My daughter has been taking acting classes for almost two years now. We live outside of Memphis and have found it very hard to get auditions in this area. We actually have an agent out of Nashville but when I contact them (which is maybe once every month to two months) the response I get from them is either, “It is just too slow,” or they “just don’t have anything for kids.” Why does an agent come into town, audition your child, get their hopes up, then never send them out on auditions? I know you are wondering if we paid this agent anything. No. We have not paid them one cent. However, the cost of telling my daughter they want to represent her and then having them never send her out on auditions has become pricey. I was just wondering if you would be willing to give me some insight or reasoning for this.
Wow. You’ve hit on one of the big mysteries of the entertainment industry universe. And, I’m willing to bet that you’ve also opened a can of worms, here (meaning that you’ll get a pretty opinionated reply from me and then I’ll probably receive even more opinionated emails on the topic, which I’ll share later, of course).
You’ve already anticipated and answered my primary question, which would be, “Have you spent money on this relationship?” So, thank you for addressing that issue in your email, so that I know what sort of “agent” you’re dealing with.
Obviously, you’re aware of the many so-called agencies that send reps on world tours, scouting for the “best undiscovered talent” in every minor market, happily signing passionate newbies for a healthy fee. Since that’s not what you experienced, I’ll save that rant for another column at another time.
What you’re talking about is something that actually quite frustrates the actors (and parents of young actors) in major markets. Their agents (yes, the people who already earn a commission off the work they do, here, in major markets) leave town (leaving their assistants to “manage” the clients) and, for a fee, “discover” new talent in minor markets. Now, even if you’re not paying a fee, someone is. Even if you didn’t pay to attend whatever event it was that introduced your child to that particular agent, someone, somewhere, paid a healthy fee to bring that agent to your area. And, if an agent’s pay is supposed to be based on commissionable work by his clients, what does it say about an agent who supplements his income by doing a world tour?
It would be different if you lived in a large minor market (meaning, not LA or NY, but perhaps Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, Vancouver, London, etc.) and had an agent who was based out of New York or Los Angeles, helping your career along. But if you are in a local market (such as Memphis) and your agent is based out of any other city, you are probably dealing with someone who doesn’t know your local market, and who therefore will not likely be able to obtain audition appointments on your behalf. As for the market in which the agent is based, there are many of that agent’s clients who live in that particular market! So, why would the agent hustle to get an appointment for someone who lives hours away? If an agent’s relationship with casting directors is based on the ability to get actors who are well-trained, accurately matched, and qualified for the role into the room (and fast), how does it serve the agent’s needs to sign people who live far away?
Well, it serves the agent’s needs only if the agent was paid to come scout talent in another market. If the agent gets paid only when the actor books (which is the whole point of a commission-based system), there is no reason for an agent to ever leave his or her market, sign actors, and then return home, never to send those actors out. Looks to me like you’ve landed in a situation where an agent was paid to meet and sign “new talent” and, once that obligation was filled, there was no need to hustle and find auditions for anyone signed at that event.
Bottom line, on this type of issue is this: When you are at an event, meeting with an agent from another market, getting excited about the opportunities you’re being promised, imagine how you would feel if you were an actor on that agent’s current roster. Every day that the agent is out of town, scouting for “competition” to add to the client roster, is a day the agent is not hustling to get the actors currently on his roster auditions. Do you want to sign with an agent who will leave you hanging while he tours the world, signing more folks (and accepting a nice fee for the trip)?
That’s as much light as I can shed into why someone would do this sort of thing. The advice I’d like to give you, further, is this: Move on. Find work in Memphis, network with people in your current market, move up in that environment, and submit to agents in major markets once the credits, training, and experience-level warrant it. Hustling for work on your own will not only be more productive, it’ll feel great! And that’s something you can get your child involved in. Mailing out headshots, taking classes, and creating postcards for your local market will be fun! Take the power out of the hands of someone who clearly doesn’t have your career goals in mind.
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/000350.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.