How long does it usually take to get a talent agent? Is this enough on my resume?
Good for you! You know that you don't pay a single penny (unless they get you paid work, then yes they get a percentage) and you know you have to *gasp* work for it. I don't think it matters how much you've done, but what it is and how well. Tons of school shows are okay, but if you've got school and community/semi-professional (or even professional?) theatre and great training, then it's time to worry. You shouldn't think about agents too early in the game, you become more vulnerable. Work up a name and network yourself. You shouldn't have to look for agents, if you have it, they will come. Don't fall for scams. Always check someone online to see if they are reputable. Talk with your performing friends about local agents in the area and invite one to your performance. Don't make meetings for money trades. If I were you, I would wait even still and get a little more experience and all the knowledge you can on theatre/acting (books, workshops, classes, you can find them in your phonebook, online, etc) and then ask one to come. It sometimes takes quite a long time to find one that's right for you. Best of luck, Brianna!
Do you have to start out with a small talent agency?
If you are mentioning UTA as an example, then I assume you are referring to a film and television career, as opposed to acting. The only real "have to" in pursuing an on-camera acting career is making sure you are ready. Being ready means, you have a decent amount of money to invest in your career, treating it like you are investing in a business. You need to be trained enough to be comfortable in front of a camera. You need to have all your marketing tools (headshot, resume, showreel) at a professional level. You also need to be savvy enough in the business to know how to get yourself seen. One of the things you need to know if that there is no real sense to the business. You could train forever and never get a chance for paid work. You could start at a small agency and never get anywhere. You could also be randomly spotted at a supermarket by a talent scout and be off to the races. You just never know. What you do need to know is that you will never get looked at by a big agency like UTA, because they will only represent actors that they know they can make money from right away. These are usually established actors who are already working. Sometimes they started at smaller agencies and then moved up as they started to work steadily, sometime they just landed a great role in an independent film that does well at a major film festival. Occasionally, a new young talent will be signed by a top agency, I have scouted a few actors who I have gotten signed by such, but usually it is not in an actor's best interest to do so. The agents at an agency want to negotiate your contracts, not develop your career. The best bet for a new, yet highly talented actor, is to get a manager to help develop their career and get them signed with a good agent for them. Managers work on a commission basis as well and most actors these days would be wise to have one. But yes, save the waste of submitting to the big agencies. There is a great listing of agents in Los Angeles that comes out every month through the Samuel French Bookstore website (just google) called "The Right Agent". It has a great guide to getting an agent, as well as information about each agent and what types of clients they go for and how to submit to them. This is a great place to start.
BMG Talent Agency....?
Hi, I am looking into submitting my headshot and resume to talent agencies in Chicago soon. I was wondering whether BMG Talent was any good? They are SAG but a lot of other small agencies in Chicago are but they still seem like crap (for example, their client headshots look really cheap and unprofessional-and they are SAG!). I also know that BMG has an office in LA. Would it be a case that BMG LA is good but Chicago office is poor? Would Lily's Talent Agency be better? I will submit to both, but if I get called in for an interview sometime I just want to know what I am getting myself into. Thanks!
How Do I Find A Talent Agent Online?
You find legitimate talent agents on the SAG and AFTRA websites http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent - choose your city/state from the pulldown at the bottom http://www.aftra.org/1098020CF8E64E9E801... The only way to contact an agent is by mail, not phone or email. You always MAIL a cover letter with a short description of you along with your headshot and resume to the agency address and if they feel you have enough experience and training and they like your look, they'll call you to schedule an appointment to come in and present your prepared monologues or do a cold reading
Should i lie on my resume?
I'm going to send my resume to a talent agency but I literally have no experience or training . 'Cause my parents can't afford to put me in an acting school. So should I lie on my resume? And if I do , will they find out??
Are there any legit talent agencies in Utah?
MAKE SURE YOUR PARENTS ARE INVOLVED! To get an agent, you need to get GREAT headshots, a good resume, and training from the best. These are enough to get you a commercial agent at least. Getting a GOOD theatrical agent (Film/tv) takes longer. Most good theatrical agents won't see you unless you're SAG, have a polished resume, and a demo reel. Commercial agents are more lenient about that. What the best Commercial agents want to see on your resume are good commercial classes, improv, and cold reading. You can get an agent multiple ways. Here are a few common ways: -Mail in an unsealed manilla envelope with a CONCISE coverletter and headshot with the resume stapled on the back. If you have a demoreel include that too. -Attend a showcase and impress them. By showcase I do not mean scammy conventions like IMTA, Proscout, or Best New Talent. I mean legit ones like at TVI, Reel pros, Network Studios, etc. -Get a referral from a friend who is with the agency that you're interested in DON'T -Email them unless they tell you to. IT'S UNPROFESSIONAL! -Call unless they tell you to. ALSO UNPROFESSIONAL! -Walk in and ask for a meeting. UNPROFESSIONAL THREE! -Sign with them if they ask for upfront money, make you take new photos with THEIR photographer, or take THEIR classes. Agent's ONLY make money when you do. Agents usually make 10% on film/tv and commercials and 20% on commercial print. Look up legit agents here: http://www.agentassociation.com/ http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent
How can I get noticed by CAA talent agency? Does that differ from other agencies?
There are just four ways of getting noticed by CAA. The most common is getting poached from a smaller agency who has made the investment in building up your career to the point where CAA is confident they can seduce you through their vast influence and reputation. Most moviestars of today have gone through this scenario by diligently working on their craft and expanding their resume of credits on film and TV. This is unfortunate for smaller agents, but it's just an inevitability that most of these agents have come to accept. The next most common is getting referred to CAA for representation through a friend and/or trusted acquaintance who is already repped by CAA or has a good relationship with an agent at CAA such as a manager or lawyer. This is how I got representation at CAA as my good friend Scott Mebus had just become a client at CAA as a writer/producer at the time.The third way of getting noticed by CAA is by winning a major film festival such as Toronto or Sundance or major competition such as the Academy Nicholl Fellowships or KCACTF. Any Nichols Fellowship winner is offered blind representation by any of the major agencies (CAA, WME, UTA, ICM).The fourth way of getting noticed is by capturing the cultural zeitgeist through producing viral videos (millions of views) on YouTube - one big one most often isn't enough. Jenna Marbles, Kian Lawley, and Timothy DeLaGhetto are beneficiaries of that endeavor.Another way of getting noticed by CAA is by calling them and being persistent - but you will be added into their database of people who are regarded as annoying neophytes to the industry who wouldn't know how to make a peanut butter sandwich with a jar of Jif and a bag of bread. You wouldn't want to know what are said about these people behind closed doors by agents and assistants alike. DON'T call them - they'll call you.CAA is and has been the most elite agency in Hollywood for years and are simply unapproachable unless you are referred to them or recognized. But don't worry - with over 1500 employees working offices in 9 major cities all over the world they have their eyes and ears peeled for people who manage to illustrate that they are a polished talent ready to establish a career in the arts.
On an acting resume, how can you actually prove that you were in a role or that you went to an acting school?
Faking a resume is a very short-sighted approach to an acting career. Maybe it'll get you in the door to audition but if it's discovered that you lied you may not get another audition. Not many casting directors or talent agents like being lied to. Especially when working on a project is a collaborative effort and you really need to trust the other people involved. Faking small stuff like being a background actor is just dumb. Extra work isn't considered acting experience and it isn't going to impress anyone. Claiming to graduate from a "no-name" acting school again isn't going to impress anyone. If you claim to have minor roles in something, then again not all that impressive. And in many places the acting community is small - everyone who matters knows everyone else who matters. When a director looks at your resume, they may ask you about some well-known school and an instructor there. They may ask you about a specific play you claim to be in. And so now you have to lie again in person, not just on your resume. If the acting school is any good, then it's not that hard to verify that you graduated. And if the director speaks to an instructor at the school who has never heard of you - that's not going to go well for you. If you claim to be involved in a well-known acting troupe, then the director probably knows someone who was involved with it and could verify whether or not you were actually involved. If you claim to have a major role in an independent film, but have nothing on your acting reel about it - it looks suspicious. So sure you can try to fake a resume and maybe you'll get an audition and maybe you'll get a part. But now your resume has a lie on it - and you have to keep lying about it and getting caught could have some bad consequences for your career. Lying is NOT the same as acting. Lying is taking advantage of the trust someone puts in you. Acting is creating a character. People don't like working with a liar, especially in a career where trust is important. Again - it's a very short-sighted and immature approach to a professional career.