This I would say is the most crucial aspect of an agents job. Aiding in your clients decision making process when it comes to choosing projects is essential to your clients success. Here is where things might get a little difficult in most cases, clients can sometimes fall in love with projects that are just…not right. AKA HORRIBLE for them. As agents we have to understand that our clients want to be able to express their passion and creativity in their work, but we also have to open their eyes to the potential of never working again…and that’s something we just cant allow. When a client starts making flop after flop, you really have to ask yourself if you’re doing your part as an agent. The last thing we went for our clients is to end up in the “straight to DVD” list, unlike Bruce Willis. Like I’ve said in my very first blog, an agents job is to cultivate talent, not destroy it. So, when a client comes into your office with a passion project that they have fallen in love with, you need to first carefully read it, and then determine whether or not it’s a good fit for their image and your image. One tactic that I like implement with my clients is the two to one. So basically, I will choose two projects and then they get to choose one project. At the end of the day, we are not trying to run our agencies like a dictatorship, the clients should always get some sort of say in the creative decisions.    

When it comes to the entertainment business, it’s all about “who you know”. The fact that someone has studied at a prestigious acting school or conservatory means absolutely nothing!…as bad as that may seem, this business runs on how well connected your inevitably are. I mean, of course talent is extremely important, but sometimes that gets slightly over looked if the actor auditioning is the son or daughter of an established director or producer…cough…cough…Bryce Dallas Howard…cough…Kate Hudson…cough, I’m sure you get my point. When casting already knows your last name, then there’s a big chance that you’ll be getting the role. Now, here’s where the agent comes in to save the day, just because the actor has a famous last name, doesn’t mean its game over just yet. If the agent has an impressive background, and a history of  delivering hard hitting talent, then casting directors tend to be more inclined in choosing talent represented by said agent. The thing about casting is that they want reassurance, they want to be reassured that the talent that they choose is going to be able to deliver in front of the camera; so if they trust the agent then they’ll trust the talent. So as an agent, you constantly want to be getting your name and companies name on the lips of every producer and casting director in town…so what does that mean? Well, it means sending a bottle of wine over to the production company or casting office every now and again, to keep them talking about you. The key is to keep your name on their lips all year around…especially for pilot season.  

So, as an agent; our job is to represent our talent or roster pool to the best of our ability. But…what about when our talent doesn’t represent us to the best of their ability? Well…it’s time to roll up our sleeves and make some tough decisions, but decisions that will save our agencies reputation in the long run. God knows that actors/celebrities can run a bit of a muck when they have long breaks between filming and an endless bank account. Now this is why at the very start of a partnership, there should be a contract that is signed by both parties which states the behaviour in which both parties must conduct themselves. And yes, when it comes to younger talent, there should be more of a stricter policy because a single act of stupidity can mean a career ending PR nightmare, and that is something you most certainly do not want to be connected to your agency or your name. I mean, throughout the years we’ve seen this happen to countless celebrities that have just fallen off the face of the map or were black listed like Mel Gibson, Lindsey Lohan, and even Charlie Sheen. How an actor conducts him or herself on set will determine how much work they keep getting. No one in Hollywood wants to deal with a prima donna…it just doesn’t fly when a production is costing millions a day to shoot, and you’re refusing to come out of your trailer because there’s not tempura bites on the craft table!…but I digress. The point is, if your client is being difficult…you have to get rid of them as soon as possible.       

The entertainment industry is not for the faint of heart, especially when it comes to the film and television industry. It is so easy to go from rising star to barely being able to get an audition. There are moments in which a certain look is highly sought after, for example, in the 90’s and early 2000’s, it was all about the girls with the blonde hair and blue eyes…same with the guys. But now the landscape for talent has dramatically changed, and I guess, that could be in part to the rise of Jennifer Lopez. Nowadays a dark complexion is what is popular in the industry and the blonde haired, blue eyed girls are finding themselves struggling to find work. This is a phenomena that I like to call “the flavour of the month”. A hot commodity will never stay hot for long, not unless it continues to produce good work all of the time…which is rare. We’ve seen this happen many times throughout the years, for example we saw this happen with Macaulay Culkin, Christina Ricci, Johnathan Taylor Thomas and more. So as an agent it is extremely important to have a slew of hard hitting talent on your roster. It’s important to have a variety of talent that ranges from girls, boys, young, and old. It would also be smart to incorporate individuals with unique set of characteristics such as dwarfs, This would allow the agency to stay fresh and resourceful. It’s in an agent’s best interest to stay ahead of the curve, and always be ready to deliver fresh new talent to the table.  

Making it in this business is all about the powerhouse roster you intend to build. As simple as that may sound, you’re definitely not going to be the only agent in Toronto, neither the only agent with their eyes on this promising client either. So, how do we go about ensuring that this diamond in the rough is going to sign with your agency? Well, I for one want to make them feel secure and cared for…most of the time that involves a lavish dinner. When you can make a client feel important and looked after, it generally makes them want to sign with you. But, the most important part of that entire experience is what you do with your cell phone, it’s not enough to just throw lavish dinners and drinks at them, they have to feel as if they are the only client on your roster. So during the entire dinner, it is very important that you not look at your phone, make sure that your entire attention is on them. Another important aspect of the signing process is knowing your potential “star”, you should know the previous work that they’ve done and be able to admire/talk about it. Actors love to be admired and sucked up to, so do it. As an agent you have to be willing to pull out all of the stops for a client, you don’t want to be walking around town being that agent saying “I could have signed them”…if you could have, then you should have.

This part is where the ties get loose and the gloves come on. There will be times when an agent needs to prove their client’s capabilities to a production company or studio. The agent must be prepared to go to any length to get their client that gig, because at the end of the day; the only person that knows what the actor is capable of is the agent. Now, we have to be able to distinguish what is worth fighting for and what isn’t. If your client has been to several call backs, and when I say “several”, I mean 3 or more…then it’s time to take the gloves off. When I say “take the gloves off”; I mean arranging meetings with the production company, studio head, or director to put your client in a more favourable light. Now, this part can be a little bit more difficult for agents just starting off in the business because they may not be as well known by casting, studios, or directors. But, for the most part; this is where some schmoozing could come in handy. Believe it or not industry professionals love to feel special, so taking them out for dinner or sending over a bottle of wine will always reflect favourably on you.  The agent needs to be just as respected as the clients, the willingness for industry heads to hear you out or give you the time of day is crucial for your business. Another way to fight for your clients is to reassure industry heads that the client is more than willing to work as much as required, given the standards allocated by Actra. A finishing move that you could potentially play at the end of a meeting is leaving the director, casting agent, or studio head with the clients reel, in order to show them the range of the actors potential.

I guess you could say the main aspect that makes an agent highly successful is the ability to not only cultivate talent; but to find talent as well. Being able to find that “one in a million” is a highly sought-after skill in this industry. Being able to find “the one” is harder than it looks, with so many wannabe singers, dancers, actors…etc. the waters can get a little murky. Some tips and tricks that I can suggest is to NOT seek out the talent…they will find you. When the majority of the world is out on all social media platforms in the hopes of being discovered by some Hollywood rep, the real talent is out there looking for their rep. Once the headshots/resume submissions have been made to the agency you may now sort through those and determine which individuals are worthy to be represented by you. Upon deciding if an actor is worthy of representation, you could possibly contact them for an in-person audition to see whether or not they truly possess the skills necessary to land paying gigs…simply having a long actor roster is not enough, they need to be money makers. Now, what happens if an actor is “almost” what you’re looking for? Well, you could take them on a probationary period…granted they would be willing to attend some more acting classes and workshops to hone their skills a little further. Now, there could be moments throughout your career when you happen to stumble upon someone that truly manages to captivate you, it could be simply by walking in the subway, watching a school play, or sometimes just based off a simple headshot; here we must follow our gut instinct. I am a big proponent of going with your gut…now, if your gut has led you down the wrong path multiple times; then maybe don’t go with that. But, if you’re gut instinct is right the majority of times, then go with it!   

The life of a talent agent isn’t as glamorous as it’s made out to be; it’s hectic, it’s fast, it’s very cut throat, but it is all in all, fun.

A talent agents’ job is to represent actors and actresses on their roster and make sure they’re going to as many auditions as possible in order to land paying gigs. As agent’s we send actors off to their auditions and when they book those job, we make sure they are paid accordingly. All reputable Canadian agents are registered under ACTRA, the actor’s union.

An agent’s job is a very busy one, we manage our actors by making sure they know where their auditions are, who they’re auditioning for, how much they’re getting paid, and sometimes payment has to be negotiated. Agents are constantly having to babysit their clients and make sure headshots are being updated when significant body changes are made. As agents we are constantly meeting with producers, casting, and directors at times, to make sure our actors have the best chance to be seen by said individuals, to possibly have a better opportunity at booking a job. As much as people think we live glamorous lives, that is far from the truth. Our lives are spent in meeting rooms, planes, and cars; all in the hopes of letting our clients live those kinds of lives. Sometimes when clients don’t represent us in the best light, we have to be able to sit down and have that tough conversation with them, and see whether or not the partnership is worth continuing. When determining whether or not someone is talented enough to be represented by me, I tend to look at their resume; and see what kind of acting training they’ve had, either from universities or established acting/theatre/film schools. Making sure that someone has an established resume, will determine how professional I can expect them to be on auditions. All in all, being an agent is about babysitting.