DO I NEED AN AGENT?

YES!!! Although I am the first to advocate being proactive in your own career, I'm afraid that here in the UK if you want to have any sort of a career as an Actor, you are going to need to have an Agent.

 

SO IF YOU ARE ALWAYS BANGING ON ABOUT MY BEING PROACTIVE, WHY DO I NEED AN AGENT?

There are several marked advantages in having an Agent:

1) An Agent will focus on getting you work, and by work I mean paid work as an Actor (if they are any good, that is!). The Agent will be paid a % of your earnings and this % is usually anywhere between 10% - 20% with the usual rate being 12.5% or 15%. IF YOU DON'T WORK, THE AGENT WON'T EARN ANY MONEY OUT OF YOU. Therefore, it is in both yours and the Agent's interest for you to be earning money as an Actor somewhere.

2) The Agent will have contacts you just probably don't have. They will have personal relationships with Casting Directors, Producers, Directors, Productions etc... They will also receive Cast Calls from Casting Directors often directly and also via a variety of other sources including PCR a thing called SPOTLIGHT LINKS.

PCR is an industry wide circulation called PRODUCTION CASTING REPORT and is a place where many Cast Calls are issued. It costs money to subscribe to this service and is published weekly.

SPOTLIGHT LINKS is probably the most effective online resource that exists today and is designed specifically to be used by Agents. (You know about SPOTLIGHT don't you???!!! In case you don't, it is the Industry bible for Agents, Casting Directors and in fact ANYONE interested in casting. All the Actors who are members of Equity and/or Spotlight have their CV listed on the Spotlight Website and also in their published books... SHAME ON YOU IF YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF SPOTLIGHT!!! For more details about them and how to contact them, look for their link in my DOWNLOADS AND LINKS page). When an Agent registers with SPOTLIGHT, they will register your CV as one of their Clients. When they receive Spotlight Links (emails from Spotlight that tell of upcoming castings), if they want to submit you for a part that is listed, then all they have to do is click on your CV that is available in their Client List and your details are automatically submitted against the part in question. It's quick, it's easy and it works very well indeed. If you don't have an Agent going through Spotlight Links for you, you quite simply won't be considered for a great many paid roles.

3) The Agent should be a never-ending source of good advice for you as an Actor. Remember, your Agent isn't necessarily your friend (although a good friendship may very well develop in time) and the real dynamic between the two of you is one of business first, and friendship second. However, having said this, it is both your interests that you develop as an Actor and so, your Agent should really be the one person that you can trust, be honest with and respect.

 

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OK, SO HOW DO I GET AN AGENT?

There are a number of different ways that you may get an Agent:

1) An Agent may spot you at a SHOWCASE, especially if you are just graduating from a Drama School somewhere. Showcases are not only organized by Drama Schools for graduating students but can also be organized by Actor Cooperatives etc. The ones that are set up to show off the graduating talent of established Drama Schools will almost certainly have a better chance of getting either established Agents, or people working for established Agents, along. Some Agents actually trawl around Graduation Shows to see if they can snap up emergent talent...

2) An Agent may spot you in something like a show (perhaps a stage play, a short film or maybe even a small television production) and encourage you to come to them. For this to happen, you really have to shine in whatever it is you are in (this goes without saying!) It doesn't have to be a big project, can be something really small. However, YOU HAVE TO BE REALLY GOOD IN IT!! This should be good incentive for you to always treat each and every part you go for as if it is the best written part in the best production you could possibly wish for, even if in reality, it isn't! It also helps if the project you are in gets a recognized profile, be it an award at a short film festival, a good write up in the press etc. Therefore, when you sign on to a project targeted at this kind of audience, be advised that it will almost certainly be a NO/LOW BUDGET PRODUCTION, make sure you are also available for any publicity this project may need you to do as it is in both your interests that the project gets talked about in a positive light.

3) Someone who the Agent respects (perhaps a Director or a Producer) may recommend you to them. The old saying that "it matters more who you know, rather than what you know" really does ring true. Therefore, you really do have to develop and hone your NETWORKING SKILLS...

4) COLD CALLING the Agent, i.e. by you approaching the Agent direct. This can be successful but isn't usually. If you cold call the Agent, they are not going to know you and you are just going to be another young hopeful nagging them on the phone. Try to avoid this. Instead, better to have a reason to ring the Agent...E.g. Say you're in a Fringe Production, perhaps even a one man play that you set up yourself. You could quite legitimately ring the Agent to invite them along to a performance. You stand a better chance of getting an Agent to attend if the performance has had some positive reviews or press. You stand a better chance of getting this all-important positive word of mouth if your play is original, interesting and relevant... Therefore, if you are putting your own project together, or involved in an Acting Cooperative putting a show together or even in a NO/LOW BUDGET PRODUCTION, clearly you need it to be as original as possible. If you think it is a cliche or just plane dull, do yourself a favour and focus on a different project that may be worth your time and energy. Remember, Agents are busy people and get inundated with invitations to things...ask yourself "WHAT CAN I DO TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME AND SEE THE PLAY I'M IN OR WATCH THE SHORT FILM THAT I DID?"

 

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HOW COME MY AGENT NEVER RINGS ME?

You have to remember that Agents will have three piles of people that they represent...

1) "WANNABES" - Actors who want to be someone but are VERY MUCH at the start of their career

2) "GONNABES" - Actors who are beginning to make a name for themselves and are more than likely going to have some sort of career in time

3) "BEs" - Actors who are "NAMES", i.e. successful and happening Actors

Let's say a good Agent puts in a ten hour day. Well, you can pretty well guarantee that the first hour of that day will be spent opening emails, drinking coffee and dealing with immediate and pressing issues. OK, so now we've got 9 hours left.

Most Agents like to do things over LUNCH. This may well mean that perhaps two or more times a week they are sitting in some restaurant somewhere dealing with something regarding the talent that they represent that makes them the most money.

Now we're down to perhaps 7 hours a day.

If they are any good as an Agent, they may have 5 or more "BEs" that make them the majority of their income. I bet you anything you like, each "BE" requires servicing at least once a week and this will eat into their day significantly.

Maybe, if we're lucky, we're down to 4 hours a day once the "BEs" are taken care of.

I would expect a good Agent to have at least 10 "GONNABES" on their books. Each one may need attention at least once a week.

Now we're down to 3 hours left in a working day.

Knock off perhaps 2 hours for other stuff that happens - phone calls, emails etc and you're left with perhaps 1 hour free a day for the Agent to even think about the "WANNABES". I bet you each good Agent has at least 20 "WANNABES" on their books.

Following this logic, if you are in the "WANNABE" pile, then, at best, you're going to be able to have perhaps 30 minutes of your Agent's time once every two weeks. Hmm... Wonder why your Agent doesn't ring you more than perhaps twice a month? Now you know why.

 

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DON’T BLAME YOUR AGENT

No one will push your career more than yourself. I'll repeat this: NO ONE WILL EVER PUSH YOUR CAREER MORE THAN YOUSELF!!! Hear me at the back??? OK, now remember this!!!

At Drama School, they bang on about all sorts of things but rarely do they tell you quite what it is like in the real world. Quite often this is simply because those who teach at Drama Schools either have forgotten, or just don't know what life is like trying to make it as a struggling Artist in the early years of the 21st Century. In all reality, it is going to be you who has to get off your arse and get busy. No one is going to walk through that door, ring you up or even email you something out of the blue with a part that will change your life just because they saw your picture in SPOTLIGHT.

At this point, you really ought to look at the section of this website titles "WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO HELP MY CAREER?"

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THE MARKETING OR “BRANDING” OF YOURSELF AS AN ACTOR

I know a great many of you rebel at the thought of you being considered a "PRODUCT' or a "COMMODITY". This train of thought can be a slippery slope, one where you stop being an ARTIST and become a PRODUCT.

Guess what - AS AN ACTOR, YOU ARE A PRODUCT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!

So then, assuming this, what are your Unique Selling Points as an Actor? What makes you different from everyone else? WHY SHOULD YOU GET THE PART OVER SOMEONE ELSE??? Honestly, ask yourself these questions and make a list of the answers. Doing this may well be a tad depressing but will go a long way towards you understanding how others can make money out of you, and that is how the business works.

ASK YOURSELF, AS AN ACTOR:

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HAVING THE TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH!!!

Some would say that "TALENT WILL OUT". By this, they mean that all you need to have is talent to stand any chance of success.

In my personal experience, I've witnessed the most amazingly talented Actors stumble and fall in their career whilst others, not nearly as talented, continue to go from strength to strength. WHY IS THIS?

This is a talent rich business and it is a BUSINESS not an ARTFORM first and foremost. In fact, we call it THE FILM BUSINESS not THE FILM ARTFORM. The Americans really understand this. You need to have THE WHOLE PACKAGE - talent, professionalism, an excellent work ethic, the right attitude, the right social skills, the right training, the right connections and the right approach.

THERE IS ALWAYS MORE THAT YOU COULD BE DOING TO FURTHER YOUR CAREER, TO BETTER YOUR CHANCES AND TO MAKE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOURSELF.

 

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TO STAY WITH A LOW POWER AGENT OR MOVE TO THE BIG BOYS

Securing the services of a very high profile Agent doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get a better service. Indeed, a good friend of mine is repped by one of the highest profile Agents in the business and yet he doesn't get half the attention he deserves. This friend of mine is highly talented, even had the lead on an episode of Dr Who and is excellent to camera. Trouble is, with really high profile Agents, they tend to devote 99% of their time to the established "Names" that they represent (naturally, as these "Names" are the life-blood of their business).

Conversely, a more "hungry" Agent will often devote more of their time to those that they represent who are not yet established "Names", especially if they are lucky enough to have some real talent on their books.

I'd suggest the following plan of attack:
1) Stick with an Agent who does actually work FOR you, someone who submits your name via Spotlight's Online Cast Calls, PCR etc and also networks to known Casting Directors. Don't worry if this Agent isn't one of the big Agents (PFD, UNITED, HAMMILTON HODDEL, CURTIS BROWN etc).
2) Meanwhile, do all that you can to raise your own profile, be it one-man/woman shows at Edinburgh, putting a team together to make a micro-budget feature film that will play really well at festivals etc.

Eventually, with luck, you'll find yourself in a situation where someone really influential expresses an interest in you. At that point, you'd have a judgement call to make, i.e. do you stay with your existing Agent and become that person's highest profile Client or do you jump ship to one of the big boys. To jump has its advantages but the danger would be that the new, big, established Agent may just treat you as not as vital to their business model as you'd like. To stay means your existing Agent may be under-resourced to best capitalize on your rise in profile. Like I say, a judgement call on your part...

If you wanted to jump, then at this stage I'd suggest you ring up whichever Agent you most desire and say "I've just been offered x in y film/tv drama/play and would be very interested in you negotiating my contract for me as I feel I've outgrown my existing Agent". At worst this target Big Agent will just fob you off and if they do, then you'll know how they'd treat you if you were already signed to them. However, if they don't and they are actually willing to negotiate a contract for you, then they are seeing £ signs and that is all the motivation in the mind of your Agent that you'll need.

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REMEMBER

A day not spent doing anything acting related is a day wasted from your career.

 

 

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