One of the most baffling questions for aspiring or newcomer screenwriters is the following: What are the differences between an agent and a manager?

When I first broke into the film business, all I knew about agents and managers is what I saw represented in movies and TV shows about Hollywood. Going by the Entourage model it seemed to me that an agent was the person who did all the industry wheelin’ and dealin’ (a’la Ari Gold) and a manager oversaw your day to day affairs and long-term career trajectory (a’la E). 

Although this model is more or less correct, I learned the differences can be even more nuanced and at times nebulous: sometimes agents and managers are literally doing the same thing. But what are these things exactly?

And are there some things an agent will do that a manager won’t do, and vice versa?

Within 18 years I’ve been repped by 3 agencies and 4 management companies, so I’ve had ample opportunity to take note of all the little differences between them.

I break it down below…

Brokering Deals

One of the primary differences between an agent and a manager is that agents focus more on brokering deals than developing careers. Just like a real-estate agent connects home buyers with properties for sale, a talent agent is in the business of connecting their clients to purchasing parties (whether they be a studio or a production company). 

If you have a spec script they’ll do their best to get it to people who want to option or purchase it. If there’s an open writing assignment, they’ll put you up for the job. Along with a lawyer, they’ll also negotiate the terms of any deal you get.

Managers can likewise shop scripts and negotiate deals, but it’s more common for an agency to handle this aspect of your career. Once again it’s a matter of focus more than anything else: above everything else agents broker deals.   

Developing Scripts

Another difference between agents and managers is the early development process of a spec script. Agents aren’t involved in this much and managers, highly so. 

Managers are the ones who will be deciding what script goes to your agent and they will help you develop it beforehand (this will involve them giving you notes after reading it). If the idea originated from the manager, there’s a good chance they’ll also act as a producer (most management companies are also production companies these days). This is another important difference: agents are in most instances legally not permitted to act as a producer or take a producing credit.

Agents will occasionally give a few notes of their own, but it’s rare and they’re usually minor: they want to read a script that’s ready for the marketplace.     

Setting Up Meetings

Ideally, agents and managers will both set up meetings for you: some of these will be general meetings; others will involve you pitching a concept or going up for a writing job. From my experience, you’ll meet more studio executives via an agent and more producers via a manager, but this isn’t set in stone. 

Ultimately it depends on the size of the agency or management company you’re with: the bigger they are, the more varied and high profile meetings you’ll get. Industry relationships are a vital commodity to both agents and managers, and it’s something they both can bring to the table if they represent you.

Day To Day Affairs

Depending on your level of success in the industry and the size of the agency or management company, both might help you with day to day affairs. 

The larger agencies usually assign a team to a client. They’ll be a senior agent who helps close deals or set up bigger meetings (i.e., A-list actors, directors or producers) and a junior agent who’s your “day to day” person: they’ll set up smaller or mid level meetings, put you up for open writing assignments and they’ll be more readily available to you in terms of communication. 

A management company might operate similarly if it’s a larger one, but usually a writer will have one manager that focuses on their career and they’ll be more hands on. If your manager is doing their job, you should be interacting with them the most and they should be guiding and assisting you on a regular basis.

Career Trajectory 

This leads us to career trajectory. As stated earlier, managers focus on their client’s overall career trajectory more than an agent will. But as with many of these job duties, they both might do it depending on your reps and where you’re at in your career. Generally speaking, the more success you have in the industry, the more people will be invested in helping you sustain a career.

But “sustaining” and “developing” a career are two distinct things. The larger agencies aren’t in the business of developing talent and usually won’t come around unless you’ve already established yourself in some capacity or you wrote a particularly hot spec script (i.e., high concept and marketable). 

It’s your manager who should be thinking of developing your talent and building your career over (hopefully) a long period of time. This will include helping you to create a brand as a writer and keeping you under the radar of industry professionals: a mention of you here, a mention of your latest script there.

In many cases, it’ll be a manager who will deliver you to an agency and sometimes they’ll even act as a liaison between you and your agent (although you should feel comfortable to talk directly with your agent when necessary).

A Winning Team

The more people you have working for you, the more opportunities you will have for success. In the long run, managers, agents, lawyers, producers, studio execs, directors and actors will all play an important role in shaping your career and helping you make the transition from an aspiring screenwriter to a professional. 

So even if it sometimes feels like overkill or they’re doing the same job, if you’re in a position to have both an agent and a manager, you should embrace it: your career is going the right way.

And if you don’t have both, stay motivated and keep working at it. You might have a whole team in the future, but it first has to start with you and your writing.