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
DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS
Please read ALL details on your audition notice including all dates, times, locations, wardrobe, etc. And don't forget about SIDES. Re-posting this article from the Holdon Log about sides from about a week ago for those of you who missed it.
Tip: Before you reach out to a casting director or someone else involved with the project that you are requested to audition for - READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST. If your intended question is not answered in the audition request then feel free to send your inquiry to the proper person.
~ From The Holdon Log
* * * * *
But I do have to add something:
READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST BEFORE CONTACTING ANYONE
Scenario: When the producer emailed out the audition request information he also stated that because of the audition structure, there would be "No Sides".
Dozens of performers did NOT read this and e-mailed asking if there were any sides! Now someone from the production had to re-e-mail the performers and say that they should re-read the audition information.
On the second round of auditions we suggested to the producers that they put "No Sides. Improv Only." at the top of their neatly organized audition request...which they did...and guess what?
People still asked if there were sides!?!?!? Yikes!!!
Tip: Before you reach out to a casting director or someone else involved with the project that you are requested to audition for - READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST. If your intended question is not answered in the audition request then feel free to send your inquiry to the proper person.~ From The Holdon Log
* * * * *
But I do have to add something:
Unless the notice specifically says "NO SIDES", it is a good idea to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check LAC for posted sides EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU HAVE A COMMERCIAL AUDITION. There have been a few instances where the notice did not mention sides and they were in fact posted.
OK, maybe just ONE more thing to add about reading your entire notice and audition emails. (And paying attention to your text messages on your phone that never leaves your sight, right?). One time an actor had an audition in an hour and we happened to see another email from the project come in. Not an attention-getting AUDITION email, just one of the hundreds of regular casting emails, like one for additional roles or whatnot. Turns out that casting had posted REVISED sides and accidentally sent out a regular casting email to let everyone know. And YES! Our fabulous actor had their phone with them. got our text and and was able to get the revised sides.
Guess how many actors showed up prepared with the correct sides that day? One. L&L TALENT's actor, of course.
L&L actors ROCK!!!
Return to Actor's Agent
OK, maybe just ONE more thing to add about reading your entire notice and audition emails. (And paying attention to your text messages on your phone that never leaves your sight, right?). One time an actor had an audition in an hour and we happened to see another email from the project come in. Not an attention-getting AUDITION email, just one of the hundreds of regular casting emails, like one for additional roles or whatnot. Turns out that casting had posted REVISED sides and accidentally sent out a regular casting email to let everyone know. And YES! Our fabulous actor had their phone with them. got our text and and was able to get the revised sides.
Guess how many actors showed up prepared with the correct sides that day? One. L&L TALENT's actor, of course.
L&L actors ROCK!!!
Return to Actor's Agent
REALLY, REALLY WORTH REPEATING
This is really worth a second look. Please read through this again and then read some reasons why below.
The following re-post is from THIS AGENT'S VIEW by Coby B. located at: http://www.thisagentsview.com
Checks go to your agent
In case you didn't know, when you are filling paperwork out on the set (and at auditions), you are supposed to put your agent's address. Payment goes to ANDY ACTOR, @ your agency's address (not your personal address). If you do this wrong, it can cause you lots of problems. If you cash the check and then pay your agent it is too late to fix mistakes that might have been made. What if the amount was wrong, you have taken your agents power away and they won't be able to help you as well. Trust me, your agent won't really want to help you either. Don't make your agent chase the commission you owe on any job. You will lose your agent and create a horrible reputation for yourself in this town. Don't book a job through your manager and feel this means you don't owe your agent their commission. This mistake will also most likely cause you to lose your agent. I have and will drop a client for this practice. Be honest with the money. Any relationship will disintegrate when there are money problems and dishonesty. This is a business, never forget it. I know that for actors it is also about much more, but money is what makes the whole thing keep going. Basically this blog is asking you not to be a d**che and PAY YOUR COMMISSIONS! Your reps don't get paid until you work, so all the work that agents and managers do until that time in uncompensated. Please don't make the mistake of thinking you don't owe the commission. There is no way to justify it. I hear "I booked it myself" and other variations on this from actors who justify not paying commissions. Problem is, when you were shooting it, you were then unavailable to your agency or manager for other gigs. Time is money. I don't care who booked it. Your agent and managers get paid. They both get paid. Plain and simple.
The above paragraph is from THIS AGENT'S VIEW by Coby B. located at: http://www.thisagentsview.com
* * * * *
I re-posted the above for a few reasons. ONE, every actor needs to know this information; TWO, one time an actor signed in with their manager's info instead of ours at an audition we got for them and it all turned into a major headache for us; and THREE, we had a situation where a client told the CD that they had no agent at an audition (which we got for them) so we were not notified about further goings-on including callbacks, avails and an eventual booking (i.e., "I booked it myself!"). WTF?
LIST YOUR AGENT'S INFO DOWN AT AUDITIONS. The actor who listed their manager's info at an episodic audition (that we had gotten for them) got a callback. So of course, the CD contacted the manager and gave them the info. The manager then left a message on the actor's voicemail saying that they had a callback at 10 am. The actor didn't get the message right away and when they did, they couldn't figure out which day the callback was supposed to be -- if it was tomorrow, a Saturday or the the following Monday. The actor doubted that it was on Saturday and they couldn't get a hold of their manager because the manager had not-so-conveniently left for vacation. So then the actor contacted me later that evening to try to get the info -- the info (including a direct contact number) that I never received because THEY DIDN'T LIST THE AGENCY INFO DOWN AT THE AUDITION. And, this was after hours (for the casting office, obviously not us) and no one was answering the office phones. So needless to say, we had our work cut out for us if the actor was going to make the callback -- which, after a bit of running around going through different channels searching for private cell numbers and email addresses (I don't think the CD's were too happy about being contacted after-hours either!) -- we found out it was in fact on Saturday. (Another tip: never assume an audition can't be on a weekend!).
Save your agents a lot of time, energy and grief and list us down as the contact at auditions. Thanks!
LIST YOUR AGENT AT AUDITION SIGN-IN AND WRITE DOWN THE AGENCY ADDRESS ON PAPERWORK ON SET. A client had left the agency on good terms and we just happened to get a call for a fabulous audition for this actor the day after. So I contacted them and asked if they wanted to be sent on a last audition under L&L Talent. We thought they were perfect for the role and had a great chance of booking it, so we did it as a goodwill gesture and technically, they still had about a month left on their contract with us, so paperwork wouldn't be a problem. We really liked this person and thought this would be a great opportunity for them. (Note: We didn't have to send them on the audition and as a matter of fact most agents would have replaced them with someone else from the agency.) They said YES they wanted to go so I sent them the info and the sides in good faith and they went to the audition.
We didn't receive a callback for them so we of course thought that was the end of that. We aren't one of "those agents" who pester CD's (who have a million better things to do than tell us, "NO, this person did not get a callback.") after each and every audition. WE have other things to do as well.
Fast forward about a month and a half and I just happen to see this person on an episodic by accident. Good for them! BUT WAIT -- those lines are really familiar -- OH, I REMEMBER NOW! Turns out this person had booked the job that we sent them on! My first thought was "WOOHOO -- GREAT JOB!!!" And then my next thought was? OH, SNAP! REALLY? WHY WEREN'T WE NOTIFIED? We had found out about this completely by accident!
So this person claimed that they had honestly thought for some reason that the very day after leaving the agency they got this audition on their own and that we did not send them on it. Meaning that they didn't remember that we had been submitting them on projects for an entire year before -- up to and including the evening they left the agency. And they didn't remember that we gave them the audition info, sides, etc. (i.e., "sent them on the audition"). They had gotten auditions in the past, but just never booked anything until now. As a matter of fact, the last few submissions made for this person on the final day were to the very casting director who called them in. Coincidence? I think not.
Did they not realize that the casting director called us, their AGENT, and not THEM directly for the audition to give us the time, location, sides code and other details? That WE had to confirm the audition for them? Why? Because we were the ones who submitted them. Their excuse was that we hadn't contacted them about the callback and they hadn't heard back from us after giving them the audition info so they thought all ties had been severed and they had no obligation to the agency whatsoever. WELL, the reason we were not contacted by the casting directors after the initial audition was because this person informed the casting directors that they no longer had an agent when they signed in at the audition so we were removed from the actor's contact information. (We know for a fact that this person had a history of not listing us down as their agency from a previous audition when we talked to the casting director about someone else who had gotten a callback and were able to inquire about this person's audition as well. We were told that they didn't list any agent down at sign-in. We thought we had made it clear to everyone to list us down at auditions after that incident.) Hmmmm.
And the sad part was that listing L&L as their agent would not have been, as the saying goes, "any skin off of their back". First of all, we would have negotiated for more than what the actor was offered and secondly, we would have negotiated for "plus 10". Meaning that the agency's 10% commission would not have come out of their earnings. It would have been completely separate.
This situation was really ugly and disappointing. Yes, it happens a lot, but it should never happen. Take pride in your profession. Have some dignity. And don't go thinking we were just upset about the commission that is rightfully ours, because we weren't. It's the principle. This person books the biggest credit on their resume to date and they didn't even tell us about it or acknowledge or at least THANK us for all the work we had done for an entire year without any compensation whatsoever to get it for them. This was hurtful, dishonest and just uncool.
So...
THE GOLDEN RULE: List your AGENCY's contact information and address at sign-in for auditions and on the paperwork on set -- never disclose YOUR personal info at auditions and CHECKS ALWAYS GO TO YOUR AGENT. As posted before, listing your agency information is the best and quickest way to get the correct and proper information (e.g. callbacks, avails, bookings) and also protects you from incorrect payments, solicitations and STALKERS!
* * * * *
Being an agent is a tough and sometimes thankless job, as are most jobs in this industry. Almost as tough and thankless as being an actor.
So we want to take another opportunity right now to say THANK YOU to our actors.
THANK YOU ACTORS, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, PERSISTENCE, PATIENCE AND DEDICATION!!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!
Xoxo
Mahalo.
The following re-post is from THIS AGENT'S VIEW by Coby B. located at: http://www.thisagentsview.com
Checks go to your agent
In case you didn't know, when you are filling paperwork out on the set (and at auditions), you are supposed to put your agent's address. Payment goes to ANDY ACTOR, @ your agency's address (not your personal address). If you do this wrong, it can cause you lots of problems. If you cash the check and then pay your agent it is too late to fix mistakes that might have been made. What if the amount was wrong, you have taken your agents power away and they won't be able to help you as well. Trust me, your agent won't really want to help you either. Don't make your agent chase the commission you owe on any job. You will lose your agent and create a horrible reputation for yourself in this town. Don't book a job through your manager and feel this means you don't owe your agent their commission. This mistake will also most likely cause you to lose your agent. I have and will drop a client for this practice. Be honest with the money. Any relationship will disintegrate when there are money problems and dishonesty. This is a business, never forget it. I know that for actors it is also about much more, but money is what makes the whole thing keep going. Basically this blog is asking you not to be a d**che and PAY YOUR COMMISSIONS! Your reps don't get paid until you work, so all the work that agents and managers do until that time in uncompensated. Please don't make the mistake of thinking you don't owe the commission. There is no way to justify it. I hear "I booked it myself" and other variations on this from actors who justify not paying commissions. Problem is, when you were shooting it, you were then unavailable to your agency or manager for other gigs. Time is money. I don't care who booked it. Your agent and managers get paid. They both get paid. Plain and simple.
The above paragraph is from THIS AGENT'S VIEW by Coby B. located at: http://www.thisagentsview.com
* * * * *
I re-posted the above for a few reasons. ONE, every actor needs to know this information; TWO, one time an actor signed in with their manager's info instead of ours at an audition we got for them and it all turned into a major headache for us; and THREE, we had a situation where a client told the CD that they had no agent at an audition (which we got for them) so we were not notified about further goings-on including callbacks, avails and an eventual booking (i.e., "I booked it myself!"). WTF?
LIST YOUR AGENT'S INFO DOWN AT AUDITIONS. The actor who listed their manager's info at an episodic audition (that we had gotten for them) got a callback. So of course, the CD contacted the manager and gave them the info. The manager then left a message on the actor's voicemail saying that they had a callback at 10 am. The actor didn't get the message right away and when they did, they couldn't figure out which day the callback was supposed to be -- if it was tomorrow, a Saturday or the the following Monday. The actor doubted that it was on Saturday and they couldn't get a hold of their manager because the manager had not-so-conveniently left for vacation. So then the actor contacted me later that evening to try to get the info -- the info (including a direct contact number) that I never received because THEY DIDN'T LIST THE AGENCY INFO DOWN AT THE AUDITION. And, this was after hours (for the casting office, obviously not us) and no one was answering the office phones. So needless to say, we had our work cut out for us if the actor was going to make the callback -- which, after a bit of running around going through different channels searching for private cell numbers and email addresses (I don't think the CD's were too happy about being contacted after-hours either!) -- we found out it was in fact on Saturday. (Another tip: never assume an audition can't be on a weekend!).
Save your agents a lot of time, energy and grief and list us down as the contact at auditions. Thanks!
LIST YOUR AGENT AT AUDITION SIGN-IN AND WRITE DOWN THE AGENCY ADDRESS ON PAPERWORK ON SET. A client had left the agency on good terms and we just happened to get a call for a fabulous audition for this actor the day after. So I contacted them and asked if they wanted to be sent on a last audition under L&L Talent. We thought they were perfect for the role and had a great chance of booking it, so we did it as a goodwill gesture and technically, they still had about a month left on their contract with us, so paperwork wouldn't be a problem. We really liked this person and thought this would be a great opportunity for them. (Note: We didn't have to send them on the audition and as a matter of fact most agents would have replaced them with someone else from the agency.) They said YES they wanted to go so I sent them the info and the sides in good faith and they went to the audition.
We didn't receive a callback for them so we of course thought that was the end of that. We aren't one of "those agents" who pester CD's (who have a million better things to do than tell us, "NO, this person did not get a callback.") after each and every audition. WE have other things to do as well.
Fast forward about a month and a half and I just happen to see this person on an episodic by accident. Good for them! BUT WAIT -- those lines are really familiar -- OH, I REMEMBER NOW! Turns out this person had booked the job that we sent them on! My first thought was "WOOHOO -- GREAT JOB!!!" And then my next thought was? OH, SNAP! REALLY? WHY WEREN'T WE NOTIFIED? We had found out about this completely by accident!
So this person claimed that they had honestly thought for some reason that the very day after leaving the agency they got this audition on their own and that we did not send them on it. Meaning that they didn't remember that we had been submitting them on projects for an entire year before -- up to and including the evening they left the agency. And they didn't remember that we gave them the audition info, sides, etc. (i.e., "sent them on the audition"). They had gotten auditions in the past, but just never booked anything until now. As a matter of fact, the last few submissions made for this person on the final day were to the very casting director who called them in. Coincidence? I think not.
Did they not realize that the casting director called us, their AGENT, and not THEM directly for the audition to give us the time, location, sides code and other details? That WE had to confirm the audition for them? Why? Because we were the ones who submitted them. Their excuse was that we hadn't contacted them about the callback and they hadn't heard back from us after giving them the audition info so they thought all ties had been severed and they had no obligation to the agency whatsoever. WELL, the reason we were not contacted by the casting directors after the initial audition was because this person informed the casting directors that they no longer had an agent when they signed in at the audition so we were removed from the actor's contact information. (We know for a fact that this person had a history of not listing us down as their agency from a previous audition when we talked to the casting director about someone else who had gotten a callback and were able to inquire about this person's audition as well. We were told that they didn't list any agent down at sign-in. We thought we had made it clear to everyone to list us down at auditions after that incident.) Hmmmm.
And the sad part was that listing L&L as their agent would not have been, as the saying goes, "any skin off of their back". First of all, we would have negotiated for more than what the actor was offered and secondly, we would have negotiated for "plus 10". Meaning that the agency's 10% commission would not have come out of their earnings. It would have been completely separate.
This situation was really ugly and disappointing. Yes, it happens a lot, but it should never happen. Take pride in your profession. Have some dignity. And don't go thinking we were just upset about the commission that is rightfully ours, because we weren't. It's the principle. This person books the biggest credit on their resume to date and they didn't even tell us about it or acknowledge or at least THANK us for all the work we had done for an entire year without any compensation whatsoever to get it for them. This was hurtful, dishonest and just uncool.
So...
THE GOLDEN RULE: List your AGENCY's contact information and address at sign-in for auditions and on the paperwork on set -- never disclose YOUR personal info at auditions and CHECKS ALWAYS GO TO YOUR AGENT. As posted before, listing your agency information is the best and quickest way to get the correct and proper information (e.g. callbacks, avails, bookings) and also protects you from incorrect payments, solicitations and STALKERS!
* * * * *
Being an agent is a tough and sometimes thankless job, as are most jobs in this industry. Almost as tough and thankless as being an actor.
So we want to take another opportunity right now to say THANK YOU to our actors.
THANK YOU ACTORS, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, PERSISTENCE, PATIENCE AND DEDICATION!!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!
Xoxo
Mahalo.
Be All That you Can Be
Have you done EVERYTHING you can for your acting career? This is a business! Everyday you should do something to better yourself as an actor.
-
-Are your head shots up to date?
-Can you do ALL of the skills on your resume?
-
-Are your head shots up to date?
Casting Directors can see the date that you uploaded them,
so if you are still using head shot from
5 years ago you may want to get some updated shots.
Add some shots of you doing special skills, or in different characters
-Add new skills
Take a yoga class, go for a jog. Add new skills to your resume.
The more special skills you have, the better chance you have to book a job.
If you say you are a skateboarder, you better be prepared to have your board with you and prove it.
Same goes for instruments, sports, singing, dancing etc.
Don't put down ballet if you haven't done a pirouette since you were in preschool.
-Are you in Class?
Having a pretty face is not enough! You need to be prepared for auditions.
That means being in classes, taking casting director workshops, being savvy in this industry.
-Network
Networking is one of the best things you can do!
Make friends, from the guy who signs you in at the audition,
to the lady sitting next to you all the way to acting coaches, agents and directors.
They can all only help your career.
-Research
Learn about the roles you are auditioning for.
Learn about the casting directors that you are reading for.
let us know what you think! Any advice for fellow actors? comment!
Melody
TOOLS OF THE TRADE (AND NOT THE GOOD KIND)
A.K.A. "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE TRASH BIN..."
* * * * *
Wow. A couple of funny things happened over the weekend. Not funny 'ha ha" but funny "WTF???".
#1
The father of a child we interviewed a while back popped up on our LAC account. I mean, his photos and profile were actually on our roster! What??? He must have snuck in somehow using his current account and telling LAC that he finally got himself an agent. Problem is, HE ISN'T A CLIENT. We did NOT sign him with the agency. He was trying so hard to get us to sign him at his child's interview -- so much that when we asked him what her skills were, he answered, "Nothing." then went on to talk about his own skills. This guy wasn't even a contender. When he was making arrangements for us to meet his daughter, he told us he was a stuntman so we thought, hmmm, maybe if he's SAG we could consider the father-daughter team. Turns out he just WANTS to be a stuntman. O-tay! And we explained to him NICELY that he wasn't SAG and he had no co-star credits so we couldn't consider him for representation at this time.
Afterwards, he kept emailing us to ask if we had re-considered and if we could get him SAG extra work so he could get vouchers so he would become SAG eligible and we could sign him. HELLO? First of all, we're not an extra agency and secondly, he still didn't have all the basic requirements.
Remember, when you interview with a potential agent -- WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY LIKE YOU. In fact, we have to LOVE you! Basic, simple, true. If you are a pain-in-the *ss at the interview, we aren't going to want to deal with you on a daily basis for the next year. What was he thinking??? What he did was really offensive and insulting. Don't be a moron and think we aren't going to notice that a NON-CLIENT is on our roster and accidentally submit you on projects! WE KNOW AND LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CLIENTS. That's the beauty of being a part of a small, boutique agency. We're family.
Don't blow your chances of ever getting an agent by pulling this kind of stunt. This guy has been permanently removed from LAC.
Yup, his account is in the trash bin.
#2
A guy submitted his photo,resume and website link via our client submissions form on our website. We don't have time to reply to every single submission (just like casting directors do not have time to call people to let them know they DIDN'T get a callback) but since this was over the holiday weekend (yes, we do work on weekends!) we were able to answer this guy and tell him that unfortunately we weren't taking adults who aren't in SAG with at least two co-star credits. Do you know what his reply was?
"OK, I will contact you in 20 years."
WTH??? Is he that big of a loser? Low self-esteem, much? Hmmm. Too bad he was such a tool. You never know when something may come up and he happens to have the right look. There is such a thing as a Taft-Hartley, remember?
His submission is also in the trash.
#3
OK, this next thing happened a couple of months ago but I wanted to share because it fits right in with the others.
We were cc'd on an email from some lady who said she was pulling her son from the agency because he has never gotten an audition and to kindly stop charging her bank account for our services. WTF??? After going through some lists, we realized this lady was someone who sent in a client submission for her son over a year ago but we had never called them in for an interview. We are guessing she signed with another agency but her son never got an audition so she wanted to drop them. And the other agency on the email was also a SAG-franchised agency so we know that there were no service charges on their end. So we emailed this lady back telling her that she was mistaken in contacting us and was probably referring to the charges for an upgraded LAC account and if she wanted to cancel the service, she would need to contact LAC support. We never heard from her again.
Yup, this one was embarrassing. DON'T be like her and mistakenly send nasty emails to people who don't rep you (but might sometime in the future). And please DO your research before accusing people of taking money from you.
Any possible chances of this agency representing her son are now in the trash.
* * * * *
#4
Wow. Just wow. We got bitched out by someone from a casting office who thought our client was a no-show at an audition. The client was NOT a no-show, apparently there were a lot of people at this audition and it probably got a little chaotic over there. In any case, we let them know that our client was in fact there and even proved it by repeating what the client said they discussed at the audition. After all that, they didn't even apologize. Just said, "oh, OK." and hung up.
Proof positive that anyone can be a tool.
* * * * *
Just some advice for those of you who are seeking representation:
DON'T use your kids to try to get an agent. It isn't becoming and it doesn't work. It's pathetic and you are jeopardizing your kids' careers.
DON'T be annoying and pushy. Be the professional, nice people that you are. No one is going to rep you if they can't stand you.
DON'T try to add yourself to an agency if you aren't actually a client. It's not like we won't notice and *oops* accidentally submit you on projects.
DON'T accuse someone of charging you money unless you get your facts straight first. DO your research.
And DON'T piss off potential agents who may actually consider you for representation in the future. That would be just plain dumb.
Bottom line: DON'T BE A TOOL.
* * * * *
Anywho, thanks for reading. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!
Yowza!
Return to Actor's Agent
* * * * *
Wow. A couple of funny things happened over the weekend. Not funny 'ha ha" but funny "WTF???".
#1
The father of a child we interviewed a while back popped up on our LAC account. I mean, his photos and profile were actually on our roster! What??? He must have snuck in somehow using his current account and telling LAC that he finally got himself an agent. Problem is, HE ISN'T A CLIENT. We did NOT sign him with the agency. He was trying so hard to get us to sign him at his child's interview -- so much that when we asked him what her skills were, he answered, "Nothing." then went on to talk about his own skills. This guy wasn't even a contender. When he was making arrangements for us to meet his daughter, he told us he was a stuntman so we thought, hmmm, maybe if he's SAG we could consider the father-daughter team. Turns out he just WANTS to be a stuntman. O-tay! And we explained to him NICELY that he wasn't SAG and he had no co-star credits so we couldn't consider him for representation at this time.
Afterwards, he kept emailing us to ask if we had re-considered and if we could get him SAG extra work so he could get vouchers so he would become SAG eligible and we could sign him. HELLO? First of all, we're not an extra agency and secondly, he still didn't have all the basic requirements.
Remember, when you interview with a potential agent -- WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY LIKE YOU. In fact, we have to LOVE you! Basic, simple, true. If you are a pain-in-the *ss at the interview, we aren't going to want to deal with you on a daily basis for the next year. What was he thinking??? What he did was really offensive and insulting. Don't be a moron and think we aren't going to notice that a NON-CLIENT is on our roster and accidentally submit you on projects! WE KNOW AND LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CLIENTS. That's the beauty of being a part of a small, boutique agency. We're family.
Don't blow your chances of ever getting an agent by pulling this kind of stunt. This guy has been permanently removed from LAC.
Yup, his account is in the trash bin.
#2
A guy submitted his photo,resume and website link via our client submissions form on our website. We don't have time to reply to every single submission (just like casting directors do not have time to call people to let them know they DIDN'T get a callback) but since this was over the holiday weekend (yes, we do work on weekends!) we were able to answer this guy and tell him that unfortunately we weren't taking adults who aren't in SAG with at least two co-star credits. Do you know what his reply was?
"OK, I will contact you in 20 years."
WTH??? Is he that big of a loser? Low self-esteem, much? Hmmm. Too bad he was such a tool. You never know when something may come up and he happens to have the right look. There is such a thing as a Taft-Hartley, remember?
His submission is also in the trash.
#3
OK, this next thing happened a couple of months ago but I wanted to share because it fits right in with the others.
We were cc'd on an email from some lady who said she was pulling her son from the agency because he has never gotten an audition and to kindly stop charging her bank account for our services. WTF??? After going through some lists, we realized this lady was someone who sent in a client submission for her son over a year ago but we had never called them in for an interview. We are guessing she signed with another agency but her son never got an audition so she wanted to drop them. And the other agency on the email was also a SAG-franchised agency so we know that there were no service charges on their end. So we emailed this lady back telling her that she was mistaken in contacting us and was probably referring to the charges for an upgraded LAC account and if she wanted to cancel the service, she would need to contact LAC support. We never heard from her again.
Yup, this one was embarrassing. DON'T be like her and mistakenly send nasty emails to people who don't rep you (but might sometime in the future). And please DO your research before accusing people of taking money from you.
Any possible chances of this agency representing her son are now in the trash.
* * * * *
#4
Wow. Just wow. We got bitched out by someone from a casting office who thought our client was a no-show at an audition. The client was NOT a no-show, apparently there were a lot of people at this audition and it probably got a little chaotic over there. In any case, we let them know that our client was in fact there and even proved it by repeating what the client said they discussed at the audition. After all that, they didn't even apologize. Just said, "oh, OK." and hung up.
Proof positive that anyone can be a tool.
* * * * *
Just some advice for those of you who are seeking representation:
DON'T use your kids to try to get an agent. It isn't becoming and it doesn't work. It's pathetic and you are jeopardizing your kids' careers.
DON'T be annoying and pushy. Be the professional, nice people that you are. No one is going to rep you if they can't stand you.
DON'T try to add yourself to an agency if you aren't actually a client. It's not like we won't notice and *oops* accidentally submit you on projects.
DON'T accuse someone of charging you money unless you get your facts straight first. DO your research.
And DON'T piss off potential agents who may actually consider you for representation in the future. That would be just plain dumb.
Bottom line: DON'T BE A TOOL.
* * * * *
Anywho, thanks for reading. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!
Yowza!
Return to Actor's Agent
ANOTHER AGENT'S POINT OF VIEW
Hello!
Just wanted to share some great advice from a fellow LA agent (who happens to be a former manager). Came across her blog while researching some info today (Had to deal with a non-compliance issue. I believe Coby below would refer to the situation as "being a d**che"? More on that later...) and fell in love because we are so on the same wavelength. This agent deals with the same things we do on a daily basis and therefore we share our observations, frustrations and exclamations -- all for your benefit in the form of tips and advice. So here's another agent's point of view. I had posted just the link to her blog earlier but then I received some emails from people who requested that I actually copy, paste and re-post so they wouldn't have to follow two blogs.
As you wish.
Yes dear.
___
The following is from THIS AGENT'S VIEW located at: http://www.thisagentsview.com
This Agent's View
Dear Readers, This blog is intended to give you "this agent's view" on the business. Postings are of my personal and professional opinion and musings on the day to day things I encounter as an agent. They are not meant to represent anyone else's opinion. I'm sharing these bits in an effort to pass along information that my clients say are valuable and need to be shared with other actors. Take from it what you will.
Worth Repeating
If you have a skill listed on your resume, you had better damn well be able to do it on an audition. Don't put down you speak a language if you are not fluent. Don't put down a musical instrument if you can't play it like a pro. Don't list a sport if you can't play it for the camera for real. This isn't a joke people. Your chances aren't better if you say yes, and then try to figure it out later. You are a waste of everyone's time if you do this. I spend my day getting appointments for people based upon their skills that they claim to possess. If I have to then cancel an appointment because someone was less than honest about their proficiency, this just pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I'll say it again, it pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't lie. There is no need for it and it just makes you look bad to your agent and makes the agent look bad to casting, which therefore flows down to all the clients being punished if that casting director won't see the agency's people anymore. Don't be selfish. Remember, other BAD clients can make you look bad. Be a GOOD client and hopefully what goes around comes around, like they say.
Posted by Coby B at 3:33 PM 0 comments
Okay, today I just want to SCREAM.
I had an actor who complains about not getting enough auditions, turn down the opportunity to audition for a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE tomorrow with one of the BIGGEST MOVIE STARS in the world! He didn't even give me a good reason, he is just unavailable tomorrow, "could he go a different day". My answer, "NO!!!!!!" Someone else who wants to be an actor is gonna show up at that audition tomorrow and book it. If you are an actor who turns down auditions, please don't whine, just shut up! Sorry, but this one just has me on fire today!!!!!
Posted by Coby B at 6:30 PM 0 comments
Don't be a flake
I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. Sorry, I haven't blogged in a while. The town has been pretty quiet, so there hasn't been much fuel for the blog. But I do want to take a moment to tell you to look inward. If you are a flake in certain areas of your life, then you might just be a flake in most areas of your life. If that is the case, there isn't an agent or manager on the planet that can help your career, until you fix that yourself. Agents/Managers can get you appointments, but that can't be at your house to drag your butt out of bed and make you get ready and get yourself to the audition. Do you keep a date book with your auditions and details in it? If not, why not? This is how you log your milage for your taxes. You have to keep track of where and when you went on the audition. This will also guarantee you don't have to call your agent to ask "where am I going again?" "what time is my audition?" If you are consistently late for meetings and auditions, you just aren't headed in the right direction. Be sure to point the finger of blame inward. Take a look in the mirror to see your biggest obstacle. Get your act together! I've heard almost every excuse in the book as to why actors don't make it to auditions. It doesn't matter if they are legitimate or not, they are still excuses. Have a great NYE and I will blog again after the 1st of January.
TTFN
Posted by Coby B at 1:22 PM 0 comments
Be Camera Ready
Its just a good rule of thumb to look "camera ready" when you know you are going to be meeting with either: casting, producers or reps (agents or managers) It always amazes me when an actor shows up for an audition, meeting or showcase not looking like their best selves. I don't think you should be a Glamazon or Mr. GQ, but helmet head and no make up is not your best bet. Unless you are being asked specifically to look bad, you should be ready to be on camera. It has been a case study that better looking people get the job, and lets face it folks, this is an IMAGE business. If I sound superficial, thems the breaks. First impressions are what it is all about. You can wow someone with your talents, after you have their attention. If someone takes a meeting with me or is going to be reading for me, part of the preparation is to look good. If you don't, I wont trust how you are going to look for an audition. So therefore, I would suggest to you, to please keep this in mind when you are in this situation. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Coby B at 6:45 PM 0 comments
A few more DONT'S
Don't Crash Auditions!!!!!! I repeat DON'T CRASH AUDITIONS.
Doing so gives you and your agent a bad name. If you don't yet have an agent you still shouldn't do it. It is rude and disrespectful. The object is for casting to like you on top of being a good actor. You want the casting director to root for you to book the job, not as an aside tell the client how pushy and rude you are. That, or sometimes if you successfully crash an audition, they just don't tape you or they edit you out. Never take someone with you to an audition. If you must do so, leave them in the car. Even children, if you must bring them bring a sitter and leave them in the car. This is a JOB. Do you take friends to your "regular day job"? Of course not, you are there to WORK. Even if people are nice to you and your guest, it makes you look bad to bring people with you to an audition. The exception of course, is if casting is trying to cast real friends and family together and you are asked to bring them. That's all til next time!
Posted by Coby B at 10:26 PM 0 comments
A Couple of DON'TS
Don't wear perfume or cologne to auditions. You may love your designer fragrance, but not everyone will. The object of an audition is to be memorable for being a good actor not to literally "stink up the place". There are people will allergies and you don't want to be the person who makes the casting director physically feel bad or have a reaction to your scent. This is also a good note for meetings with potential new agents. Skip the perfume or cologne.
Another Don''t. Don't touch the casting director. It is just an unwritten rule in this town. Casting Directors meet hundreds of people. They just don't need to touch them all. Please be respectful of this and don't offer your hand for a handshake. If you are approached for one, then by all means please do have the courtesy of responding. It may feel or seem weird, but if you touch the casting director, you are telling that person you are new to the business. Lastly for this blog another don't is: don't ask if you should sit or stand for the audition. You are the actor. Do what feels right with the choices you have prepared. There is usually a chair for you to use. 9 out of 10 times, you shouldn't be using it. At least not to sit for your entire audition. If you come in and sit down for the whole thing, then you probably aren't going to book the job. Please tell me you guys are getting this info from a class too! Until the next one...
Posted by Coby B at 9:25 AM 0 comments
Checks go to your agent
In case you didn't know, when you are filling paperwork out on the set (and at auditions), you are supposed to put your agent's address. Payment goes to ANDY ACTOR, @ your agency's address (not your personal address). If you do this wrong, it can cause you lots of problems. If you cash the check and then pay your agent it is too late to fix mistakes that might have been made. What if the amount was wrong, you have taken your agents power away and they won't be able to help you as well. Trust me, your agent won't really want to help you either. Don't make your agent chase the commission you owe on any job. You will lose your agent and create a horrible reputation for yourself in this town. Don't book a job through your manager and feel this means you don't owe your agent their commission. This mistake will also most likely cause you to lose your agent. I have and will drop a client for this practice. Be honest with the money. Any relationship will disintegrate when there are money problems and dishonesty. This is a business, never forget it. I know that for actors it is also about much more, but money is what makes the whole thing keep going. Basically this blog is asking you not to be a d**che and PAY YOUR COMMISSIONS! Your reps don't get paid until you work, so all the work that agents and managers do until that time in uncompensated. Please don't make the mistake of thinking you don't owe the commission. There is no way to justify it. I hear "I booked it myself" and other variations on this from actors who justify not paying commissions. Problem is, when you were shooting it, you were then unavailable to your agency or manager for other gigs. Time is money. I don't care who booked it. Your agent and managers get paid. They both get paid. Plain and simple.
Posted by Coby B at 9:38 PM 0 comments
Listen, Read and Pay Attention carefully please.
There is a horrible trend going on in our culture! Nobody listens to their voice mail or reads their emails thoroughly before they start asking questions that have already been answered. Why is this? If your agent leaves you a voice mail or emails you, please please please listen or read it completely before you call to ask questions. If after you have listened to the message or read the email all the way through, you still have a question that wasn't answered, then call. It is a big pet peeve to most agents to repeat themselves. If your agent leaves you a detailed voicemail with all of the details of an audition, don't call right away and say "I saw that you called, what is it?" Did you listen to the voicemail first? If you are sent a text or email that says to only respond back via email, that this particular issue need only be addressed in an email, don't call via telephone to discuss it. Show that you are capable of following directions. Get it? Be directable. If you can't, then your agent will think less of your listening skills on a set too. Be a professional. Reacting is the basis of acting. How can you react appropriately if you aren't listening and paying attention? Just asking!
TTFN
Posted by Coby B at 9:16 PM 0 comments
While you are waiting for an audition…
During the slower times when auditions seem to be few are far between, what are you doing for your career? Are you in a class? Have you found one where the other actors are better than you, so that you encouraged to excel? Or are you going to casting director workshops? Are you going to the gym? Are you honing your skills in other areas that you use as an actor, maybe martial arts, or dance or dialects or vocal lessons? Do you have someone you can read lines with for an audition, maybe a coach? Are you keeping your online profiles current with pictures and credits? Does your agent have enough hard copy pictures with resumes attached to send out for hard copy submissions? Do you have a reel posted on your profiles? Remember that an agent is only 10% of the team, they should only be doing 10% of the work. You are the 90% that must do the rest. (Yes, I left managers out of the equation, but you get the picture.) If you aren't doing this stuff, then you shouldn't be prodding your agent to do stuff, because why should they work on your career if you aren't?
Posted by Coby B at 9:59 PM 0 comments
a "What Not to Do"
So tonight's blog entry is a bit elementary. When you go to a potential new agent's office to drop off you head shot and resume, please be sure NOT to park in the agent's reserved parking space. Thought this would be a no-brainer, but it happened again today. This time, the potential client, was caught in the act. There were other issues that were wrong with the presentation, but that is fodder for another day.
TTFN
Posted by Coby B at 9:29 PM 0 comments
DON'T GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF, LISTEN.
Sorry I haven't blogged much this week, I want to be sure to give helpful information, not to just use this blog as a way to vent about the day's mishaps. Of course, mishaps will fuel blog material, but I want to find an educational spin to share out of it all. So here goes this one: Please don't get ahead of yourself when you are speaking with your agent, be a good listener. I am going to share a typical sample of what I mean by this.
Scenario is, agent calls to ask a client about a possible submission.
Agent: "Hi Alice Actor, we are working on a breakdown and casting is looking for actors who can..."
Actor: " What is it for?, When does it shoot? How much will I make? Is it co-star or guest-star? Can I get a different time?"
Agent: "You don't even have an audition yet, you don't even know what I called to ask." Actor: "When will you know? What time can I go? Will they work around my schedule?"
Agent: "Again, you don't even have an audition yet, we are only at the submission/breakdown stage. I called to ask if you could ride a unicycle while eating fire. Can you? No, they don't want to see people willing to do it, they want to see people who have already done this and are skilled at it.
Actor: "Oh, well, then no. Do you know when you might have an audition for me?"
Agent: "No, I have no idea when an audition will magically come in. I need to get back to working on the submissions and breakdowns though, so that an audition can come in."
OK, that may seem a little harsh, but this is reality. If I call to ask someone about a skill or some other question about a simple breakdown, it is not in anyway a guarantee of an audition. Trust me, your reps will call you when they have one, we don't hide appointments from clients, that would be counter productive, same goes for callbacks and feedback. If we have it, we will share it. Thanks for reading, hope this was informative!
Posted by Coby B at 7:03 PM 0 comments
FORGIVE YOURSELF
It is impossible to book every job you audition for. Ease up on the pressure you put on yourself if you are doing all the other things right. If you are in class or got coaching, if you were on time, if you looked the part. Sometimes (most times) it has nothing to do with you. Sometimes it does and you flub an audition. Learn something from it and move on. A very skilled actor, with a great resume, called me today. This actor thought he was awful during an audition this morning. Well, what he considered awful, got him the job! So, you just never know. Forgive yourself, and move on to the next one. Try not to make the same mistake, if you made one. That's it for tonight!Posted by Coby B at 8:50 PM 0 comments
CHANGING YOUR LOOK?
Thinking of changing your look? As an actor, there are a few things to consider before you actually do change it.
For instance: Have you recently auditioned for something that hasn't had its callback session yet? Do you book most of your jobs because of your unique look? Do you have the funds to take new head shots immediately after the change? Have you discussed the possibility of this change with your agent or manager?
If you are really contemplating a change, please consider these things first. If you are any ethnicity other than Caucasian, maybe blond isn't the way to go. If you play a lot of biker, bad guy characters then shaving your beard might not be the thing to do right now. Getting a visible tattoo, just might keep you from booking certain roles or working on certain shows. If you have been working your tail off in this town and casting people know you as having a certain look, be careful before you make a significant change.
Please keep your representatives informed, so that they know who they are selling to casting and how you look. You the actor are the product for sale, your reps are the sales people and casting/producers are the buyers. You must look like you current head shot so that you aren't wasting casting's time, when you come in with blue streaked hair instead of the stereo typical boy or girl next door that they think has an appointment.
Posted by Coby B at 9:00 PM 0 comments
TARDINESS
Tardiness: a lose-lose scenario.
It is not okay to be late to auditions. Period. We live in Los Angeles. There is always TRAFFIC. Deal with it. Prepare for it. Saying you’re late because of it, isn't going to get you the job. Being there on time and more prepared then the other actors is more likely to do that. It is kind of a "do as I say, not as I do" scenario. Some of you are doing that justification thing, and saying to yourselves "casting is always running behind anyway, they won't notice.” Do not believe it. It will be noticed if you are late. Assistants call looking for talent as soon as they notice tardiness. They might be nice to your face, but think back. Do you get callbacks on the appointments you are late for? Be honest with yourself when you think about this. Of course casting will make it seem like it is not a big deal to the actor. They need a good performance. Agents do hear about clients who are late. One of the new casting facilities even has a notification system for us to check if clients have auditioned yet or are running late for appointments. It only takes one client to ruin a relationship with casting, that clients so badly want their agents to have. When I interview potential new clients, I hear this a lot. "I'm looking for an agent with really good casting director relationships.” This is funny to me. On Monday I may have a great relationship with a casting director but on Tuesday one of my clients could be late for an audition or a callback, therefore making casting look bad. This damages that relationship. Please be aware of the bigger picture.
Posted by Coby B at 8:50 PM 0 comments
TIMEFRAME?
In a normal (ha ha, what is normal?) day of an agent, we spend the early part of the day working on submissions, pitching and audition confirmations. After lunch, we work on more of the same and the auditions that are starting to roll in for the next day. At the end of the day we are fielding more auditions, avails, pins and BOOKINGS! The last thing we want to hear from a client after we have worked the phones and computers all day is that you need a timeframe! Don't get me wrong, if there is : 1. a death in your family, 2. you are booked on another industry gig, 3. you need to work in another audiition or callback 4. you booked out with your agency long before they gave you the audition then you can ask for a timeframe with a pure heart. Otherwise, we have spent the day getting auditions, only to spend the rest of it undoing all that hard work. It's not just agent's either, casting puts a TON of effort into their schedules only to have someone disregard that, because they forgot to bookout with their agent. It is a matter of respect. If you are going to be unavailable, let your representation know. The time to do that is not when we've called you to give you an audition. If this acting thing is important to you, you will do this. There are THOUSANDS of other actors more than happy to take your place. The actor who actually goes to his/her audition is the one who is gonna book it. That is who all agents want to represent. You can come up with any excuse in the book, and yes some are legitimate. The problem you might not be seeing is Casting doesn't care. That isn't cruel, it is just a fact. The show must go on so to speak. We all have to keep doing our jobs no matter the reason you can't fit something into your schedule. Just some basic truth my friends. You may be fabulous, but if you can't make the audition nobody knows or cares if you are fabulous. RELIABLE and CONSISTENT is more the way to go.
Posted by Coby B at 9:14 PM 0 comments
STAYING CONNECTED
Okay please tell me that in 2009 all of you actors have a cell phone. So, since you do have a cell phone why don't you confirm your auditions faster? You should be reachable via cell phone or email from approximately 9am to 6pm everyday with regard to auditions, avails and bookings. Two different situations came up today where we almost lost bookings because the actor was taking too long to return the agency's phone calls. There probably isn't a talent rep in town who doesn't have a story like this. Don't let the story be about you, it isn't a good story to be in. Return calls and emails from your agent ASAP. Being the kind of client that returns calls and is reliable, is the client that agents like to work hard for. Just FYI. Until the next post~
Posted by Coby B at 9:53 PM 0 comments
PROFILES
The three major sources agent's use to submit are: Breakdown Services (Actor's Access), LA Casting and Casting Frontier. Good clients MUST keep their profiles current and accurate. Be certain that you add all of your new credits to your resumes on those sites asap. Also, when it comes to the skills section, the profile must be accurate. If you wouldn't be comfortable performing certain skills on an actual audition, then DO NOT have it checked off on your profile. I know there are plenty of very talented actors out there, but if you don't IRISH CLOG DANCE, then don't claim you do.
Certain actors justify claiming certain skills, because they are willing to attempt them. This is WRONG!!! I repeat WRONG. Casting doesn't want to waster their time seeing the best Irish Clog Dancers and then have Andy Actor walk in and attempt to do it. That is a complete waste of everyone's time. If you are not PROFICIENT/EXPERT or FLUENT at one of the skills on your profile, TAKE IT OFF!!!!!!!!!
This also means if you change your email or phone numbers, you must also update these profiles. This is imperative if you want to receive notification of your auditions as soon as they are put out. Sending and email or making a quick call to your agent is not sufficient. You, the actor are responsible for updating these sites. One more thing, when you update your photos, do it on all of the profiles unless explicitly asked not to. That's it for tonight! Thanks for reading
Posted by Coby B at 9:32 PM 0 comments
HEADSHOTS
Your headshot is your ticket in almost every audition door. Why wouldn't you use the best headshot possible???? I ask you in 2009, do you use a black and white headshot? If you answered yes, I'd love to know how many auditions you average a month. The standard headshot is a color 8X10. No one says you have to pay thousands of dollars for a decent headshot, but using an old black and white or a grainy snap shot your buddy took, doesn't come close to competing with actors that make their living at acting. I have no affiliation with any one place or photographer (though I do have favorites). If you go to: http://www.argentum.com/2004/index.php you can click on the photographers link to see the work of some great ones to choose from. Good luck. Remember this is your calling card, make it a memorable one.
Posted by Coby B at 7:31 PM 0 comments
AVAILABILITY
This topic is bound to come up a lot but here goes anyway. If you want to book acting jobs, you have to be AVAILABLE. Again, this sounds so simple but you might not believe how many actors swear they want this career more than anything else but then they leave town on vacation at the worst possible times. Granted in this business there are few good times to be out of town, but you chose to be an actor. Of course you must live your life while you pursue this goal but be realistic please. If you leave town for the first few weeks of episodic season, don't call your agent the moment you return home and wonder why you haven't been auditioning. Duh, you haven't been here.
For a little perspective, if you leave town for a 2 week vacation, that is equivalent to 4 weeks without auditions. Not the end of the world, but this is how it works. In this scenario, you are unavailable for: the week before you leave because anything that auditions that week will shoot while you are gone, you are unavailable the 2 weeks you are gone, and then when you are physically back in town, it is safe for your agent to submit you again. Too many agents have been burned by the client who has delayed there return from a trip, no matter the reason. So yes, please live your life and enjoy the occasional vacation. Actors that seriously want to work are gonna be in town to book jobs while you are working on your tan in Cabo.
Posted by Coby B at 10:01 PM 0 comments
DUES
Well, here is my first post. I've decided that my plan is to let the workday help to choose my topics. So today's topic is Union Dues. Pretty simple, pay them. Don't laugh at how basic it sounds. Especially in this economy, it is very easy for union members to let their dues lapse. Don't be a victim of this. I know it is tough to spend that money, but it is your obligation if you chose this career path. One of an agent's favorite words is "booked" but if that is followed 5 minutes later with "uh oh, STATION 12", this is no bueno! Station 12 means you owe union dues, and they must be made current before you can work a union job! Now for those of you who are yet to be members of one of the unions, my advice to you is to have your money ready. It is in your near future to have to join and they don't do payment plans. If you lose out on a booking because you can't or haven't paid your dues, (which means your agent loses money) you just might lose your agent!
Posted by Coby B at 10:03 PM 0 comments.
* *
Word.
Just wanted to share some great advice from a fellow LA agent (who happens to be a former manager). Came across her blog while researching some info today (Had to deal with a non-compliance issue. I believe Coby below would refer to the situation as "being a d**che"? More on that later...) and fell in love because we are so on the same wavelength. This agent deals with the same things we do on a daily basis and therefore we share our observations, frustrations and exclamations -- all for your benefit in the form of tips and advice. So here's another agent's point of view. I had posted just the link to her blog earlier but then I received some emails from people who requested that I actually copy, paste and re-post so they wouldn't have to follow two blogs.
As you wish.
Yes dear.
___
The following is from THIS AGENT'S VIEW located at: http://www.thisagentsview.com
This Agent's View
Dear Readers, This blog is intended to give you "this agent's view" on the business. Postings are of my personal and professional opinion and musings on the day to day things I encounter as an agent. They are not meant to represent anyone else's opinion. I'm sharing these bits in an effort to pass along information that my clients say are valuable and need to be shared with other actors. Take from it what you will.
Worth Repeating
If you have a skill listed on your resume, you had better damn well be able to do it on an audition. Don't put down you speak a language if you are not fluent. Don't put down a musical instrument if you can't play it like a pro. Don't list a sport if you can't play it for the camera for real. This isn't a joke people. Your chances aren't better if you say yes, and then try to figure it out later. You are a waste of everyone's time if you do this. I spend my day getting appointments for people based upon their skills that they claim to possess. If I have to then cancel an appointment because someone was less than honest about their proficiency, this just pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I'll say it again, it pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't lie. There is no need for it and it just makes you look bad to your agent and makes the agent look bad to casting, which therefore flows down to all the clients being punished if that casting director won't see the agency's people anymore. Don't be selfish. Remember, other BAD clients can make you look bad. Be a GOOD client and hopefully what goes around comes around, like they say.
Posted by Coby B at 3:33 PM 0 comments
Okay, today I just want to SCREAM.
I had an actor who complains about not getting enough auditions, turn down the opportunity to audition for a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE tomorrow with one of the BIGGEST MOVIE STARS in the world! He didn't even give me a good reason, he is just unavailable tomorrow, "could he go a different day". My answer, "NO!!!!!!" Someone else who wants to be an actor is gonna show up at that audition tomorrow and book it. If you are an actor who turns down auditions, please don't whine, just shut up! Sorry, but this one just has me on fire today!!!!!
Posted by Coby B at 6:30 PM 0 comments
Don't be a flake
I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. Sorry, I haven't blogged in a while. The town has been pretty quiet, so there hasn't been much fuel for the blog. But I do want to take a moment to tell you to look inward. If you are a flake in certain areas of your life, then you might just be a flake in most areas of your life. If that is the case, there isn't an agent or manager on the planet that can help your career, until you fix that yourself. Agents/Managers can get you appointments, but that can't be at your house to drag your butt out of bed and make you get ready and get yourself to the audition. Do you keep a date book with your auditions and details in it? If not, why not? This is how you log your milage for your taxes. You have to keep track of where and when you went on the audition. This will also guarantee you don't have to call your agent to ask "where am I going again?" "what time is my audition?" If you are consistently late for meetings and auditions, you just aren't headed in the right direction. Be sure to point the finger of blame inward. Take a look in the mirror to see your biggest obstacle. Get your act together! I've heard almost every excuse in the book as to why actors don't make it to auditions. It doesn't matter if they are legitimate or not, they are still excuses. Have a great NYE and I will blog again after the 1st of January.
TTFN
Posted by Coby B at 1:22 PM 0 comments
Be Camera Ready
Its just a good rule of thumb to look "camera ready" when you know you are going to be meeting with either: casting, producers or reps (agents or managers) It always amazes me when an actor shows up for an audition, meeting or showcase not looking like their best selves. I don't think you should be a Glamazon or Mr. GQ, but helmet head and no make up is not your best bet. Unless you are being asked specifically to look bad, you should be ready to be on camera. It has been a case study that better looking people get the job, and lets face it folks, this is an IMAGE business. If I sound superficial, thems the breaks. First impressions are what it is all about. You can wow someone with your talents, after you have their attention. If someone takes a meeting with me or is going to be reading for me, part of the preparation is to look good. If you don't, I wont trust how you are going to look for an audition. So therefore, I would suggest to you, to please keep this in mind when you are in this situation. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Coby B at 6:45 PM 0 comments
A few more DONT'S
Don't Crash Auditions!!!!!! I repeat DON'T CRASH AUDITIONS.
Doing so gives you and your agent a bad name. If you don't yet have an agent you still shouldn't do it. It is rude and disrespectful. The object is for casting to like you on top of being a good actor. You want the casting director to root for you to book the job, not as an aside tell the client how pushy and rude you are. That, or sometimes if you successfully crash an audition, they just don't tape you or they edit you out. Never take someone with you to an audition. If you must do so, leave them in the car. Even children, if you must bring them bring a sitter and leave them in the car. This is a JOB. Do you take friends to your "regular day job"? Of course not, you are there to WORK. Even if people are nice to you and your guest, it makes you look bad to bring people with you to an audition. The exception of course, is if casting is trying to cast real friends and family together and you are asked to bring them. That's all til next time!
Posted by Coby B at 10:26 PM 0 comments
A Couple of DON'TS
Don't wear perfume or cologne to auditions. You may love your designer fragrance, but not everyone will. The object of an audition is to be memorable for being a good actor not to literally "stink up the place". There are people will allergies and you don't want to be the person who makes the casting director physically feel bad or have a reaction to your scent. This is also a good note for meetings with potential new agents. Skip the perfume or cologne.
Another Don''t. Don't touch the casting director. It is just an unwritten rule in this town. Casting Directors meet hundreds of people. They just don't need to touch them all. Please be respectful of this and don't offer your hand for a handshake. If you are approached for one, then by all means please do have the courtesy of responding. It may feel or seem weird, but if you touch the casting director, you are telling that person you are new to the business. Lastly for this blog another don't is: don't ask if you should sit or stand for the audition. You are the actor. Do what feels right with the choices you have prepared. There is usually a chair for you to use. 9 out of 10 times, you shouldn't be using it. At least not to sit for your entire audition. If you come in and sit down for the whole thing, then you probably aren't going to book the job. Please tell me you guys are getting this info from a class too! Until the next one...
Posted by Coby B at 9:25 AM 0 comments
Checks go to your agent
In case you didn't know, when you are filling paperwork out on the set (and at auditions), you are supposed to put your agent's address. Payment goes to ANDY ACTOR, @ your agency's address (not your personal address). If you do this wrong, it can cause you lots of problems. If you cash the check and then pay your agent it is too late to fix mistakes that might have been made. What if the amount was wrong, you have taken your agents power away and they won't be able to help you as well. Trust me, your agent won't really want to help you either. Don't make your agent chase the commission you owe on any job. You will lose your agent and create a horrible reputation for yourself in this town. Don't book a job through your manager and feel this means you don't owe your agent their commission. This mistake will also most likely cause you to lose your agent. I have and will drop a client for this practice. Be honest with the money. Any relationship will disintegrate when there are money problems and dishonesty. This is a business, never forget it. I know that for actors it is also about much more, but money is what makes the whole thing keep going. Basically this blog is asking you not to be a d**che and PAY YOUR COMMISSIONS! Your reps don't get paid until you work, so all the work that agents and managers do until that time in uncompensated. Please don't make the mistake of thinking you don't owe the commission. There is no way to justify it. I hear "I booked it myself" and other variations on this from actors who justify not paying commissions. Problem is, when you were shooting it, you were then unavailable to your agency or manager for other gigs. Time is money. I don't care who booked it. Your agent and managers get paid. They both get paid. Plain and simple.
Posted by Coby B at 9:38 PM 0 comments
Listen, Read and Pay Attention carefully please.
There is a horrible trend going on in our culture! Nobody listens to their voice mail or reads their emails thoroughly before they start asking questions that have already been answered. Why is this? If your agent leaves you a voice mail or emails you, please please please listen or read it completely before you call to ask questions. If after you have listened to the message or read the email all the way through, you still have a question that wasn't answered, then call. It is a big pet peeve to most agents to repeat themselves. If your agent leaves you a detailed voicemail with all of the details of an audition, don't call right away and say "I saw that you called, what is it?" Did you listen to the voicemail first? If you are sent a text or email that says to only respond back via email, that this particular issue need only be addressed in an email, don't call via telephone to discuss it. Show that you are capable of following directions. Get it? Be directable. If you can't, then your agent will think less of your listening skills on a set too. Be a professional. Reacting is the basis of acting. How can you react appropriately if you aren't listening and paying attention? Just asking!
TTFN
Posted by Coby B at 9:16 PM 0 comments
While you are waiting for an audition…
During the slower times when auditions seem to be few are far between, what are you doing for your career? Are you in a class? Have you found one where the other actors are better than you, so that you encouraged to excel? Or are you going to casting director workshops? Are you going to the gym? Are you honing your skills in other areas that you use as an actor, maybe martial arts, or dance or dialects or vocal lessons? Do you have someone you can read lines with for an audition, maybe a coach? Are you keeping your online profiles current with pictures and credits? Does your agent have enough hard copy pictures with resumes attached to send out for hard copy submissions? Do you have a reel posted on your profiles? Remember that an agent is only 10% of the team, they should only be doing 10% of the work. You are the 90% that must do the rest. (Yes, I left managers out of the equation, but you get the picture.) If you aren't doing this stuff, then you shouldn't be prodding your agent to do stuff, because why should they work on your career if you aren't?
Posted by Coby B at 9:59 PM 0 comments
a "What Not to Do"
So tonight's blog entry is a bit elementary. When you go to a potential new agent's office to drop off you head shot and resume, please be sure NOT to park in the agent's reserved parking space. Thought this would be a no-brainer, but it happened again today. This time, the potential client, was caught in the act. There were other issues that were wrong with the presentation, but that is fodder for another day.
TTFN
Posted by Coby B at 9:29 PM 0 comments
DON'T GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF, LISTEN.
Sorry I haven't blogged much this week, I want to be sure to give helpful information, not to just use this blog as a way to vent about the day's mishaps. Of course, mishaps will fuel blog material, but I want to find an educational spin to share out of it all. So here goes this one: Please don't get ahead of yourself when you are speaking with your agent, be a good listener. I am going to share a typical sample of what I mean by this.
Scenario is, agent calls to ask a client about a possible submission.
Agent: "Hi Alice Actor, we are working on a breakdown and casting is looking for actors who can..."
Actor: " What is it for?, When does it shoot? How much will I make? Is it co-star or guest-star? Can I get a different time?"
Agent: "You don't even have an audition yet, you don't even know what I called to ask." Actor: "When will you know? What time can I go? Will they work around my schedule?"
Agent: "Again, you don't even have an audition yet, we are only at the submission/breakdown stage. I called to ask if you could ride a unicycle while eating fire. Can you? No, they don't want to see people willing to do it, they want to see people who have already done this and are skilled at it.
Actor: "Oh, well, then no. Do you know when you might have an audition for me?"
Agent: "No, I have no idea when an audition will magically come in. I need to get back to working on the submissions and breakdowns though, so that an audition can come in."
OK, that may seem a little harsh, but this is reality. If I call to ask someone about a skill or some other question about a simple breakdown, it is not in anyway a guarantee of an audition. Trust me, your reps will call you when they have one, we don't hide appointments from clients, that would be counter productive, same goes for callbacks and feedback. If we have it, we will share it. Thanks for reading, hope this was informative!
Posted by Coby B at 7:03 PM 0 comments
FORGIVE YOURSELF
It is impossible to book every job you audition for. Ease up on the pressure you put on yourself if you are doing all the other things right. If you are in class or got coaching, if you were on time, if you looked the part. Sometimes (most times) it has nothing to do with you. Sometimes it does and you flub an audition. Learn something from it and move on. A very skilled actor, with a great resume, called me today. This actor thought he was awful during an audition this morning. Well, what he considered awful, got him the job! So, you just never know. Forgive yourself, and move on to the next one. Try not to make the same mistake, if you made one. That's it for tonight!Posted by Coby B at 8:50 PM 0 comments
CHANGING YOUR LOOK?
Thinking of changing your look? As an actor, there are a few things to consider before you actually do change it.
For instance: Have you recently auditioned for something that hasn't had its callback session yet? Do you book most of your jobs because of your unique look? Do you have the funds to take new head shots immediately after the change? Have you discussed the possibility of this change with your agent or manager?
If you are really contemplating a change, please consider these things first. If you are any ethnicity other than Caucasian, maybe blond isn't the way to go. If you play a lot of biker, bad guy characters then shaving your beard might not be the thing to do right now. Getting a visible tattoo, just might keep you from booking certain roles or working on certain shows. If you have been working your tail off in this town and casting people know you as having a certain look, be careful before you make a significant change.
Please keep your representatives informed, so that they know who they are selling to casting and how you look. You the actor are the product for sale, your reps are the sales people and casting/producers are the buyers. You must look like you current head shot so that you aren't wasting casting's time, when you come in with blue streaked hair instead of the stereo typical boy or girl next door that they think has an appointment.
Posted by Coby B at 9:00 PM 0 comments
TARDINESS
Tardiness: a lose-lose scenario.
It is not okay to be late to auditions. Period. We live in Los Angeles. There is always TRAFFIC. Deal with it. Prepare for it. Saying you’re late because of it, isn't going to get you the job. Being there on time and more prepared then the other actors is more likely to do that. It is kind of a "do as I say, not as I do" scenario. Some of you are doing that justification thing, and saying to yourselves "casting is always running behind anyway, they won't notice.” Do not believe it. It will be noticed if you are late. Assistants call looking for talent as soon as they notice tardiness. They might be nice to your face, but think back. Do you get callbacks on the appointments you are late for? Be honest with yourself when you think about this. Of course casting will make it seem like it is not a big deal to the actor. They need a good performance. Agents do hear about clients who are late. One of the new casting facilities even has a notification system for us to check if clients have auditioned yet or are running late for appointments. It only takes one client to ruin a relationship with casting, that clients so badly want their agents to have. When I interview potential new clients, I hear this a lot. "I'm looking for an agent with really good casting director relationships.” This is funny to me. On Monday I may have a great relationship with a casting director but on Tuesday one of my clients could be late for an audition or a callback, therefore making casting look bad. This damages that relationship. Please be aware of the bigger picture.
Posted by Coby B at 8:50 PM 0 comments
TIMEFRAME?
In a normal (ha ha, what is normal?) day of an agent, we spend the early part of the day working on submissions, pitching and audition confirmations. After lunch, we work on more of the same and the auditions that are starting to roll in for the next day. At the end of the day we are fielding more auditions, avails, pins and BOOKINGS! The last thing we want to hear from a client after we have worked the phones and computers all day is that you need a timeframe! Don't get me wrong, if there is : 1. a death in your family, 2. you are booked on another industry gig, 3. you need to work in another audiition or callback 4. you booked out with your agency long before they gave you the audition then you can ask for a timeframe with a pure heart. Otherwise, we have spent the day getting auditions, only to spend the rest of it undoing all that hard work. It's not just agent's either, casting puts a TON of effort into their schedules only to have someone disregard that, because they forgot to bookout with their agent. It is a matter of respect. If you are going to be unavailable, let your representation know. The time to do that is not when we've called you to give you an audition. If this acting thing is important to you, you will do this. There are THOUSANDS of other actors more than happy to take your place. The actor who actually goes to his/her audition is the one who is gonna book it. That is who all agents want to represent. You can come up with any excuse in the book, and yes some are legitimate. The problem you might not be seeing is Casting doesn't care. That isn't cruel, it is just a fact. The show must go on so to speak. We all have to keep doing our jobs no matter the reason you can't fit something into your schedule. Just some basic truth my friends. You may be fabulous, but if you can't make the audition nobody knows or cares if you are fabulous. RELIABLE and CONSISTENT is more the way to go.
Posted by Coby B at 9:14 PM 0 comments
STAYING CONNECTED
Okay please tell me that in 2009 all of you actors have a cell phone. So, since you do have a cell phone why don't you confirm your auditions faster? You should be reachable via cell phone or email from approximately 9am to 6pm everyday with regard to auditions, avails and bookings. Two different situations came up today where we almost lost bookings because the actor was taking too long to return the agency's phone calls. There probably isn't a talent rep in town who doesn't have a story like this. Don't let the story be about you, it isn't a good story to be in. Return calls and emails from your agent ASAP. Being the kind of client that returns calls and is reliable, is the client that agents like to work hard for. Just FYI. Until the next post~
Posted by Coby B at 9:53 PM 0 comments
PROFILES
The three major sources agent's use to submit are: Breakdown Services (Actor's Access), LA Casting and Casting Frontier. Good clients MUST keep their profiles current and accurate. Be certain that you add all of your new credits to your resumes on those sites asap. Also, when it comes to the skills section, the profile must be accurate. If you wouldn't be comfortable performing certain skills on an actual audition, then DO NOT have it checked off on your profile. I know there are plenty of very talented actors out there, but if you don't IRISH CLOG DANCE, then don't claim you do.
Certain actors justify claiming certain skills, because they are willing to attempt them. This is WRONG!!! I repeat WRONG. Casting doesn't want to waster their time seeing the best Irish Clog Dancers and then have Andy Actor walk in and attempt to do it. That is a complete waste of everyone's time. If you are not PROFICIENT/EXPERT or FLUENT at one of the skills on your profile, TAKE IT OFF!!!!!!!!!
This also means if you change your email or phone numbers, you must also update these profiles. This is imperative if you want to receive notification of your auditions as soon as they are put out. Sending and email or making a quick call to your agent is not sufficient. You, the actor are responsible for updating these sites. One more thing, when you update your photos, do it on all of the profiles unless explicitly asked not to. That's it for tonight! Thanks for reading
Posted by Coby B at 9:32 PM 0 comments
HEADSHOTS
Your headshot is your ticket in almost every audition door. Why wouldn't you use the best headshot possible???? I ask you in 2009, do you use a black and white headshot? If you answered yes, I'd love to know how many auditions you average a month. The standard headshot is a color 8X10. No one says you have to pay thousands of dollars for a decent headshot, but using an old black and white or a grainy snap shot your buddy took, doesn't come close to competing with actors that make their living at acting. I have no affiliation with any one place or photographer (though I do have favorites). If you go to: http://www.argentum.com/2004/index.php you can click on the photographers link to see the work of some great ones to choose from. Good luck. Remember this is your calling card, make it a memorable one.
Posted by Coby B at 7:31 PM 0 comments
AVAILABILITY
This topic is bound to come up a lot but here goes anyway. If you want to book acting jobs, you have to be AVAILABLE. Again, this sounds so simple but you might not believe how many actors swear they want this career more than anything else but then they leave town on vacation at the worst possible times. Granted in this business there are few good times to be out of town, but you chose to be an actor. Of course you must live your life while you pursue this goal but be realistic please. If you leave town for the first few weeks of episodic season, don't call your agent the moment you return home and wonder why you haven't been auditioning. Duh, you haven't been here.
For a little perspective, if you leave town for a 2 week vacation, that is equivalent to 4 weeks without auditions. Not the end of the world, but this is how it works. In this scenario, you are unavailable for: the week before you leave because anything that auditions that week will shoot while you are gone, you are unavailable the 2 weeks you are gone, and then when you are physically back in town, it is safe for your agent to submit you again. Too many agents have been burned by the client who has delayed there return from a trip, no matter the reason. So yes, please live your life and enjoy the occasional vacation. Actors that seriously want to work are gonna be in town to book jobs while you are working on your tan in Cabo.
Posted by Coby B at 10:01 PM 0 comments
DUES
Well, here is my first post. I've decided that my plan is to let the workday help to choose my topics. So today's topic is Union Dues. Pretty simple, pay them. Don't laugh at how basic it sounds. Especially in this economy, it is very easy for union members to let their dues lapse. Don't be a victim of this. I know it is tough to spend that money, but it is your obligation if you chose this career path. One of an agent's favorite words is "booked" but if that is followed 5 minutes later with "uh oh, STATION 12", this is no bueno! Station 12 means you owe union dues, and they must be made current before you can work a union job! Now for those of you who are yet to be members of one of the unions, my advice to you is to have your money ready. It is in your near future to have to join and they don't do payment plans. If you lose out on a booking because you can't or haven't paid your dues, (which means your agent loses money) you just might lose your agent!
Posted by Coby B at 10:03 PM 0 comments.
* *
Word.
PRODUCERS' AUDITION TIPS
These were taken directly from the Holdon Log's "Producers' Tips for Self-submissions". Most likely the scenarios are examples from the world of low-or-no budget films where casting directors and agents were not involved and the "producers" here could have been anyone on the production staff. BOTTOM LINE: The rules of courtesy still apply to ALL auditions.
CONFIRMING THE AUDITION REQUEST
Scenario: The producers e-mailed, called and left voicemails for the performers they wished to see at the audition. They specifically noted that they wanted the performers to confirm that they would be there.
After multiple e-mail and voicemail requests some folks did not confirm. The producers were afraid some people might just show up and cause the audition schedule to run too long for the space they had rented. It was not in their budget to pay for extra time.
Tip: If you are contacted for an audition, always have the courtesy to confirm that you will, or will not, be attending.
E-MAIL, C-MAIL, V-MAIL & TEXTS
Scenario: The producer mentioned that some performers e-mails bounced and even had a performer's voicemail respond with an automated message that said "Sorry, but the mailbox of the person you are trying to reach is full. Please try again at a later time."
It's incredibly frustrating during the casting process then to find the performer whose look and resume is perfect and then not be able to contact them.
Tip: Do the following frequently to make sure you are reachable:
- Check all the submission services you utilize and make sure all of your contact info is up-to-date and correct.
- Check your e-mail and voicemail inbox capacities and make sure that there is plenty of available room for messages to reach you. If not, delete any old or unnecessary e-mails/v-mails to free up space.
- If you know you will not be available for 2 or more days (i.e. - because of vacation or work related travel) then set up an e-mail auto-responder and/or voicemail message that let's the sender know that you will be unavailable until a specified date.
AUDITION OPPORTUNITIES VS. OUTSIDE RESPONSIBILITIES
Tip: The producers said it would have been better for the performer to just have child care arranged and attend the audition without asking them to change their schedule. If cast, then share any possible conflicts to see if it could be worked around or if they would need to be recast.
READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST BEFORE CONTACTING ANYONE
Scenario: When the producer emailed out the audition request information he also stated that because of the audition structure, there would be "No Sides".
Dozens of performers did NOT read this and e-mailed asking if there were any sides! Now someone from the production had to re-e-mail the performers and say that they should re-read the audition information.
On the second round of auditions we suggested to the producers that they put "No Sides. Improv Only." at the top of their neatly organized audition request...which they did...and guess what?
People still asked if there were sides!?!?!? Yikes!!!
Tip: Before you reach out to a casting director or someone else involved with the project that you are requested to audition for - READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST. If your intended question is not answered in the audition request then feel free to send your inquiry to the proper person.Of course in OUR world, auditions not confirmed within an hour are CANCELED; people who do not confirm do not "just show up" at an audition; emails, cmails, vmails and texts not returned within the hour will result in CANCELED auditions; time frames are only requested for emergencies (pay attention to the part below where if a time-frame is requested, the actors' availability may be in question) and actors unavailable for auditions ALWAYS book-out with their agents. Our actors always READ ALL DETAILS for time, location, wardrobe and any special instructions. AND, they absolutely know if there are sides or not because if the notice does not specifically say "NO SIDES", our actors always check LA Casting for the free sides posted there. If the audition is from Actors Access/Breakdown Express , our actors know that we will email the sides to them or if they have memberships, they can check for sides themselves through Showfax or Sides Express.
Email us with any questions at any time.
CMAIL DELIVERED VIA TEXT MESSAGE TO YOUR CELL. YAY!
CMAIL AND AUDITION NOTICES DELIVERED TO YOUR CELL VIA TEXT!
FYI -- if you do not have email access on your phone, you can still get cmail delivered to your cell via text messaging. The following instructions are from the Actors Access "how-to" section, but of course you can receive regular email this way as well.
Do you have a cell phone that allows Text Messaging? OF COURSE YOU DO! So, you can get an alert anytime your agent, manager or a casting director use CMAIL to send you important information. CMAIL connects casting directors together with agents and managers and their clients. CMAIL allows casting directors to contact you directly when you submit yourself through Actors AccessSM. With this service you always know when to check Actors AccessSM for appointment information for an interview no matter where you are.
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FYI -- if you do not have email access on your phone, you can still get cmail delivered to your cell via text messaging. The following instructions are from the Actors Access "how-to" section, but of course you can receive regular email this way as well.
Do you have a cell phone that allows Text Messaging? OF COURSE YOU DO! So, you can get an alert anytime your agent, manager or a casting director use CMAIL to send you important information. CMAIL connects casting directors together with agents and managers and their clients. CMAIL allows casting directors to contact you directly when you submit yourself through Actors AccessSM. With this service you always know when to check Actors AccessSM for appointment information for an interview no matter where you are.
If you use AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, SBC, Sprint, T Mobile or Verizon you can take advantage of this service. When you fill out your contact information in Actors AccessSM, use the Alternate Email Box to put in your text messaging address. Keep your primary email listed in the first box so you will continue to receive cmail in your regular email inbox.
What's your Text Messaging Address? That's easy, just take a look at the list below based on your carrier and input your 10 digit phone number followed by the @ symbol and the specific address listed below.
AT&T: your 10 digit number@txt.att.net
Cingular and SBC: your 10 digit number@cingularme.com
Nextel: your 10 digit number@messaging.nextel.com
Sprint: your 10 digit number@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T Mobile: your 10 digit number@tmomail.net
Verizon: your 10 digit number@vtext.com
Now you will get a text message alert for you to logon to www.actorsaccess.com to view a pending interview or an urgent request to contact your agent.
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HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
It's been a great week, L & L family!!! You have all been amazing. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to your craft!
We LOVE you guys!!!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Xoxo, Melody and Lara
We LOVE you guys!!!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Xoxo, Melody and Lara
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