What do you want from your agent?

[pg]

I thought it might be interesting to hear people's opinions on what they want from their agents;

Here are my priorities:

A clear line of communication, with the agent stating how they prefer to communicate.
Always being sure that the agent knows who I am.
Being certain that the agent knows what sort of roles I am suitable for.
Keeping a good record of my availability (which obviously depends on me keeping the agent up to date)
Knowing that the agent understands my aspirations (even if they are rarely attained)
Good contacts with casting directors.
Efficient administration.
Advice about whether or not to apply for or take jobs that I have found for myself - which may be less than standard industry pay.
No upfront fees of any sort.
Freedom to choose my own photographer.
Knowing that, if I think it's genuinely important, my agent will find the time to talk to me.
Checking with me before submitting me for a job that is not within our previously agreed goals/aims.

[Genevieve]

I've always felt a bit nervous about questioning an agent, I have never asked who their contacts are regarding casting directors,I'd love to, but just haven't had the confidence to - but i'm learning that some may have better lines of communication with some over others ! you learn as you go along don't you !
I think it looks good on agents websites where they've used the same photographer, but one thing I'd like is the option to get photos done elsewhere too - (but you have to trust your agent , as they know what photos work).
I have also been able to disucss what roles my dd would be put up for, which is great. As dd gets older I am getting more savvy regarding asking questions. I think you have to be able to discuss if your dc is looking to a career in the performing arts, the direction they may go in for your ds dd, as each agent can have surprisingly different opinions and views on this than you.
My dd would like to audition for Musical theatre, but they were very open from the outset about her having to have regular singing lessons to be considered (as in the previous thread, this isn't unusual, and does make sense to keep up a certain standard for auditions).

[riverdancefan]

Exactly what PG said !!!
I think we have ,more or less got that with the agent we are currently with.....
Have had issues with his previous two, left on good terms with the last one, and they may suit DS more when he is older. The first? Well, incorrect invoicing, incorrect licensing , mistake after mistake, dire !!! However we knew no different and stayed with them for 4 long years, if I had known about this site we would have been so much wiser, hindsight is a wonderful thing!

[In4aPenny]

Exactly what PG said !!!
I . The first? Well, incorrect invoicing, incorrect licensing , mistake after mistake, dire !!! However we knew no different and stayed with them for 4 long years, if I had known about this site we would have been so much wiser, hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Oh no! What your child could have done in those 4 years too! I don't think you are alone at all.

[dodgepot]

I read these posts with interest as although DD is with one of the most NAPM respected agencys I can't say I'm overly impressed.
I called them this week as we have had no communication for several months and was assured that DD is still very much in their minds but that it has been quite for them in her age group (she's a mature looking 12yr old). I don't know whether our distance from London and lack of previous success is an issue and do not feel confident tackling them about it. I have considered moving to another agency but as she hasn't had any success via her agent (her CV is built on Amateur and Starnow successes) I am reluctant to rock the boat and end up with no agent at all. Her last casting with them was before the Summer holidays last year! Surely things aren't that quiet? I see girls of her age, size, colouring etc on TV regulary enough to have some concerns. I agree with all of PG's points but feel that unfortunately none apply to us.

[Flosmom]

Can I ask a naive question, please?

Why are people so nervous of speaking with their agents? On most of the posts I have read there seems to be an undercurrent (or overcurrent, if the word exists...) of fear and a general sense that we mere mortals (the performers and/or their parents) are subservient to these god-like creatures.

Now, we're all busy people and no-one wants to have their time wasted, but surely it's possible to negotiate a reasonable frequency of communication? And occasionally raising specific questions must be all right...right?

And as for having an agent that has produced nothing if value for six months...what's the point of that?

I'll be asking about this when I take Flo and Pandy to meet Top Talent tomorrow...I'll let you know what they say, but meanwhile, and advice or perspectives would be very gratefully received.

Deb x

[pg]

dodgepot: I think the way to tackle this is to ask the agent whether there is anything they think you could be doing to increase your daughter's chance of being seen, that way the agent knows that you want to work with them. You could ask them whether a lack of showreel (does she have one?) is a consideration and whether you should be trying to get some footage via student films etc.

If she has no TV experience yet and no showreel then I do think it will be hard for the agency to push to get her seen for TV drama, as there will be enough other more experienced applicants ahead of her in the queue. If you are thinking of commercials, then this is so much luck of the draw to be honest. Did they give you any idea of what she had been submitted for in the past year?

I do know lots of professional actors who have had no castings/auditions for months at a time, so it's not unheard of.

I do agree that it should be possible to speak to your agent when you need to, but personally I think it comes down to trust. Decent agents work hard for their clients and would prefer to spend their time talking to the people with the jobs, rather than talking to their clients. I think one needs to feel confident that the agent will always submit you when appropriate - getting called in from that submission is something the agent often has very little control over. If you have a feeling that the agent isn't working hard for you, then I think it's best to tackle it in a friendly manner with the attitude that you want to do what you can to improve your chances. That way, the agent can discuss the problem as a partnership -which is what it should be.

Understanding how casting works can be the key to a good relationship with your agent - then you know what contact will be useful to your relationship and what is just taking up their time.

[dodgepot]

Thanks PG
Whilst she has a showreel they won't use it as it is not professional work. They do however have a voice clip on their site of her. I did ask them last year what we could do to improve her chances and believe you me we have put all that into practice and endeavoured to keep them informed along the way. She has had castings for TV dramas (Spy & Hustle) and received really good and positive feedback but on both occasions younger looking girls were chosen. I will give it some thought and tackle them again next week. So although not "nervous" of speaking to them I have never wanted to appear too pushy or in the business of telling them how to do their jobs

[Flosmom]

We had the journey from hell to our meeting with Top Talent on Sunday. We were stuck in dreadful traffic so a journey that should have taken an hour, leaving about 45 minutes to spare, took over two hours and we were late. Just to add to the joy, Pandy was a tad travel sick too.

Warren Bacci and the team at Top Talent were superb. Flo called ahead from the car (I was driving so she had to be the grown up, for her sister's nausea and for travel updates) and they reassured her (and me) that everything would be OK and just to get there when we could and stay safe.

When we got there we were looked after straight away. The girls were greeted by a friendly team who put them through the whole process with an air of joy and fun. We felt very welcome, even though other parents and kids were arriving who had also had awful journeys. The team had amazing energy and you'd think we were the first people they'd worked with that day, rather than somewhat fraught tail-end-Charlies.

Although we were the last to leave, Warren spared a few minutes to answer my queries about managing relationships with an agent. Although I imagine he was desperate to get home and put his feet up, you'd think he had all the time in the world to share his experience. Anyway, the headlines were:

Send emails, rather than telephone, so that the agent can prioritise chasing work over replying to general enquiries.
In particular, don't just call to ask 'how are things?' - have a specific question to ask.
Keep your agent advised of your holidays and other commitments - its frustrating to set up an audition only to find the client is in Italy for a fortnight and forgot to mention it
If you accept an opportunity to go to an audition, go.
If you don't go to auditions when you have said you will, the agent is unlikely to prioritise your child for future auditions
There is no problem getting work through other channels - its all good experience - but let the agent know, especially if it affects availability.

I hope this helps. You will probably gather that I am now a big Warren fan, and can't imagine feeling anything other than completely at ease if I have a reason to get in touch. Time will tell whether Top Talent fulfils its promise, but this is as good a start as I could have hoped for (except the journey and the sickie, which were not their fault )

Deb x

[the mumster]

I have some questions .....

How do you tell if your DC's agent has enough/the right connections with Casting Directors so that plenty of opportunities come their way?

Should agents be actively marketing their clients - i.e. contacting CD's or just waiting for castings to come in and then submitting who they feel suit the brief?

Should an agent go and see their clients in action?

What do you all think? pg?

[pg]

A decent agent will always be trying to improve his/her contacts and almost inevitably they will have better contacts with some CDs than with others. They might have an excellent relationship with one CD who is trying to cast something for which you/your child is perfect - in which case, you might consider they have great contacts! On the other hand, the CDs they have good contacts with may have nothing coming up that is appropriate for you - in which case you might consider that their contacts are not so great...

Yes, I think agents should actively market their clients when they can, but this won't always be possible - just through the amount of work they have, how many staff they have, whether they have a good income stream from clients - all sorts of things. I don't think a good agent will just wait for the briefs to come in, I'm sure that they will network where possible - but they can't force themselves on CDs - that would surely be counterproductive?

I guess it is particularly important that a children's agent is good at networking - for an adult actor, there are far more networking opportunities that the actor needs to pursue him/herself.

I have sometimes wondered about the work my agents does, but when I've asked about something being chased up, I have always found she has already done it.

Yes, I think an agent should go and see their clients in action where possible and practical - again it won't always be. The important thing for an actor/agent (usually) is the next job, not the one they've got.

[nextinline]

Most important is the relationship between agent and family, should be able to feel you can phone if you really need to, honesty about what is realistic and efficiency. Hope this helps.

[Coco]

So interesting reading everyone's points on this. Like a lot of other people it seems, I also worry about questioning the agent about how much effort they are going to on dd's behalf, as I don't want irritate them or seem too pushy. I suppose I feel an agent, be it a distant one, is better that not having one at all, just for the unlikely event that some wonderful opportunity should suddenly present itself. We so rarely hear from them that I refer to them as the 'rent a ghost agency'.
(I could probably expect more reliable communication through an Ouja board tbh ! )


In actual fact though I do think that my dd's agency is putting her forward when opportunities arise, but potential castings are much fewer and further between once the children start to look like adults. And those children who have managed to build up a good cv and got known while they are little, will obvioiusly stand a better chance of being seen for the small amount of castings available once they hit the teen stage.

My only real gripe,( because I can't expect the agency to create work for dd when there isn't any) , is that when I do email them with a query ( which is rarely ), I seldom receive aknowledgement at all. Now that I do find that a bit depressing

[Doodoos]

How long should you reasonably wait for an answer if you email an agent?

[pg]

I think it depends a bit on what you are emailing about.

My agent is brilliant at responding to emails. I usually get a response within minutes. I've never known it go longer than a day.

However, I only send emails when I really need to know something or when I think she really needs to know something! If it's really urgent, I send a text or I phone her.