The term "manager" is one of the most misunderstood terms in the field of modeling. New models, particularly on the Internet, don't understand the difference between a manager and an agent. That is easy to understand since there are many people on the Net who portray themselves as managers, when in fact, they are more closely operating in the form of an unlicensed agent.

An agent is one who acts in the model's stead, negotiates contracts for her, books the assignment on her behalf, does the billing, and then remits her monies upon payment from the client. This is an important function. Models will often have more than one agent representing them in different areas, such as commercial modeling, fashion modeling, and acting (normally theatrical or commercial).

On the other hand, no model or actor should have more than one manager. Indeed, in his book "The Casting Directors and the casting process," Keith Wolf said that A good manager is worth his weight in gold.

Talent will most often have a manager when they are new or are very experienced. For the new model or actor, the manager serves a very important function - to cultivate the model's career so that she can develop to the maximum. A good manager will help shape the direction a model or actor goes so as to generate the most revenue.

Career decisions are important to move a model into the niché that best fits their look and talents. Managers will help models understand contracts, compensation, billing practices, and safety. With a good manager, a model's time will be more productive because a competent manager will have experience in the market. He will know photographers, agents, art directors and clients and he can advise a model as to their references. More importantly, he will know which of these important resources might result in benefit to the model and which will be nonproductive to pursue.

A good manager understands makeup, wardrobe, posing and appearance. He will help a model develop the look that will be most effective in the markets she chooses to pursue.

While managers won't represent a model directly, as an agent will, they will help them network and will promote them to the industry. These activities will help a model get bookings they would otherwise not get had they been working on their own.

When a model's marketability develops sufficiently, a good manager will try to get the model signed with the best agents available in the markets they are pursuing. This promotion differs from that of an agent in the way a shotgun differs from a rifle. An agent has a particular market, such as commercial modeling. A commercial agent would submit a model for print advertising, for example, because that is their primary client base. Yet a model might also be interested in acting in feature films. A manager works with a broad sword rather than a scalpel. He promotes the model in all the areas in which she is interested, seeking representation by agents where that is possible.

A young model or actor will often start with a manager because agents are reluctant to sign untested talent. This is understandable for a variety of reasons. A new model or actor often doesn't know where it is they best fit, and they may simply saturate the market. That approach doesn't work for most agents that need to get their talent booked. Inexperienced models often lack the audition skills to get booked consistently. For an agent, this results in lost bookings because clients want to go with proven talent. A good manager will help a model overcome these problems by moving their career to a place where they are truly marketable.

Agents respect managers who perform the function they are intended to do. Indeed, agents work with competent managers because it is to their benefit to have the best talent available. Recently, a number of well-known agents have become managers because of the increased flexibility management has. Agents are restricted from production because of union contracts and have limitations on what they can do for their clients based on the covenants of their licenses. Many agents have found that they can be more effective as managers, and thus have made the switch. By removing the restrictions an agent has, a manager can often open doors for talent that they couldn't do as an agent.

Photographers, agents, art directors and casting directors benefit from managers because well-managed talent will perform better on the set. They will be more reliable and they will produce more consistently because they will be booked on the jobs for which they are best suited.

Truly understanding what a manager is and what he can do is the key to selecting a good one and advancing a model's career.

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