Its a Job

I have been thinking about my actors and their frustration with not working all of the time. If you think of this industry as a business you cant expect to reach CEO level in one year. You need to work toward it. Put your time in. Sure there are a few people that seem to just come out of no where and become famous. But usually if you look at their past, they have put in the time and you just havent seen them. (or they have a famous relative)
Ways to put in your time and work towards a great career-
-TRAIN, a theatrical background is the best thing! Casting director workshops, College Courses!
-SKILLS, be interesting and different (every one can throw a baseball... but can you juggle 5 of them?)
-BE PREPARED-it IS hard to get an audition-so when you get one NAIL IT!!!
-NERVES-lose them
-DESPARATE?-Lose it, a casting director smells fear like a bee... go in confident, do your job and don't act like you will die if you do not book this job.
-BLAME GAME-don't blame anyone for not making it, your agent wants you to work-this is the only way we get paid...we are on your side and pulling for you. Same goes for the Casting director, they want you to be the one for the job, that way they can stop looking!
-BE POSITIVE-dream big and be happy-it looks good on you!

When I acted my first agent got me out all of the time, it was a small agency that no longer exists (Color Me Bright) I constantly blamed them for not getting out enough and for not gaining my union status. It wasn't until I took control of my own career that I started booking. I gained SAG/AFTRA status on my own with no agent, then seeked new representation. I worked hard. Even with all of the work I put in (about 5 years) I slowly eeked my way towards national commercials and some TV, with no notoriety and probably only breaking even financially.
If you think that being an actor is a glamorous and easy job you are mistaken. This is a long haul, filled with disappointment and rejection. It is truly for the love of the craft that we are all in this. If you are only auditioning because you think getting into night clubs and having your picture taken by paparazzi is exciting you are in this for the wrong reasons and most likely will not make it.
For kids this is fun stuff, enjoy the auditions and be yourself! The industry is into REAL people right now, real moms and kids, real soccer players, real kids...not model polished kids. They want confident kids with great smiles looking to have fun. Training for a kid probably isn't needed until age 10 and over. The competition and expectations get bigger and higher as you get older. By 18 you are expected to have a union and a big resume. My advice for kids is to take as many acting classes as you can in school-they are extremely expensive outside of high school and college. Even if you aren't in school you can take classes at your local junior college.

WELCOME

So this is my first time blogging. I have never even been on another person's blog. So this is all new to me. I like the idea of a forum that I can basically journal and share it with the world, well whoever cares to listen that is. I am a "stream of consiousness writer" so I hope everyone is able to follow me.
So I am a talent agent in Los Angeles. I started out at age 21 acting in commercials and tv shows. I was building a small career when I got married and eventually started a family. I thought I would continue to act after having my son. But I found the drive to LA tedious and I missed my son everytime I went on auditions. The only auditions i enjoyed were those that I got to go on with my son. Before having children I volunteered to work at a few agencies in LA and I loved the fast paced environment and the excitement of booking an actor on a job. I started wanting to only send my son on auditions and started looking at all of the online casting sites.
When I first worked at an agency we pulled photos off of a big wall filled with actors head shots. We made packages and had a courier pick them up and bring them to the casting directors. Slowly this process has changed and now has evolved into submitting actors online via various websites. When I started submitting my son on auditions I realized that I could do this for many people. That is when I decided to look into the legalities of setting up my own agency.
It took about of year of research and trial and error before I was licensed, bonded and a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Being accepted into SAG as an agency (or as an actor) jusitifes you as being legit. This was improtant to me, there are a lot of scams out there taking advantage of peoples dreams of being in the entertainment industry.
I want my clients to know that they can trust me. I am not in this for the money. Small agencies do not make that much money. We make 10% of what our clients make. . which is not that much. Thank goodness my husband has a full time job that is not commission based!

So this is how I began. My mentor is my old agent, she has taught me everything about being a good agent and a good person. She is starting a blog soon too and I will point you to hers when it begins.
I hope to update actors on the state of the industry, how auditions are panning out, how many breakdowns we are seeing. I will also update you on my diaper duty ( my youngest son is 7 weeks old) and toddler tantrums (my 3 1/2 year old that jumpstarted my becoming a talent agent) It should be a lot of fun blogging and sharing my crazy days.