Hey Bon,

I’m on IMDb-Pro and I’m checking my representation client list and my commercial agent (who I love) and my TV/film agent (who I’m convinced has no idea I exist in this world) and neither one has me on their client list.

Why aren’t all clients on the agents’ IMDb-Pro client list?

Love this question! Most of all, because you’re asking it from an empowered “hooray for drop season” place, which means you’re not asking this question from the emotional space that *most* actors ask it from: “Do they secretly not rep me? Am I the last one to know? Should I feel embarrassed and humiliated and ashamed?”

LOVE that you’re asking from a place of, “What’s up with *that* action? Why do some reps not list all their clients on IMDb-Pro?” Awesome.

Several reasons.

One: Agents know they need to appear exclusive. They need to appear as though getting signed by them means something pretty badass. If they’re putting themselves out there as a boutique agency but they *actually* rep 1000 clients, they’re not seen as exclusive (and certainly not seen as boutique), and they’re also not as big a deal to get to sign with. So, it’s sort of like lying about how many sexual partners you’ve had. You know the type of people who do that, right?

Two: Agents have a brand as well! They need to appear as if they rep upper-tier clients, so that casting directors will more enthusiastically open their submissions in the breakdowns, more openly accept their pitch calls, more likely schedule auditions with “this hot, new actor we just signed” when the day’s session schedule is already full. It’s not just their brand on the casting side of things, though; it’s their brand on the client side of things. If the agent met you at her modest office and she and her assistant were the only people in the place, you like seeing a client list of a couple dozen. You know you won’t get lost there. If the truth of the matter is that she reps hundreds, you know there’s got to be a certain amount of spaghetti-slinging going on in that office, and that’s not good for anybody.

Three: You may have been dropped! Now, if you’re actively getting auditions through the agency, the fact that you’re not on their IMDb-Pro client list might not mean a thing. It could be a glitch in the IMDb-Pro database, it could mean there was a clerical error the last time the agency did cleanup at their IMDb-Pro profile, it could mean you were signed but never added at the agency’s IMDb-Pro profile despite getting added at Breakdown Services and Casting Networks, it could mean the agency doesn’t list new clients until they’ve gotten their first booking… but it could also be who knows what else! Now, if you’re not on the agency’s IMDb-Pro client list *and* you’re not getting sent out… yikes. Time to make a phone call, schedule a meeting, something! And if *that* doesn’t work, yeah, you’ve been dropped without being told.

The fix: If you suspect that you’re not omitted from their IMDb-Pro client list due to a drop, shelved, forgotten, etc., situation, either contact your agent to ask that they get you listed on their IMDb-Pro page or just freakin’ add yourself! There’s an EDIT feature for every page within IMDb, and while your submission may not be accepted, you can at least process it! The agency will have to verify that you’re a client, but if you are — especially if you are a client who *is* getting out through them — that shouldn’t be a problem.

So, in your case, I’d work to get that commercial (hell yes) agency tied into your profile. And as for that “do they even know I exist” theatrical (ho-hum) agency? Consider it one less bit of administrative nonsense to deal with, when you’ve moved on from them — officially.

Good luck with all your targeting and stay ninja with that badass attitude of yours! It’s awesome!

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/001822.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.