By Mya Copeland, Paula Hendrickson, Carole Horst, Cynthia Littleton, Gene Maddaus
Courtesy Images If there were a way to buy more hours in the day, business managers would be the first in line. The demands of the job have grown exponentially over the past decade as clients at all income levels rely on trusted advisers to guide them through the inevitable ups and downs of a career in showbiz. Business managers need to have expertise on tax policies that stretch far beyond U.S. borders. They need to understand currency fluctuations, royalties, residuals and the passive income that comes from vintage recordings, TV shows and movies that may no longer be on a client’s C.V. The areas of specialization are as diverse as the artists who work in entertainment.
For sure, paying bills on time and monitoring the cash flow in a client’s checking account is only a fraction of the job these days.
“When I started, a lot of the job was telling people what already happened. ‘Here’s what you made, here’s what you owe.’ Now it’s all about forecasting what a tour, a catalog offer or what a label and publishing deal will actually net,” says Justin Sauer, a veteran business manager based in Nashville with PS Business Management. “We spend way more time running the numbers before the decisions get made. The math is the same, but the conversation is completely different.”
Congratulations to Variety’s Business Managers Elite honorees for 2026. This list is a primer for anyone brave enough to attempt the high-wire act of building a career in entertainment.
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Belva Anakwenze
Abacus Financial Business Management Anakwenze practices what she preaches to her creator economy clients on her YouTube financial show, “The Earn Up.” “I feel like we have been in almost a decade of unknowns between COVID and two unprecedented strikes, and the aftermath of those strikes,” she says, noting that education and preparedness are key to surviving. “The industry as we know is no more. There’s no pilot season. And even if you get a gig, are you going to work in America? Are we going to deal with foreign taxes? Do you have to relocate? So we just plan for the worst, but hope for the best,” she says, adding that business managers often now come in a lot earlier on clients’ contract negotiations.
