The Business of Acting: Talent Agent

I NEED AN AGENT…

Of course you do… The first thing every actor who wants to audition and make money is told: you need an agent. Yes, that statement is accurate. But there are so many factors surrounding that muddle it a bit, especially for parents.

The bigger issue at hand is that we can ALL be misguided, misinformed or miseducated about what an agent does and what they can do for us. We’ve all had an agent at some point. They are/were there to play middleman — broker things.

1. THEY HAVE TWO JOB DESCRIPTIONS: SUBMIT & NEGOTIATE — They are to submit you and hopefully procure job interviews which we commonly call “auditions.” Once an employer wants to cast you, then the agent serves as the legal fiduciary to negotiate your work contract.

2. YOUR AGENT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE YOUR FRIEND! — I have had over forty different representatives in my time in Los Angeles. We are acutely sensitive to a lot of casting processes. The two major points to know are: you want them to LIKE representing you and you want them to WANT to represent you. At no point does either statement say we have to be friends.

3. AGENTS COME IN VARIOUS TYPES — What kind of agent do you want? What sector of the industry do you want to work in? Possibilities: Theatrical (Film/TV), Commercial, Theatre (Stage), Literary, Print (Model), V/O (Voice-Over), Broadcasting, Hosting, Stunts, Singer/Dancer.

4. AGENCIES AND BEING REPRESENTED “ATB” — ATB = “ACROSS THE BOARD.” Some agents and entire agencies ONLY focus on Commercials, or Theatrical, or just Equity union stage. Some agencies have ALL OF THEM.

5. AGENCY CONTRACTS: FRANCHISED v. GSA’s — Almost every state in the U.S. has at least one union (SAG-AFTRA) franchised agency. When an agency is SAG-AFTRA franchised, ALL of their contracts are SAME standardized contract. The other form is ATA agent. The ATA is the Association of Talent Agencies and those agencies use a standard GSA (General Services Agreement). All other agencies that are not either SAG-AFTRA or ATA-franchised are known as NON-Union agencies.

CONCLUSION: Be clear in your understanding of your desired agent/client expectations. Ask the tough questions. You are beginning a professional association that could be highly rewarding for both sides.