Let's talk about representation

Today I received an email from a curious party asking how she can get in touch with an agent.  Since questions about representation come to me about a dozen times a day I think it’s high time I address the topic in some detail.

First, a disclaimer.  Many people believe that an agent is the single most important component to a successful acting career.  This belief is fueled by the popular media and reports heard through friends of friends of would-be actors.  The belief usually goes something like this:

“If I can just get myself an agent all of the difficult problems associated with navigating the business of acting, which I don’t entirely understand, will go away.  The agent will take care of everything.  He or she will make all the right people believe in me and take me seriously.  When I have a problem I will call my agent and he or she will solve it.  If I want to be in a certain movie or on a certain television show or in a particular play I will tell my agent and he or she will make it happen.  Until I have found my agent I will have no career and will be powerless to create one, so my top priority, my only priority, should be to find one.”

Part of the reason that this belief is so popular is that it takes all of the pressure off the actor.  Think about this closely because it’s very important.  If indeed some magical entity exists that can open any door for your career then, obviously, obtaining a relationship with this entity would indeed be extremely desirable.  What makes this belief a fallacy, however, is that NO SUCH PERSON EXISTS.  Agents are not all-powerful beings that can make or break careers.  Many successful actors do not have, or have ever had, or even desire to have, an agent.  Conversely, Many unsuccessful actors have been represented for years and years but have gone nowhere.

This is because it’s not the agent that’s important, IT’S THE ACTOR.

I’ll back up my claim.  Here is a very simple description of how a project gets cast:

The producer in charge of the project hires a CASTING DIRECTOR (CD).  They talk about the various roles that need to be cast and the qualities of each character.  The CD puts this information into a BREAKDOWN and releases it to all the agencies in the city.

AGENTS read through the breakdowns and compare the descriptions on it with the actors they represent.  If there are matches the agents compile a SUBMISSION and send it off to the CD.

The CD and his or her associates and assistants go through the many submissions.  They pull out the actors they feel might be good fits, call up the agents of those respective actors, and schedule audition appointments.  Only a certain percentage of the actors that are submitted receive an appointment.  Usually these are actors that the CD is already familiar with although exceptions will be made for actors that have extensive experience and appear to be right for one of the parts.

If an agent feels that a particularly well-suited client has been unfairly overlooked he or she will call the CD, sometimes multiple times, and try to get that client an audition appointment.  The agent’s success will depend on how many extra appointments are available and the strength of his or her relationship with the particular CD.

If you’ve been paying close attention you will see that the real decision-maker in this part of the casting process is not the agent but the casting director.

Actors that have developed excellent reputations with lots of casting directors audition frequently whether or not they have an agent.  Actors with few or no relationships with casting directors rarely get seen for anything no matter who or how powerful their agent is.  Because of this, agents are interested in representing actors that have established a track record on their own of booking jobs and already have good relationships with many casting directors.  This is for the simple reason that such actors are the most likely actors to book more work and make money.

Most agents leave some space on their client roster for “developmental clients.”  These are usually newcomers to the industry that the agent feels are particularly marketable because they possess a high level of talent and a certain look that often comes up in the breakdowns.  When an agent signs a developmental client the understanding is that the agent will work hard to get as many doors open as possible, AND the actor will will work hard on his or her own to do the same thing.  The goal is not to book work right away but instead to establish a long list of casting directors that think the actor is good.  The agent AND the actor are working together so that the actor can eventually reach a highly competitive position within the market.  Success depends on how hard BOTH parties are willing to work to arrive at their goal.

Unfortunately, a frightening number of talented young actors are lucky enough to find representation as development clients despite not being aware of the responsibility they have towards the ultimate success or failure of the relationship.  These actors are usually under the spell of the false belief I exposed in the disclaimer to this article.  As time goes by and nothing happens they get frustrated.

My bottom line is this: the best way to find representation is to demonstrate you don’t need representation.  Be as good as you can be, book work on your own, and establish glowing reputations with as many casting directors as you can.  If you can do this you will find that the agents come to you!

If this article doesn’t make sense to you then I would like to as politely as possible suggest you may stand to benefit from career coaching.  Please call me at TVI Actors Studio in New York and we can chat!