Can you advise me on finding an agent?

I can suggest you stop wasting time writing to agents who will not take you on. And I can help your application to other agents to be expressed better. I'm sometimes asked to run a workshop for different co-op agencies who send its representatives to watch half-a dozen actors of the types they are seeking - running scenes which we have previously worked on.

For you to really understand agents you need to know the business incredibly well, which is one of the elements of the often-repeated CAREER & CV FOCUS workshop, - to help you understand exactly where you stand, FULLY , as well as to learn when agents and casting directors are worth approaching.

Unless you have a good showreel, the most common way of finding agents is NOT asking them to come and see your work, but concentrating your time instead on actual ACTING. Anywhere!. Squeezing in yet another fringe production, working anywhere at all, but always aiming at shows which have large casts, - AND THEN APPROACHING THE AGENTS WHO WILL HAVE COME TO SEE THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THAT CAST. This keeps you concentrated on acting and not on writing pointless letters.

Is there much difference between casting agencies, talent agencies and personal managements/agents? Can we join the books of more than one? Is there such thing as 'the top agent' or 'a must join agency'?

Phew, well the answer to this is going to get quite involved, so pin your ears back! Yes there is quite a difference between the various agencies both in the types, and in stature in their respective fields.

Casting agencies and talent agencies are broadly the same thing. With these, although they generally prefer you just to sign with one, there is nothing to stop you signing with several. This is especially the case if you want to work in different areas of the business.

You may choose to do some extra work to gain experience, in which case, there are many various agencies that you can approach. Many of these charge a registration fee, although, in my experience, the best do not, but this can vary from region to region. London agencies are more likely charge a registration fee, because the amount of people wanting to do extra work means that they can do this. It is always best to be wary of the motives of this type of agency though, especially if they charge a large fee, as registering does not guarantee work.

Casting and talent agencies generally work in the same way as extra agencies, in that they produce an annual book that they then send out to various casting directors [CD], in the hope that if the CD is looking for a specific type, they will flick through their brochure. Again you will be charged a (probably quite large) fee for registration with this type of agency. You will not be actively promoted, but will be just one of several hundred (or thousand even) within the book.

The best agent to get if you are serious about the profession, is a personal manager. With these, you enter into an exclusive contract with them, so they have sole representation. Although there are some top agents that represent celebrities and top theatre people, it us unlikely that they will take you on without a body of work already achieved, or unless you have been to one of the top drama schools.

However, the good news is that there are alot of very good agents that will represent your interests. For advice on actually getting an agent, see a response to an earlier question further up this page.

Any agent will want to have seen you in something before they take you on, and if they don’t, then they are not worth joining, because this is the person you are entrusting to promote you to casting directors. They need to have experience about what your professional strengths and weaknesses are so they can do their job effectively.

Rather than recommending specific agencies, here are some questions to ask somebody who is interested in representing you:

1. How may people do they represent? The less, the better, otherwise how will they remember your individual skills, and find time to promote you personally. An average for personal managers is 60 – 100. Don’t forget that the larger agencies may employ several people or more, so that figure can then be more like 50 per individual agent.

2. How many people do they have working at any one time? Again, at the very least you should reasonably expect more than 50%.

3. How long have they been established? If an agent has been around a while, then they must be doing something right. Conversely, there are some very good agencies that have started up recently, that will be hungrier as they need to establish their reputation. For them, you need to find out what their previous experience in the industry is.

4. What the agency sees as their strongest areas? Most will say all areas, but in truth, some are better at theatre, and others at TV, because of the contacts they have built up. And then there are specialist film agencies too.

5. Where the agent sees your career going? This is crucial obviously, as their vision for you must broadly be in line with what you want to do. However, with experienced agents, it is also worth listening to their thoughts, as they can have an objectivity about your career that you will not – we’d all like to think that we can do everything, given the chance.

Finally, the most important thing in choosing an agent is your instinct. How you get on with them, and if you feel you are on the same wavelength, means that they can more effectively get you the work you want to do.

For initial research, go to the agents section on our website, which lists several hundred agencies of different types, and gives you some basic statistics (how long established, how many they represent etc) to help you narrow down your choices. If you know people in the business, ask around and see who you hear good things about.

One more thing. Although your choice of agent is important, don’t forget that YOU are still responsible for your career. They are there to help you, but this does not mean that you can abdicate responsibility and wait for the parts to roll in. They can’t do the auditions for you, and equally, it is up to you to keep in touch with what is going on (reading The Stage, subscribing to our newsletter etc), so that you can suggest things that your agent may have missed – they are only human after all.

It’s only casting directors who think they are God..........

I really want to be an actress and have sent a few letters off to agents but one letter that I have got back asking to see me wants money before I even go for a photo done or an interview is this right? Also do Agents cost a lot to represent you?

The answer to this is short and sweet. I would NEVER audition for an agency that wanted me to pay for any sort of ‘admin’ fee for an audition. If the agency is serious about recruiting, then they should expect to make their costs back by hiring actors who will earn them money in commission.

This up-front fees situation is most prevalent amongst extras agencies, which is usually dressed up as a ‘book’ fee. See my answer to an earlier question about agencies for more detail on this.

A good agent will not charge any up-front fee, but rather a commission on what you earn. This varies from agent to agent, and also depends on the type of work you get. For example, a long term theatre contract you can expect to pay 10-15% commission (+ VAT); a TV contract 15-20%; and a one off advert around 25%. This is much better for you, as of course the agent won’t earn anything from you unless they get you work.

Equally this sort of agent will be much more choosy about who they do take on, as they won’t want the hassle of lots of unemployed actors calling them up giving them grief about getting them an audition, if they don’t believe that actor will get work in the first place.

For more information on various scams that con artists posing as agencies pull, there’s a very interesting website (American based) that gives you a fair idea at www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/Delivered/modeling.htm. Also have a look at other questions on this page, as there’s quite a lot of relevant stuff here about approaching agents etc. And best of luck.

I have been thinking about setting up an agency for actors. I would work from home at first. I have no idea how to go about it though, which is why I am writing to you. Do I need to register somewhere as an agency? How do I start off? I hope you can help me or at least direct me somewhere else.

Another big question, this one! None of the staff at Artists-Inc have had any direct involvement in running an entertainment agency, so we can’t give you any first hand advice I’m afraid. However, we can point you in the right direction.

Equity – have a helpdesk dedicated to agents, and you’ll probably be able to pick their brains – especially if you’re a member yourself. Go to www.equity.org.uk for contact details.

The Agents Association – this is set up as an organisation for Entertainment Agents in the UK. I spoke to a lady on the phone there, and she was very helpful. Have a look at their website www.agents-uk.com for more details.

DTI – you have to be registered with the Department of Trade & Industry as an agency if you want to get into this line of work, so you should definitely take a look at their web-site too, which is www.dti.gov.uk/er. If you click on the drop down box at the top of the page, and select Employment Agency Standards, that’s as good a starting point as any. You’ll also need to have a look at the Employment Agency Act 1973, and the Conduct of Employment Agencies & Business Regulations 2003 which both relate to your responsibilities as an agent as well.

As you can see, setting up as an agent isn’t quite as straight forward as you might first think. There have to be lots of checks in place, so you don’t rip-off poor unsuspecting actors by holding onto their pay etc. Unfortunately this still happens despite all of this, as many an actor can testify to.

One more thing, if you are serious about being an agent, then consider the possibility of working in an already established agency first, before striking out on your own. A good agent has lots of contacts, friendships, and general insider knowledge of the industry, which you cannot hope to have unless you’ve worked within the industry for a while within a different role, and got a decent list of contacts from that (eg if you’ve been in a lot of productions as an actor). There’s a lot more to being an agent than meets the eye, something that we actors do conveniently forget sometimes.

We wish you the best of luck!