Know What Kind of Agent You're Looking For

Know What Kind of Agent You're Looking For
Before you start looking for an agent, you need to decide what kind of agent you’re looking for. Many beginning actors don’t realize that there are different types of agents who specialize in different areas. The most important types are theatrical agents (for film and TV work), commercial agents (for commercials only), and legitimate agents (for stage work). There are also separate agents for modeling and print work, for voice-over work (including film, TV, commercial, and radio), for nightclub work and personal appearances (these are called variety agents), and for various other skills like dance, singing, and stunt work.

Your agent may cover one or more of these areas. When the same agency represents you for everything, you are “signed across the board.” Agencies that do this are referred to as full service agencies. Whether you want to sign up with a full service agency or get different agents for different types of work is entirely up to you – some actors prefer to have several agents because agents dedicated to one type of work truly specialize in that area; but there are plenty of excellent full service agencies out there as well.

If you are just starting out in the business without much of a résumé to speak of, it is often a good idea to look for a commercial agent first. Commercial agents are usually looking for the broadest range of “types,” and also accept new clients on a constant, year-round basis. It is usually much easier to land commercial work early on in your career than it is to land major roles, and having a few solid commercial credits on your résumé may make you more appealing to theatrical or full service agents later on.

Get a Headshot and Résumé
Once you’ve decided what type of agent you’re looking for, the next step is to get a great 8x10 headshot and put together a clean, professional-looking résumé (film and TV actors should also eventually develop a demo reel - a short video of clips of your work - but don’t worry about this when you’re just starting out).

There are different types of headshots that are appropriate for different types of acting work - and certain markets prefer certain types of photos, as well. Getting the right headshot or headshots for you is a fine art, and you want to be sure to do your research before committing to a particular photographer or style. Read more about how to get the perfect headshot here.

You want to be sure to get your résumé right as well: find a list of résumé-writing tips here.

Find Agents in Your Area
First things first: the agents who are worth your time and effort are those who are franchised by the actors’ unions. This means that they’ll be able to get you legitimate, paid professional work - and that you can file a complaint with the appropriate union if they don’t. Agents should generally have official agreements with SAG or AEA (or both), and preferably also with AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).

Here is a list of agents franchised by SAG. You can also contact your local SAG branch, or visit them on the web at www.sag.org for a free list of franchised agents in your area. Agency lists are also available from Samuel French Theatrical Booksellers or Breakdowns in Los Angeles or New York.

L.A. and New York are the major markets for actors, meaning that the bulk of professional work is in these two cities. There are quite a few perfectly good secondary markets for actors, as well - Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, and Philadelphia, for instance - and most of these markets have a pool of dedicated local agents (once again, you can get lists of these agents from SAG). But if you live in, say, Cleveland, chances are you aren’t going to find an agent locally. You can still get an agent in the nearest city with a SAG branch - provided you are willing and able to travel to this city with only one day’s notice. If not, you may want to think about relocating to be in or near one of the major markets.

Continue: How to Get an Agent Part 3