History Main / SmoothTalkingTalentAgent

* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Bebe Blazer could be the patron saint (or devil) of this trope. Frasier's long time agent, she usually showed up once a season when Frasier's radio contract was up. Tellingly, she would often push Frasier to take his show to new heights, getting him guest hosting gigs and segments on talk shows to boost his value. This ran contrary to Frasier's desire to be seen as a legitimate psychiatrist who used his radio show to help people, even as it ran right up against his addiction to fame. In fact, she's done illegal things to try to boost Fraiser's rep, to the point where she's seen as a SatanicArchetype in-universe. To name a couple examples: In one episode she reveals that she convinced a (legitimately) suicidal man Frasier helped into trying to jump off a building just in time for Frasier's negotiations to get a booster shot with him being seen as a hero, and in the GrandFinale Frasier gets a radio gig in San Francisco, and it's not even subtly implied that it's because Bebe ''murdered'' his competition!

* ''Film/WithnailAndI'': Without ever showing them on screen, the film portrays stage and screen agents as generally seedy, dishonest and avaricious. Withnail however takes a particularly dim view of them, blaming them for his lack of success rather than accepting his own [[GiftedlyBad lack of acting ability]]). He has become convinced that they reserve all the best jobs for their big-name clients ("I haven't seen [[Creator/JohnGielgud Gielgud]] down the Labour Exchange") or for attractive young male actors in return for [[CastingCouch sexual favours]] ("'Boy lands plum role for top Italian director'- 'course he does! Probably on a tenner a day, and I know what for! [[DepravedHomosexual Two pound ten a tit and a fiver for his arse]]!!"). Withnail's agent is [[TheGhost frequently mentioned but never shown]] but we can see that Withnail considers him nothing more than a money-grubber who only offers him [[SmallNameBigEgo jobs which are insultingly beneath him]]:

* ''Film/WithnailAndI'': Without ever showing them on screen, the film portrays stage and screen agents as generally seedy, dishonest and avaricious. Withnail however takes a particularly dim view of them, blaming them for his lack of success rather than accepting his own [[GiftedlyBad lack of acting ability]]). He has become convinced that they reserve all the best jobs for their big-name clients ("I haven't seen [[Creator/JohnGielgud Gielgud]] down the Labour Exchange") or for attractive young male actors in return for [[CastingCouch sexual favours]] ("'Boy lands plum role', and I know what for- two pound ten a tit, and a fiver for his arse!"). Withnail's agent is [[TheGhost frequently mentioned but never shown]] but we can see that Withnail considers him nothing more than a money-grubber who only offers him [[SmallNameBigEgo jobs which are insultingly beneath him]]:

* ''Film/WithnailAndI'': Without ever showing them on screen, the film portrays stage and screen agents as seedy, dishonest and greedy when it comes to taking their cut of their clients' earnings. Marwood's agent is a man nicknamed [[AlwaysCamp "Squat Betty"]] and implied to be perpetually out of the office (unfairly, as it turns out). Uncle Monty wasn't too fond of his first agent, Raymond Duck, who was located "Four floors up on the Charing Cross Road" with "never a job at the top of them". Withnail's agent is [[TheGhost frequently mentioned but never shown]] but we can see that Withnail considers him nothing more than a money-grubber who only offers him [[SmallNameBigEgo jobs which are insultingly beneath him]]:

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[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', a mutant named Solicitor owns a talent agency called Solicitor, Inc. He's helped in his smooth-talking by the fact that his mutant power allows him to know what people want.

* ''Film/WithnailAndI'': Without ever showing them on screen, the film portrays stage and screen agents as seedy, dishonest and greedy when it comes to taking their cut of their clients' earnings. Marwood's agent is a man nicknamed [[AlwaysCamp "Squat Betty"]] and implied to be perpetually out of the office (unfairly, as it turns out). Uncle Monty wasn't too fond of his first agent, Raymond Duck, who was located "Four floors up on the Charing Cross Road" with "never a job at the top of them". Withnail's agent is [[TheGhost frequently mentioned but never shown]] but Withnail evidently considers him a money-grubber who only offers him [[SmallNameBigEgo jobs which are insultingly beneath him]]:

''Series/PeepShow'': In "Business Secrets of the Pharaohs" Mark Corrigan is sweet-talked by a bogus literary agent who showers him with insincere flattery for his book proposal. Sensing Mark's vanity and knowing exactly how to appeal to it, he successfully swindles him out of £2,000 for a vanity publishing scam.

* ''Film/WithnailAndI'': Withnail's agent [[TheGhost is never seen]] but frequently mentioned by his client, and in very unflattering terms. Withnail also views Marwood's agent, "Squat Betty" with sneering disdain. Uncle Monty also wasn't too fond of his first agent, Raymond Duck:
--> "Four floors up on the Charing Cross Road, and never a job at the top of them"

* ''Series/TheLarrySandersShow'': Larry's longtime agent Leo is mild-mannered, genuine, honest and [[UndyingLoyalty fiercely loyal]] to his client... which is why Larry has no choice but to replace him with the [[{{Slimeball}} sleazy]], [[{{Jerkass}} obnoxious]], backstabbing Stevie Grant.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': The Unsub in "True Night" (a mentally-troubled comic artist/writer) had one named Bobby Kim who ''actually'' cared about his client/friend's well being.

[[AffablyEvil All smiles and no empathy]], these agents are often reviled and parodied.

* Downplayed in a [[https://youtu.be/vHM3_3BMGFc Diet Pepsi commercial]]: an agent is representing a can of Diet Pepsi, who is going into contract negotiations to co-star in a martial arts film with Creator/JackieChan. The agent doesn't appear to be a smooth-talker, and he's also primarily concerned with making sure his client gets a stunt double for safety reasons, which Chan agrees to without hesitation. Said stunt double is [[TakeThat a can of Diet Coke that gets crushed underfoot while filming]].

* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'': Parodied in the episodes "I Totally Shredded My Cheese" and "The Masked Jackhammer", where Beezy tries to be Jimmy's agent and self-proclaimed owner of the "Beezy Got Talent Agency." His business card is beat up with a crudely edited photo of himself with marker-drawn hair and a tuxedo taped to his waist and his negotiations with Lucious always result in the latter giving him minor things like a pen or a bag of chips while Lucious profits off everything Jimmy makes, which Beezy always accepts with no hesitation.

* ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'': Ian Hawke ends up smooth-talking the chipmunks into ditching Dave to make more money, giving him shades of this (despite being the owner of a record label rather than a talent agent per se).

* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'': In "Sweet Stench of Success", Bloo is convinced by Hollywood talent agent Kip Snip to advertise his terrible deodorant (which actually made people smell worse). [[spoiler:Kip also tricked Bloo into signing adoption papers rather than a contract, allowing him to exploit Bloo even further.]]

* Downplayed in a Pepsi commercial: an agent is representing a can of Pepsi, who is going into contract negotiations to co-star in a martial arts film with Creator/JackieChan. The agent ''is'' a smooth-talker, but he's primarily concerned with making sure his talent gets a stunt double for safety reasons, which Chan agrees to without hesitation. Said stunt double is [[TakeThat a can of Diet Coke that gets crushed underfoot while filming]].

* ''WebAnimation/DorklyOriginals'' has a whole series about a smooth-talking agent for video game characters who does outrageous things, like separating Sonic and Tails, kicking out video game characters who are no longer popular, or even trying to convince Mario ''not to propose to his girlfriend'', just because he can make more money with a [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses Princess as a love interest]]! It can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQyC-uo0PoQ here.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ABoyNamedCharlieBrown'': Lucy voices a desire to become one of these for Charlie Brown, pointing out that she'd own 10% of him--while also hoping to get 15%. She says this while watching Charlie Brown doing well at the national spelling bee. But the moment he gets eliminated, she howls that [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness owning 10% of him is like owning 10% of nothing!]]

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The first ([[NominalImportance named]]) villain Diana runs across in Man's World is a sleazy Vaudeville agent named Al Kale, who talks her into doing bullets-and-braclets as a sideshow gimmick. It proves to be a smash-hit, but when Diana (who was mostly doing it to kill time while Steve Trevor recovered in hospital) calls it quits, he tries to run off with a 100% cut of the receipts.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Bolt}}'': Penny's agent is all grins and no empathy, constantly doing what's good for the show's continued profits, even if it hurts Penny to do it. He shuts down her concerns with the phrase "Let's put a pin in it" so often that it practically becomes his catchphrase, and on top of all that, he [[KickTheDog tries to use a fire that could've cost Penny her life for publicity]]!

[[folder:Theater]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 The post-Crisis reboot]] created a much more nuanced take in Myndi Mayer, who launches a massive publicity campaign and merchandising empire in the name of spreading Diana's (and message of peace) across Man's World. While frequently tacky and egotistical, Myndi does legitimately like Diana as a person, and never willingly antagonizes her [[spoiler:before her sudden death via drug overdose]].