July 21, 2014
6 TIPS TO KEEPING YOUR AGENT HAPPY
In the acting world, keeping a good relationship with your agent is of the utmost importance! Many times, people will ask us if there are any “do’s” or “don’ts” related to the agent/actor dynamic. Here are our 6 tips in order to keep your agent happy!
- STAY FRESH! Being an actor, you’ve got to keep brushed up on your skills – whether that be improv, commercial or theatrical. If you’re at a quiet spot – perhaps not much is going on in your spec, or it’s over the holidays – you should be looking into classes! Being an actor/actress is a full-time job and you must always be proactive.
- UP TO DATE MATERIALS! As Madonna said, we are living in a material world.. And we require up to date materials! This means refreshing your resume after every job booked, or class taken. Have you developed a love for rock climbing, or started playing guitar? Let your agent know! You should also be getting new photos every year/year and a half. Sometimes a new headshot can be just the thing to get you back into certain casting houses, especially if your old one has become overused and stale.
- BE CAMERA-READY! With the dawn of the Internet, there are now more and more requests for self-taped auditions, that you should be prepared and able to film at home. Look into having a spot in your house or apartment set aside to do tapes, and make sure you have proper equipment. This can be achieved with a relatively inexpensive video camera, basic lighting, a solid colored wall, and a reader. You should be familiar with what will be expected of you from a tape, and how to upload and send it over to your agent. And if you don’t know.. Ask!
- DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL YOU! Cheesy as it sounds, this is a great rule of thumb! if you have not heard from us, PLEASE know that your agent did NOT forget about you. The amount of auditions you will receive depends on the opportunities available for your type at any given time, and this is always changing.. Please don’t think that agents would knowingly be omitting you from audition opportunities, or withholding information from you!
- BOOK OUT! You should ALWAYS let your agency know as soon as possible when you will be out of town or not available to audition. This prevents us from submitting/pushing you for projects that you aren’t available for. You can let your agent know if some dates are negotiable (ie; a doctor’s appointment can be moved, but a trip to Aruba you probably can’t move.) We assume that you are always available unless you tell us otherwise!
- BE ON TIME! When you do receive an audition, do not be late or early – simply BE ON TIME. Arriving 5-10 minutes before your scheduled appointment is sufficient. Oftentimes waiting areas at a casting are not large, so please try to come right when your allotted audition time is. If you do happen to be running late, be sure to call over to let us know!