Licensing dilemma
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Licensing dilemma
Hi wanted some advice on an in event that happened to mr recently.
My ds got a small part in a major feature film (he is in 2 scenes). We went to the audition in central London and to the callback and he got the part and we were really pleased. We got all the documents needed to his agent for his licence (doctors's letter, letter from school, form etc) in on time and his agent said they would put in his licence application leaving a week and a half before the shoot as Lea did it in a week last time and they said a week is fine. I got a call to send in his measurements and do a wardrobe fitting etc. The agent then called me 5 days before the shoot saying that unfortunately my ds could not do the film as he could not be licensed in time. Of course I was gutted and asked why. They said that because of staff shortages the licence could not be done.
I was upset and also a bit paranoid. I wondered, is this an excuse. Have they dropped him for some other reason ( no self confidence I know, but this industry is so full of uncertainty you never know)! My dh said he would call the council for clarifications. I wasn't sure If we should interfere.
My husband called the council and they were really nice. The lady asked for the name of the agent and number and said she would look into it and call us back. I would like to note that my dh was not aggressive or angry with the council in anyway. He just wanted to know why they could not do the licence in time as we felt that they had enough time.
The lady from the council called me back within 5 minutes. She told me that the production company had sent the application to the wrong council and they had only received the application the day before and that she had spoken to the production company that morning and had said it was too late and they could not get the licence on time. However she said that if she received all necessary documentation by 3.30 that day from the production company she would pull all the stops out to issue the licence.
We called ds's agent to inform them thinking they would be pleased. However they seemed annoyed that we had interfered and called the council. They did not seem very hopefully. This was at 11.00am. At 3.30pm they emailed to say that the production company had received the licence from the council and that he again had the part!
This was an emotional rollercoaster for us but I now feel that we may have cut our nose off to spite our face. If we have annoyed our agent they may not submit ds for future work? What would you NPMS have done?
We have gone to loads of auditions without success and I have never called the agent to ask for news etc or called to ask why there were periods there were no auditions. I don't want to be seen like a pushy mum! However it is difficult to stomach when you have gone through all the audition process callback etc and have got so far to be defeated for a beaurocratic reason.
I was upset that he could have lost the part but I was more upset by the agent's reaction when we contacted the council. They did not seem pleased at all but annoyed. I just don't understand it. I thought an agent was on your side and should be working for you. I trout you were a team. Maybe they felt we showed them up as we managed to get the licence when they could not? They have loads of experience in applying for licences so cannot understand how it could have been sent to the wrong council. They knew the council, they even sent me the application form to fill in from that council. They admitted on the phone to my dh that they took full responsibility and it was their fault.
What would you have done? Were we out of line to contact the council? Do you think this has damaged our relationship with our agent?
I feel very saddened by all this because i don't know what to think now!
My ds got a small part in a major feature film (he is in 2 scenes). We went to the audition in central London and to the callback and he got the part and we were really pleased. We got all the documents needed to his agent for his licence (doctors's letter, letter from school, form etc) in on time and his agent said they would put in his licence application leaving a week and a half before the shoot as Lea did it in a week last time and they said a week is fine. I got a call to send in his measurements and do a wardrobe fitting etc. The agent then called me 5 days before the shoot saying that unfortunately my ds could not do the film as he could not be licensed in time. Of course I was gutted and asked why. They said that because of staff shortages the licence could not be done.
I was upset and also a bit paranoid. I wondered, is this an excuse. Have they dropped him for some other reason ( no self confidence I know, but this industry is so full of uncertainty you never know)! My dh said he would call the council for clarifications. I wasn't sure If we should interfere.
My husband called the council and they were really nice. The lady asked for the name of the agent and number and said she would look into it and call us back. I would like to note that my dh was not aggressive or angry with the council in anyway. He just wanted to know why they could not do the licence in time as we felt that they had enough time.
The lady from the council called me back within 5 minutes. She told me that the production company had sent the application to the wrong council and they had only received the application the day before and that she had spoken to the production company that morning and had said it was too late and they could not get the licence on time. However she said that if she received all necessary documentation by 3.30 that day from the production company she would pull all the stops out to issue the licence.
We called ds's agent to inform them thinking they would be pleased. However they seemed annoyed that we had interfered and called the council. They did not seem very hopefully. This was at 11.00am. At 3.30pm they emailed to say that the production company had received the licence from the council and that he again had the part!
This was an emotional rollercoaster for us but I now feel that we may have cut our nose off to spite our face. If we have annoyed our agent they may not submit ds for future work? What would you NPMS have done?
We have gone to loads of auditions without success and I have never called the agent to ask for news etc or called to ask why there were periods there were no auditions. I don't want to be seen like a pushy mum! However it is difficult to stomach when you have gone through all the audition process callback etc and have got so far to be defeated for a beaurocratic reason.
I was upset that he could have lost the part but I was more upset by the agent's reaction when we contacted the council. They did not seem pleased at all but annoyed. I just don't understand it. I thought an agent was on your side and should be working for you. I trout you were a team. Maybe they felt we showed them up as we managed to get the licence when they could not? They have loads of experience in applying for licences so cannot understand how it could have been sent to the wrong council. They knew the council, they even sent me the application form to fill in from that council. They admitted on the phone to my dh that they took full responsibility and it was their fault.
What would you have done? Were we out of line to contact the council? Do you think this has damaged our relationship with our agent?
I feel very saddened by all this because i don't know what to think now!
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Re: Licensing dilemma
I think I would have done the same thing. When the agents get their percentage they will be very pleased that you pushed it and the production company will be too busy to think about the agents mistakes I'm sure.
Re: Licensing dilemma
First of all, congrats to your DS and well done to you and your DH for being brilliant parents to him.
I don't have any experience of agents, but I do know that our LEA (Warwickshire) is brilliant at providing licenses and if ever there was a license hitch I would have no hesitation in contacting them to try to smooth it out.
I don't think there is much mileage in speculating about why the agent behaved or reacted as you experienced/perceived. They may have been having a bad day, or trying to cover up their error, or have been in a different frame of mind entirely but just came across to you as tetchy.
The good news is that between you you sorted it out, your DS has the part and the agent has their fee. What's not to celebrate?
And the best person to ask about this (in the same calm, grown up and curious frame that your DH used with the LEA) is your agent. After all, you've just brought a fee onto their books, they should be delighted to iron out any misunderstandings for you. So I'd have a chat with them if I were you.
But other, more experienced NAPMs may have other advice.
Good luck
Deb x


I don't have any experience of agents, but I do know that our LEA (Warwickshire) is brilliant at providing licenses and if ever there was a license hitch I would have no hesitation in contacting them to try to smooth it out.
I don't think there is much mileage in speculating about why the agent behaved or reacted as you experienced/perceived. They may have been having a bad day, or trying to cover up their error, or have been in a different frame of mind entirely but just came across to you as tetchy.
The good news is that between you you sorted it out, your DS has the part and the agent has their fee. What's not to celebrate?



And the best person to ask about this (in the same calm, grown up and curious frame that your DH used with the LEA) is your agent. After all, you've just brought a fee onto their books, they should be delighted to iron out any misunderstandings for you. So I'd have a chat with them if I were you.
But other, more experienced NAPMs may have other advice.
Good luck
Deb x
Re: Licensing dilemma
I always sort the licence out myself.
i have everything here ready to go...photocopys of birth certificate,photocopys of doctors letters,passport photos,school letters all
printed out ready for the school to just sign,and a collection of part 2's.
as soon as i get the call i drive to the council office and hand it to them personally within the hour and then she just waits for the part 1 to come from the
production company.
i think this way must be much easier than the agents doing it!
it does seem strange that they didn't seem happy as they also benefit from your ds getting the part,but
i wouldn't think they would hold his info back if a brief came in that matched his description...
hope he enjoys the filming xx
i have everything here ready to go...photocopys of birth certificate,photocopys of doctors letters,passport photos,school letters all
printed out ready for the school to just sign,and a collection of part 2's.
as soon as i get the call i drive to the council office and hand it to them personally within the hour and then she just waits for the part 1 to come from the
production company.
i think this way must be much easier than the agents doing it!
it does seem strange that they didn't seem happy as they also benefit from your ds getting the part,but
i wouldn't think they would hold his info back if a brief came in that matched his description...
hope he enjoys the filming xx
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Re: Licensing dilemma
I have tended to have quite an input in licensing before for DS ...I know who to speak to in the LEA and they know us, we get on very well.
I would have done exactly the same as you and I would not have accepted the agents word without at least digging a little deeper, the fact that hubby was approachable and reasonable proboably swung it and it pays to be civil no matter how much You want to scream and shout
As for your agent....I would be looking for another I think ! ,
I would have done exactly the same as you and I would not have accepted the agents word without at least digging a little deeper, the fact that hubby was approachable and reasonable proboably swung it and it pays to be civil no matter how much You want to scream and shout

As for your agent....I would be looking for another I think ! ,
"Tall and proud my mother taught me, this is how we dance" - RIVERDANCE
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Re: Licensing dilemma
I agree wissymoo, I would rather do it myself than wonder if the agent had done it correctly and in a timely manner....DS nearly lost a TVC because of the shoddy way his last agency worked and I ended up sorting it all out myself anyway with double the stress!!!wissymo wrote:I always sort the licence out myself.
i have everything here ready to go...photocopys of birth certificate,photocopys of doctors letters,passport photos,school letters all
printed out ready for the school to just sign,and a collection of part 2's.
as soon as i get the call i drive to the council office and hand it to them personally within the hour and then she just waits for the part 1 to come from the
production company.
i think this way must be much easier than the agents doing it!
it does seem strange that they didn't seem happy as they also benefit from your ds getting the part,but
i wouldn't think they would hold his info back if a brief came in that matched his description...
hope he enjoys the filming xx
"Tall and proud my mother taught me, this is how we dance" - RIVERDANCE
Re: Licensing dilemma
Thanks for all the quick replies! I think the problem was that the agent ave the production company the wrong info so they sent part 1 to the wrong council, the council sat on it and did not inform the production company of the mistake until it was very late.
Regarding changing agents I know it is very difficult to find an agent so don't know if they will look at him. He now with this role only has 2 professional credits. He does a lot of amateur theatre which is great experience but I don't think it counts with agents. He has 2 leads in 2 short films but they were student films.... So it may e a struggle to find another agent.
I had a question regarding credits. When they say professional credits do they mean on screen credits. This role was professional, a speaking part and paid but I am not sure if it will get an on screen credit as the part was so small. I will probably have to wait till the film is released to see. Do credits count even if they are not on screen?
Regarding changing agents I know it is very difficult to find an agent so don't know if they will look at him. He now with this role only has 2 professional credits. He does a lot of amateur theatre which is great experience but I don't think it counts with agents. He has 2 leads in 2 short films but they were student films.... So it may e a struggle to find another agent.
I had a question regarding credits. When they say professional credits do they mean on screen credits. This role was professional, a speaking part and paid but I am not sure if it will get an on screen credit as the part was so small. I will probably have to wait till the film is released to see. Do credits count even if they are not on screen?
Re: Licensing dilemma
I often wonder if agents of under 18s really care that much about the individuals, but just want a trouble free life. After all, in this case, it was them that were well, incompetent, yet their solution was to presumably throw in the towel? If you had not done this yourself, then on Monday they would not have a replacement, as they could have with an adult, because even if they'd managed to get hold of a replacement, they'd not have a license either! So your agent would look pretty stupid to the production company too. Either way, your intervention has stopped them looking bad to the production company and to your benefit. They may superficially be a bit annoyed you interfered, but I doubt it's soured the relationship because you got them out of bother. Many agents seem to have the attitude that under 18s are just trouble, and wish they'd got a few less kids and a few more older people on the books - yet the kids are what probably make them the most!
Nice ending - I hope it goes well!
Nice ending - I hope it goes well!
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Re: Licensing dilemma
i contacted the child employment officer myself when ds was on pencil for a project to make sure they had all the paperwork organised and ready to go in case the license was needed and found out what the latest time they would be able to process the license in time for filming, maybe i am a bit of a control freak i just liked to know everything was in place and ready to go, sadly he didn't need the license this time, but i would do the same again in future. i really hope everything works out for your ds
Re: Licensing dilemma
It was interesting to read your experiences, charlarry. I understand your worry about not wanting to be pushy but I wouldn't call it being pushy in your case, as you didn't go over the heads of the agency wanting to do it yourself quickly first, but you were proactive in getting it sorted out when there seemed to be a problem. I really don't think your agent will label you as pushy after this.
In regards to why the agency didn't seem happy, I think that maybe they had someone else on pencil for the same part as their 2nd choice and started to work on getting the licence for that child (as you have to remember different LEAs require different times to issue a licence) and then you rang and it kind of "ruined their plans" because you have to remember, this is a business for them and it doesn't matter who does it as long as it brings some money to the agency, but it is of course of major importance to you as a parent who gets the job!! i am glad you got it sorted in the end and hope your son enjoys the filming.
In regards to why the agency didn't seem happy, I think that maybe they had someone else on pencil for the same part as their 2nd choice and started to work on getting the licence for that child (as you have to remember different LEAs require different times to issue a licence) and then you rang and it kind of "ruined their plans" because you have to remember, this is a business for them and it doesn't matter who does it as long as it brings some money to the agency, but it is of course of major importance to you as a parent who gets the job!! i am glad you got it sorted in the end and hope your son enjoys the filming.
Re: Licensing dilemma
parent power !!
good job getting the license sorted - the agent will get their fee, your ds has the part, and a nice lady saved the day from the council. The agent may have tutted, but they are working for your ds, and they're interested in him, not his parents, and I'm sure they've got a number of parents that they find difficult, and what you've just done just doesn't warrant any reason for them to class you as pushy or difficult ('thorough', I would say !). ...
Your ds will now be of more interest to them ! just look to the next role ! they'll learn more from this situation than you !
Its obviously ideal if he has a part with a 'named character' as a professional credit. But you can also have a professional credit even if he's only played a youth or unnamed part.

Your ds will now be of more interest to them ! just look to the next role ! they'll learn more from this situation than you !
Dont think hed have trouble getting another agent ! You got to start somewhere, and 2 credits is really good - he would have been up against stiff competition to get roles remember!charlarry wrote:He now with this role only has 2 professional credits. He does a lot of amateur theatre which is great experience but I don't think it counts with agents. He has 2 leads in 2 short films but they were student films.... So it may e a struggle to find another agent.
When they say professional credits do they mean on screen credits. This role was professional, a speaking part and paid but I am not sure if it will get an on screen credit as the part was so small.
Its obviously ideal if he has a part with a 'named character' as a professional credit. But you can also have a professional credit even if he's only played a youth or unnamed part.
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Re: Licensing dilemma
What a shame this has marred what should be a happy event. I personally have built up a good relationship with the lady that issues licences on our LEA. After problems in the past have a resolution,that I check with her just before the application time runs out (I send her a quick e-mail to say politely has the licence been applied for yet), she understands me doing this because of past problems. Whatever anyone else is up to and whatever their agenda may be, you and your licence issuer at the LEA are the 2 people that have purely the child's best interest at heart, I believe this should be a good and important partnership. In my case this is working but obviously can't speak for other LEA's. What I'm suggesting is that it may be worth contacting your LEA talking about the problem and the stress it caused and would it be worth you contacting them to check if wheels are in motion for future licences, it's then up to you how you handle it from there but at least you're in the know.
Good luck with everything hope all goes well for you all.
Good luck with everything hope all goes well for you all.
Re: Licensing dilemma
because of licensing issues with councils - a lot of agents are put off taking children on their books if they live in a London borough that's known to them to be difficult and a struggle to get licenses cleared
Re: Licensing dilemma
yeah,i have read that one agency wont accept children from lambeth because of their LEA making things so difficult....such a massive shame for
all the kids living there
all the kids living there

Re: Licensing dilemma
What annoyed me about reading this was that it takes such a lot of effort to get to the casting, go through with it, get home late, the impact on the rest of the family. So fair enough you did that. Probably had a recall then finally got selected. To get selected is a big deal and no matter how small could be the difference between your child's future in this industry or not. So for the Agent to fluff up then get the hump when you were the organised one, just ends up annoying me.
Be assured, you did the correct thing, the agent won't make that mistake again and is far too busy to remember this incident for long. I agree they had a no.2 lined up - lets face it, its all about the agents pay whether its your child or someone elses. There will be of course be some exceptions to that.
Be assured, you did the correct thing, the agent won't make that mistake again and is far too busy to remember this incident for long. I agree they had a no.2 lined up - lets face it, its all about the agents pay whether its your child or someone elses. There will be of course be some exceptions to that.