Skip to main content

Talent & Artist Manager

Creative

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

Creative Arts & MediaBusiness

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
  2. 2Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals.
  3. 3Keep informed of industry trends and deals.
  4. 4Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations.
  5. 5Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients.
  6. 6Confer with clients to develop strategies for their careers, and to explain actions taken on their behalf.
  7. 7Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients' success.
  8. 8Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients.
  9. 9Arrange meetings concerning issues involving their clients.
  10. 10Manage business and financial affairs for clients, such as arranging travel and lodging, selling tickets, and directing marketing and advertising activities.
  11. 11Hire trainers or coaches to advise clients on performance matters, such as training techniques or performance presentations.
  12. 12Prepare periodic accounting statements for clients.
  13. 13Obtain information about or inspect performance facilities, equipment, and accommodations to ensure that they meet specifications.
  14. 14Advise clients on financial and legal matters, such as investments and taxes.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Agent
  • Booker
  • Promoter
  • Film Booker
  • Music Agent
  • Print Agent
  • Band Manager
  • Circus Agent
  • Sports Agent
  • Talent Agent

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Fine Arts — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Bahasa MelayuDraws directly on Communications and Media — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service87%
  • Sales and Marketing81%

    BusinessEconomics

  • English Language78%

    English

  • Administration and Management77%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Fine Arts75%

    Visual Art (PSV)

  • Communications and Media74%

    EnglishBahasa Melayu

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

30%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.11%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Compliance / Regulatory Officer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org