By Beka Ashley and Paris Williamson

Talent managers are critically essential to the careers of their clients, serving as their trusted advisors, advocates, and client representatives. Tirelessly, Managers work to ensure their client’s success in the entertainment industry. With countless streaming services, fierce competition, varying client expectations, industry politics, and multiple clients to manage – talent managers have their work cut out for them.

Because talent managers are rarely off-the-clock, they need a tool that allows them to remain primarily focused on the success of clients while sourcing new and upcoming talent. tap., an app that connects everyone in entertainment, can help talent managers stay organized, prioritize tasks, recruit new talent, and maintain clear boundaries between clients, agents, other managers, and productions. 

Nevin Dolcefino is the Executive Vice President at Innovative Artists, a top-tier Hollywood talent agency that provides incomparable, personalized management services which prioritize the interest of their clients first and foremost. Through "sharply focused representation", Innovative Artists ensure success during all stages of their client's careers. Additionally, Dolcefino is also an investor and advisor for tap. He is passionate about tap.’s ability to help talent managers grow and scale their careers.

A Changing Industry Has Talent Managers Seeking New Solutions

Talent Managers guide entertainers through their careers, assisting in project decisions, producing original content, and sometimes personal life choices. They provide encouragement to entertainers and have a unique opportunity to help blossoming talent find their niche and grow. 

Top managers in the industry, like Rick Yorn (manager of A-List actors Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio), are successful because they see a client's potential and push them toward greatness. However, the last several years have seen massive shifts within the industry, challenging managers’ instincts and autonomy and causing them to leave the field in droves. 

According to Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg, manager jobs are becoming more complicated. Talent managers feel financial pressure from celebrities becoming entrepreneurs and independent social media stars – attracting investors' attention without a manager’s involvement. Therefore, agents and managers must consider goals for their financial futures as their clients source deals online without Managers.

This pressure to build clientele and secure a financial future means managers in Hollywood are constantly seeking new talent to represent. tap.’s Access Feed connects those in the industry seeking guidance from managers who can support them.

David Waltzer, manager of hip-hop artist Mike WiLL Made-It and rapper 24kGoldn, looks for self-starters in the industry. Clients (and managers!) who are self-starters are more likely to be successful in their fields. He told Variety that respect is the secret to his success: “You never know where someone will end up. This industry is a marathon, not a sprint, and that mindset has helped me succeed.” 

Is a Code of Ethics Needed For Talent Managers? 

Involvement in associations is important in talent management. The Screen Actors Guild: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is the most well-known and respectable organization for directors, producers, journalists, and entertainment professionals. These organizations' talent managers are at the forefront of their category and the ones who regulate industry standards. However, some recent changes in SAG-AFTRA are having talent managers reconsider their union affiliation.

In 2013, SAG-AFTRA introduced a voluntary Code of Ethics for managers stipulating that there are time limitations if a manager uses a written contract. This code includes contract duration limitations, auto-renewal clauses, and the inability to use a photographer or acting coach, for example, if the manager has a financial interest.

Notably, under this code of ethics, managers cannot solicit or procure services for the actors they represent. According to Jonathan Handel of The Hollywood Reporter, many SAG-AFTRA-associated talent managers are opposed to the restrictions enacted by the code.

Gerry Pass, producer, and president of Chrome Artists Management, told Handel, "I was excited about the prospect of a ‘Code,’ if it would bring greater cooperation between SAG-AFTRA and personal managers. But the final document…doesn’t do that; just the opposite, if adhered to, it makes it almost impossible for a personal manager to effectively represent the union’s members. It has turned my enthusiasm relevant to this potential into the disappointment of its realities, and I cannot support and will not consider signing.”

tap.’s Deal Message Thread (DMT) offers an alternative for talent managers seeking a way to be held accountable to their clients without being bound by SAG-AFTRA’s code of ethics. Vetted talent managers can utilize the DMT for secure communications with agencies, organizing schedules, portfolio upkeep, general e-mails, and document-keeping. 

Connecting Talent Managers with Everyone in Entertainment on tap.

tap. helps talent managers communicate directly with actors, producers, directors, and the people that matter in entertainment. The app’s software enables them to manage their networks and connections, save money, secure clients, maintain accountability, and advance their careers. tap. is on a mission to help film, TV, music, radio, and publishing professionals connect, network, bookwork, and manage their entire entertainment career; this includes showrunners. Headquartered in Playa Vista, CA,  tap. is for everyone working in the global media and entertainment industry. For more information, visit www.tap.ec. and follow the company on Instagram @tap.ec. 

Available for download now on the App Store and Google Play. 

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About Beka Ashley: 

Beka is tap.’s Senior Communications Editorial Assistant. She manages the growing publication strategy for tap., including writing for the website’s blog and editing other interns’ current industry research. In addition to this role, she works as a freelance writer and critical care nurse. Connect with her on LinkedIn or see more of what she’s written here.

About Paris Williamson:

Paris is tap.’s Talent Manager Research Assistant. Paris created the company’s Talent Manager Default System in Entertainment, a thorough and robust guide on all things Talent Manager related, including how to break into entertainment as a Talent Manager. Connect with her on LinkedIn.