[In-depth Report] More Overworked than Artists! KPOP Managers Work Overtime Without Complaining! 'Extreme Jobs' Content Revealed!
If we say that artists play the role of showcasing in the entertainment industry, then the agents and staff behind the scenes can be considered the unsung heroes who drive things behind the scenes. Although people often joke, "Being an agent is an extreme job, you have to know everything," being an actual agent is not easy at all. From the MBC observational reality show "Omniscient Interfering View ", you can probably get a sense of the range of duties a talent manager has. However, since the show is broadcasted, not all of the specifics are necessarily revealed. So, what exactly does the role of a celebrity manager encompass? Firstly, let's distinguish based on job position. Although the way of separation might slightly vary from company to company, one could say they are more or less the same. In general, the hierarchy includes positions like field manager, team leader, department head, representative, and so on. The term commonly referred to as a "road manager" generally means a "field manager," who is responsible for all the schedules of an artist, and even needs to act as a protective measure in crowded situations, protecting the artist like a bodyguard. Due to the hectic schedule of celebrities, they experience high levels of physical exhaustion. However, those who just entered this industry usually start from the basics and handle complex matters. Only after accumulating at least 5 years of experience, there is a possibility to become a group leader or a room leader. After becoming a team leader or a manager level, one will begin to manage multiple on-site brokers, responsible for the artist's schedule adjustment, contract negotiation and promotion etc. The representative of the entertainment management company is responsible for the management of the company, setting the direction of the artists' activities. They will also discover new artists and provide financial support. What are the requirements to become a manager? Strictly speaking, apart from a driver's license, there is no specific major required to do this job. In fact, whenever entertainment planning companies are short of managers, they would also post job advertisements on job hunting websites, just like any other job hunting. However, some people might get into the industry through introductions and recommendations from acquaintances. In addition, depending on the different companies, the demand and regulations for talent agents can greatly vary; some companies even require job seekers to submit documents like criminal records for review of their past. Although academic qualifications are not necessary, many universities or tutoring schools offer related courses for further study, such as Gyeonggi University, East Asia Broadcasting University, Seoul Art Specialist School, and entertainment companies like SM Entertainment and Fantagio also offer courses for talent agent training. Due to the nature of a manager's job, which essentially involves constant communication and coordination with people, they face all sorts of people, not just the artist, but also PDs, journalists, and concert planners. If they are too cautious or shy, it can cause a significant amount of stress. Therefore, in order to secure better opportunities for their artists, it's crucial to maintain good interpersonal relationships and possess quick thinking and adaptive reaction skills. Since it requires being by one's side all the time and expending a lot of effort, what is the average salary? Looking at the starting salary of a typical rookie on-site broker, it's usually around 2 million Korean Won. According to statistics from South Korean job websites, the monthly average income for entertainers and sports agents, including talent managers, is 2.75 million Korean Won. As the types of content and platforms diversify, the importance of agents is becoming increasingly significant. However, the period as a rookie agent can be extremely tough. Not only do they have to invest a lot of physical and mental energy, but their salary is also quite low. As a result, the turnover rate in the industry can be quite high. In fact, while everyone's focusing on the issue of celebrities overworking, agents are stuck in this working state every day. They must work according to the celebrity's schedule, from early in the morning till late at night, even till the wee hours, but they can only explain this due to the "nature of the job". Therefore, Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have previously proposed a consensus on improving the working environment for the protection of labor rights of those engaged in the fields of performing arts management and broadcasting production. In fact, in July last year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted labor supervision on two large-scale performing arts planning companies, revealing 12 violations of labor relations law, including the non-payment of overtime allowances, violations of working hours, and failure to implement sexual harassment prevention education. Although the government is willing to start cleaning up the film and television brokerage industry, many practitioners are quite optimistic. However, some people believe that "it's natural to actively seek overtime pay for overtime work, but they also fear being marginalized and possibly retaliated against in the future. After all, the circle is so small, so they hope that the government can implement relevant regulations for protection."
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