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One of the most frequently asked questions in my studio, surprisingly, isn’t photography related. It isn’t headshot related, and it isn’t related to looking good on camera.
It’s “How do I get an agent?”
I hear this question from young actors, older actors new to the business, and from parents who have a child just getting started.
The short answer? Hard work and patience… like everything else in an actor’s life.
The long answer is a little more complicated, and involves asking yourself a lot of questions. Questions like “Why do I want an agent? Why would an agent want me? What do I think an agent will do for me? Am I ready for an agent at all?”
The reality is that most actors are not ready to be represented by an agent… and until you are, it’s a waste of time to pursue one. It’s hard to explain how to know when you’re ready, but a big part of it is: are you already booking a lot of things on your own? If the answer is no, then honestly, you should worry more about getting into open call auditions, and getting cast instead of worrying about an agent.
If the answer is yes I’m getting cast all the time, then maybe you should start looking!
But how do you find an agent, and which agencies should you pursue?
LA Casting Director Mark Sikes has two recent posts up on his blog that I really like, addressing this topic. The first post, Kiss a Lot of Frogs, reminds actors that landing a good agent is a process… and it can take time, work, and patience. The second post, Agencies A-Z, outlines the tiers of agencies out there in the Entertainment World (yes, some agents are better than others).
Both posts are worth reading, and give a little more insight into the murky world of finding an agent.
Another good place to start is at your bookstore. K. Callan has a series of books that give valuable insight into specific agent offices–and while they aren’t a definitive guide, they do allow a savvy actor to have a jumping-off point for searching out a good agent.
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How many fans can a beginning actor have?
I don’t mean someone who is on TV right now, or on stage in NYC, or even in a commercial somewhere on the internet. I’m talking about a beginning actor, new to the business, and just getting started.
During the recent NYC headshots contest I sponsored, I found out… the overwhelming winner of the contest, Tahir Register, received 426 votes–and this is from an actor who is still in college! Tahir is just on the threshold of his career, and yet he already has a web presence, has active fans on Facebook, and runs his own record label. And he has 426 people who believe in him enough to not only support him, but to follow through with action on his behalf. Did I mention he’s 19?
Here’s a young actor with his head on straight… as I mentioned yesterday in my post about Lucas Cruikshank, becoming succesful as an actor is almost entirely dependent on hard work. Yes, talent is a major factor, but agents, casting directors, producers, and everyone in between take for granted that an actor has talent. There are millions of talented performers out there… but very few who are willing to put in hard work. …
Read the Rest! →
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Hollywood is full of stories about instant success… actors who were discovered sitting in Soda Parlors or Diners, overnight sensations… and understandably, actors are obsessed with those stories.
But all too often, we miss the important details.
Take for instance, the recent success of Youtube phenomenon Lucas Cruikshank. Here’s a kid who at 16 years old has a website with over 1 million subscribers (the first for Youtube), a development deal with Nickeldeon, and a feature film in the works, all based on the character he created (Fred) and uploaded when he was 13.
Did you get all that?
It’s quick to judge him as another “overnight success”–he just got lucky right?
Come on! This kid has spent how much time at home shooting these videos? Editing? Processing the audio? Uploading? Promoting?
Lucas isn’t an overnight success… he’s a hard worker, and a great role model, even for adults.
An acting career is hard to pursue… but Lucas created his own. Through hard work, dedication, and ingenuity.
And while Fred may make me grind my teeth when I hear his voice, I have a lot of respect for Lucas Cruickshank.
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It must be in the air… first Bonnie Gillespie is talking about Time, and now Mark Westbrook on his blog. Mark makes an excellent observation: successful actors invest in their careers, financially, yes but also in time.
He goes on to suggest that American actors are great at this, but in my experience, United States actors have just as much trouble investing in their acting careers as their Scottish counterparts.
So why do we actors have such trouble devoting time to our craft, careers, and art?
Time is tricky. It has a way of running away from us. We don’t often think about time until we’re regretting it passing.
But we somehow always make it to work on time (at least I hope so). We make it to rehearsal on time. We get to important meetings on time.
Why is that?
I think Mark is right… it’s because we schedule those things.
So how much more successful might we be if we start scheduling time for our acting pursuits?
Mark suggests daily activities (and even provides a sample calendar). Some people might find it hard to devote time every day, but why not start with a weekly investment?
Right now I’m meeting weekly with a fabulous group of actors who hold each other accountable for just this sort of thing.
What are you doing? 
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Casting Director Bonnie Gillespie has a great post on her blog right now about why “Type” and “Branding” are actually GOOD things for actors.
When I have a meeting with an actor about headshots, we always talk about type. When shooting a headshot session, you’re going to be shooting a specific number of “looks” (clothing changes), and those looks should all be unique “Types”.
“Type” is a short-hand code word for “Stereotype”. You know–Young Mom, High School Jock, Techno-Geek, etc.
Actors get very touchy when the word “Type” comes up–mostly because they believe they are being asked to voluntarily limit themselves: “So tell me, Actor, what one role do you think you can play?”
Bonnie points out that the whole “Type” question is actually a Time Management tool for Casting Directors. And Time is something every Casting Director wants to save. As actors who have yet to dominate public conscience, we all have to think about working in tandem with Casting… and part of that is working with them the way they work. And that means giving them headshots and brands they can quickly recognize and cast.
So help them out!
Know your “Types” (yes, you can be more than one), “Brand” yourself, and instead of fighting the system, conquer it!
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