Contacting Agents

[ActingMad26]

Sorry ! Yet another post from me

I hope however this will help others?

Lots of agents now want people looking for representation to email them a "Headshot and experience" to them. I have NO idea what to write!!?!

I was thinking something a long the lines of my name, height, eye colour, hair colour, intrests and skills (sports,accents,music etc)
But as it's been hard to get audtions without an agent I have no professional experience! Can I put this?! I've been in school plays & concerts, gone to an audition workshop with Jo Hawes & auditioned for NYT this year & YMT (Youth Music Theatre) two years ago - & got in, exept I couldn't go to the production in Aberdeen

Am I emailing in vain?!
Please help!

[Rachel_M]

Hello

You're in a similar situation to my ds, she has had no professional experience because she doesn't yet have an agent, and she is struggling to get an agent because she doesn't have any professional experience! its a vicious circle! Thankfully it gets slightly (very slightly) easier once you get your foot in the door and get started!

Do you have a CV? If you do, then when it comes to writing your experience, you should just put your CV into sentences. If you don't have a CV, then you are on the right lines with writing hair colour, eye colour, height, interests, but they are mainly looking for your experience. Start by making a list of everything you've done (within reason - eg: if you are 13 then they don't really want to know about any plays you were in when you were 5) and write a little bit about each experience: what role you played, what you learnt from it, when and where it was...etc.

DON'T write anything negative in a CV or experience summary, because it will seem to whoever reads it that you are making excuses for yourself before they've even met you. Just stick to the positives and keep it short, because remember that cd's have to read hundreds of these.

This is quite a long post, so sorry about that! But I hope that it has helped you. Good Luck

[aliceinwonderinc]

Hi ActingMad26!

First of all, you are NOT emailing in vain. I'm not saying that you're definitely going to get representation, but I got an agent last year even though I had no professional experience, so it does happen. I STILL haven't got any professional experience, but I've had lots of auditions, so that's a different matter...

All that Rachel_M said is great, but ike she said, don't put anything negative. So I would just say 'I was a member of NYT from 2009-2011' or whatever it was, and don't mention that you didn't do any shows with them. If you played relatively major parts in school plays then put them in too, it's all experience! And don't forget to just add a little sentence about how enthusiastic you are about acting and why you think that particular agency would be right or you (without sucking up too much!)

Good luck! :)