We get tons of submissions. TONS. I have the paper cuts to prove it. Want us to look at your submission??? Here is some advice.
Cover Letter- do your research before submitting. Read our blog, website, twitter. See if we are a good agency for your goals and let us know why. Address the letter to the proper agent. I crack up when I get cover letters that say "Dear________," if you don't have time to find out our names I dont know if you will fill out forms at auditions correctly. We want a smart actor that knows the business. Introduce yourself quickly without boasting.
Photos- Send a commercial and theatrical shot. NO MORE. I dont have time to go through your proof sheet. For kids, snapshots are fine. BUT no hats, no food in the mouth, no drool. Be smart about the photo you choose.
Resumes-DO NOT LIE TO ME. This is the age of information, I will know if you lie about films/tv. Extra work is not to be put on your resume...featured or not. Make the resume clear and easy to understand.
We look at every single submission-hardcopies and emails. There are many reasons for us not to call you in for an audition. It could be that we are not auditioning at that time. I could be that we have someone too similar to you. It could be your union status, or small resume. Feel free to resubmit after you have added a union or more credits.
Please do not call. You can follow up with an email, but we are very busy daily and cant take that many calls. Calling automatically puts your photo in the trash. I can tell that you are high maintenance from the get go.
WHEN TO SUBMIT???? not now! Pilot season is a waste of postage for you. Every agency is too busy. Your best bet is summertime or December.
It's tough to find an agent and it's tough to get an audition and its tough to book a job....this is not the industry for people afraid of rejection! Good Luck out there!
Melody
Showing posts with label agency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agency. Show all posts
Importance of a Smart Phone
I cannot stress the importance of a Smart Phone for an actor. This industry is quickly becoming more and more electronic and the actor needs to keep up. It was only about 5-10 years ago that we started online submissions. Before that it was all hard copy submissions and couriers. We slowly have switched to 98% electronic submissions. The next phase of the industry going electronic is audition notifications. No longer does the Casting director call out auditions. Now they are emailed out. The agency in turn now forwards the emails and texts information on.
As an actor it is important to stay in touch with your agent. Confirming auditions quickly!
An actor also needs to be able to receive texts and be able to text back. We are constantly submitting on breakdowns and it is easy for us get a text confirming an audition. Stopping to chat on the phone greatly interrupts the very important work we are doing trying to get auditions for our actor.
Even with the recession and the cut backs on commercials as well as the SAG negotitations-our agency has done very well. I think that this is because we are available constantly to our casting directors via email, text, cmail, and phone. This industry has a lot of time constraints and using technology is very helpful. Some agents are working the way they did 10 years ago, refusing to utilize technology and are suffering.
I personally think going electronic is amazing. Not only is it green, the amount of paper that is being saved is incredible. It is saving the starving actor a ton of money-Not having to reproduce photos as often. Also it saves the agent money by not paying a courier and printing costs. The cost of text messaging is minimal. Missing audition information is devastating.
Having a smart phone allows immediate notification of auditions, avails, bookings. If you have Internet access you can then confirm directly with LA casting or with your agent. You can also access sides and character information. If any last minute changes occur on the way to an audition we can stay in contact. Smart phones have the capability to record auditions, voiceovers, take photos (some casting directors want a photo of actors as they look at this very moment, especially kids, since some headshots do NOT look like the actors). Maybe they want a picture of your hands for a hand modeling job, snap it, email it and you are all set!
Technology scares some people, but it is making our lives easier and those who do not keep up could be left in the dark!
As an actor it is important to stay in touch with your agent. Confirming auditions quickly!
An actor also needs to be able to receive texts and be able to text back. We are constantly submitting on breakdowns and it is easy for us get a text confirming an audition. Stopping to chat on the phone greatly interrupts the very important work we are doing trying to get auditions for our actor.
Even with the recession and the cut backs on commercials as well as the SAG negotitations-our agency has done very well. I think that this is because we are available constantly to our casting directors via email, text, cmail, and phone. This industry has a lot of time constraints and using technology is very helpful. Some agents are working the way they did 10 years ago, refusing to utilize technology and are suffering.
I personally think going electronic is amazing. Not only is it green, the amount of paper that is being saved is incredible. It is saving the starving actor a ton of money-Not having to reproduce photos as often. Also it saves the agent money by not paying a courier and printing costs. The cost of text messaging is minimal. Missing audition information is devastating.
Having a smart phone allows immediate notification of auditions, avails, bookings. If you have Internet access you can then confirm directly with LA casting or with your agent. You can also access sides and character information. If any last minute changes occur on the way to an audition we can stay in contact. Smart phones have the capability to record auditions, voiceovers, take photos (some casting directors want a photo of actors as they look at this very moment, especially kids, since some headshots do NOT look like the actors). Maybe they want a picture of your hands for a hand modeling job, snap it, email it and you are all set!
Technology scares some people, but it is making our lives easier and those who do not keep up could be left in the dark!
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.
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.
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