. SAG-AFTRA's guidance on [agents and managers](https://www.sagaftra.org/membership-benefits/young-performers/parents/agents-managers) says an agent should be franchised by the union and is generally licensed by the state.

Franchised means the agency has agreed to the union's rules. The headline rule is the commission. SAG-AFTRA's Los Angeles [commission bulletin](https://www.sagaftra.org/agency-commission-limitations-los-angeles-members) says franchised agents can't charge you miscellaneous fees on the side, and that on theatrical, TV, and streaming work the agent must negotiate above scale, generally scale plus 10, before they can take a commission. That bulletin is for Los Angeles members, so check the version for your market.

Stage actors have a parallel rule. Actors' Equity's [agency information page](https://actorsequity.org/resources/agency-information) says Equity members may sign only with franchised agents, and caps their commission at 10%.

## What a manager does

A manager develops you. They help choose your headshots, shape your résumé and reel, advise on classes, decide which roles fit the career you're building, and help you get the right agent. A good manager works alongside your agent rather than in place of one.

What a manager may not do, in the two biggest markets, is the agent's core job. SAG-AFTRA's guidance says managers aren't licensed or franchised and, in New York and California, may not obtain employment for you without a licensed agent. In [Marathon Entertainment v. Blasi](https://calemploymentlawupdate.proskauer.com/2008/03/talent-agencies-act-applies-to-personal-managers-as-well-as-agents/) (2008), California's Supreme Court held that the Talent Agencies Act applies to anyone who procures work, whatever their title.

You don't need to referee where that line falls. What matters to you is that a manager can't replace the agent, so even with a manager you'll usually still want one.

### The rules for managers are voluntary

Because managers aren't licensed like agents, the protections are thinner. SAG-AFTRA runs a voluntary [Personal Manager Code of Ethics and Conduct](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/sa_documents/dos_donts_manager_code_conduct.pdf). Its guide for members says a management contract shouldn't require advance fees, the manager should get paid when you do, and you should beware of clauses that renew automatically. Its sample contract caps the first term at 18 months. Managers who sign the code are listed on the union's site. Signing is optional, but the code is a useful checklist for any management contract.

## What each one costs you

Here's the math people skip. Take a made-up job that pays $10,000 gross, with an agent at 10% and a manager at 15%:

- **Agent only:** $1,000 to the agent, $9,000 to you before taxes.
- **Manager only:** $1,500 to the manager, $8,500 to you.
- **Both:** $2,500 to your reps, $7,500 to you.

A quarter of every check is a lot. It's worth it only if the second rep brings in work, or better work, that you wouldn't have had. A manager who helps you land the right agent, and with it steady auditions, has paid for themselves. A manager who forwards the same appointments your agent already got you has not.

Two rules protect the money itself. California's Labor Code, [section 1700.40](https://california.public.law/codes/labor_code_section_1700.40), bars a licensed talent agency from charging a registration fee and from referring you to services it has a financial stake in, like photographers, coaches, or schools. And the SAG-AFTRA manager code guide warns against managers steering you to vendors they profit from. Commission comes out of work you book, so treat any request for money up front as a red flag.

## Which one you need, by career stage

There's no single right order. The honest answer depends on what you have to show and who's already calling.

### Starting out: no credits, no reel

Many agents won't sign you yet, and that's normal. This is the stage where Backstage's experts suggest [a manager may be the better first fit](https://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/what-comes-first-agent-or-manager/) for a new actor. It's also the stage where scams find you. SAG-AFTRA's advice on [finding representation](https://www.sagaftra.org/expert-advice-finding-representation-0) puts it plainly: "It's better to have no representation than bad representation."

If no one offers, that's not a crisis. Submit yourself through the [casting sites actors actually use](https://www.offbook.com/blog/best-casting-sites-for-actors), take classes, book student and indie work, and build the reel. Our guide on [how to get an agent with no experience](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-get-acting-agent-no-experience) walks through the submission process.

### Some credits, training, or a reel

Now an agent is the priority. Auditions are the bottleneck, and the agent is the person licensed to open that door. If you're a stage actor, a franchised agent also matters for union work, and our guide on [how to join Actors' Equity](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-join-actors-equity) covers when the card makes sense.

A manager at this stage is optional. Take one if they bring something specific: relationships with agents you can't reach, or a clear plan for your type.

### Booking steadily

When you're auditioning every week and booking, a manager can help you choose: which pilot, which agency, when to move markets, when to turn something down. Many working actors have both at this point. Paying two commissions is easier to justify when the decisions are bigger.

## Questions to ask before you sign

Treat a first meeting as an interview going both ways. Bring a list, and write down the answers:

1. **Who else do you represent in my type and age range?** Too many and you'll compete with their own clients; none might mean they don't know your lane.
2. **Where would you submit me in the first three months?** A real answer names kinds of projects and offices, not "everywhere."
3. **Are you licensed by the state, and franchised by the unions?** Ask an agent both. Equity members may sign only with franchised agents, and California's Labor Commissioner keeps a searchable list of licensed agencies.
4. **What's your commission, and on what?** Ask whether it's taken on scale jobs, on commercials, and on work you found yourself.
5. **How long is the contract, and how do I leave?** Look for a fixed term and a clear exit. Be wary of automatic renewals.
6. **Do you want any money before I book?** The answer should be no.
7. **How do you like to communicate?** Some reps want weekly updates; some want to hear only when something changes.

SAG-AFTRA's guidance suggests having an attorney review a management contract before you sign. Don't sign on the spot, and don't sign with the first person who offers just because they offered.

## Your side of the deal

No rep can book the job for you. What they can do is get you in the room more often, and every audition you walk into prepared makes the next pitch easier. Keep a record of every appointment with an [audition tracker](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-track-auditions), so you and your reps can see what's working.

Sides can arrive the night before, and the actor who knows the lines can spend the audition on choices. In Offbook, you upload the sides, pick your role, and realistic voices read the other characters; it cues the next line when it detects you've finished yours. You can hide your own lines, or the whole script for a final test.

## Questions actors ask

### Can a manager get me auditions without an agent?

In New York and California, managers may not obtain employment for you without a licensed agent, according to SAG-AFTRA. That's one reason a manager without an agent alongside them will often focus on finding you one.

### Do I have to pay commission on work I found myself?

It depends on your contract, which is why you ask before signing. Read the commission clause for what it covers, and have it reviewed if you're unsure.

### How do I leave a manager or agent?

Follow the termination terms in your contract, in writing. If you're a SAG-AFTRA member and the dispute is with a manager who signed the union's code, the union's guide says the dispute defaults to SAG-AFTRA arbitration.