Finding a good agent. Ask pg? Probably not...

[pg]

How did pg become so much of it a know-it-all? (Cough) I mean, soooo, wise?

I had a pm from someone about agents and it made me think. I've only picked up the information I have and feel able to pass on tips and advice because of some really rather painful experiences! I suppose that's how we all learn. I wish I had asked more questions though, and I wish I had bothered to find out what really happened in the industry rather than just making assumptions about what I thought and hoped happened in the industry.

Here's a run-down of sensible pg's lifetime experience of agencies - looking back I realise it's even worse than I recounted in my pm :

Before I went to drama school:

A friend introduced me to an extras agency. I paid some money to be on their books and had a few jobs. I then started finding out a bit more about them and realised that the contract I had signed was OUTRAGEOUS. Honestly: 35% commission and if you had to cancel they would charge you the equivalent of what their commission would have been, even though you would not have earned anything. The company closed down because of all sorts of nefarious dealings, some of them really unpleasant. I think I had a lucky escape.

My next bad decision, many years ago, was to send off £15 to an "extras agency" who advertised in The Stage. I didn't do any research, I took what they said at face value, I didn't know anything about how the profession worked etc.etc. Amazingly, I never heard from them again! Well, how extraordinary is that? I felt very stupid and didn't confess that I'd done it for ages...

I then did a bit of research and signed with a different extras agency. They had lots of experience and I had a few jobs through them. There were no real problems. Then I decided that I wanted to try to work as an actor, rather than an extra.

My next, not entirely brilliant decision was to sign with an agent who was also an actor. He was lovely actually - a really nice man who tried his best for his clients I think. He didn't have the greatest of contacts though and he couldn't really dedicate himself properly to his clients while he was trying to work as an actor. I eventually decided that I needed to try to find an agent with a bit more experience. My next BAD decision was to sign with an agent who had never seen me perform (though I did have an interview with them). I knew, in my heart of hearts, that the fact that they were willing to take me on without knowing whether I was any good was a really bad sign. I raised this at the interview, but I allowed them to flatter me by saying "they could just tell" and "I came across very well in an interview". I really wanted representation, they'd been in the business for a while and I didn't turn the offer down. I never got any work through them and when I asked to see a copy of the CV they were sending out I was horrified: badly typed, full of spelling errors - it even had someone else's training on it! I ditched them.

I then signed up to an "agent" which had an "on-line" presence when this was in its infancy. It didn't cost me anything. I didn't get any jobs either! It took me a while to get them to take my details OFF their website.

Next (because by now I was really very wise of course ) I signed with an agent in Birmingham who still hadn't seen me perform but they approached me because I had the skills/experience needed for a reasonably well paid corporate job they'd been asked to fill. This seemed brilliant. I went for an interview and was really impressed with how efficient they were and how much work they seemed to get for their clients. I signed with them and told Equity and Spotlight about my new agent. Within 10 days of this I had a letter from Equity advising me that this agent owed most of his acting clients a lot of money and was being taken to court by several of them...

I left that agent...

Then I went to drama school. I didn't get an agent straight from drama school, but I did manage to get an agent (my current one) within about 6 months of leaving. By then I was at least a little bit wiser and knew a lot more about the industry!!

I do think that communication is probably the most important thing in a client/agent relationship. I don't actually communicate all that much with my agent, but we did have a clear conversation at the start and I do know that she will answer any email questions very quickly and that if I need to, I can phone her up and have a conversation. She also knows that I won't bother her by phone unless email won't do and this arrangement seems to work very well. She's quite "cool" in her manner, though always pleasant. I do trust her - and I think that's the vital thing.

So, as I say, I'm much older and a little bit wiser but oh boy have I made some spectacularly bad decisions in the past! I wish I had had someone I could have asked. That's why I love this site!

[pg]

From another thread:
Here are the things I wished I'd thought about when I was setting out:

I still maintain that you should never pay to be on an agent's books. I know that there is a difference of opinion about this for children's agencies and that not everyone agrees with my view. There are some children's agencies that don't charge (apart from the Spotlight fee, and this doesn't go the agent anyway, it goes to Spotlight). I'd definitely make those that don't charge top of a list. The reasons are obvious to me: 1. If you get no work/auditions through them - it will be disappointing, but at least you have lost no money 2. If you get no work through them, they MAKE no money - so it is obviously in their best interests to promote you!

I think the best agents are those that:
a) have been around for more than a year or so
b) don't have any conflict of interest by being both agent and casting director (can't understand how this can possibly work!)
c) don't insist that you have to attend workshops that cost you money
d) don't charge any fees for representation (and don't try to hide the fact that they charge by calling the fee something else)
e) are approachable and easy to communicate with
f) don't have hundreds and hundreds of clients
g) have a policy of never taking someone on unless they have met them and seen what they are capable of
h) are prepared to tell you a bit about their experience
i) want to know about your career aspirations and interests

That might seem like a long list, but actually I think they are all pretty vital!

[Irishdancer]

Really interesting PG agree with all you have said. When I was looking for a new agent for my ds I looked for all those things but as ds is a child I looked to see if agent paid the audition fee children get and recall they also get for adverts not drama or theatre most adverts give a £18 fee less commission for children to go and audition as children have to have a parent or adult with them when they audition and the same with recall £55 some agents do not pass this along to clients, some of the agents who do not pay these fees are well known I know Sylvia Young’s do not give parents these fees if the child goes full time to the school as most of the time they are taken about by chaperons but children at agency do get these fees, I no of other stage schools who do not give any of the dc they have on there books even if they are only with agency. I find this practice very unfair as this money is not for agent but to help parents with costs can not see how they get away with it. There where some good agency’s that I really liked but because they did not pass the audition fee on so would not conceder them for ds even though they had a very good repetation

[proudmum]

Great advice,pleased we can all learn from your experience- good or bad

[siohip]

So PG how do you find a good agent????

sorry couldn't resist!!!!!

[pg]

Now you know I don't need any encouragement

Are you sitting comfortably?.....

[francescasmum]

Can you wait, I've got the kettle on and I'd better get a sdandwich or two...

[siohip]

Mrs Doyle voice ...." ah go on go on go on!" !!!!