Two kinds of people spend their lives on the phone - bookies and commercial agents. Here's why:
Each commercial agency puts together a "book" (a three-ring binder containing pictures of all their clients). When casting, the commercial casting director looks through them, chooses the "right" actors, and calls the agent. The agents phone those people and give them information regarding the audition.
Get the part and the casting director will phone your agent to tell him when you'll be shooting. (Unless you're a celebrity, there is no salary or billing negotiations - more later.) The agent then calls you with that info.
A fairly set routine? Couldn't get much setter. In the fast, furious world of commercials, you're either right for the part or you're not. Your agent doesn't sell you - your pictures (and, later, you) do. "We're really order takers," says one commercial agent. Naturally, if the agent is smart, he'll make friends of all commercial casting directors. He wants them to go to his "book" first.
Sometimes the casting director gives casting information to the Breakdown Service and the agents submit your pictures for a specific part. But don't expect the kind of personal attention from your commercial agent you should be getting from your theatrical agent. Your commercial agent serves as a kind of clearinghouse of commercial types before you're cast, a messenger of information when you're cast, and a guardian of your financial interests (straight pay and residuals) after you're cast.
Further, in Los Angeles you can't survive in commercials without an agent because there's little opportunity to submit yourself directly for a commercial. Most casting directors freelance; besides, commercial casting is a speedy business, often going from first audition to "in the can" within a week. You can search the trades from now till Elsie the Cow comes home and never know what's casting.
Voice-over agent Don Pitts: "In New York you can make the rounds to the ad agencies and production houses. Out here, there's nobody there to talk to, and, at the ad agencies, nobody wants to talk to you. You really have to rely on your agent."
SEEKING/CHOOSING AN AGENT
Since you won't need the personal attention so necessary in theatricals, there's nothing wrong with your commercial agency having a client list that numbers in the hundreds. In fact, the larger the better. Big agencies tend to be more trusted by casting directors and, consequently, receive the bulk of the calls. "The others get the crumbs," said one commercial casting director. Some of the best known:
- Abrams, Rubaloff & Lawrence
- Nina Blanchard Enterprises Inc. (Be seriously beautiful)
- Sonjia Warren Brandon's Talent Agency (AKA Commercials Unlimited)
- Iris Burton Agency (kids only)
- Cunningham-Escott-Dipene Agency
- Joseph, Heldfond & Rix
- Tyler Kjar Agency
- MGA Agency (Mary Grady) (kids)
- Susan Nathe & Associates/CPC
- Jack Rose Agency
- Special Artists Agency
- Sutton, Barth & Vennari, Inc.
- Talent Group Inc.
- Herb Tannen & Associates Inc.
- Wilhelmina Artists Representatives
When called in, use all the techniques found in "The General Interview/ Look-See" and add a good helping of "perk."
DEAUNG WITH/MOTIVATING THE COMMERCIAL AGENT
Taking your agent to lunch and making a colleague of him is a given - even in commercials. Beyond that. …
What he'll expect of you
Obviously, he won't expect you to get commercials on your own. He won't care that much if you do plays and showcases except as a way for you to keep fresh and promote your general value as an actor. (And don't expect him to come and see you - that's like asking a baseball manager to come watch you play quarterback.)
And he won't expect you to be calling him with suggestions regarding submissions.
He will expect you: to be a fantastic auditioner; to be on time and not to miss interviews; to pay him his commission; and to keep track of your residuals and, especially, your conflicts. He'll also want you to keep him well-heeled in composites.
(Some commercial agents will hand you a list of commercial casting directors and ask you to drop off a photo to them for their agency books. They'll say it's a great way for you to make contacts, but the fact is they're being lazy and you'll mostly contact receptionists. Do it anyway.)
Above all, be reachable! Commercial auditions pop up fast. Do all in your power to be sure your agent can reach you on a moment's notice. You're out to lunch. You call your commercial agent at noon. You're "clear." Ten minutes later, he gets a call telling him they need you now. You don't call back until two P.M. You're really out to lunch.
He may not mention it, but he'll probably want you to take as many workshops taught by commercial casting directors as possible. The reason? Contacts.
What you should expect of him
Assuming you've given him good pictures, and you're "white bread," you should go out on commercial auditions far more often than for movies and TV shows. It may take a little while, but once you get rolling, expect to go out at least twice a week.
"The most I ever went out on," says one good commercial type, "was ten in two days." Lower that number if: you're not "white bread," your agency is small, you haven't got good pictures, or you suddenly "cool off' (hang in there; things will eventually pick up again).
Beyond this, your agent's most important function is to keep track of your residuals and conflicts, and to help you put together your strongest selling tool: a super composite.
CHANGING COMMERCIAL AGENTS
You change commercial agents in the same way as theatrical agents, but there's one important difference. In a theatrical contract, if you don't get 15 days' work in a 91-day period you may fire your agent. Since most commercials are shot in one day, that's asking your commercial agent to come up with 15 different commercials every three months. So a dollar figure is substituted: if you don't earn $2,000 or more in any 91-day period, you may fire your commercial agent.
If you have signed with an agency "across the board" (commercially and theatrically), the theatrical contracts take precedence. You may fire him if you didn't get 15 days' work in 91 days.
