Also called: Talent Agents
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes build negotiation, persuasion and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Talent Directors (94%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talent Directors | 94% | $90,360Pay for the broader BLS group “Producers and Directors” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Public Relations Specialists | 92% | $74,750 | −10% | None |
| 3 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | 91% | $133,660 | +61% | None |
| 4 | Public Relations Managers | 90% | $146,910 | +77% | None |
| 5 | Fundraising Managers | 86% | $125,470 | +51% | None |
| 6 | Marketing Managers | 85% | $166,790 | +101% | None |
| 7 | Writers and Authors | 84% | $76,910 | −7% | None |
| 8 | Sales Managers | 84% | $148,270 | +79% | None |
| 9 | Advertising Sales Agents | 82% | $64,820 | −22% | None |
| 10 | Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 79% | $78,660 | −5% | None |
Compared with Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes, median $82,890. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
94% skill match · $90,360 (broader BLS group)
Judgment and Decision Making · Quality Control Analysis · Management of Material Resources
92% skill match · $74,750 · −10% pay
Operations Analysis · Systems Evaluation · Systems Analysis
91% skill match · $133,660 · +61% pay
Management of Material Resources · Operations Analysis · Systems Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Talent Directors (94% skill match, median $90,360), Public Relations Specialists (92% skill match, median $74,750) and Advertising and Promotions Managers (91% skill match, median $133,660), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 14 pay more than agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes at the median. The biggest increases: Marketing Managers (+101%, $166,790), Financial Managers (+101%, $166,570) and Compensation and Benefits Managers (+80%, $149,230).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.