more than one Agent..?

Question

hi,
i have just applied for an acting agent but i was just wondering, do you know if it is ok for me to have more than one?
as i really want this agent but there are loads more i want to apply for.. is having more than one allowed?
thanks fur ur help!
X

Answer 1

Usually you submit yourself for several agents because chances are out of say, 50 only 1 or 2 may be interested or have room in their client list for another young girl. Those are just a VERY rough estimate and not really based on anything inparticular, but you get the idea? You don't just send your pic & res to 1 agent thinking that they will want you unless you've already spoken to them and you have some kind of unsderstanding already?

Also, you may absolutely have more than one agent but usually they represent you for different things. For example you may have a commercial agent who strctly send you out on commercial auditions, then you may have your theatrical agent who sends you out on tv and film auditions. You may also have your print agent who find you auditions for print modeling jobs.

If your contract is non-exclusive you may have more than one agent even within those types of representation but you have to mae sure of the wording with your representatives contracts. If you have not signed any contracts with anyone then you do not have to worry about any of that yet. Send your pic & res to as many legit agents as you please.

If you are underage I certainly hope your parents are overseeing all of this. They should be the ones looking into these matters for you. They should look up all the rules in regards to agency contracts and child labor laws and make sure they are well versed in all of that before they enter into any negotiations before they sign anything for you. If you are over 18 then you should make sure you are fully aware of all SAG rules governing agent contracts. go to www.SAG.org and read all about it. Legit agents take 10% for SAG contract jobs after you get paid, nothing more and they are not allowed to charge upfront fees, nor can they tell you which photographer to use or where to take classes. None of those things should be affiliated.

good luck!

Answer 2

Absolutely. All that stuff about having agents represent you for different areas of acting - commercial, theatrical, etc. is really just for New York and LA.

Smaller markets tend to operate on a non-exclusive basis, meaning you can sign with other agencies. I'm in DC and am signed with 4 agencies. Sometimes you get overlap and more than 1 agency will submit you for a project, but in that case, if you get booked, the client will usually work with the agency that sent in your headshot first, you don't need to worry about it. Get to know your market, talk with other actors to find out what the standard practice is.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't get more than one.
It is an insult and bad word of
mouth follows you around. It can be
okay if they are promoting you for different
purposes (film versus theater) but even then
confirm with the agent you have if they mind
you getting a agent for a special purpose.

Usually you will apply and after a given time inform
the agent you need an answer if they will take you
on or you will be looking elsewhere.

Answer 4

Hi,

as long as you have not signed with any one agent to work exclusively with them, then you can work with multiple agents.
Have a look at this page on my site for new and aspiring actors: http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/how_to_get_an_agent.html . There you will see what I did to get two agents and a manager in a short period of time.

One suggestion though. If you do work with more than one agent, I would be clear about that up front. There might be different schools of thought on this, but that is what I believe and the way I like to work. Why?
Because you might be called by one agent for an audition one day (this really happened to me) and you tell them that you will go to the audition on their behalf. Then you might be called by another agent for the same audition? What do you say? If you just say that you can't make it. They might find out that you went on behalf of someone else. If you say you will go on their behalf, you have a conflict. When that happened to me, I was so happy that I had already been honest with both, so when I received the second call, I told the truth, that I had already accepted the audition for my other agent. That was that and everything was out in the open.

Hope that helps!

Tony
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com

Answer 5

nicely, of course. merely wait and spot. Assuming it is a thoroughly respectable agent and you have accomplished a history examine on them and you have seen his/her consumers record and comprehend that he has placed books with the somewhat some large publishing homes. in lots of situations, an agent will deliver you a itemizing of pronounced adjustments. wait and spot, because of the fact his different consumers are available in the past you and he must be busy - if he's a respectable agent. you could deliver him an e mail and enable him comprehend which you somewhat decide to comprehend time expectancies so which you do no longer force your self loopy waiting at your e mail all day for his pronounced adjustments, and additionally because of the fact you do no longer decide to nag him each 2 minutes. i've got heard from some revealed writers that it took them some weeks to get a itemizing of pronounced adjustments from their brokers. So that's widespread and you''ll merely would desire to speed up and wait. it is common that he won't supply you proper information on the assembly. he will write up a letter or e mail with each and all of the pronounced adjustments and deliver it to you, and this would take greater effective than a week, although for all all of us comprehend, he would have talked with you 3 days in the past and you're merely being unreasonably impatient. Now, you probably did settle for his grant of representation, perfect? merely making specific, because of the fact there are somewhat some scammers accessible that seem respectable in case you do no longer' thoroughly examine them out. you probably did sign an corporation contract OR he made it sparkling that he needs to rep you and you agreed? - there are nonetheless some respectable corporation that don't paintings with a settlement. i'm merely asking because of the fact you're making it appear as if he met with you, did no longer grant to represent you, yet rather stated he'd deliver your manuscript off, in lots of situations to "attempt the waters," in the past signing you. that's a demonstration of a scam and there's a o.k.-customary scammer who does this. yet, i'm specific you're a effective author who has accomplished her homework. Congrats on the delivers of representation. i'm jealous. :D decide to commerce me places? you will have all my badly written manuscripts. Hahah.

Answer 6

As long as you have not signed an exclusive representation agreement with an agent, you are free to have as many as you want. Get a copy of Brian O'Neil's Acting as a Business for how to handle more than one agent.

It is also a good idea to apply to as many agents as you can, because it is very difficult to get accepted.

For more information on how to get an agent, click on my name, read my profile and write to me at my aol address.

Answer 7

No - one agent and one agent only.
Trying to take on more than one makes you look like a second-rate amateur.
If an agent offers you a non-exclusive contract then they are not worth having as an agent because they clearly don't value you very highly.

EDIT: I find it hilarious that I have been given a thumbs down. To the @rse who gave it to me - 25 years in the business - I know what I am talking about.

Answer 8

never put all of your eggs in one basket. submit to as many agencies as you can. as to the number that you can actually sign with, it all depends on which state you live in. for example, i live in arizona and i can only have one ARIZONA agent, but i can have another in some other state. in new york you can have one agent for each different type of acting such as theatre, commercial and film. go to sag.org and they should have alot more info on this

Answer 9

Yes, you may have more than one as long as all of your talent contracts are NON-EXCLUSIVE. If any of them are exclusive, they legally void the others.

Somethings to be aware of:
* Most agencies give priority to their exclusive contracts. What that means is if there are two of you who are perfect for a job, and the client tells the agency to send only one of you, the agency will send the exclusive over the non-exclusive. In an "all things equal" situation, exclusives get priority.
* Some agencies are exclusive to an area - meaning you may have only that agency in your city, but you can have another non-exclusive if they are at least 300 miles away, or you can have an exclusive in your state, but other non-exclusives outside of your state. CHECK THE CONTRACT.
*You will prob. need diff headshots and comp cards for ea. agency, as they will want THEIR logo and info on the cards used for them. Be ware that this could make things get expensive. Some agencies, not all, will pay for your comps and headshots if you are exclusive, but you have to pay it back out of your first check. Most don't for non-exclusives.
*If two agencies cover you in a certain area, and both offer you the same gig, you have to take it and book it with the person that offered it FIRST, unless something somewhere states otherwise.

The above poster is right on with the exception of a few things: SAG status depends on your state. You SHOULD get SAG'd if you can, but in Right to Work states, like Texas, your SAG status for in-state work can't be used. What that means is if, for example, you live or work in Texas (Or any other right to work state) and you audition for a Texas project, your SAG status can't be used for or against you. However, if the project is in L.A, for example, you do have to be SAG'd in most cases.

Also, becuase of the above rule, SAG status for the agency doesn't mean much in RTW states. Also, an agency might have gotten SAG'd but not gotten state approved. You need to check state laws as well as the SAG site to determine your agency's status and if they are legit. Just google your state name and "talent agency license laws' and it should give you a site and a list of legal agencies.

Answer 10

I am with an acting agency and on my terms and conditions form for the agency, it states I am allowed to be with as many other agencies as I want so I imagine it is the same with most other agencies too.