It sounds like you're off to a great start! If you want to find a legitimate agent to represent you for commercials, TV & film go to Sag.org. Use the dropdown menu on the right labeled 'resources' and choose 'agent information'. On the next screen, on the left choose 'Find a SAG franchised agent' and follow the directions. You can look up agents all over the US, but there are higher concentrations where the work is (Los Angeles, NY, IL, FL, GA etc.)
Then you can send them your headshot, resume, and a cover letter stating that you are seeking representation and wait to see if they call you in for an interview.
Once you have an agent, they will get you the auditions, but until then you can check out actorsaccess.com. You can also see if your state has a film alliance. Sometimes they post audition information for projects filming locally. For theatre, you can go to backstage.com or http://www.actorsequity.org/castingcall/... If you find the audition on the Equity site, you still may be able to go, as long as their not taking appointments from equity actor's only :-) On backstage.com you have to pay to get all of the info, but the initial search is free and you may be able to see enough info to find out the rest on your own without paying OR you can go to your local bookstore or newsstand and look at their print publication (new every Thursday) for free if it's available in your area.
Continue doing theatre. If you have a good role, invite prospective agents to come see you perform. Absolutely do student films or anything else you can use to put together a reel. Just stay active. Classes (on camera, auditioning, etc.), work, do what you can to act continually. If you're in Los Angeles, another resource you can use is workingactors.com Click on actors and then training. There are several things to look at here, including photographers, just go there, you'll see.
Good luck!
2007-06-27 11:10:52
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answer #1
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answered by Marianne D 7
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For TV and film, you are going to want to start with a reputable agent. You will need a headshot and a resume, however if you don't have either, make sure that if you get an agent, and they have packages for headshots, that the price isn't outrageous (ie more than $300. is too much)
If you have a headshot, look up agents who work in your local area. Get an appointment with a few and check them out! (Remember you don't need to take the first one you meet with... You should be doing the interviewing, not just them interviewing you!)
If they talk about charging you for anything other than headshots, RUN! They may advize acting classes, but don't take any old class they toss at you.
DO NOT WEAR JEANS TO YOUR AGENT INTERVIEW!! Prepare a list of questions you will have after the interviewer is done asking you questions. (If you don't have any when you get there, write some down while you are in the interview.) Be honest and open with who you are and what you want out of getting an agent.
Good luck :)
2007-06-27 11:29:30
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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Some advice (I along with my daughter are actresses, I also told another young actor this)
1. Make sure your family is 100% behind you. Since your underage you cannot do this by yourself. Your parents have to be willing to drive you to auditons, meeting with agents, lessons, and gigs if you get them.
2. Make sure that you are in this all the way after you have your parents "on board". The "biz" can be expansive (and also highly rewarding), so you can't just quit because one day you don't feel "up to this". Like joining a sports team, acting/signing is a commitment, and a career.
3. **If you have experience, you don't really need to do this**Take lessons and get experience! Look into local theater groups, and school plays. Both of which usually do musicals. If you can't necasarilly auditon for a play, still try to get your foot "in the door" by working back stage, which in the future may help you hear about auditions in the future. Also, try going to preforming art camps if you like summer camps.
4. After you have taken lessons and built up your resume, trying getting connections. One way of doing this is by meeting the "right people". You could go to some intensives, like through the NewWorkStudio www.thenetworkstudio.com or www.thenetworkstudioeast.com which both have great intensives. (My daughter met Kathryn Taylor, a large casting director for Disney/Nickoledion through them)
5. If you don't want to go to intensives, fine. They won't break your career if you dont go. After you have experience (This is where you really need your parents) try to find an agent/manager. You can contact SAG (www.sag.org) or AFTRA (www.aftra.org) to find "good agents". Send in headshots/resumes for acting, or some agencies like demos for singers.
Hope I helped some!
*You may enjoy reading "Raising a Star" by Nancy Carson. It has tons of much needed info in it.
2007-06-27 10:51:37
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answer #3
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answered by mojo00 2
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Well, first, you'll want to get signed. With a legitimate agency, to find a SAG registered agency in your area, look here: http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/application?event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=AgentInformation
Then, what you should do is send your resume, headshot and cover letter out to them, by mail.
Do not email, or call these agencies.
After 4-6 weeks, if an agency is interested in you, they'll contact you, call you in for an interview, etc. Always appear confident, professional, in charge, and up for anything. Take comments with a grain of salt.
If you aren't contacted by 4-6 weeks, do not call or email the agencies, simply send postcards out to the agencies with your headshot on one side, and resume on the other.
Hopefully by then, you'll be signed.
If not, send the postcards out again, each time you have something new to add to your resume.
Also, remember, you don't have to send things out to EVERY agency. Entertainment is a small industry, and agencies compare submissions. If say, every agency in your area was like, "Yea, I recieved information from this guy," the agencies would realize they are on your "mailing list" and lose interest in you.
Good Luck, hope you get signed!
2007-06-27 10:52:19
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answer #4
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answered by Miss Mimi Marquez 4
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Dude, i 2 want to become an actor. i have gone in front of top companies for auditions, abs, Mattel, abercrombie. Its a god dam tough business. i recommend you really put yourself out to every audition possible. try working with an agency such as Elizabeth savage, and ford.
2007-06-27 10:51:28
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answer #5
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answered by Ivan(ate) er 48214898 =D 2
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i think of shes an remarkable actress if no longer why could she be doing a majority of those video clips. i think of shes outstanding and distinctly and much extra powerful than some actresses like miley cyrus lindsey lohan and megan fox in simple terms my opinion human beings have theirs and you have yours
2016-10-03 06:01:12
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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NY or LA, but that's good advice to make sure that your family is behind you and keep them involved in EVERYTHING you do and in all the contacts you make. There are people out there who prey on young actors who don't know very much.
Continue to train! Upgrade your training. Find an even better teacher or school to take your work to the next level.
Here is how I got an agent. You might find it helpful, but try a combination of different approaches to get an agent. And always remember that you should take as much control as possible for your own success. When you finally do have an agent, don't just sit back and expect that he/she will do all the work. You have to work on your career harder than they do! Here's the information:
There are several different resources you could use to get in touch with agents. Rather than talking about how to get in touch, I would encourage you to think about what your strategy could be.
You can find agents that specialize in many different areas, but big agencies will have different people within their agencies that handle different areas.
Do you know your type? If you don't, find out. And then find out which agents cater to your type.
To find out who are the agents that cater to your type, get a copy of the Ross Reports, Show Business weekly, New York or LA Agencies or something similar in your area (that last one is a resource by Sue Porter Henderson and her website address is www.hendersonenterprises.com). I don’t know what city you are in, but even if these publications don’t have addresses of agents in your city, it will give you some ideas as to the kinds of publications and information that exists.
Sue’s agencies booklet which is updated quarterly shows what kind of actors agencies are looking for (what kind of talent in that particular period).
It goes without say that you need a headshot and résumé. But find out first how to put together your résumé. There is a standard industry format with three columns and usually the eyes go immediately to the third column, because that’s where the credibility lies. It’s not only about what you’ve done, but also about with whom you’ve done it! Also besides your acting experience, agents and casting directors will also look at your training, where you train, the frequency and consistency with which you train and with whom you train. There are many professional services that can help you if you need help.
Carefully select the agents you want to target, and do a mass mailing that is TARGETED to specific agents that cater to your type. Send out a headshot and résumé and don't forget a cover letter, which must be very brief and to the point and state why you are looking for that agency to represent you. Remember that there are thousands of actors who are sending mail to that agent so anything you can do and say that will make you stand out from the rest is a good thing. Just keep it within the realm of what’s “acceptable”. You might want to think of using envelopes with a big window, so that the agents’ offices that receive your packet see your picture even before they open it. From what I gather, still the majority of actors still don’t use those kinds of envelopes. It could provide you with a slight advantage. Maybe. Every little thing you can do differently than the rest could be of help.
You will need to find out how to write a good cover letter. Like I said, short, sweet and to the point. There are lots of books about it. One good one is by a guy named Brian O’Neil and it’s called Acting As A Business: Strategies For Success. I think it’s a must read for any new actor. He also has examples of résumés depending on what kind of credits you have. And he also tells you how to build the résumé, which is very important.
It’s a numbers game, so send out a lot of packages, but expect to get back a low number of responses: anywhere from 5 – 10%. It really depends on a lot of things; how good your headshot is, how good your cover letter is, whether you targeted the right agent, whether your agent is looking for your type in that moment, etc. If you don’t hear anything back, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not interested. It could just mean that they’re not interested in that moment.
So once you have made initial contact, you will need to follow up. Timing is important as is the way you follow up. One way is to use post cards with your headshot on it. Use the postcards about once every three months to report what you’re doing and to keep in touch or even more often if you have something to report, like a show you’ve been in, movie and industrial, commercial or whatever. Don’t send them to say hi or have a good summer. Report what you are doing. Even report close calls, meaning call backs or on-holds even if you didn’t get the job. It means that you got close and agents and casting directors like to hear that as well.
Once you get that far, you should start getting some responses and some meetings. Like I said, it’s a numbers game though, but be focused and don't think that if you just send out mass mailings that you will be successful. Target your mailings and you will have greater success.
This is just part of your strategy though. There’s got to be more…
There are also schools like Actors Connection (www.actorsconnection.com) where you can go and meet casting directors, agents and personal managers. It will cost you a small fee to audition for them and sit through a most of the time valuable Q & A session, but it can be worth it. I have gotten agents and auditions through them. It is also a place to go and take classes with casting directors and agents, which gives you the chance to not only meet them, but also to work together with them for anywhere from a few hours to an entire day or more. That in itself can be very valuable. More on that another time.
If you have a reel and a website, that would also be a plus.
Lastly, you can submit yourself for jobs online: Here is a list of websites through which you can submit yourself. It's not as good as having an agent, but I have gotten some audtions and jobs this way. I use nycastings and actorsaccess mostly. I have found that with two or three of these sites, I'm pretty much covered with regard to the important auditions that are out there. Once you start checking too many different sites, you find that there is a lot of repetition. Some of these are specific to the NY area.
www.actingdepot.com
www.exploretalent.com
www.actorsaccess.com
www.backtoholding.com
www.bigbreakny.com
www.castingnewyork.com
www.easycasting.com
www.actormarketing.biz
www.nycastings.com
www.backstage.com
Hope that helps. Good luck!
Tony
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com
2007-06-27 12:24:21
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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