Agents, Managers, Mentors, OH MY!

Hey All!

Okay, the blog is starting to take form now and it seems as though I'll have enough words of wisdom to fill this blog three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week.  Thursdays are when my E-Newsletter comes out so be sure to sign up for that too at www.RyanTalent.com/Newsletter.html.  So subscribe to this blog, read religiously, then spread the word about how awesome my posts are to all your friends and family!

Moving on;  I got a question from Sharon in Mississippi regarding Agents and how they make money and I figured this would be a great topic for a quick blog post!

Sharon stated that she thought Agents didn't "make anything" until they secured you work.  To answer Sharon's question, first, let's back up just a smidge and talk about the differences between industry professionals.

Agents - Generally specialize in one area of the entertainment industry.  An agent may specialize in acting, commercial print work, high fashion modeling, commercial television, singing, dancing or several other areas in the entertainment world.  If you sign with an agent, they may charge you a small annual annual fee and they may ask you to use their photographer to secure your headshots.  Both of these services can be above board as long as they are not cost prohibitive.  For the most part, an Agent will garner between 10-15% of your earnings  from any job she secures for you in the entertainment industry; that is where they make the bulk of their money if they are a reputable agent.

Managers - Managers tend to earn 15-20% of your earnings for everything you do in the entertainment industry, regardless of whether they personally secured the job for you.  This is because managers are different than agents in that they MANAGE every aspect of your entertainment career.  They can submit you for castings in all things entertainment industry including modeling, acting, singning, dancing, etc.  Managers do a great deal of work to help steer your career in the right direction and handle pretty much EVERYTHING for you.  You CAN have an agent or even more than one agents AND a Manager.  You cannot have more than one manager.  Again, managers could have a small annual fee and they could help you obtain your tools of the trade, but these should not be outrageously priced to the point where their entire income is being made off their client's purchases. 

Publicists - A Publicist generally earns a set fee every month for which they are under contract with you.  Publicists will help you garner and handle media relations.  A good publicist can cost several thousand dollars a month but if you are fielding a lot of media, they are worth every penny! 

MENTORS - This is what I do!  I help guide my clients through the entertainment industry with strategic career planning.  Although I used to do traditional Agent and Management work (depending on the needs of the client) I found that I am truly skilled at mentoring through teleseminars, live events, groups and one-to-one coaching sessions where I help clients focus on their strategy and create out-of-the-box plans for their (or their child's) career in entertainment.  I help more people achieve success faster, more efficiently and more cost effectively by offering my services en-mass through my various programs.  There are many mentors and coaches in every walk of life - I just happen to be REALLY good at mentoring in the entertainment industry and my clients have enjoyed ENORMOUS success by simply taking my advice and acting upon my recommendations!  If you are interested in pursuing any of my fantastic programs, be sure to visit my website at www.RyanTalent.com.  Please note, however, that I am ONLY interested in working with true Movers and Shakers who are dedicated to getting off their booty and working as hard as I do to make them successful.  If that's you, by all means, look me up!  

So, Sharon of Mississippi, I hope that helped answer your question!  We will cover this and many other topics in my Free Consultation Call on Thursday, November 1st.  If you have yet to sign up for this great opportunity, be sure to do so on my website at www.RyanTalent.com/BeDiscovered.html.

Talk soon!

Heather Ryan
The Ultimate Talent Mentor