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An agent is someone who represents you as an actor and gets you into auditions and casting calls. They’ll try and find the right parts for you and recommend you to the right directors. They‘ll negotiate your pay and sort out your contract and terms and conditions for you so you can focus on acting. Generally having an agent is a very desirable thing for an actor to have at all levels of your career.
Agents work on commission so they take a percentage of their client’s earnings – typically around 10-20% – although all agents are different. This way you’ll know that your agent is working hard on your behalf to get you work otherwise they won’t get paid. Be wary of being asked for money upfront though as this is common practice for scammers.
The main way to get an agent is to approach them and get them interested in you. To improve your chances of being offered agency representation you’ll first want to do the following to show you’re serious about becoming an actor:
Hone your craft
An agent will only want to represent you if you’re good at what you do. You’ll need to know your stuff and ideally have gone to drama school. Put time and effort in to being the best actor you can be so you’re more likely to ace auditions and get hired.
Be professional
Agents won’t want to work with you if you show any indication that you lack professionalism. This means you should be responding to emails and voicemails quickly and be punctual for any meetings.
Get headshots made
Headshots are high-quality photos of you which can go on your CV and online profiles like social media and Spotlight. Generally these should be done by a professional photographer who will take a large batch of photos for you to choose from. Try to avoid wearing glasses, hats, scarves, etc. You can see examples of headshots here.
Write your acting CV
Your acting resume is a document that features key information about your details and career including your headshot, training, and acting experience. You’ll end up sending out a lot of these so make sure you get it looking good. Get some copies printed out to bring to auditions and meetings.
Build up your acting credits
Every time you appear in a production you can add this as a credit on your acting CV. Obviously you don’t want your CV looking empty so try to get more credits by appearing in indie short films, drama school productions, or YouTube projects.
Get on Spotlight and Equity
If you have enough credits to your name you can join Spotlight and Equity which are usually essential requirements for agents. Usually your drama school credits will count towards your applications to these.
Record a showreel
This is a compilation video of you performing which you can put up online or send to agents. This should be high-quality so it’s best to hire a professional videographer and editor.
Establish a strong online presence
In this digital age you need to make sure you saturate yourself online and be active on as many digital platforms as possible. You’ll want to be on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, as well as professional platforms like Mandy. If you want to be taken even more seriously you can get a website made for yourself. You can even hire help from a digital marketing agency who will increase the amount of visitors to your website or social media channels.
Perform in showcases
A showcase is when a group of actors perform in a show consisting of a variety of scenes to show off their skills. Agents are regulars at these events as they’ll be looking for new talent to recruit. You’ll typically appear in a showcase when graduating from drama school and agents will attend this.
You can get in touch with an agent by emailing them your CV and links to your various online platforms – especially if you have any YouTube videos with showreel material. If you have any reviews or mentions in publications or blogs then make sure to include those. Address the agent by name in your first email rather than saying “Dear Sir/Madam” or something similar. If you have an upcoming show then you can invite them to that and offer complimentary tickets if you’re able to get them.
It’s important to do your research first and find out more about agencies in your area. You’ll ideally want someone local as they’ll have more contacts nearby and you don’t want to be travelling too far every time you have an audition or meeting. Try finding agents that would be suitable for you specifically. For instance, if there’s an agency that specialises in comedy acting which is something you excel in. Make lists of agencies and check off ones you’ve contacted and need to follow up on. Mark down ones that have declined or have asked you not to contact them again.
Finding an agent can take a while and some actors never find one at all. In the meantime you’ll need to make do with being your own promoter and finding your own acting work. This will involve applying to as many auditions and casting calls as you can. Following the steps above will put you in a much better position for finding representation. Note that It is also common to change agents – you don’t have to stick with the same one throughout your whole career.
It is possible to maintain an acting career and find your own work – at any stage of a career. Generally having an agent offers more advantages than not having one though – the main ones being that you have someone working on your behalf helping your career as well as giving you access to their network of contacts. Actors who are starting out would do well to try and seek representation.
A co-op is a group of actors who are working as their own agents. On the surface the agency may appear to function the same as a regular agency where actors on the agency’s books are being promoted and contracts are being negotiated. However all those actors are essentially promoting themselves and each pull their weight in keeping the agency running. Often a co-op will be made up of a mix of demographics so certain acting jobs will go to certain people in the agency. Joining a co-operative acting agency can be a good route for actors who are starting out and want to learn more about the industry and make contacts.
Being an actor is more than knowing your craft – you also need to sell yourself and get work. At Bridge Theatre Training Company we include professional studies work as part of acting training courses to give you all the tools to navigate the acting industry and be a professional working actor.
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