Got some great feedback on The Agent WOW Kit. Here’s a sampling.
Again, your weekly articles are so timely! I’m about to go into a meeting with a big agent today and I just read your column on a WOW actor kit. I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of this. Getting a referral meeting with a good agent is a major coup. Why didn’t this occur to me to capitalize on this?
I have several interviews with newspapers, pictures, postcards, castability sheet. So I just put together a nice packet. It’s not as nice as Helenna Santos’ but it’s still good. BTW, I saw her video and I liked it. But she really needs to slow down her speech and take some pauses. I could barely make out what she was saying most of the time and she doesn’t give you any time to absorb the info. Also, the camera is so shaky that I can barely see read the contents of her actor kit. Maybe she doesn’t want us to see the exact details because they are private. But then if you’re going to show the public in order to educate, then cover up the private details so you can zoom in and HOLD so we can understand what we’re seeing.
I hope my feedback helps. I appreciate what she is doing. And I thank you for what you’re doing! Thank you!
Heck yeah! I’m so glad the article ran in time for it to be useful for you, in prepping for your meeting. Hope it went very well, of course. Helenna actually has let me know she has revised her agent kit several times since shooting that vid, so I hope she’ll consider doing another vid — perhaps keeping your production notes in mind — to show us all what she’s currently using and what each element really looks like. You’re probably right about the “why” behind the speedy presentation. A true “how to” might be a great thing and I hope Helenna will do another vid. Or, heck, maybe you will do one, now that you’ve created your own Agent WOW Kit! 🙂
Dear Bon,
Clear. Concise. Practical. WOW! Superior article which tied so much together. Needed to read that today with the work I’m doing. Much thanks et amore.
Aw, thanks, DNS. Always great to hear from you and I’m glad you liked this tip-heavy piece. I love it when actors share their ideas with one another and I’m really excited about how much the Agent WOW Kit has evolved since the first time I became aware of it and put one together, in the early ’90s. It’s all about having a package that shows your team what you can do, whether they need it or not. It can make a difference, so it’s a good thing to put together. And if all it does is get you very clear on what you’re all about, I’d say that’s pretty freakin’ awesome too!
I signed with a great commercial agent thanks to your advice! Thanks again for your timely advice on professional actor presentation. I got a meeting with a top commercial agent through a personal referral. For the meeting, I put together a nice folder of headshots, cool marketing mailers, casting profile, and a list of CDs who have brought me to callbacks and avails.
I figured if this agent is making time in his busy schedule to talk, he deserves more than a single headshot. I wanted to show him I am serious about what I do. I followed up a week later and he told me that he gave my materials to the other agents in the commercial department and they wanted to meet me as well. Like most good agencies, they pass on most actors because all the agents in the department have to agree on taking on any client. And I’ve been passed on by several good agencies in the final rounds.
So I wasn’t expecting much. I went in and talked to the other two agents for about 20 minutes and had a nice time. No monologue, no acting, no watching my reel. Just being real and approachable and happy to be there. I was having a meeting with some top agents in this industry! Whatever may come of it, I’m thrilled I made it this far. Just grateful.
These agents were also looking through the same portfolio. They were impressed with my comedy training but didn’t think my current pictures worked. I agreed and said I’d been wanting to get new pics if the right agent came along. The next day, I found out that all the agents liked me and were willing to take a chance to sign me commercially!
Now, I cannot ever know exactly what made them take a chance with me. But I would like to believe that an organized portfolio that showcases my looks, talents, industry relationships, and marketability didn’t hurt me. At the very least, my materials gave the agents some context of who I am as well as showed that I am business oriented.
So thank you Bonnie for your great advice!
Aw, Eric, you’re welcome. It’s always good to hear from you and it’s been so much fun, watching your career grow over the years (and you know I always love seeing a fellow Georgia Bulldog do well).
Congrats on the new agent! And you’re totally right. You may never know exactly what the deciding factor might have been, in getting signed. But it doesn’t matter what that one thing was, because — as I’ve always said — it’s not the one thing you do; it’s all the things you do.
So, you did a bunch of stuff — not the least of which was being awesome and marketable, so they saw dollar signs when they looked at you. You were someone who — in the room — came across as someone they would want to send into casting offices, confidently. Whether any of that is directly tied to your Agent WOW Kit or not is irrelevant. It was something worth doing because of the confidence it gave you, which is probably a big part of what the agents responded to.
Good. Keep it flowin’! And as always, I’m looking forward to the next tier jump with you.
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001342.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.