When You Don’t Have an Agent, Your Agent is You!
You’ve got a very demanding client. So, get going!
(By Jim Webb)
(Photo: Fauxels | Pexels)
Set up your office space. Clean off your desk. Purchase some office supplies. Roll up your sleeves and prepare to work.
You’ve got a very demanding client. That person is needy. That person is moody. That person is demanding and sometimes difficult to work with. That person expects better results than you can sometimes deliver. And when you don’t deliver, that person is quick to jump ship or throw a fit.
That person, by the way, is you! You are your client! And when you don’t have a talent agent, you are also your client’s agent.
Finding a rep, especially on the theatrical side of the business, takes time. It can be frustratingly slow. And when you don’t have an agent, it’s tempting to sit idly by and wait.
RELATED: Create Your Own Opportunities
But successful actors never wait for opportunity. They never wait for the red-carpet rollout! When you don’t have an agent, your agent is you! It’s time to pound the pavement.
And there are lots of ways that you, acting as your own agent, can find opportunities for you, as a client.
Submit yourself
Hop onto the various casting sites and start submitting yourself. Do it religiously, just as a real agent would. Track down opportunities like a hunter tracks down a deer in the woods.
Do it throughout the day, so that you are always first in line when breakdowns are released. But at the very least, pick a time in the afternoon or evening to submit yourself.
Do it nightly and never miss a day. No excuses. No days off! Your client expects results and you must deliver.
Contact Your Contacts
Your actor friends know of opportunities that you might overlook. Maybe they can throw you a bone. Perhaps they can pass along some information that might lead you to your big break.
The same goes for acting teachers you’ve studied with in the past. Or film directors whom you’ve worked with. Or former classmates.
Touch base with your contacts. Ask them what projects they’re currently working on and how they found those opportunities. Then, use that information to find opportunities for yourself.
Reach Out to Casting Directors
Make a list of the casting directors who tend to cast the types of films and shows you’d like to be on. Then, reach out to them as often as is reasonably possible.
If they don’t mind you contacting them directly, then shoot your shot. If they prefer you build a more casual relationship with them via social media, then do it that way.
Stay in their faces until they become familiar with you and your work. Keep it up until you get your chance.
Book Yourself
Finally, book yourself! There’s no need to wait for someone else to give you the opportunity you could give yourself.
Write a script! Get with your friends and film something. And if it’s good, send it to film festivals. Put it on YouTube. Build a channel full of funny viral videos.
There’s no need to wait for someone else to give you the opportunity you could give yourself.
By the way, did you know that you could monetize those videos? That’s right! You can make money for your client, i.e., you, simply by posting popular videos on your YouTube channel.
Your client – YOU – has bills to pay and ambitions to satisfy. He needs a hard-working agent working hard to find him work. So, get going!
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