your agent...your best ally...

if you've been in the biz for awhile now and your child has been acting, even in school or community theatre, you'll soon discover that you will come to a roadblock...there will be a ceiling on the auditions that you can get your child into...when you reach that point, you will need an agent...(but please understand, it's best to work on your own at the beginning b/c it will serve to build your child actor's resume)...

an agent can be crucial in finding your child actor those roles that only come out on breakdowns (the daily list of roles that casting directors post with the acting roles on it that they need to fill)...also, the obscure roles that only they know about b/c they are friends with the casting director or producer...agents also deal with contracts for the roles that your child books and they make sure you get paid on time and as much as possible...

get used to it...agents are here to stay and are our friends! i've heard many people moan and complain about their agent, and yes, some of the time that is warranted...i.e. if they don't submit your child...if there isn't any contact with you for months...if they don't pitch your child to casting people or try to get your child in to meet with casting directors on a general audition...THEN, there is cause to question them and decide if you and that agent are a good match...

many times, agents and parents just do not get along...agents are people...they have personalities and there are certain types of people that they like and don't like...the same for parents...
my daughter's agent is very high energy...very positive...loves communication...i am exactly the same way....so we get along like laurel and hardy, and during some of our meetings, you'd think that's who we were! LOL

those are the kind of agents you look for...those that you can be comfortable with...can enjoy working with...that your child really likes...i cannot stress this enough...if you and your child do not like your agent, it will be a VERY long year!
oh yeah, agent's contracts are for one year and usually renewable by them...meaning if they wish to renew, they have the right to...but also they have the right to drop you...

so how do you get an agent? basically the same as getting a manager...read the previous post and it will tell you what to do...but, of course, know that it's a numbers game...you may send out 20 submissions and only hear from 2 agents, or maybe not any...or maybe 10...it all depends on your child's look, resume and age and if they have a client just like them...

also, you can get an agent through showcases...i know that there are several acting schools in nyc and l.a. that showcase their kids to agents at the end of the acting class...i know of several people who got agents that way...

lastly, the infamous "referral"...which is a really good way to get an agent for your child actor...what that means is that you know someone who has an agent and they want to call that agent for you and tell them about your child...that is a very WARM lead and many times will end up with a contract...

whether we like it or not, getting an agent is a necessary step for anyone seriously interested in becoming a working actor...without them, you can only go so far...and yes, they are also in the business of making money...they take 10%...to me, that is such a small fee for what they do...i guess being a businesswoman for most of my life makes me realize that 1/10th of what is made is a small price to pay for the doors they open...

but remember, they JUST open the door...your child has to be ready to walk through it...they can get you the audition, but only your child actor can book the job...

tomorrow i'll blog about the many ways your kid can make money in this business...

have an awesomely successful day...
hugs and out~