How do you join SAG or get an acting agent?

Question

Please dont say "join community acting clinic" or "gain experience". I want to know where I can find people whose job it is to represent up and coming actors.

Answer 1

All these answers seem to help, but I'd like to add something.
Is there a local play theater in your area. You could join and learn some things from these people. It would also help you get some recognition for your skills. If you have something special, someone will notice and possibly help you. Also, once you have some experience, people will be more willing to talk to you.
Sorry. I know it isn't much, but no one else seemed to talk about getting your foot in the door.

Answer 2

It's a catch 22: no union = no job, no job = no union.
Agents are busy. Send head-shots to listed agents, not agents with ads in Time Out, etc. Follow up with a call after a few days. If you have a resume someone will likely ask to see you.
SAG is hard to get into. But AFTRA is not so hard. Try another union and get some work. If you're good you'll get noticed and SAG will follow. Many actors got their SAG card on the set of their 'Big Break'
If you want to be an actor, classes are a great place to network and agents often see or hear of talent through them in more metropolitan areas. But it takes a lot of determination and be prepared to feel rejection. A LOT. Learn from it and use it.
Good Luck

Answer 3

You do not need experience to get into this field. To become successful, you will need classes, etc. But many people start with commercials, etc....with no experience. My mother is a talent manager in Florida and has been in this business for almost 25 years. Many of the people that she represents book many jobs from the beginning. It's all about the right look and personality.
I am not sure how you would find an agent or manager, but my email is available. If you let me know what state you are in, I can give you some info.
FYI: you will get more jobs (especially in the beginning) with a manager instead of an agent. Most agents will get a casting for the same jobs as other agents. They only have so many spots for the auditions. So, they send the ones they have worked with and they know are the best chance to book the job. Managers work through many agents. Therefore, they get several spots for the same job from each agent. Thus, giving you a better chance to go on the good auditions. You will audition for many more jobs and have a higher chance of booking more with a manager.
Email me, if you would like information on managers or agents in your area.

hope this helps = )

Answer 4

there's a bookstore in Los Angeles & Hollywood called Samuel French. They have everything you could possibly need.a lot of times its better not to join a union when you're just starting out because, even though union jobs pay more, there are TONS of non-union jobs you can get for a better looking resume, but as soon as you join a union they wont let you take those jobs(aka...you've gotta be GOOD or the big time jobs are gonna be the only thing you could get & they'll be HARD to boot.) So My advice is to wait off on the SAG thing for awhile until you have a few things on your resume. (Note: please dont get me wrong here...Im NOT suggesting you start w/ the piddly stuff & work your way up, but it is easier if you dont have unneccessary restrictions). However, if you do decide to join SAG, they will charge a large fee in exchange for a membership i.d., which will allow you to(among other things) buy listings of casting calls and auditions, which you can find many of at Samuel French. This store also has many many other products and resources for the aspiring actor/ess, including agent listings available for purchase, which are usually re-posted monthly. Once you have a listing, you can begin to call agents' offices, and the ones that are accepting clients at that time will usually let you set up an appointment for an interview to see if they think they can represent you. If they cant, its back to the list. if they can, you have an agent!
Hope this helped. if you have any more questions feel free to email me. (=

Answer 5

You cannot just 'join' SAG. To become a member of SAG, a certain amount of time/work must be completed prior to getting a membership. Most agents in Hollywood (the good ones anyways) will not take on clients with no experience or some will not take you without being a member of SAG. Just remember, once you become a member of SAG, you must stick to a list of SAG approved projects, which means you are not free to do just any acting work that you like. This is why it is so hard to be successful. No one will help you make it big without experience. My advice would be to look up casting agents online or in the pohne book, have a list of questions prepared, give them a call and make sure they are reputable. They will be able to tell you what you need to do to obtain an agent and specifically what is required to become a member of SAG. You can also visit SAG's website, it is full of helpful info.

Answer 6

SAG and AFTRA let you do a couple of jobs but then they make you pony up the doe to join the union. So don't try to join, it sort of happens as you progress. While you don't HAVE to have an agent to work, you SHOULD have an agent because they let you know about auditions. I recommend contacting an acting school and learning how to slate and some of the other basics. No acting school can guarantee you work, but they can help you get along and give you some insight to some of the agents. Different agents for differnt ages too...

Answer 7

Look them up on the internet. Print out the application. And if you can afford the fee, fill out the application and send it with the fee. You could perhaps, find a talent scout/talent agent the same way, but there are no gurantees they'd be legit. Some might be, but that doesn't change much. Of course, you could also wait until an agent comes to town.

Answer 8

To get an agent you send in a pic of yourself and a summary about you to different agents, and the ones that are interested will get back to you. Don't get headshots done until you are chosen, they will tell you who they use. The agent will set you up with sag. My grandson signed a little over a year ago & is doing great, they keep him very busy. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Look in your phone book for talent agents. Submit your headshot and resume to them (call them first to see if they're accepting submissions).

Be aware that any agency that asks for money up front, or that advertises, is not a legitimate, licensed agency.

Joining SAG is wonky; you can't join unless you've been in a SAG production, but you can't get into a SAG production without being in the union.

Here's the skinny on eligibility to join (plus, of course, the $2,269 fee):
http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/application?origin=joinsag_template.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=JoinSAG&templateType=joinsag&portletTitle=null&contentType=null&contentSubType=How+Do+I+Qualify?&ln_idx=1

Answer 10

You have to appear in something before you can join SAG. Sign up as an extra to get yourself in. Take classes, go on interviews, talk to people, and you will find an agent from networking.

Answer 11

The first thing you need is some experience in acting. Look for open casting calls for extras. Those jobs will take people with no experience. Then talk with the other extras and people in the set. That is the best place to find good agents.
You can find these extra casting calls online. One I would recommend is www.craigslist.org