What does it mean to be part of an agency:
Everyone's situation is different, but regardless of whom we look up to in the acting world, behind all the glitz and glamour, it’s very rarely a one-person show. Whether an actor chooses to rely on exclusively the support of friends and family, or surrounds themselves with an entire entourage of professionals, at the end of the day, work in a theatre, or on the big or small screens will be a collaborative effort.
So naturally, it’s helpful to have someone in your court to support you with your workload, scouting and decision-making, which are all key elements of a successful performer.
Agencies can provide actors with agents who will take the burden of finding work, public relations and any number of other things off their shoulders. Freeing up more of their time and letting them focus on the most important part of their job… Acting. For many it’s a no-brainer, and a somewhat guaranteed stream of work
The Pros and Cons of Working with an Agency:
Working with a talent agency means that the struggle of finding work is not only just handled by someone else, but handled professionally. To put this benefit in a different way, imagine that you could do the work effortlessly yourself, no stress, no worries, the workload just disappears! In and of itself, this already sounds like a big plus.
But in reality, it’s even better, since your agent will be a professional in this specific domain of the acting industry. They can provide you with skills and experience that you might not have had the time or money to pick up elsewhere.
We’ve talked about the effort saved, and naturally, effort saved comes with time saved. This additional time that you wouldn’t have without an agent can be used anyway you please, whether that be some much-needed rest and relaxation, or even just redirecting it into more acting, practise etc…
It would be unfair not to mention the drawbacks. The most obvious one to consider is cost. Of course, turning your acting career into a collaborative effort is not going to be a free process, seeing as everyone involved needs to take home some pay.
Depending on how close and personal you need your agent to be with you, the cost might vary. Agents will be able to provide lower prices if they are able to have multiple clients, the same way a gardener has to tend to multiple gardens to make ends meet. If you want a dedicated personal agent, then be prepared to shell out an entire salary by yourself.
The silver lining of this arrangement is that you should be able to work out a contract or solution with an agent that suits your needs exactly. If you’re already highly independent, or you already have a foot in the door of the acting industry, then you could choose to hire an agent in a more limited and cost-effective capacity.
Researching an Agency:
Before approaching an agency, you need to do your research in order to figure out which agency suits your needs best. As with most things, using the internet is your best bet if you’re going from scratch.
However, if you have any friends or family connections in or around the acting industry, make sure that you seek their input, since their first-hand experience is likely to be very valuable compared to an internet search.
To find out which agency will be most suitable to you, you'll have to understand yourself first, by which I mean, you need to understand what your position is relative to an agency in your acting career.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I a new or experienced actor?
- Have I graduated from a respectable university?
- Where do I plan on living in the next few years?
- What kind of acting do I want to do specifically?
- What kind of money am I trying to make?
- How independent am I?
- How much acting work do I want to take on?
There are of course many other things that you could consider before finding the right agency, but hopefully this short list is enough to get you thinking along the right lines. Once you have painted a realistic picture of where you hope to be in the next few years of your career, then it’s time to narrow down the options available to you.
It’s worth noting that in terms of applications, it’s okay to shoot for the stars when it comes to your applications, since the worst thing that can happen is being turned down. This might feel frustrating, but if you don’t do it, you might miss out on the opportunity that makes your career.
A good way to counterbalance this is to have some good backup agencies that you can fall back on if you don’t have any luck with any of the more wishful options.
When it comes down to it, your options should be narrowed down to an agency that is local to you. One that provides service at your level of professionalism, gives you the opportunity to grow and further succeed without locking you into a stagnant contract.
Approaching an Agency:
You’ll need several things in order to approach your desired agency. Your goal is to prove to them that you are a talented and qualified actor with skill and experience that will be able to fulfil as many prospective roles as possible. You need to emphasise your professionalism, skill and range as an actor to appear as desirable as possible to the agency. Below is a list of all the things you need in order to approach an agency.
- CV/Resume: A comprehensive list of your prior accomplishments, education and relevant experience
- Identification: A photo identification that proves your identity
- Demo Reel/Example Material: Previous work that you can show to an agency to demonstrate proficiency
- Reference: Get a reference from a teacher, professor or previous employer to show the agency that you have the approval of an expert
Once you have all of the listed items ready, it’s finally time to approach the agencies you have chosen. Different agencies/agents like to be approached in different ways, so make sure that prior to contacting them, you find out what their preferred means of contact is.
Some will prefer to be emailed, some will prefer to be telephoned and if you manage to secure an interview, the subsequent meeting might take place in person, or on an online conference.
Whatever comes next, make sure you’re ready to make a commute if necessary.
After making contact, it’s up to your submitted material to impress them, so here are a few things that you can include to increase your chances of being considered.
- A wide range of roles and performances
- Different types of productions, theatre, film, television, extra work etc
- Multiple references
- Work experience and placements
- Unrelated work that demonstrates professionalism
- Consistency (don’t leave blank time periods that you can’t explain on your CV)
Apart from having good material to demonstrate, it’s up to your own ability to sell yourself with your writing. Luckily, we can go over some tips to bring your writing up to the right level.
- Keep things concise: Agencies read thousands of applications, and the last thing they want to see is a large block of text that will make them dismissive before they even start reading. Make sure to divide the content in your CV into clear sections and use short paragraphs to break up the body of the text.
- Include everything you think is relevant: If you have an accomplishment or accolade that isn’t necessarily related to acting, but that still demonstrates professionalism and skill, make sure to include it. When doing this, make sure that it is included as a supplement to the main material, so that the person reading your CV sees the most relevant information first. Consider making a separate section for notable information that isn’t directly related to acting.
- Proofread your work from the perspective of the agency: As you write, regularly take a step back from your work and read it as if you were an agency looking for a prospective actor. Would you be impressed with the material you submitted? It’s even better if you can get somebody else to proofread it for you.
- Look at examples: Make sure to look at other successful applications and try to emulate the best elements without copying them. If they included something that you can’t, think about how you could match it with an accolade of your own, or how you could acquire similar skill or experience. You can do this through workshops and work experience, or free online courses.
Afterwords:
Thank you for reading this article. We hope you were able to learn something about the process of choosing and approaching an acting agency, and we wish you success with your future applications.
If you’re interested in learning more about a wide range of different academic subjects, including more articles about the acting industry, then make sure to check out some of the other articles right here on the Superprof blog.
Until then, have a wonderful day and see you soon when you’re in the mood for an informative read.
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