Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
Also called: Agent, Booking Agent, Talent Agent, Theatrical AgentRepresent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 14 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 9.7% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 11.1 hires for every 10 job openings in arts, entertainment, and recreation, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.11.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $60,340 | $40,140 to $64,380 | 160 |
| Arkansas | $78,560 | $75,100 to $157,130 | 30 |
| California | $98,110 | $76,010 to $163,570 | 4,860 |
| Colorado | $95,530 | $56,100 to $154,960 | 80 |
| Connecticut | $81,470 | $78,330 to $102,850 | 170 |
| Florida | $98,200 | $50,610 to $190,590 | 870 |
| Georgia | not published | not published | 230 |
| Illinois | $56,560 | $37,750 to $74,980 | not published |
| Kentucky | not published | not published | 40 |
| Louisiana | not published | not published | 30 |
| Massachusetts | not published | not published | 80 |
| Michigan | $82,440 | $38,130 to $147,180 | not published |
| Minnesota | not published | not published | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $81,690 | $60,970 to $103,340 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $81,190 | $63,920 to $134,680 | 170 |
| New York | $79,620 | $57,000 to $128,630 | 2,660 |
| North Carolina | not published | not published | 240 |
| Ohio | $76,790 | $61,190 to $84,050 | 100 |
| Oklahoma | not published | not published | 40 |
| Oregon | not published | not published | 90 |
| South Carolina | not published | not published | 80 |
| Tennessee | $75,390 | $51,310 to $123,950 | 730 |
| Texas | $82,920 | $68,210 to $102,390 | 320 |
| Utah | not published | not published | 150 |
| Virginia | $73,400 | $38,470 to $123,480 | 110 |
| Washington | $74,620 | $55,140 to $100,660 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | $74,990 | $53,800 to $119,630 | 40 |
Nationally: $82,890. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 7 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep informed of industry trends and deals. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients. | Not published |
| Not much | Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Confer with clients to develop strategies for their careers, and to explain actions taken on their behalf. | under 0.01% |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients' success. | Not published |
| AI alone | Arrange meetings concerning issues involving their clients. | Not published |
| Not much | Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients. | Not published |
| AI alone | Manage business and financial affairs for clients, such as arranging travel and lodging, selling tickets, and directing marketing and advertising activities. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare periodic accounting statements for clients. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Obtain information about or inspect performance facilities, equipment, and accommodations to ensure that they meet specifications. | Not published |
| AI + software | Hire trainers or coaches to advise clients on performance matters, such as training techniques or performance presentations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise clients on financial and legal matters, such as investments and taxes. | 0.11% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Coordinate group, community, or public activities | |||
| Perform recruiting or hiring activities | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Advise others on legal or regulatory matters | |||
| Develop professional relationships or networks |
Show all 13 activities
| Advise others on financial matters | |||
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Negotiate contracts or agreements | |||
| Collect fares or payments |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer36%
- Advice or a recommendation17%
- A document or report16%
- An email or message8%
- An analysis or summary7%
How they worked with Claude
52% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 2,502 moves out
- 1 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 6%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 5%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 2,748 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 7%
- 2 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 6%
- 3 File Clerks Very high -15.8% 5%
- 4 Data Entry Keyers Very high -25.5% 5%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 1% less than high school
- 38% high school
- 3% some college
- 41% bachelor's
- 17% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 7% high school
- 16% some college
- 5% associate's
- 51% bachelor's
- 13% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 4% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 599 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
5 programs, such as Sports Communication, Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General and Fine and Studio Arts Management.
See all
- Sports Communication
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General
- Fine and Studio Arts Management
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, Other
- Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/13-1011.00