Los Angeles Acting blog by David August: Should I Stay Or Should I Go

Sunday, February 01, 2015

Should I Stay Or Should I Go

Agents and managers, when should you stay and when should you go? An actor was sharing concern that their current representation wasn't getting them auditions, let alone bookings. These are some off-the-cuff comments I made about when to stay with an agent or manager, and when to go:

You are not alone in having encountered a rep with whom you are not effective right now. Oftentimes an ineffective rep is worse for an actor than having no rep; it can keep the actor from seeking, or being seeked out by, a rep with whom the actor will have more bookings and progress in their career. One of the best decisions I've made was to part company with an ineffective rep once. This is anecdotal, and I did have moments of concern and near panic during the short period I had no rep afterwards, but then connected with reps that were world-class at what they did. Sometimes making room for something better is better than trying to redeem or build something that simply cannot grow well.

That said, trying to rejuvenate, and improve an existing relationship can make a world of difference. Often the rep may not be thrilled with results either. Perhaps a good, honest discussion of what you can do, together and individually, to make your work together more successful, can fix things. The true challenge is knowing when to work on it, and when to go elsewhere. Hindsight will be perfect, but best educated and reasoned guess can be the effective decision. Best of luck!

Please comment with your ideas and thoughts on when to stay with, and when to run from, an agent or manager.