Sunday, February 01, 2015

As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!

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.

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this posted by David August at 2:28 PM - 0 comments -  

Friday, January 23, 2015

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Scammer Called Out

Me: Hello?
Other person: Hi, I'm [name removed to protect the guilty]. I'm from ['agency' name], and we'd like you to come to our auditions. We're having auditions at [theatre name] on thus and such a date and time, and we'd like you to come in.
Me: Sounds great!
Other person: Okay. And please bring your headshot and resume.
Me: Great, looking forward to it. See you then...
Other person: And we're asking actors to bring $10 as a donation to [name of alleged non-profit charity] to perform.
Me: ...
(I look up the alleged charity's form 990, a tax form charities must file. I find nothing.)
Me: Thank you for inviting me. I'm not finding [name of alleged non-profit charity]'s form 990, so because of the fee charged, I will not be attending.
Other person: (Launches into rant insulting me, protesting way too much: they know they are doing a bad thing.)

This is inspired by an actual exchange I had a few years ago on email. Actors never have to pay money upfront to honest agents and managers. Representatives make a percentage of the money you are paid for work.

Happily:

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer on Friday announced the launch of a new campaign aimed at warning aspiring actors and entertainers of scams in which managers and agents seek upfront payments and other fees for representation.

(from LA Officials Announce Crackdown on Agent and Manager Talent Scams). Be careful out there.

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Thursday, August 14, 2014

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Bad Rep or No Rep

Your team, the people you are surrounded by, can make a huge difference. But remember, your reps are not the center of your career. Can be tempting to focus all your energy on getting a rep. Try to remember: you didn't move to LA to get an agent. You're here to act, to book work.

Having a rep feels like it solves a problem, when it really may not. The right rep is vital. Having the right rep can really help things, but it's better to have no rep than the wrong rep. Bad representation is worse than none.

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Wednesday, March 05, 2014

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SAG-AFTRA's New Code of Ethics for Personal Managers

SAG-AFTRA has finalized its Personal Manager Code of Ethics and Conduct [PDF of the code], a voluntary agreement that is designed to promote honest and ethical relationships between the union's members and the managers they choose to represent them.
This Code of Ethics and Conduct was conceived and executed by our members, said Zino Macaluso, National Director and Senior Counsel, Professional Representatives. We are thrilled to release the final document after years of input from our members and the management community. SAG-AFTRA looks forward to establishing a closer, mutually beneficial relationship with this community to advance the needs of all concerned

(from SAG-AFTRA).

The Code includes "putting the member's interests above their own and not deriving personal gain at member's expense," and other items which sound like good things for actors.

However, The Wrap reports the Talent Managers Association (TMA) is urging its members not to sign and quotes the TMA saying in a statement that their ...organization was in dialogue with SAG-AFTRA regarding their new Personal Managers Code of Ethics and Conduct, and goes on to say, [a]fter thoughtful review and consultation with legal counsel our position is to advise members against signing the SAG-AFTRA code in its current highly restrictive and regulatory form. While the TMA says ...[c]urrently, there are counterproductive elements we believe that can be further revised for everyone's benefit, The Wrap doesn't mention what the counterproductive elements may be. My voice-mail, tweets, email and the TMA web site's contact form asking what elements they don't like, and for their comments, haven't been replied to yet by the TMA as I publish this.

I read the Personal Manager Code of Ethics and Conduct and it doesn't seem too unexpected. I've heard rumor of many managers "procuring work" for their clients; it's rumored many managers do exactly the same thing agents do, only without regulation and for 15% instead an agent's 10%. California law says managers aren't allowed to procure an actor work, but in reality, it has been alleged that many function as unregulated talent agents. Perhaps this code may counter some of those alleged activities.

This code also seems to bring any possible disutes between an actor and a manager more within SAG-AFTRA realm. It sets up how conflicts would be resolved though arbitration through SAG-AFTRA. I have a message in with SAG-AFTRA's communications department to get their thoughts and reactions.

For most of us as actors, a manager having signed the code may be a sign of at maximum a manager trying to work closely with the union in accordance with all the rules and laws, and minimally, a manager having signed the code may suggest the manager is trying to message how serious and legitimate they are. In the end, as with all our business relationships, the specifics of the people we work with, and how we treat them and they treat us will have far more bearing than any code, organization, government or anything else ever will. For things like honesty and effectiveness, the proof will be in the pudding, so to speak. These are all just my initial thoughts. Caveat actor and break a leg.

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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

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Quick Monologue Thoughts

Monologues are the necessary thing actors can encounter, even in LA. Some friends asked about them, so here are a few thoughts. In LA an actor who isn't interested in doing stage plays probably doesn't need a monologue.

Many theatres prefer something from a play as opposed to film/TV, often something considered to be from the established cannon of plays (meaning typically not something you or a friend wrote).

In all cases run your monologue choice through this gentle guideline: If the monologue is so well known the people watching can do the monologue with you, that is not ideal. Nor is it always a great idea to do something from a movie or TV show unless you can do it better than the original. Otherwise you may get stuck in the shadow of that already-seen-by-casting version.

Remember that "better than" the original has some leeway. I heard of a woman doing the "to be or not to be" speech from Hamlet and doing it well enough and unconventionally enough (helped that she was female) that she did get a callback. Being memorable in a good way is usually good.

Monologues are typically used more for stage auditions than for auditions for film/TV auditions. If a representative (agent or manager) wants to see a monologue before taking you on, but does not represent actors for legit (meaning stage), then this is not great. In working with a rep that doesn't cover stage work, you will likely never be asked to do a monologue on any auditions they send you on, so why would they want to see one?

Choosing something you love, and love doing, that makes sense for you, whatever you decide "makes sense" means for you and for your purposes, is probably a good idea. You enjoying doing the speech will typically make it better. It also may make you enjoy the process of going to auditions more.

Follow their instructions: if they say contemporary, then the writer should still be alive, or could be alive. Contemporary monologues were likely written in the last half of the 20th century or in this one. Modern would likely be any writer alive roughly during George Bernard Shaw's lifetime, which was long (1856-1950). Classical usually means things like Shakespeare and contemporaries, Classical Greeks, and the like. If they say dramatic, don't use a comedic monologue, if they want comedic, make it something funny.

If you have any thoughts on monologues, or what I've just written, please leave a comment. Break a leg!

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this posted by David August at 1:04 PM - 3 comments -  

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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Paying to Be On An Agency Web Site

A friend asked:

Is it industry standard now for an agent to charge a yearly web fee for having your profile up on their site?

No, is the short answer.

In some states such a thing is technically legal, but I am not sure why an actor would work with an agent that tries to make money off of actors instead of with actors. I suppose there may be cases where such a thing might make sense for an actor. It is far from standard operating procedure. I have a solution.

If a rep suggests you pay to be placed or featured on their site, you can pitch to them that they get the fee they are asking for in addition to the 10% standard commission when you book your first job each year. If they balk at that suggestion, it seems that they do not truly believe the web site profile will lead to work.

Remember that setting up a profile on a site like ActorsAccess (breakdown service's site for actors) is currently free, though they change for additional pictures and for video, and also for submissions. I am not sure why an actor would want to work with an agent that doesn't use sites that are more standard, like ActorsAccess, instead of their own possibly-never-actually-has-lead-to-bookings site.

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this posted by David August at 11:53 PM - 2 comments -  

Friday, May 04, 2012

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Size of Your Team

This may seem self-evident, but bears writing down. There is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to people helping someone realize their vision. When a company is small starting out, perhaps as a solo operation, each new support person, someone that doesn't do the main operations of the company (example: sales, marketing, etc.) can build the bottom line and the success of the company in a big way. Part of this is a function of numbers and partly the effect of realities of business, any business. Adding a sales person to a thriving business that didn't have any can hugely impact the number and dollar amount of sales, no matter the industry. But as any organization adds even more people, the value the last person added is less than the previously added people. Again, this is partly due to numbers and also the realities of business.

An over-simplified analysis is that 2 people are twice the person-hours/focus/ideas of 1 person, person number 3 adds only half again the person-hours/focus/ideas that the first 2 had without person number 3, and person number 4 adds only 1/3 again the value and so forth. 1 more marketing person added to a multi-billion dollar transnational corporation doesn't add an overwhelming amount of value to the bottom line. This holds for actors and their organizations too. Agents are sales people, publicists are somewhere between public relations, marketing and outside sales, and classes and personal trainers are perhaps product development for actors. The actor with a 6 or 7 digit quote ought to build a team of a different size, and possibly functions, than the actor with a smaller quote not only because the commissions and fees of a larger team are more expensive, but the acting business of one actor benefits from a differently sized team than another actor's acting business.

At the solo level, you might be very happy making a living gigging at certain kinds of venues and being supported by a given audience. On the other hand, to support a manager, a band and a label, you can't just add a few more fans. You need different venues, different gigs, different revenue streams. If you can't (or don't want to) get to that new level, the new team isn't going to help, and it might destroy everything you've built

(from What's the right size? The quantum mechanics of growth).

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this posted by David August at 2:58 AM - 1 comments -  

Sunday, February 05, 2012

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One Agent's Focus

During the next month, if what you're calling or emailing me about does not pertain in some way to a major feature film role that you know definitively is currently casting or does not pertain to a series regular role, I do not want to know about it. Period.
If you have an issue with that, I ask that you kindly find an agent whose priorities are chasing SAG Ultra Low budget roles rather than potentially multi-million dollar pilot roles
...from this point till April, if you call me about a two line part in an indie, I will drop you

(from Ryan Hayden from Ideal Talent Agency's letter to clients).

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Saturday, September 03, 2011

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Work with the Intrinsically Motivated

Life is too short to waste your time working with people who are motivated by extrinsic factors, such as money, status, or grades

(from Intrinsic motivation, a killer input).

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Monday, May 02, 2011

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Moral Hazards and Agents

Interesting implications of agents unavoidably always having more information than actors. The ...principal-agent problem or agency dilemma treats the difficulties that arise under conditions of incomplete and asymmetric information when a principal hires an agent...

Moral hazard also arises in a principal-agent problem, where one party, called an agent, acts on behalf of another party, called the principal. The agent usually has more information about his or her actions or intentions than the principal does, because the principal usually cannot completely monitor the agent. The agent may have an incentive to act inappropriately (from the viewpoint of the principal) if the interests of the agent and the principal are not aligned

(from Moral Hazard Wikipedia entry).

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

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Top 5 Things to Ask an Agent

@agentadvice, a theatrical agent (film/tv), earlier today posted this answer to "What are the top 5 things to ask when meeting with a potential agent?"

  1. Background of the agent & agency- Know who is representing you. Sometimes an internet search can answer some of these, but always good to hear firsthand the history of the company, the agent's resume (hey- they're evaluating yours! why not do the same in return!). What other agencies they've worked for? What companies the agency has strong relationships with?
  2. What's their roster look like? Who do they have on a series, what projects are their clients currently doing? What's in the woodwork? If no client on a series, is there a steady stream of recurring & guest stars? Is the bulk of their clients working actors or development? Where do you fit in to the roster? Are there others that fit your type? Size up the competition within the agency. You're competing against them just to be submitted/pitched! What's the frequency of taking actors to the next level?
  3. How does the agent see you? Ask them what they think your age range is, what ethnicities you can play, etc. They're the ones that will be submitting & pitching you, so you should know what they're going to see you as!! Also, be prepared 2 hear what age someone else believes you as, and not what you think you can play.
  4. As an agency, what sets them apart from the others? Just as they will ask to know what casting directors know you, feel free to ask what CDs know them! Do they regularly pitch directly to CDs or to their associates? DO THEY CALL & PITCH!
  5. What is the game plan with me? Ask for realistic goals & be ready for truthful and honest answers. Now, keep in mind, the delivery of these questions & reception to the answers they give are important as well. If I'm sitting down with a client who clearly is going to be developmental, I'm gonna scoff to myself if they honestly expect to get generals w/ studio casting execs. Just remember- they are interviewing you & you are interviewing them. The weight of your & their name value depends on how the scales tip.

Reposted with permission.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

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Headshot 4x6 Proofs from a Lab or Store

For proofing new pictures, do you use lab prints or drugstore prints? When choosing new headshots agents and managers (both commercial and theatrical) often ask for 4x6 printed proofs of 5 to 10 images before making a final choice on which to print out as 8x10s and upload to casting websites.

Commercial casting is done with virtually no printed headshots involved (at least in LA) and for the moment theatrical casting is mainly paperless until an actor actually arrives at the audition with the printed headshot in hand. So for both, the digital image of the headshot as seen on a screen is identical to what casting will use to decide whether or not to call an actor in to audition. Agents and managers will never be using the 4x6 prints to pitch actors; these 4x6 prints are just for actor and rep to select what headshots to use in pitching.

Photo labs charge between 10 and 20 times what drugstores charge for 4x6 prints from digital files (one lab in LA charges $3.00 per print, a drugstore $0.19 per print, a discount warehouse $0.13 per print). In general it's good to cut expenses if the end customer won't experience a drop in quality; 4x6 prints are never seen by casting, producers, directors or audience.

Do you have any experience with presenting less expensive prints to an agent or manager for them to proof? Does it make sense to spend more money on physical prints when casting is now almost all digital images on screens (that money can go to other actor expenses like a reel, the photo session, 8x10 prints, classes, food, etc.)? Please leave a comment.

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this posted by David August at 5:25 PM - 1 comments -  

Monday, October 27, 2008

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Digital Agents Get Press

TV Week has an article on talent agents in Hollywood who engineer deals in the growing online video economy, and I intend to read it, when I get a chance.

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Monday, August 04, 2008

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Priorities of Your Agent, Manager and Publicist

When it comes to putting your own team together, the most important thing you can do is find people who want to work with you because they believe in you and your potential as an actor (politician, athlete, etc.) and a human being. Not because they see dollar signs every time they look at you.
Every time you decide to add someone new to your "team" always remember to ask yourself this question: If I was making no money at all, would they still want to work with me? If the answer is Yes, then you know you've found a keeper!

(from Sharon Moist's post to WaitingPatiently).

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

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Talent Agencies Act - California Labor Code 1700

There is a version of the Talent Agency Act (California Labor Code Section 1700) on a state website, but there are also various other online versions of Section 1700, in case the state moves it and you need to read up on the law covering talent agencies. It may answer some questions about how agencies are supposed to behave, especially Sections 1700.23 to 1700.47.

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Monday, May 21, 2007

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Agency Due Diligence

A few places to check an agent's background:

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this posted by David August at 5:33 PM - 0 comments -  

Sunday, October 01, 2006

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Why Agents Say No (Sometimes)

Alan Nusbaum discusses why agents sometimes pass on talent they have called in to interview, and the importance of striking a balance between too much confidence and too little.

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this posted by David August at 5:46 PM - 0 comments -  

Saturday, August 19, 2006

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Talent Agency License Database

Useful to match the license number to the agency... if one is so inclined to do so.

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