What to Know When Working with a New Rep…

Getting an agent is just the entree into your new experience as a represented actor.  If you’ve followed the steps laid out in the last two posts(1) and successfully secured a rep(2), you now have new responsibilities.

I know a lot of actors who unfortunately leave their career in the hands of their agent thinking that they can rest, and other than a quick “touch base” here and there to remind their rep that they are around, do, well, nothing.  Your job in marketing your actor services never ends and now is the time to ramp up your own efforts because you are represented and part of a team.

Here are some guidelines to help you stay top of mind in your rep’s thinking and assist them in getting you in the door for more opportunities. Your goal is to have them happy to work with you over the long term and you them:

COMMUNICATION

• Ask how often and the best method to be in touch – then do it. When you haven’t had an audition in a while, don’t assume anything.  Have a way of being in touch that works for both of you. Email?  Text?  Call?  When?
• Respond to calls/emails for auditions immediately. This is PARAMOUNT.  Even an hour’s delay is too long. Confirm or ask for a reschedule if needed.
• Be as available for auditions as humanly possible.  Tell them (book out) when unavailable. A huge pet peeve (that’s putting it lightly) is when you’ve finally been called in by the CD for an audition and you forgot to tell your rep you’re on vacation this week.  Booking out, even for a day, is necessary, as cancelling auditions makes both you and your rep look unprofessional in the CD’s eyes.

EXPAND AND GROW

• Network and meet casting directors, directors, writers and producers every way you can. This is a continuing process and includes you announcing to your list of these industry contacts that you have new representation through email, postcards, social media or all of the above.
• Inform your agent and/or manager who you’ve already met in the industry who knows you, your name, your skill, etc. for more leverage. Make sure they know who you are already connected to.
• Be engaged in education, training, research and development for your business constantly. Every business person who is in business (that’s you if you haven’t figured it out by now) is always learning what’s new in their market to stay with or ahead of the curve.

INVEST IN YOURSELF

• Become a wealthy artist instead of a starving artist or a “just getting by” artist by putting 10% of all income aside to consistently invest in your show business career.
• Create a budget for your show (craft training) and another for your business (marketing expenses).  Then stick to it come hell or high water!  No money, no marketing, no business. Game over.
• Spend your time, energy, effort and money on result producing products and services. Classes, marketing tools, online submission profiles and more are essential and keeping track of what you spend money on that works is too.

HAVE A PLAN/STRATEGY

• Failure to plan = Planning to fail. When choosing to become an actor for a living, you weren’t thinking of it not working out.  Having a plan will create a path to your dream career.  Not having a plan keeps it a dream.
• Make long term and short term goals with specific with dates and numbers. Measuring and monitoring your efforts and seeing what you’re doing that is effective and what is not will show you what and where to correct…and when to stop or continue.
• Create quarterly written business plans with benchmarks in time.  Review weekly. Take out the mystery of your career progress.  What you focus on expands (The Law of Attraction).

Working well and in tandem with your rep will propel your further faster when you employ the things laid out above.  You want that right?  I enjoy your comments on my posts and would love to hear you share your thoughts, especially if you are currently represented.  Did you learn something new?  What will you begin today?