If there is such a thing, what exactly is the average number of auditions an agent should be sending talent on per month?
You already set me up for the answer you know is coming on this one with the qualifier in your question: “if there is such a thing.” There is no such thing as an average number of auditions an actor should go on, repped or not. There are so many determining factors: SAG vs. nonunion, repped commercially vs. theatrically, geography, time of year, your type, your credits, the number of talent “like you” already on your agent’s client list, your goals as shared with your agent and the timeline for reaching those goals, etc.
It’s easy for me to say something like, “Most of the working actors I know go out at least four times a week. Pilot season, they’re out on ten auditions a week, minimum,” but that’s not fair to all of the mid-level working actors I know who book regularly but only seem to go out about once a week.
I think it’s best to sit down with your agent and set goals, at the time you are beginning the relationship, in which you determine how often you (with your credits, your look, your goals) should expect to go out. That doesn’t become an unwritten contract; so don’t start out waiting for your agent to “fail” at getting you seen as much as you’ve discussed up front. Simply use it as a benchmark and be sure to check in after a season or two if it’s time to recalibrate that goal.
Keep in mind, even if you’re repped, you should be working to get your own auditions as well. The work you do in networking, showcasing your talent, and staying on the radar screens of the CDs you are most eager to meet supplements your agent’s pitch calls and submissions, making it more likely for you to get called in over time.
Trying to quantify anything in this business outside of tracking residual payments could make you crazy. So, don’t even try! Just keep doing good work and have fun!
So, how’s about you, ninjas? How many auditions do you have, on average? Comments are open below. Let’s jam!
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Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000057.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.