Today's blog covers the MOST requested topic in The Instinctive Actors' Society, and it's no surprise! One of the most common conversations I have with actors is about finding a good agent.
They say, "I don’t have access to the right auditions," and they get so disheartened. Or "I go to an audition, and the role is already cast cuz they packaged it with big agencies," or the biggest of complaint of all: "My agent NEVER gets me out!"
I get it. That’s tough. You're an actor, and in order to book work, you have to get auditions, but if no one sees your work, how can you book work? It’s a real Catch 22.
So often I see actors try to network a lot in order to try and meet good agents. They mail postcards, send gifts, make cold calls, ask around for referrals - all in the hopes that they'll get picked up by a big agency and it will change everything.
If you have tried any or all of those tactics before, you know that it takes a lot of work, a ton, and then when you are finally signed, even with a huge agency, you sometimes still never get the call.
It seems like the process is just designed to be frustrating, but I say, it's EASY to get a great agent.
Let’s look at it logically: You have something to offer. You find a distributor, and you sell.
That may sound very clinical, but hear me out...
Translation: You have an open instrument that’s free and instinctive. You have a great reel that reflects that. You sign with an agent that matches your level. He sends you out, and you book work.
But you have to be ready.
Acting is also a business, and just like in business, you have to have the product ready for the distributor to send it out, and for orders to come in. If I made pottery for people, and I had beautiful design ideas to share but not a single piece of pottery ready to sell, I'm not going to be very successful.
And once my distributor tells everyone about my product, and I cannot deliver, I'm going to lose that connection with my distributor AND my customers because it's unprofessional.
When actors LOOK for an agent, they usually put all their energy into networking and making connections. But by doing that, they skip the major step: They haven't made sure they are ready. (i.e. they’ve got to pottery pieces to sell yet.)
They want to get taken care of before taking care of themselves. What does that mean?
It means:
Is your instrument 100% available?
Can you access it instantly and under pressure?
Are you 100% happy with your reel and headshot? Does it reflect what you are offering?
An agent cannot make you great and then hand you work. An agent will meet you where you're at, so...
If you're not training diligently for those big auditions to happen, when they do, you will not be ready. If your instrument is talented but not stretched and prepared to go at a moment's notice… if you're not purposeful, unique, and you can't put your voice into what you have to offer... you have nothing.
You cannot have an agent at a higher level than your instrument, so if you want a great agent, you need to be great.
I'm not going to go into the long list of things you can do in order to start having meetings with agencies. If that's what you're looking for, you can find them on any marketing websites for actors.
The first and only thing I am concerned with you doing is making sure you have an instrument that knocks your socks off. An instrument that is exactly what you know it can be. One where you can walk into an audition room and only be concerned about your customer, which is to say your character.
If you're tense and closed up, you're not going to be serving your character, and you're not going to book anything, no matter how great a gig your agent has lined up for you.
And you can't accomplish that by external "fixes" or tricks. You can send as many postcards and gifts as you want, but you have to take care of your instrument first in order to find a great agent.
So, ACTION #1: Don't look for a great agent before you can trust that you will be great under pressure, that you can walk into your instrument and be like 100% proud of how it opens, how purposeful you are, and how committed to your character you are instead of the result.
A great place to start is the free Instictive Actor webinar, where you'll get three exercises to start working on your instrument right away, with an opportunity for more. You can register by clicking the image below.
ACTION #2: Take care of your instrument, periodically reset, tune it up, and stretch it under pressure. If you've let it slide, get back on it.
Once you're performing at that high level consistently, make sure your headshot and reel that represent your true instinctive instrument. Then agents will see the opportunity, and they will want sign you.
Get back into your greatness! Start with what matters first, you.
Until next time,
Jo
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Let's take this discussion further! Leave me your questions or comments in the comment box below.
Whenever you’re ready, here are TWO ways I can help you:
1. Join my free Facebook Group, THE INSTINCTIVE ACTORS’ SOCIETY,
exclusively for actors who are ready to go from good to great and become undeniable.
REQUEST TO JOIN: facebook.com/groups/instinctiveactorssociety
2. Get on the waitlist for my course, The Reset Journey From Resistance to Freedom,
and stop struggling to access your natural, authentic talent in the audition room or on set. You’ll learn how to reset your instrument to be 100% instinctive and free in just 33 days. GET ON WAITLIST: tobeornottoact.com/waitlist