Is your agent right for you?

How do you know if your agent is right for you? There's no easy answer to that question, but there are a few things we advise actors to research.

1.) Are they respected in the community? - Agents gain reputations just like any other business. If you ask around and do some research you'll usually be able to figure out which agents are respected and which ones are questionable.

2.) Do you like them? - A lot of actors get so excited about getting a meeting for representation that they sign with an agent who'll have them, whether they like the person or not. But, you must remember, you and your agent will hopefully be working together for years to come and if you don't like the person you're working with you're going to see that reflected in your career... and in how you approach communications with your agent. You must have an agent you feel you can get along with. Otherwise, you're signing a contract that could lead you down a dead end and delay your success.

3.) Are they responsive? - To be clear, no agent will respond to every question you ask. The fact is they have many clients and all of them ask questions. Many of those questions have to take a back seat and don't get answered. A good agent knows when a question is important enough to respond to immediately and when the question is not important in the grand scheme of your career. But, if you have genuine concerns about your career that they aren't responding to, then you may want to reassess if that's the right agent for you. The hard thing about this particular point is understanding what counts as legitimate concern vs something you're freaking out about, that doesn't affect your future. If you have a coach or career counselor it may be a good idea to ask them if you're unsure about where your question may lie. 

4.) Do they understand you? - It's important to remember that, as an actor, you're essentially selling a product. Your agent has to know how to submit you to casting and how to pitch you when needed. If you're not being submitted or pitched correctly then you're not going to get auditions or bookings. Make sure you and you're agent are on the same page as to what types of roles they're submitting you on. And don't be afraid of letting your agent "type-cast" you to start. In other words, if you play a teacher well, then let your agent submit you for every teacher role they think fits. As your career grows you'll be able to broaden your type. But first, you have to build a resume before casting starts seeing you as the "other" option.