Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

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

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

Less than 5 years

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

26.1%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.4/5
• Sales and Marketingimportance 4.0/5
• English Languageimportance 3.9/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.8/5
• Fine Artsimportance 3.7/5
• Communications and Mediaimportance 3.7/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.4/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Telephone Conversations5.0/5
• E-Mail5.0/5
• Contact With Others4.9/5
• Time Pressure4.7/5
• Spend Time Sitting4.6/5
• Frequency of Decision Making4.6/5

Related Careers

• Producers and Directors
• Advertising Sales Agents
• Public Relations Specialists
• Advertising and Promotions Managers
• Writers and Authors
• Marketing Managers
• Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
• Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Labor Relations Specialists98% skill match
• Lawyers97% skill match
• Loan Officers97% skill match
• Credit Counselors97% skill match
• Correspondence Clerks97% skill match
• Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products97% skill match
• Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan97% skill match
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Persuasionimportance 4.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 4.0/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.9/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.8/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Social Orientation
• Self-Confidence
• Perseverance
• Leadership Orientation
• Dependability
• Achievement Orientation
• Adaptability

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• EnterprisingHigh
• SocialMedium
• ConventionalMedium
• ArtisticMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA8.09× national avg
2. 2Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN7.05× national avg
3. 3New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ3.23× national avg
4. 4Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT2.33× national avg
5. 5Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL2.16× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Public Relations SpecialistsCareer Change
• Writers and AuthorsCareer Change
• FundraisersLateral Move
• Loan OfficersLateral Move

See the full career path from Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.