Acting for you.

Acting for you

I left drama school without an agent. It didn't bother me too much at the time. I had an eight month contract for the Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester in my hand, and I thought I had it made. I was pretty sure that once I got on the stage  I would be spotted by lots of people who couldn’t resist the temptation to work with me and jobs would be forthcoming.  As young actors go, I don’t think I was or am alone in that assumption.

Last Monday we had a fantastically successful event at The Actors Centre in Covent Garden. entitled “Moving On Up”. It was aimed at this year’s drama graduates from all the major drama schools. The building was packed to the seams, and it was great to see so much potential gathered in one place.

Like me,  so many years ago, these young people are all focused on getting an agent. Indeed, for many of them, that will be their main focus, rather than actually getting a job. One of the facilities we provided last Monday were five very brave agents who agreed to speed date  around 80 young actors, and the results were interesting. Given that the aim of the evening was to make the young actors realise that their career is a business, one that they are solely responsible for, a lack of knowledge in this area soon revealed itself. One agent told of a young man who sat in front of him chewing gum and starting to list his cv, until very quickly told by the agent that he wasn’t going to talk to him unless the gum was removed. Despite two heavy hints in emails as to the benefits of a business card or CV, less than five actors actually brought one. Hardly any had done research on the agents they were meeting, to find out what sort of actors they liked to represent and who they already had on their books. I’m not sure if any of the graduates from Monday night will be signed by any of the agents who were kind enough to come and take part. I rather doubt it. Not that they are not talented enough, but that they haven’t applied any basic job interview skills to what for many could be their only opportunity to spend two minutes in front of an agent for some considerable time.

One student told us that one of their tutors had advised them to 'hound' agents, to call and email every week until they agree to a meeting! I don't know how much of that is the student's interpretation of what they have been told, but if true, it is terrible advice!  

Agents are human beings. They are professionals and your relationship with them should remain on the professional working basis. They may become good friends, a sounding board, and a unique source of advice. After all, they are the person who sells you to the world, so they are quite rightly selective in their judgement and should be dealt with just as you would approach any other person in a professional capacity, lawyer, solicitor or estate agent. Well, perhaps treat them better than you would an estate agent!

Your letter to them should state clearly what you’re asking for. Are you asking for representation?  or are you just asking them to come and see you at drama school? In either case what is your unique selling point? Don’t lie, and don’t be tempted to buff up your CV. Have you seriously researched that agents website, or is this just another cut-and-paste letter of the fifty you are sending? The agent will detect it very quickly and will probably do with it what I do with all junk mail that lands on my desk. I bin it as I didn’t ask for it.

All the delegates on Monday night were informed which agents were coming, so there was plenty of time for them to look up on the agent’s website as to what sort of actors they represented, and indeed whether they have a surfeit of young fresh faced clients in their early 20s.

I was lucky enough to go from job to job, with just a few gaps in between for three years. Then while appearing in a play at Leicester Haymarket, the agent of a colleague came to see her in the play and asked if I had representation. My letter to that agent was dispatched by first class carrier pigeon, a meeting ensued, and they represented me for six very happy years. It’s interesting to point out that as soon as I went with that agent, I did then go into my longest period to date of unemployment for nine months. But when the work did come, it was good work. They changed the market of things I was seen for.

Many young graduates think they have solved the work problem as soon as they get an agent. They sit back at home and do very little other than moan more and more on a daily basis about their agent. An agent is only another chance of getting work. One of many. You need to still continue to follow leads, and send letters of your own volition. You need to network - that’s one of the things The Actors Centre is for,  and you need to remain responsible for managing your own endeavours.

Ultimately an agent is only acting for you, among their 120 other clients. They will rarely have chance or time to go out and chase things up purely for yourself. Casting briefs will land on their desk, and they will be able to suggest you for things that otherwise you might not have access to. Actually agents are most useful when you’ve actually been offered the job, possibly getting the money up - I think on occasion mine has been able to get my BBC “Doctors” fee up from the price of a medium cappuccino to a venti vanilla latte -  and they certainly come into their own should any problems arise. At the moment my own agent is dealing with an issue on a job I am doing with all the ferocity of a lioness protecting one of her cubs. I’m lucky to be with her.

So an agent is a real worthwhile addition to any actor’s career. Or some of them are.  Bearing in mind that having put casting briefs out on corporate jobs, on occasions I have received emails from agents saying “Please look at this person for the job”. On that occasion they are not really selling you, and they’re certainly not earning the almost certain 20% commission they would take on a corporate job, so when you get the opportunity to meet an agent, don’t be blinded by gratitude. Ask sensible questions. How many people your age and sex do they have?  How do they make submissions to casting directors? Some agencies even have their own IT template for doing that.  What does their website look like? Does it just link through to your CV on Spotlight which you’re already paying for  or do they display CV's photographs and news as to what their clients are up to on their own website. Look at the quality of the website. That can tell you an awful lot about the quality of the agency behind it.

And if you are lucky enough to get a meeting, following your letter or following the agent seeing you in one of your final year shows, prepare, dress well………and don’t chew gum.