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Acting Agency
 It
can be hard enough to break into the most famous business of all
– show business – without having to worry about your
purported acting agency “scamming” you. Follow these
steps to make sure that you get signed up with a good acting agency”
· You should first find out which agency your acting buddies
belong to and how they like it. If you do not have any good actor
friends (or if they are have just as much trouble finding jobs as
you are), you can go down to the local theater and ask the actors
which acting agency represents them.
· Also, contact a local advertising association and ask them
for the names of other advertising agencies in your area. Ask the
creative and art directors which acting agencies they use when they
are hiring models or actors.
· Find out which acting agencies and acting agents in your
area have signed contracts and agree to union rules of the Screen
Actors Guild or American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Just call up these organizations and they will give you a list of
names for free.
· If you have found an acting agency that you think sounds
good (or if they have found you), be sure to schedule your first
meeting with them during working hours so that you can meet with
them at the office – you do not want meet a stranger in some
strange setting.
· Before an interview with the acting agency, call up actors
who have worked with or are working with that agency. See how the
agency treats them and if they are paid on time.
· Once in the office, take a look. Does it seem like a busy
office? You want it to be busy and busseling.
· Ask the acting agency if you can look at some composite
sheets and head shots of other actors that the agency represents.
See what they look like – make sure that you also see the
composite sheet so that you know the acting agency does indeed represent
the face that appears in the head shot.
· Call the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been
any complaints made against the acting agency.
· Lastly, if you sign on to an acting agency, do not pay
any up-front fees. An agent should only be paid a percentage of
each job he books for you.
Simply following this tips is not guaranteed to find you a great
acting agency, but it will at least get you on the road to finding
one and making great networking connections along the way. Good
luck in all of your endeavors to find an excellent acting agency.
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