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Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $82,890 Median per year · $39.85/hr Most earn $48,010–$284,570

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals.
  • Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients.
  • Manage business and financial affairs for clients, such as arranging travel and lodging, selling tickets, and directing marketing and advertising activities.
  • Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations.
  • Prepare periodic accounting statements for clients.
  • Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients' success.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
10% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 2,400 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Self-employed (their own business)45.4%
  • Agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures36.9%
  • Crop production8.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

This is not a job you can usually start straight out of high school. Most people earn a bachelor's degree and then spend about 1 to 2 years in an entry-level job in entertainment, sports, or promotion before working as an agent or business manager.

  1. Bachelor's degree in business, communications, or entertainment/sports management

    4 years

    You learn contracts, marketing, and how the entertainment or sports industries work, and you build a network through internships and campus activities.

  2. Public Relations Specialist

    1-2 years

    You help clients or companies get noticed and manage their public image, which teaches you how to pitch people and handle media and client relationships.

  3. Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

    Ongoing

    You represent clients, promote them to employers, and negotiate their contracts and business matters.

Where it can lead

  1. Marketing Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You lead a team and plan larger campaigns, which can help you grow a client roster and manage bigger business deals.

  2. Public Relations Manager

    4-6 years of experience first

    You oversee a whole communications strategy and team, which builds the leadership skills needed to run an agency or talent division.

  3. Agency Partner or Head of Talent

    5+ years of experience first

    You run a talent agency or department, set its strategy, and take responsibility for the agency's clients and staff. This usually requires a strong client list and a long track record.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English, speech, and debate classesStrong writing and speaking skills are central to negotiating and promoting clients.
  • Join a school club like drama, student government, or a sports booster groupThese groups teach you how to organize events, work with adults, and represent a group's interests.
  • Get a part-time or volunteer job at a local theater, arena, or event venueYou will see how performances and sports events are scheduled, promoted, and run behind the scenes.
  • Take a business, economics, or math classUnderstanding money, budgets, and deals gives you a head start on the business side of the work.

In college

  • Major in business, communications, or sports/entertainment managementThese majors cover marketing, contracts, and industry basics that agents use every day.
  • Take a contract law or negotiation course if your school offers oneLearning how contracts work and how to negotiate terms is a core part of this job.
  • Intern with a talent agency, sports team, record label, or PR firmInternships give you real experience and contacts in the industry and often lead to entry-level jobs.
  • Join a student-run organization like a campus radio station, event board, or sports clubYou will practice promoting people and events and build a network with others in the field.
  • Work a campus job in events, athletics, or the student unionCampus jobs teach scheduling, client service, and event promotion, all skills that transfer to agent work.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for internships or part-time jobs at a local sports team, theater, event venue, or talent agency, even if the work is mostly admin, so you can learn how deals and schedules come together.
  • Practice writing and speaking clearly. Agents spend a lot of time emailing, pitching, and negotiating, so strong communication matters.
  • Get comfortable with contracts early. Reading and explaining simple contracts in a class or club will help you later.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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