Agent Matters

Getting an agent can feel like one of the biggest milestones in an actor's career—but what happens after you get representation? In Episode #442 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, author, teacher and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach takes a practical and sometimes humorous look at the actor-agent relationship... Read More

From the show: Casting Actors Cast

25 mins

Oct 8

About

Getting an agent can feel like one of the biggest milestones in an actor's career—but what happens after you get representation?

In Episode #442 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, author, teacher and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach takes a practical and sometimes humorous look at the actor-agent relationship.

This isn't an episode about how to find an agent. It's about understanding the professional relationship once you have one: franchising, communication, commissions and residuals, transparency, industry connections, management skills, expectations, warning signs—and the actor's own responsibilities in making representation work.

Jeff also offers a simple five-part Representation Check-In built around Trust, Communication, Transparency, Strategy and Professionalism.

Because representation isn't validation. It's a business partnership.

Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions course.

Transcript

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Actors spend an enormous amount of time

trying to get an agent, and almost no

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time thinking about what happens after

they get one.

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Which is interesting, because getting

an agent isn't the end of a problem,

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it's the beginning of a relationship.

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And relationships can be wonderful.

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They can be productive.

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They can change your career.

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And occasionally

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they make.

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You stare at your phone and think,

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is this thing working?

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An agent can be one of the most

important professional relationships

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you have as an actor.

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But here's the part we don't talk about

enough.

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Representation doesn't automatically

mean good representation.

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And having an agent doesn't necessarily

mean you have the right agent,

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because this isn't simply about who

submitted.

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It's about communication,

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trust,

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money,

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expectations,

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professionalism,

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and whether the person representing

your career is actually helping you

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manage it.

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So today we're going to talk about

something actors desperately want,

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and occasionally

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desperately want, to get out of

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representation,

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because

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agent matters.

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And we're going to talk about why.

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So let me make something clear before

we go any further.

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This episode is not called how to get

an agent.

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There are plenty of conversations about

that.

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This is about what happens

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once somebody says

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I'd like to represent you,

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because that's when actors sometimes

stop asking questions.

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And that's exactly when the question

should begin.

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Welcome to casting actor's cast.

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I'm Jeff dries back.

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Casting director, teacher, author,

former actor

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and someone who has spent a

considerable portion of his life

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talking with actors, agents, managers,

directors and producers,

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sometimes all before lunch.

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If you're new to the podcast, welcome.

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And if you've been with me for a while,

I'm delighted you're back.

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You can find everything we're doing at

casting actor's cast dot com that's,

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well, you'll find my podcast,

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information about my book, booktent the

actor's play book for getting cast

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and my online course.

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Next level auditions prepare smarter,

perform, better, book more.

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And while you're there,

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make sure you fill out the form and

jump into the dallant pool.

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That opens up some free materials I've

created for actors,

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including the voice over book and video

about casting directors what they don't

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tell you.

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Now listen, all of this is design to

give you some practical information you

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can actually use.

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Ok,

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ok, ay, let's talk about agents,

because this relationship, to me,

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matters a lot

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representation

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is definitely a relationship, and

here's the thing I want you to consider.

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An agent is not a prize.

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Now I know it can feel that way.

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You've sent emails,

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you've submitted materials,

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you've asked

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friends for referrals.

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You've researched agencies.

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And finally, somebody says we'd like to

represent you.

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Cue the orchestra, release the

balloons, call your mother.

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You have an agent.

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Except,

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what do you actually have?

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You have entered

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into a business.

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Relationship

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that's different.

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An agent is not an award you receive

for becoming a legitimate actor.

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Representation is a professional

arrangement between two people

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who believe they can accomplish

something together.

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Now, listen, that distinction matters

because actors sometimes enter representation

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from a position of gratitude

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rather than evaluation.

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Ah, thank you for taking me.

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Sorry, I just hit the microphone there.

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Thank you for dagging me.

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I did that again.

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Now, wait a minute, a minute.

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They're not adopting you, right?

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They are bringing something to this

relationship too.

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You are bringing something to this

relationship

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as well.

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Your talent, your training, your

experience, your materials, your professionalism,

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and ultimately, your earning potential.

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This should be mutually beneficial.

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Most agents are, in my view,

hardworking people

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trying to get actor's opportunities in

an extraordinarily competitive business.

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Now I want to emphasize that

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this isn't an agent bashing episode.

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Quite the opposite,

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good agents are enormously valuable.

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I've worked with terrific ones.

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They're knowledgeable, they're

responsive, they're honest,

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they're realistic,

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they know their clients,

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they understand the market place.

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And perhaps most importantly,

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they don't promise things they cannot

deliver.

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Now that's a big one, because one of

the first potential warning signs is an

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agent who seems to be selling you a

fantasy.

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I know everybody.

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I can get you in anywhere.

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This casting director always takes my

calls.

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This producer owes me.

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But legitimate professional

relationships

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usually don't need that much advertising

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from the casting side, I can tell you

something,

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we know agents.

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We develop relationships with agents.

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We trust certain agents because of

years of interaction.

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But an agent cannot command a casting

director to audition someone.

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They can advocate.

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They can pitch.

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They can say, hey, Jeff, take another

look at this actor.

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I really think you might be missing

something.

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And guess what?

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Sometimes I do.

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Now that's valuable,

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but no legitimate agent possesses the

mystical golden key to the casting room.

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Listen, if they did, every actor on

their roster would be working constantly.

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And I assure you they're not.

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Here's the first business question, one

of the least glamorous questions, I know.

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But this is a very

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delicate kind of question

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that an atk can ask.

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And that is

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also, I think, one of the most

important.

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And the question is,

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are you franchised?

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Very sexy,

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right up therewith, do you validate

parking?

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But if you're a union actor,

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this matters

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sayafter, has specific Rules governing

representation by franchised agents.

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An actor's equity has its own

franchising regulations.

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Franchise isn't simply a fancy industry

membership.

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It establishes Rules and protections

governing the relationship between the

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actor and the agent.

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So don't assume,

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check,

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know who you're doing business with and

understand the agreement you're signing.

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This is particularly important because

actors sometimes confuse

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three

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very different things.

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An agent

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that's different than a manager,

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which is completely different than

somebody who has a website saying

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they're an agent or a manager.

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Those are not necessarily the same

thing.

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You know I actually had an actor last

week say, you know, you recommended

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this agent to me, and I looked at their

website, and it's not really up to date.

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I'm laughing, because in my mind I'm

going,

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what what?

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And in reality, what I did say was, did

it ever cross your mind that maybe

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they're extremely busy as an office and

don't spend that a much time on a fresh

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looking, sharp, sizzling website?

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Does it cross your mind?

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Listen?

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A big, beautiful website is not

necessarily professional accredation.

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So be aware of that.

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Well, neither is an impressive list of

names.

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Only there is a photograph of some one

standing next to Stephen Spielberg at a party.

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Listen, I could stand next to Stephen

Spielberg.

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That doesn't mean he's returning my

calls.

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And then, of course, we need to talk

about money,

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right?

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Nothing tests a business relationship

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quite like a check.

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When you're working with a

representative, you should understand

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what is commissionable

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and what is it?

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How is money being handled?

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What documentation

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will you receive?

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What happens with residuals?

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What happens when payment passes

through the agency?

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Listen don't guess and don't rely on?

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Well, I think it's ten per cent

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of what

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understand union Rules.

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The details can matter,

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for example, saying, after specifically

distinguishes between commissionable

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and non commissionable payments and

residual commission.

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Those Rules can vary, depending upon

the applicable agency regulations.

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So if something doesn't make sense,

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ask

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a legitimate financial question.

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Is not an accusation,

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it's a business question.

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Can you explain this deduction?

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Can you show me what this payment

represents?

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Is this residual commissionable?

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When was this check received?

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Those are reasonable questions.

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You're not being difficult.

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Your being reasonable.

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And here's something else

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good representation.

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Generally,

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they don't want financial confusion

either.

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Confusion creates mistrust.

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Clarity

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protects

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everybody.

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Now let's talk about communication.

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Let's talk about the complaint.

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I probably hear most often from actors.

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My agent doesn't communicate with me.

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Ok?

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But

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what does that mean?

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Because sometimes

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what the actor means is

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my agent doesn't communicate with me as

often as I would like.

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That's different.

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Your agent may represent fifty actors

or 100 or more.

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They cannot necessarily provide you a

weekly state of the union address about

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your career.

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Oh, Jeff.

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I just want to let you know that once

again, nothing happened Tuesday.

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Thank you.

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Very helpful.

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But

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having said that

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there is a reasonable expectation of

professional communication,

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important emails should be answered.

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Questions about contracts should be

addressed.

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Audition information should be accurate.

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Changes in the relationship should be

discussed.

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And you should have some understanding

of how your representative prefers to communicate.

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Whether that's email,

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phone, text,

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scheduled check ins.

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It's important to find out.

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I think one of the healthiest things

you can do at the beginning of a

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representation relationship as asked.

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How do you like your clients to

communicate with you?

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You see, that's a very different

question from, why aren't you calling me?

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Now?

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What happens when the relationship

isn't working?

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And here's where this gets

psychologically, really, really interesting.

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Sometimes

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actors

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will remain in a bad reputation

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relationship

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because

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they're terrified of having no

representation.

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Now, listen that's understandable.

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You remember how difficult it was to

get the agent.

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So you think,

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I can't leave,

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even when nothing is happening,

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even when communication has

deteriorated,

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even when promises aren't being kept,

even when you no longer trust the

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person, because something feels better

than nothing,

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except sometimes

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nothing is actually clearer

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than something dysfunctional.

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I am not suggesting you fire your agent

because you haven't had an audition in

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three weeks.

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The business doesn't work that way.

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A slow period is an automatically bad

representation.

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Your persona,

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your brand, may not be

278

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the right thing to place at this given

moment.

279

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The market might be slow.

280

00:14:05,145 --> 00:14:07,514

Projects may not be right for you.

281

00:14:08,581 --> 00:14:10,183

Your materials may need work.

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Your agent may be submitting you

constantly

283

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without getting responses.

284

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Remember, submission is not audition,

285

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and audition is not employment.

286

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Please know that there are several

people between those stages.

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So don't evaluate representation solely

by counting auditions.

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Look at the relationship

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more broadly.

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Is there communication?

291

00:14:38,411 --> 00:14:39,679

Is there strategy?

292

00:14:40,580 --> 00:14:41,247

Is there transparency?

293

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Do they understand who you are?

294

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Are they submitting you appropriately?

295

00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:48,21

When something isn't working?

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Can you discuss it?

297

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See, that's a relationship.

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Now, listen there's another warning

sign I want to mention, because actors

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are particularly vulnerable to it.

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The representative who constantly talks

about

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00:15:04,571 --> 00:15:05,605

who they know.

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00:15:06,673 --> 00:15:08,641

I know that casting director.

303

00:15:09,309 --> 00:15:11,344

I'm very close with that producer.

304

00:15:11,711 --> 00:15:12,812

You like my agent voice?

305

00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,649

I work with that studio all the time.

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Maybe they do.

307

00:15:20,820 --> 00:15:24,924

But here's the thing about real

industry relationships they're usually

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00:15:25,291 --> 00:15:27,227

pretty easy to verify over time.

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00:15:28,28 --> 00:15:31,297

If someone tells you they have an

extraordinary relationship with every

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00:15:31,398 --> 00:15:33,133

casting director in New York,

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00:15:34,34 --> 00:15:35,368

I have some news for you.

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We haven't met every casting director

in New York.

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Industry.

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00:15:41,141 --> 00:15:42,275

Relationships are specific.

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They develop over years.

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They're based on trust.

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And good agents don't need to

manufacture

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00:15:51,151 --> 00:15:51,851

influence.

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00:15:52,986 --> 00:15:53,887

Their work demonstrates.

320

00:15:54,521 --> 00:15:54,721

321

00:15:56,22 --> 00:15:59,559

be especially cautious when someone's

entire sales.

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00:15:59,859 --> 00:16:01,928

Pitch is based on access,

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00:16:02,662 --> 00:16:05,765

because access is not the same thing as

influence.

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00:16:06,433 --> 00:16:09,602

And influence is not the same thing as

employment.

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00:16:11,304 --> 00:16:12,739

Now, listen there's another possibility.

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00:16:14,107 --> 00:16:16,9

We don't discuss very often.

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00:16:16,810 --> 00:16:22,549

Someone can be perfectly honest and

simply not be very good at their job.

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You know what I mean?

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That's harder

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because there may be, well, there may

be no villain, no scandal, no missing

331

00:16:31,558 --> 00:16:32,792

money, no deception.

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00:16:33,159 --> 00:16:33,760

They're just

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00:16:33,927 --> 00:16:35,28

disorganized.

334

00:16:35,695 --> 00:16:36,596

Emails get lost.

335

00:16:36,830 --> 00:16:37,964

Appointments get confused.

336

00:16:38,431 --> 00:16:39,399

Follow ups don't happen.

337

00:16:40,433 --> 00:16:44,270

Information arrives late, and suddenly

you're managing.

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00:16:44,738 --> 00:16:48,274

The person who's supposed to be helping

manage your career.

339

00:16:49,943 --> 00:16:52,812

Now that's not necessarily an ethical

problem,

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00:16:53,713 --> 00:16:54,414

it's an effectiveness

341

00:16:55,548 --> 00:16:55,715

problem.

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00:16:56,416 --> 00:16:58,385

And effectiveness matters

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00:16:59,319 --> 00:17:01,755

good intentions are lovely.

344

00:17:02,489 --> 00:17:04,624

But your career needs competence.

345

00:17:05,692 --> 00:17:06,726

Simple as that

346

00:17:08,428 --> 00:17:10,397

now listen, before every actor starts

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00:17:12,198 --> 00:17:13,266

thinking about

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00:17:13,700 --> 00:17:15,535

auditing their agent,

349

00:17:16,169 --> 00:17:20,40

we need to turn the camera around for

just a second, because you have responsibilities

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00:17:21,141 --> 00:17:21,608

too.

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00:17:22,108 --> 00:17:22,876

You do?

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00:17:23,376 --> 00:17:24,944

Are your materials current?

353

00:17:26,279 --> 00:17:27,714

Are your headshots accurate?

354

00:17:28,281 --> 00:17:29,382

Is your resume updated?

355

00:17:29,949 --> 00:17:31,985

Are your profiles maintained?

356

00:17:32,752 --> 00:17:35,188

Do you respond quickly to auditions?

357

00:17:36,489 --> 00:17:37,924

Are you prepared

358

00:17:38,658 --> 00:17:40,627

how's yourself tape set up?

359

00:17:41,861 --> 00:17:43,29

Are you professional?

360

00:17:43,930 --> 00:17:47,267

Do you tell your agent when you're

unavailable?

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00:17:48,668 --> 00:17:49,536

Hey, just a sidenote.

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00:17:49,936 --> 00:17:51,37

That's a big one.

363

00:17:51,705 --> 00:17:54,874

If you go away for a couple of weeks

and don't tell your agent,

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00:17:55,375 --> 00:17:56,476

that couple of weeks

365

00:17:57,377 --> 00:18:03,49

might be the time in which I am calling

your agent for, to give you an audition,

366

00:18:03,616 --> 00:18:04,918

I promise you that's happened.

367

00:18:05,552 --> 00:18:06,820

And the agent says, ok.

368

00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,558

And then a few moments later, or a few

hours later, the agent calls back and

369

00:18:11,558 --> 00:18:12,759

says, I can't get hold of them.

370

00:18:12,759 --> 00:18:13,927

I don't know where they are.

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00:18:15,61 --> 00:18:16,496

Isn't that crazy?

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00:18:17,230 --> 00:18:19,332

That's what I mean about

professionalism.

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00:18:20,633 --> 00:18:21,434

Also,

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00:18:22,435 --> 00:18:24,4

do you follow instructions?

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00:18:25,138 --> 00:18:26,406

Are you easy to reach?

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00:18:27,374 --> 00:18:31,478

And perhaps most importantly, are you

expecting your agent to create a

377

00:18:31,478 --> 00:18:31,644

career?

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00:18:32,345 --> 00:18:35,215

You haven't taken responsibility for

yourself

379

00:18:36,916 --> 00:18:39,352

an agent represents your career.

380

00:18:40,353 --> 00:18:43,189

They do not manufacture one for you.

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00:18:44,24 --> 00:18:45,925

That's an important distinction.

382

00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,31

The healthiest actor agent

relationships I've observed are partnerships.

383

00:18:51,798 --> 00:18:55,35

The actor is doing their job, the agent

is doing theirs,

384

00:18:55,769 --> 00:18:59,39

and neither person is expecting the

other to perform miracles,

385

00:19:00,340 --> 00:19:03,43

although miracles remain welcome.

386

00:19:06,12 --> 00:19:07,380

So we're going to take a quick break.

387

00:19:07,547 --> 00:19:12,18

But when we come back, I want to give

you a simple way to evaluate your representation

388

00:19:13,319 --> 00:19:14,387

without panic

389

00:19:14,821 --> 00:19:15,822

accusation,

390

00:19:16,256 --> 00:19:21,761

or that dramatic email you write at two

in the morning and deeply regret at 815.

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00:19:22,662 --> 00:19:24,164