101 to agents, managers, publicists, and entertainment lawyers: who do you need?

Talent agents – secure gigs for talent. They deal with everything talents wouldn’t want to: send scripts to studios, negotiate the fee, work on all papers, exposure. From A to Z, this person will deal with your scripts on your behalf. 

What you need to know: can only take up to 10% of your earnings, usually have many clients (up to 500). 

Literary agents – same as talent agents, but work ONLY with writers. Please note that it could be a book writer, a script writer, a play writer, etc. 

Managers – manage everything. I mean, everything. What comes to mind when you hear ‘my manager will handle this”? Yes, a person who has a huge pile of documents and an always buzzing phone. But they are much more than this, they can provide career guidance, produce, make arrangements, etc. Basically, as any manager, they can negotiate any deal on your behalf and be involved in whatever you need (but please don’t mistake them for personal assistants!). 

What you need to know: normally take 15 % of a client’s earnings, have very few clients. 

Publicists – handle your image. That’s a bit further down the line, but still. At some point, talents hire publicists to take over all the organisation of the events surrounding their work, like interviews, photoshoots, press releases, etc. Obviously, their job is also to protect the image you and your agent are trying to build, protecting you from some dodgy interviewers and magazines. 

What you need to know: normally take a flat fee or sometimes % at the end of each campaign, usually work for agencies. 

Entertainment lawyers – handle legal matters. Apart from protecting intellectual property and your interests, they can help you navigate the world of contracts and NDAs. 

What you need to know: they do not have industry connections, do not send out your script to production companies, do not provide career guidance, and can take hourly/flat rate/% of earnings.