Why does my agent make me do “busy work” so often? I keep having to change out my headshots on Actors Access. I’m being told to label my extra work as “co-star” on my resumé. Why do I keep getting tasks and assignments when I suspect it’s my agent who can’t get me out, not my pictures and not my credits?
Ah, busy work. Isn’t that fun? Certainly, it’s possible that your photos need changing or your credits need beefing up, but when you’re getting a ton of busy work and no real results are coming from all that change, it does start to feel as though it’s your agent’s way of deflecting responsibility over not being able to get you into the rooms.
Remember that your agent works for you, not the other way around. You have to show up at auditions and — if you’re called on the carpet for your lie, which is what promoting extra work to principal work is, a lie — be accountable for what’s on your resumé. How much fun would that be? You’re in the room (finally) and you’ve had a good audition (yay) and now the CD grills you about the one credit you knew better than to lie about. Oops. Are you going to say, “My agent made me do it” or are you going to try and defend the lie? Either way, are you going to look good at that moment? Not likely. Because you’re either admitting that you chose to lie about your credits or that you are powerless to defend your stance on honesty when your agent tells you to lie. Lose-lose.
As for the changing out photos on Actors Access thing, I’ve seen actors with a dozen (or more) headshots in their profile and it’s simply not necessary. Not at all! You need your one good theatrical shot and your one good commercial shot. Both should sell your primary type. That’s it! The whole “changing out photos every few months” or “adding more photos in different looks” thing is an exercise in futility. And it may talk us out of how to cast you. Maybe it makes your agent feel better to keep you busy and to keep you focused on anything but the agent as the source of the problem you’re having, getting into the room. “So, let’s change those photos. Let’s get you in classes. Let’s lie on your resumé. Whatever.”
Absolutely, there are some things that agents advise clients to do and they’re great things, useful things, it’s wonderful advice and you should follow it. Absolutely! But there are also agents out there who want to give you busy work to distract you from the bottom line: You were good enough to get signed by them “as you are” but they can’t get you into the rooms. I can see a manager doing more handholding and image-crafting and goal-setting, of course. Managers do more of that than agents do anyway! But when an agent starts handing you busy work, it could very well be that they don’t know what might make the difference for you, so they’re just dancing as fast as they can (by keeping you dancing as fast as you can).
Because your agent is your employee, feel free to say, “Yeah. I hear you. It might be a good idea to change out the photos on Actors Access. But how’s about we let these stay for a few months and see what sort of response we get? Let’s give ’em time to do their job.” Also, when asked to tell a lie on your resumé, the response, “I’m just not comfortable lying on my resumé, and since I’m the one who would have to defend that lie, if caught, I’m going to leave extra work off my acting resumé,” is awesome. It’s your resumé, it’s your online profile, it’s your career!
I’d much rather see actors engaged in the “busy work” of self-producing! But you already know that. 😉
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/001001.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.