How much does a creator manager cost?

By Mel, founder Updated 9 November 2026

Twenty years as a celebrity photographer, then built some of the biggest humour pages on Facebook. Every deal and every dispute goes through him.

Short answer

Most creator managers charge commission, not a fee. Published industry guides put it at 10% to 20% of the deals they handle, with full-service managers at the top of that range, and none of it should be paid upfront. At TBC we take 25% of what we earn together and the creator keeps 75%, with no other fees.

What commission do creator managers usually take?

Commission is the norm. Monthly retainers exist but are rare on the creator side. The published ranges sit close together:

Typical commission by type of representation
Who	Typical cut	Source
Creator manager	15% to 20% of a deal	Make Influence
Agent or agency	10% to 20%	Make Influence
Management firms, varying by scope	10% to 20% of the deals they source or negotiate	All The Agencies

Where a manager sits in that range depends on what they do. A firm that only answers inbound offers sits at the bottom. Full-service management that pitches outbound, negotiates, invoices and chases payment sits at the top.

Our view: the percentage on its own tells you very little. A 15% manager who takes the first number a brand offers costs you more than a manager on a higher rate who gets the fee up. Ask any manager what they'd have got you on your last deal.

Is it different in the UK and the US?

The ranges above come from guides written for creators in the US and Europe, and we haven't found a separate, reliable dataset for UK managers. They describe market practice reported by managers, not legal limits.

The rules that do exist are about how agencies work rather than what they charge. In the UK, government guidance for entertainment agencies says fees for finding work normally come out of a performer's earnings and restricts upfront fees. In California, finding work for an artist falls under the Talent Agencies Act, which requires a licence. Both point the same way: a manager is paid from what they earn you, not before.

What should a manager's commission include?

For the cut, you should get the business side handled end to end. At the minimum:

Pitching brands, not only answering them.
Negotiating fee, usage, exclusivity and whitelisting as separate lines.
Reading and pushing back on contracts.
Invoicing, chasing late payment, and a statement you can check.
Scheduling deliverables and handling the brand's approvals.

Full-service management adds growth on new platforms, platform payout programmes, licensing, and protection when content is stolen or a strike lands. If a manager charges full-service rates, ask which of those they actually do.

What it shouldn't include: charges for representation itself, for pitch decks or for media kits, and commission on money they had nothing to do with. One directory calls a cut of all your earnings, including platform ad revenue the manager does nothing for, aggressive. We agree, and it's why our agreement covers only income from our work together and nothing you earned before your start date.

Is a flat fee or commission better for creators?

Commission compared with a flat monthly fee
	Commission	Flat monthly fee
How it's paid	A share of each deal, after the brand pays	A fixed amount every month, whatever comes in
Suits	Most creators, especially while income is uneven	Creators buying a defined service, such as editing or channel management
Incentive	The manager earns more when you do	The manager is paid whether or not deals land
Risk to you	Lower: a quiet month costs you nothing	Higher: you pay in a quiet month too
Check	The rate, what it covers, how it's calculated, when it ends	Exactly what work the fee buys, and the notice period

Retainers on the talent side usually only appear when real operational work, like editing, is bundled in. Our recommendation is commission, from your start date, on a written list of income types.

Is commission taken from the gross or the net?

Usually it comes out of your fee, not on top of the brand's price. If you have a manager and an agency, check how the second cut is worked out. In one guide's example, a 20% manager and a 10% agency on a $10,000 deal, both taken from the original gross, leave the creator $7,000. If the agency's 10% were taken from what was left after the manager, you'd keep $7,200. The contract should say which.

Ask too whether production costs, such as props or travel, come off before or after commission. On bigger shoots it changes your take-home.

How does TBC's split compare?

We take 25% of what we earn together and the creator keeps 75%. That's above the 10% to 20% range, and we'd rather say so than hide it. The difference is scope: our 25% covers platform payouts, brand deals, licensing and the new income streams we build, and it replaces every other fee.

TBC Creator Network terms
Term	TBC Creator Network
Commission	25% of what we earn together. You keep 75%.
Upfront or other fees	None.
What it covers	Platform payouts, brand deals, licensing and new income we build.
What it never touches	Anything you earned before your start date, and your own website, shop and side businesses.
Payment	Within five business days of the brand paying us.
Exclusivity	None. Keep the brand relationships you already have.
If you leave	Pages and channels we built for you are handed over once final payments clear. A 90-day wind-down covers content posted while we worked together, then nothing.

Whether that's worth it comes down to one sum: what you keep after commission against what you'd make alone. Our whole pitch is helping creators double their income, so that's the bar we hold ourselves to. The agreement summary sets out every term.

What should you ask a manager about fees before you sign?

What percentage, and on which income: deals only, or platform payouts too?
From when, and does anything I earned before count?
Is it taken from the gross, and how are production costs handled?
Are there any other fees, ever?
How fast am I paid after the brand pays you, and can I see the invoice?
How long is the term, and when does commission stop after I leave?
Do you need my passwords? (The only right answer is no.)
Am I exclusive to you, and can I keep the brands I already work with?

Questions creators ask

What percentage does an influencer manager take?

Usually 10% to 20% of the deals they handle, according to published industry guides, with full-service managers at the top. We take 25% and the creator keeps 75%, with no other fees.

Should I ever pay a manager upfront?

We wouldn't. Commission should come from money the manager helped earn. Fees for representation, pitch decks or media kits are a red flag.

Do managers take commission on platform payouts?

Some do, some don't, so ask. If a manager takes a cut of platform income, they should be doing something for it, such as building the platform and getting its payouts switched on. Ours covers platform payouts because that's part of the work.

Is 25% too much for a creator manager?

It's above the deal-only range. Whether it's too much depends on what's included and what you'd earn on your own. Compare take-home pay, not percentages.

What happens to commission when I leave a manager?

It should stop on a set date. Ours ends after a 90-day wind-down on content posted while we worked together, then nothing.

Want to see what you'd keep?

Four questions, under a minute. Mel reads every application himself and writes back either way, usually within a working day.

Apply as a creator

Sources

Updated 9 November 2026. Outside figures are from the sources below; everything about TBC is from our own terms.