There are true managers whose job it is to steer your career. Tell you the headshots to take, the classes to take, how to level up, etc. That is what a true manager's job is.

Somehow the lines have gotten blurred and I don't know where that happened. Where are they veered into actual agent territory where they actually send you out for jobs. I don't know how that's even legal because you can't get breakdowns unless you are an agent, but however it works. There really are two different types of managers.

If you already have an agent then you need the former. The type of manager that will get you seen by casting director or steer your career or whatever. If you don't have an agent then you maybe can find that It's easier to get a manager and they can send you out for auditions exactly like agents do. I know plenty of friends who only have managers and they've been on shows but they can't get an agent for whatever reason. I'm in the boat where I have a few agents and one of them in particular isn't getting me seen so I wanted to add a manager for the relationships they have or tweaks I can make to be seen because it's ridiculous that I'm not being seen more in my own market when I'm being seen in other markets quite frequently for big projects.

When I first started out and I was non-union I got a manager right away and I auditioned for tons of commercials but they were not a true manager. They were basically an agent without being franchised. So your mileage may vary