Hiring your first agency assistant: role, tasks and handover
For many boutique agencies, the first hire is an assistant or artist coordinator. It is the moment the agency stops being one person's memory and becomes a team. Hire well and the founder gains time to pitch and build relationships; hire without preparation and the founder spends that time explaining things. This guide covers what the role usually involves, a sample job description, and how to prepare the agency for a second person.
Decide what you want to hand over
List the tasks you do each week and mark which ones only you can do. Typically, the founder keeps negotiation, key presenter relationships and career planning, and hands over administration:
| Usually handed over | Usually kept by the manager |
|---|---|
| Travel and accommodation booking | Fee negotiation |
| Itineraries and logistics | Career strategy |
| Calendar updates and iCal checks | Key presenter relationships |
| Contract preparation from agreed terms | Signing new artists |
| Invoicing and payment follow-up | Difficult conversations |
| Materials requests and updates | Final approval of contracts |
| Mailing lists and website updates | |
| Visa paperwork coordination |
Skills to look for
- Organisation and attention to detail.
- Clear written communication, often in more than one language.
- Comfort with numbers for invoicing and statements.
- Knowledge of classical music and how productions work is a strong advantage.
- Discretion with personal and financial information.
- Calm under pressure, because travel and schedules change.
A sample job description
Artist coordinator, classical artist management
We are a boutique agency representing opera singers and classical musicians. You will support the artist managers by coordinating engagements from contract to final invoice.
Responsibilities: - Prepare contracts from agreed terms and keep the artists' calendars accurate. - Book travel and accommodation and prepare itineraries. - Coordinate visa and work permit paperwork with presenters and specialists. - Issue invoices and follow up payments. - Keep artist materials and websites up to date. - Maintain the contacts database and support mailings.
About you: - Highly organised, with excellent written English and ideally another European language. - Knowledge of opera or classical music. - Comfortable with spreadsheets, CRM software and basic finance. - Discreet and calm under pressure.
Adapt the language requirements and duties to your agency. Check employment law in your country for contracts, working hours and right-to-work checks.
Prepare the agency before day one
A new person cannot work from your memory. Before they start:
- Move calendars, castings, contracts and contacts into one shared system (spreadsheets vs CRM).
- Write down your standard procedures (SOPs for a small agency).
- Set up permissions so the assistant sees what they need; restrict sensitive financial or health data where appropriate (GDPR for agencies).
- Introduce them to artists and key presenters.
The first month
- Week 1: shadow the manager, learn the system and the roster.
- Week 2: take over calendar updates and itineraries for one or two artists.
- Week 3: prepare contracts and invoices with review.
- Week 4: take over logistics for upcoming engagements; review together.
Assign work through tasks
Use tasks attached to contracts and castings rather than chat messages, so work is visible and nothing falls between two people. ArtistHub's tasks, daily reminders and automations let managers assign work tied to records, and the shared calendar means both people see the same season (automations).
Common mistakes
- Hiring before the agency's information is in a shared system.
- Handing over tasks without explaining the reasons behind them.
- Giving full access to all data by default.
- Expecting an assistant to negotiate without training or authority.
- No regular check-in during the first months.
Freelance or part-time first?
Not every agency needs a full-time hire. Some start with a part-time coordinator or a freelancer for specific tasks such as travel booking or invoicing. That can work well if responsibilities are clear and the freelancer works inside your system rather than their own spreadsheets. Check employment and contractor rules in your country, and make sure confidentiality and data protection obligations are written into the agreement (GDPR for agencies).
Measuring whether the hire is working
After three months, look at concrete changes: is the founder spending more time pitching and negotiating? Are invoices going out on time? Are itineraries reaching artists before they travel? Are fewer things forgotten? If the answer is yes, the hire is working. If not, look first at whether the handover and procedures were clear before concluding that the person is the problem.
FAQ
What does an artist management assistant do?
Usually logistics, calendars, contracts from agreed terms, invoicing, materials and database work, supporting managers who negotiate and plan careers.
When should a boutique agency hire its first assistant?
When administration consistently takes time away from pitching, negotiating and relationships, and the agency's information is ready to be shared.
Run your roster in ArtistHub
ArtistHub is a CRM built for classical and opera artist management: castings, contracts, the season calendar, logistics, invoices and the opera database in one place.