Ask an actor how he got a job and the word "friend" continually pops up. ("A friend told me about...," "A friend of my sister knew...") When we talk about the folks below, don't forget they are contacts too. Never underestimate the possibility of anyone helping your career. Entertainment attorney Michael C. Donaldson suggests, "When you hire a CPA invite him to every show you do, so he gets to know and care about you."
Your management team is divided into:
- People to obtain immediately;
- People to obtain later.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
For reasons best left to Merrill-Lynch to analyze, it's often tough to motivate actors to hire a good CPA. If you're at all skeptical as to their value, here's what actor Van Epperson has to say: "For years, we did our own taxes. Finally we decided to try an entertainment CPA. We still went ahead and figured our taxes, just for comparison. Well, he wound up saving us literally ten times what we would have paid - and that was over and above what it cost us for his services." That story is typical. Yes, his services will cost more than a guy seated at one of 33 desks in a storefront operation, but ultimately he'll save you money. Just be sure he's entertainment-oriented.
To find a CPA, ask bright Show Biz people you meet, including your agent, for recommendations.
Attorney
Eventually, someone's going to ask you to sign some gobbledy-gook with a lot of wherefores and whereases. And the worst time to go hunting for an attorney is when you need one. There's no need to pay a retainer, just establish a basic relationship with him for the future. Again, you'll want him to be entertainment-oriented.
LATER
Personal managers
"The reason an actor needs a personal manager - and this is not meant detrimentally - is that agents are predominantly booking services. They get phone calls from casting directors saying, 'I want so-and-so; sen-d me so-and- so.' In my opinion you need a personal manger and an agent in order to get full attention. A personal manager guides you on every facet of your career. We guide and direct and advise, from business management to publicity to selecting agents to opening bank accounts, you name it," says personal manager Melissa Torme-March. "I'm sort of an architect, whereas the agent is sort of a realtor," says personal manager Roz Tillman.
Done a lot of theatre? A good personal manager makes sure you have an agent in New York. Sing? He gets you on the nightclub circuit. Offered a part at a theatre in Missouri? He makes sure you're happy with your dressing room. Offered a role on an episodic television show? He advises you whether or not to take it, based on how it may affect your career. Not sure your agent is submitting you? Your PM checks over his own copy of the Breakdown Service and calls you agent to nudge him a little. Need an agent with more clout? He helps you get one. "I do all the things the agent was supposed to have done in the first place," says personal manager Jerry Cohn.
And, on top of all that, he introduces you to important people. He opens doors that might be locked to you and even your agent. There have been cases where a personal manager has introduced a total newcomer to the right producer, and zoooom!
And, once you're earning more than $100,000 a year, a personal manager can very well catapult you into super-stardom. That's why we put them under the category of people to obtain "later," which, frankly, some would question. They'd say get a good personal manager first, have him get you an agent, and stand back and watch your career blossom. Otherwise, you might never get beyond being another drone. "I know an actor who has done 60 films and you still don't know his name," says personal manager Cathryn Jaymes.
However, others have mixed opinions or downright hate personal managers. "I don't think they're very valuable, unless they have access to packaging," says one producer. "They're only helpful if you're a star and they also can provide business advice," says another. "They're nothing more than ambulance chasers," says still another.
Ask an agent what he thinks, and watch smoke come out of his ears. Many agents think of personal managers with a fondness usually reserved for root canal work.
Why the mixed reviews?
Well, anyone can pick up a piece of wood, paint "Personal Manager" on it, and he's in business. He doesn't have to know a thing. He doesn't need a union franchise or a state license. He can charge any fool any percentage he wants. Then he can get on the phone and start making ridiculous demands of agents, casting directors, even producers and directors. The fact that he's destroying a career may never enter his mind.
Next, the going rate for personal managers is 15 percent (and upwards) of your gross income. Since he's not franchised or licensed, he can't negotiate a legal contract unless he (or someone in his office) is an attorney. "There are only three people in the state of California who may negotiate a contract," points out theatrical agent David Westberg, "The artist himself, a certified agent, or a lawyer." In other words, with or without him, you're still going to need an agent.
Add the agent's commission to his and you're paying out (minimum) 25 percent - one quarter - of your income. And, if you think about it, you can do many of the things he does.
Next, even a top-notch personal manager isn't always going to be right. And his mistakes can be dillies. Maybe his demand for that fancy dressing room in Missouri is just enough to make the producer say, "Look, let's skip it." Maybe he nudges your agent once too often, and destroys a relationship you've been working on for years. Maybe he counsels you not to take a part, and you don't work for another year. Maybe he "manages" you right out of the business.
Yes, the general quality of personal managers has improved mostly because the good ones are policing themselves. But there are still a lot of sharks out there and, when it comes to helping you, toothless ones at that.
In any case, if you decide to look for a PM, it'll be easier if you're a teen heartthrob, glamor girl or handsome hunk, or are multi-talented (say, you sing with a band). Lesser beings will probably have to wait until they get hot - if they need one at all. Use the same methods we discussed in "Seeking an Agent." You might start with the Conference of Personal Managers, but bear in mind that not all (good or bad) personal managers are members. Other sources include The Studio Blu-Book, The Academy Players Directory (actors often list their managers) or the trades.
If a personal manager expresses interest in you, check him over with a microscope. He should have: been in business for at least a few years; solid connections; at least one relatively well-known client; charge no more than 15 percent; and demand no money up front. Most agents and casting directors should know and respect him. He should have a maximum of 10 to 15 clients. And, most important, his judgment should be solid and well-informed - that's really what you hire him for.
There's just no clear-cut answer to the value of a personal manager. In fact, only one thing is certain. As business manager A. Morgan Maree puts it, "Unfortunately today you get for 25 percent what you used to get for 10."
Business Manager
His title tells you what he does - he manages your business, helps you pre-plan tax deductions, suggests possible investments, arranges loans, puts together your portfolio and annual financial statement, etc. He should make his entrance when you're making upwards of $100,000 a year, and, if he's good, help you keep it and maybe make more.
Develop a good relationship with a CPA; he can offer business advice now and act as your business manager or refer you to one later. Some personal management firms also offer business management services.
With or without a business manager, learn some business. Stars have lost their shirts either through their own bad investments or those of a bad/shyster business manager. In college and thinking of becoming an actor? A major or minor in business will give you something to fall back on if it doesn't work out, and the background to make the most of your earnings if it does. Out of college? There are plenty of community college business courses and seminars available.
Publicist
Get rolling and a publicist can be invaluable. Through strategic planning, he can keep your name before the public, and, more important, the industry, for weeks, months and even years ahead. "Some publicists get you out to all the right parties," notes theatrical agent David Westberg. He can keep everybody convinced you just never stop working and are in constant demand. As publicist Barbara Best puts it, "You'll know your publicist is doing a good job when people come up to you and tell you how well you're doing."
However, even if you can afford his monthly fee, no publicist can help if you're not doing anything worth publicizing. And a community theatre production of Carousel doesn't qualify. If you're thinking of hiring a "publicist" who claims he can get you on Johnny Carson just because you're so cute, put your money on the longest shot at Hollywood Park instead. Besides, as editor Ruth Robinson put it, "Until you're famous, you can probably do the same things for yourself as any publicist."
