Do you need an agent? Only if you want to be considered a pro, get paid more than union scale, and have a shot at better billing. And only if you want to work.
When casting, the studios, casting directors, producers and directors of Los Angeles hate crowds. (It's hard to be laid back in a mob.) Consequently, they've set up elaborate systems to keep actors uninformed. Except for an occasional hot tip from a friend or the trades, without an agent you'll miss out on most jobs simply because you won't know they're there.
More important, with an agent you cross a very important psychological barrier. You become a pro; someone (else) in the industry believes in your talent. As voice-over casting director Bob Lloyd put it, "You have to be competitive. Then you have to be able to prove it. And then you need to have someone who believes that and will merchandise you."
And, frankly, one producer said out loud what most industry people feel: "I get leery of actors without agents."
There are about six different kinds of agents, each handling performers in different areas of the business. No matter his special field, he's still a salesman whose product is talent:
- Theatrical agent: Television and motion pictures.
- Commercial agent: On-camera work in commercials.
- Legitimate agent: Theatre.
- Voice-over agent: Radio and off-camera work involving only the actor's voice for commercials, cartoons, announcing, and radio drama.
- Modeling agent: Modeling and, often, print work (magazine ads, billboards, other print media), although this can be handled separately.
- Variety agent: Nightclub work, personal appearances, etc.
In Los Angeles, you may sign with only one agent per category. (There's no limit in New York.) You may sign with different agents/agencies in different fields, but you may not have several commercial agents, several theatrical agents, etc.
WHAT A THEATRICAL AGENT DOES
The typical theatrical agent has about 50 actors in his "stable." (That's the term. Well, it is a horse race.) Each morning, between slurps of coffee, he looks over one of his primary tools for finding his clients work: the "breakdowns" (from the Breakdown Services, Ltd).
Since acquiring and reading entire scripts is time-consuming, this service has become an institution. It provides agents and personal managers with a summary of all roles taken from scripts about to go into production, including the sizes of all parts and a brief description of every character. The Breakdown Service is not available to actors. And there's no guarantee that any role listed hasn't already been cast.
From these descriptions the agent decides which, if any, of his clients are "right" for the various parts. With a typewritten submission sheet, photos and resumes of the actors he's submitting under his arm, the agent then visits the casting director or has his submissions delivered.
The casting director checks the submissions and says yea or nay based on his reading of the script and what the producer and/or director has told him about the part. Most often, the answer is nay: the part's been cast, the casting director thinks the actor is wrong for it ("Some of the things casting directors say about actors is reason enough to have an agent so you won't have to hear it," says theatrical agent Joel Rudnick), or the casting director doesn't know, like, or trust the agent. (Some agents can't even get in to see some casting directors.)
Faced with a turndown, the agent may try to change the casting director's mind; he may submit another client for the part (theatrical agent Colee Viedelle calls this "the Fuller Brush approach to agenting"); or he'll fold his tent and slip away. Rarely will an agent go over a casting director's head to the producer or director - it's not good politics.
If the agent gets a yea, a time is set for the actor to audition. If the actor gets the part, some serious dickering takes place between agent and casting director, primarily over salary and billing. The actor won't take part in these negotiations; the agent will call an actor only to get a thumbs-up or thumbs-down - but, no matter what the offer, he must call.
For doing all this, an agent receives 10 percent of the actor's gross earnings when the actor gets paid - and not a moment before. He is never paid in advance.
The rest of the agent's day is one long series of: phone calls from clients, reading contracts, interviewing potential clients, strategy meetings with fellow workers, etc. And, when the sun sets in the west, he gets to go home, right? Wrong. He's off to see one of his clients in a play.
These dervishes really whirl.
ABOUT LEGITIMATE AGENTS
The agents who handle stage work. The problem is the lack of paying work within the city. "The opportunities to make a living in L.A. theatre are almost nil," says personal manager Larry Fonseca. We know of no agent in L.A. who works stage exclusively. The ones who handle theatre all do it "on the side." Get the picture?
If you want to concentrate on paying theatre, head east. If you ask an L.A. agent to rep you for theatre, be willing to go out of town if you're cast - that's where most of the work will be. But remember, while you're strutting the boards in Birmingham, the rest of your career will be largely on hold. You take the money and make your choice. In any case, the information in this section basically holds true for theatrical and legitimate agents.
A WORD OF ADVICE
Without the right qualifications - good photos, a decent resume, and a SAG card - unless you're under 21 and look it, you're wasting your time. As one agent bluntly put it, "What makes an actor think he qualifies for film work when he's done no films and has few or no theatre credits?"
Postpone the Great Agent Hunt until you've gotten some experience. In the meantime, if you have a good smiling photo, you might try for a commercial agent. Since many commercials don't involve lines, commercial agents are more receptive to a beginner who lacks credits but has a look or personality they think will sell.
Too often, actors in a beginning acting class talk about getting an agent. A one-year-old horse doesn't need a jockey. He needs a trainer.
