When a talent in the entertainment industry decides they want representation, know it isn’t all peaches and cream. You will be responsible for your end of the deal and the agent will be responsible for their end of the deal.
The potential discussions about representation include:
- Region representation is covered
- Type of entertainment the agent focuses on
- Head Shots
- Resumes
- Requirements to join the roster, including
- Location of talent
- Possession of their own vehicle and a drivers license
- A flexible Schedule
- Being either a non-union, FiCore or SAG-AFTRA talent is required and or not permitted
- Status of vaccinations for Covid
- Providing details of any management or other agents you may be represented by
- Potentially paying for an online membership(s) to the online actor sites
- Discussing what may happen if you don’t respond to or accept the majority of auditions sent your way
- Discussing what may happen if you do not show up for a booking
Each agent operates their own way with their own requirements. There is no required agent handbook.
Situations you should steer away from include:
- Any requirements to where you pay the agent specifically for representation
- At times a few inappropriate agents may require you to pay them to either taking acting classes with a specific person or get head shots from a specific person. Recommendations for classes and head shots are fine. Requiring you to only use a certain person for either requirement is inappropriate.
- Find out exactly what the agent’s commission is and find out how they handle any job that does pay an agent fee. A professional, established agent can earn their agent fee but it is inappropriate for them to take the agent fee and then double dip and pull an additional amount out of a talent’s pay exceeding the amount the agent said they take. Example: If an agent says they take 15% commission on any non-union jobs and you book a job that pays $3,000.00 + 15%, then your payment after you work the job and the agent paid should be $3,000.00. If the amount was $3,000.00 + 10%, then the agent has the right to pull only .05% from your $3,000.00 payment to make it 15%. No where should an agent ever pull money out of your amount if there is an agent fee. Note: Several unscrupulous agents hide the agent free from talent and double dip on a regular basis pulling 30-40% off of jobs, beware of this.
- Any agent who wants you to agree to bring in all your current clients so they can take over all of your current and future work. You do not owe any agent your previous clients, in the end you could lose them if things don’t work out with said agent or if said agent closes or sells their business.
- Check the google and other ratings of any agent and check out their website to see how it works and what is visible. There is no reason any agent should hide their roster or require a sign in to view potential talent. This doesn’t help with the google ratings and why be on a roster if your profile isn’t visible.
- Never pay to put a profile on an agent’s website. You are a benefit to the agent and your profile is a benefit to their site.
- No agent or manager should try to pull commissions off of work you book yourself or from other representation.
At Impressive Talent, we are here for the talent. We do have our own rules for talent, but we don’t take advantage of them or require any payments other than our commission on jobs we find for our talent. We are a pro Ficore and non-union shop with on camera talent residing from VA to NY and voice talent everywhere.