1
Why doesn’t my agent get me out more?
Answer: The quantity of auditions we get can ebb and flow, and sometimes we can go through dry spells of few auditions – compared to the days when auditions seem to pile up, or other actors seem to be far more popular with CDs than are you. When auditions are scarce, it’s tempting…. (continued in David’s answer below)
This solution has been deemed correct by the post author
Answer: The quantity of auditions we get can ebb and flow, and sometimes we can go through dry spells of few auditions – compared to the days when auditions seem to pile up, or other actors seem to be far more popular with CDs than are you. When auditions are scarce, it’s tempting to ask what’s broken with your representation. Rarely is it broken at all.
When I hear an actor use the phrase “My agent doesn’t get me out at all,” or, at the other extreme, “My agent gets me out all the time,” I delicately figure out how to gently approach them with the fact that your agent has little to do with how often you go out. Unless you’re being packaged by UTA, WME, or the like, in which case this post doesn’t apply to you at all, it’s usually not about your agent.
It’s usually about you.
YOU are the main reason you’re getting out or not getting out. Not your agent. YOU have control over all of your marketing materials. YOU have control over your auditioning and personal relationship skills. YOU have control over your acting skills. YOU even have control over who represents you.
I listen to actors complain about how their agents aren’t “getting them out” enough, and I immediately think of how their agents aren’t making any money on them if the actor isn’t being seen and then booking roles. And when we do get booked for a day’s work at scale, your agent makes about 80 bucks. Not a lot for all of the parts he/she does submit you for that take the same amount of work as the ones you book.
Rest assured, your agent is submitting you for everything they think you can knock out of the park. If you’re not being called in for what your agent is submitting you for, stand back and start counting how many reasons there might be for that – almost none of which has to do with your agent and their skill level in representing you.
You might be too tall. You might have the wrong hair color. Your headshots might be off putting. Your resume might be trying too hard. You might not have enough credits. You might have too many credits. You might have grown a beard or shaved one off. You might look like the CD’s ex. You might even have gone in for the CD before, and she remembers how poorly you executed your audition.
What does all of this have to do with basing your decision on representation on whether or not other actors think an agency is “nice” or they “go out a lot?” It doesn’t matter how that agency works for them or how nice they are. It’s an interesting bonus to have nice people represent you and interact with you, but it’s far more incumbent on you to make sure you’re ready to work effectively on your career and to be able to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you should you add that agency to your team.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard an equivalent to the phrase “That agent could represent a rock and get it booked for series recurring.” I DO hear “I’d love to represent her – I hear CDs, writers and producers LOVE her, and her resume proves it.”
The process of getting an agent shouldn’t be about whether or not they’ll possibly represent you (although it can certainly feel like they have all the power) – it should be about whether or not they fit into your plans for your career. If we were in any other business, we’d simply be hiring a sales person, finding out their experience, getting references, talking business, and talking about all of these things and more with several candidates – and an actor looking for an agent should be no different.
When you interview an agent, it’s great to ask questions about their working style, how they prefer contact (phone, email, and about what with regard to your career do they want to talk), but what they do for other actors and how those other actors take advantage of challenges and opportunities in their careers has little bearing on how you will handle yourself and your career. Interview them not as if you’re trying to figure out how to get some of that good submission juice they seem to generate for all of the people you spoke to, but rather if they are the right fit for your team – the right sales person to represent your product line.
Make your decision based on where you are in your career (Absolute beginner? Aspirational? Developmental? Working some? Working a lot? Seasoned veteran?) and remember that anyone that represents you is going to be nice. It’s the nature of being a sales person – if you’re not nice, you don’t last. CDs don’t want to take your calls. Make sure that your attitude is centered around what you can do to help your sales person (agent) do their SECOND job – call you to let you know that you’ve got an audition. They usually don’t need help with their FIRST job – submitting you for a role.
Please take all of this with love – I hope you all find the kind of agent I’ve found: someone who wants to be in business with me, and occasionally grab dinner, a ball game or a quick chat on-set. I am extraordinarily happy with how much I am called in, and he and I have had many discussions about how my tools are great and increase the number of “yes”es that he gets when he puts me up. The fact that Karl’s really nice is mere icing on the cake.
What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislike