Hi. I've been with my agent for just under a year and am finishing school next month - so will very much rely on money through acting and other sources of work whilst I get sorted. However, I'm having some problems with my agent (don't want to name names) - they haven't paid me for 4 jobs spanning the last 5 months, which amounts to just under £500. Whenever I ask them (and I hate doing so) they make up excuses and it feels like they're dragging their feet.
I've decided that I've had enough of this, and I could really use the money I am owed to put towards uni in September. I've decided to look for a new agent, but do I tell the old one? I don't want to fall out with them and have them bad-mouthing me in the industry, but also, what if a potential new agent phones my existing one as a reference of my character and suprises them with the news that I am looking to leave? Won't this make me look unprofessional?
Please, if anyone has any words of advice, it would be greatly appreciated.
put it in writing and ask them when you can expect any monies owed to you - they will know if they've received funds in order to then pay you, that's reasonable -does it say in your contract with them when they make payments, eg. a week after they receive the monies ? or time lapse period when they do their accounts ?
I would look for new representation and then when confirmed let your old agent know you want releasing from them, so that the new one knows when they can move you on Spotlight, ensuring you know if there's a notice period with your current agent too. I hope this is unusual, and I'm sure you won't have same problem with getting payments with a new agent, its something you should ask them about their policy. Sorry you've had trouble getting money owed to you, but hopefully this will change. Others may have more experience on these things, but honesty is the best policy and there's nothing wrong with asking a new agent how long you could expect to be paid on securing work from them, it will be something in their contact you could discuss with them, i think that would be reasonable and normal.
I agree with Genevieve, I would definitely write to existing agent asking them to confirm how long you should expect to wait after they receive the money before they pass it on to you. I would also ask them to notify you when they receive payment (this should gee them along a bit and not leave it hanging around in their bank account!).
I would not inform your current agent that you are looking for another agent yet, until you have found one - at least they are getting you jobs at the momoent, if you tell them you are thinking of leaving they may stop looking for you! I don't think agents usually ask each other for references (but I'm sure someone out ther in NAMP land will correct me if I'm wrong). Once you have new representation write (or e-mail) your old agent to inform them of the change. Not all agents have a notice period so you might be lucky (if there was no contract sighed then you don't have to give notice. When dd changed agents. I e-mailed her old agent and spotlight on the same day notifying them of the change. Spotlight swapped her details the same day (within a couple of hours).
Hope you get your money soon, though waiting several months does seem the norm to me. Good luck with your hunt for new representation.
Thanks for the reply guys. It feels like a very fine line between appearing unprofessional, but having your own best interests at heart. I did sign a contract, it has a 2 month notice period, but there are no exclusivity terms, so I shouldn't run into any problems with any luck. What would you suggest I say to a potential new agent as a reason for leaving the old one? Career progression or something more solid?
It depends what work you did and if your agent is a acting or modelling/acting agent most acting agents have by law to give you the money as soon as the money clears in there bank account you should get it a few days later, modelling and acting agents usaly only pay 3 times a year think they get away with that because you sign a contract to say you agree to that. Adverts take a long time to pay we have waited a year, BBC pay very quickly as do other drama films depends. So if it you are looking for another agent because you have not been payed it is prob because they have not been paid. If there where other people who worked on these projects with you and you have there contact details ask them if they have been paid. If you are with a good agent then don't say any thing to them just look around and if you get another agent that is the time to tell them, some agents can be funny about you looking around and take you off there books leaving you with out a agent. Good luck with what you decide to do.
It's not unprofessional, it's business. I'm amazed by the younger people I meet who moan and groan about their agents. A common complaint is the vagueness of their pay. If somebody has an agent, then instead of them getting a regular payslip from the production company, it often goes to the agency direct, and it's so common for their wages to be delayed, and sometimes people ask me what deductions were made, or if they got their expenses or subsistent payments because they can't reconcile the amount they get compared to what their contract states. Some ask for a copy, and we can't do that, because the contract comes via the agent so it's none of our business what the agent does with the money. However, hanging on to it seems to be very common. People also get very confused about the commission deduction - many thinking it is the agreed percentage after deductions for tax and NI, when the agent simply slices it off the top figure, making the figure a bigger percentage of what the artiste gets. Many agents also have to wait for their payment from the production company for one-off type events, so they invoice the production company, and this usually takes at least 30 days to the day the cheque appears. Some use electronics transfer, but there are still a lot of cheques which take a week to clear - so they get paid perhaps 5 weeks behind. They then sit on your money for another 30 days - which is their processing timescale - so to the person owed the money, 6-8 weeks seems quite common. It's usually quicker if the person is doing a tour once things settle down.
5 months is taking the P. There is actually an EU directive to do with late payments and you are allowed by law to add on a penalty amount and interest, and this has to be paid by them. I suppose it depends if the agent is actually getting you lots of work. If they don't pay, and also aren't great at getting you work, then dump them according to the terms in the contract. Do NOT be afraid of asking them for a date, and pressing the issue. Why would you want to stay with a duff agent?
I know that for some productions people are paid on the final day of production and that can then take a while to get sent out to agents and then finally in turn sent to you. Could it be that the although its five months since you did the job, perhaps its less time since the production finished.
Just one slightly optimistic hope! But I do hope you get what you are owed especially as money earned from acting is hard come by!
