My fabulous commercial agent Mary retired.
Leaving me to fend for myself.
Usually when agents retire, they sell the company to someone working there. One of the newer lower level agents. I gotta figure, the company is worth a lot of money, what with all the clients and actors begging for work.
Mary retired.
I love Mary for one very important reason. She took me on as a client. Later she took my son on as a client too when he was about 8. It was pretty awesome.
I'm in this fabulous position of getting a new agent. Of wondering do I even want an agent? I've never been very good at booking stuff and I have funny looking hair and my headshots are old and I'm not all that good looking.
I used to be good looking.
Now I'm ugly.
Maybe I've always been ugly. When I look at my old photos, I was pretty good looking but maybe that's just in comparison to the ugliness that is me now.
I have a wall of headshots in my office. It's my version of Dorian Grey. I'm slowly melting.
I haven't done this (looked for representation) in over 15 years.
Here's how you you do it. How you get an agent.
Find a list of the franchised agents locally. It's pretty easy. Unless it's NYC or LA there are usually only 4 or 5. Do a search for acting/modeling agencies.
Franchised means they are licensed or "condoned" or "tolerated" by SAG/AFTRA. The union.
If they aren't franchised, don't bother, it's likely they are schools disguised as agents. From what I've seen only the franchised agents get you auditions. When you audition you sign in, next to your name you put your agent. I've never seen a non franchised agency next to anyone's name.
You need a resume formatted to look like all the others. An acting resume does not look like a work resume. If it looks wrong, they'll toss your resume and picture out. It means you're an amateur they don't need to waste their time. It's hard to get an agent, so just play the game.
Get a nice headshot. Don't get a friend that's a good photographer take one. Spend the money. There is a format to these. If you don't follow the format, they'll toss you out.
My headshot is old. It should get me in the door though. If I can get a new agent, I'll have to fork over the $300 to $500 to get new ones. Ugh.
Usually as a clown, you can get in for the specialty file all the agents have to have.
Even as I work through this I'm so not excited.
I was surprised as I looked through the agents. Most were old school, they still wanted you to mail in a picture and resume. Easy enough, I'm just out of stamps.
When I started years ago, I got an agent and ordered 300 photos and brought them in every few months with my resume glued to the back. I learned from a class don't staple them because one agent cut his finger on a staple and he was pissed about it. So I just used mucilage. Now I just print it on my printer on the back of the photo.
It's a slow process. you mail all these then, you'll get a call in a month to come in for an audition.
Gawd. I've got so much work to do.
Anyway. That's the process. Make a nice resume. Have a nice headshot. Prepare a 90 second audition and wait.
Leaving me to fend for myself.
Usually when agents retire, they sell the company to someone working there. One of the newer lower level agents. I gotta figure, the company is worth a lot of money, what with all the clients and actors begging for work.
Mary retired.
I love Mary for one very important reason. She took me on as a client. Later she took my son on as a client too when he was about 8. It was pretty awesome.
I'm in this fabulous position of getting a new agent. Of wondering do I even want an agent? I've never been very good at booking stuff and I have funny looking hair and my headshots are old and I'm not all that good looking.
I used to be good looking.
Now I'm ugly.
Maybe I've always been ugly. When I look at my old photos, I was pretty good looking but maybe that's just in comparison to the ugliness that is me now.
I have a wall of headshots in my office. It's my version of Dorian Grey. I'm slowly melting.
 |
| I'm very fond of myself |
I Worked on my resume all morning. I created a snarky cover letter.
I haven't done this (looked for representation) in over 15 years.
Here's how you you do it. How you get an agent.
Find a list of the franchised agents locally. It's pretty easy. Unless it's NYC or LA there are usually only 4 or 5. Do a search for acting/modeling agencies.
Franchised means they are licensed or "condoned" or "tolerated" by SAG/AFTRA. The union.
If they aren't franchised, don't bother, it's likely they are schools disguised as agents. From what I've seen only the franchised agents get you auditions. When you audition you sign in, next to your name you put your agent. I've never seen a non franchised agency next to anyone's name.
You need a resume formatted to look like all the others. An acting resume does not look like a work resume. If it looks wrong, they'll toss your resume and picture out. It means you're an amateur they don't need to waste their time. It's hard to get an agent, so just play the game.
Get a nice headshot. Don't get a friend that's a good photographer take one. Spend the money. There is a format to these. If you don't follow the format, they'll toss you out.
My headshot is old. It should get me in the door though. If I can get a new agent, I'll have to fork over the $300 to $500 to get new ones. Ugh.
 |
| I have less hair now |
Usually as a clown, you can get in for the specialty file all the agents have to have.
Even as I work through this I'm so not excited.
I was surprised as I looked through the agents. Most were old school, they still wanted you to mail in a picture and resume. Easy enough, I'm just out of stamps.
When I started years ago, I got an agent and ordered 300 photos and brought them in every few months with my resume glued to the back. I learned from a class don't staple them because one agent cut his finger on a staple and he was pissed about it. So I just used mucilage. Now I just print it on my printer on the back of the photo.
It's a slow process. you mail all these then, you'll get a call in a month to come in for an audition.
Gawd. I've got so much work to do.
Anyway. That's the process. Make a nice resume. Have a nice headshot. Prepare a 90 second audition and wait.
 |
| Don't call my I'm sleeping right now |
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