Websites for actors

You are the boss of your own career but a good agent can help. They can find you more work, introduce you to their contacts, make you seem more credible, give you career advice and negotiate better deals. But don’t expect them to do everything for you – they’re agents not PAs, publicists or managers. How do you get a good agent?

1. Make yourself valuable. Agents are business and actors are their stock-in-trade. On the most basic level you have to look like somebody they can sell. They need a diverse range of ‘products’ to offer directors and casting agents. There are several ways to bid for a place in their roster: obvious talent, a track record of paid work, being unusual in some way.
2. Be committed. Actors that work regularly and show commitment to developing their skills are more likely to be taken on than someone who looks ambivalent about an acting career or uncommitted in some other way. Because they are paid on commission, if you can’t or don’t work, they don’t get paid. Show commitment by completing a course at a recognised drama school, developing your skills after you leave and performing regularly (even in unpaid or profit share projects).
3. Develop your skills. You can do courses at the Actor’s Centre, join companies, find auditions yourself, work with voice and acting coaches, produce your own shows etc.
4. Get a good reputation. A stack of good reviews is a very credible way to prove your talent to an agent. Introductions from other actors or, even better, a director who knows you carry more weight than an unsolicited letter or email.
5. Good PR. You should have a CV, a good photograph and (yes!) a professional website ready before you approach agents.
6. Do your research. Check Contacts and online to find agencies. Review their websites. Ask other actors about their agents. The more you know about an agency and what they do, the better you can target your initial approach and, if you get one, your first interview. It almost goes without saying, but you should never have to pay upfront to join an agency. Reputable agents take a commission when they get you work.
7. Ask your friends and colleagues. An introduction or referral is much better than a cold call.
8. Be seen. Most of the actors with agents that I meet got their agent in one of three ways: a) either at the end of a course at a drama school when agents came to the final year show or b) by being in a good fringe show when an agent came to see it. In one case, an actor actually commissioned the script and production as a showcase for her talent. You won’t find an agent sitting on your sofa.
9. Make contact. Write a great email or cover letter – short, memorable without being weird and time-specific – to your target agents. By time-specific I mean that you should have a reason to be contacting them now. For example, you’ll be appearing in a play in two weeks and you’d love them to see your work with a view to representation. Enclose a CV and photo (or your website URL). Don’t gush, beg or waffle. Ask a friend to read it before you send it and give you honest feedback.
10. Don’t give up. It can take time to find an agent. It’s better to wait and find a good agent. And don’t forget that even when you have one, you will still need to be the driving force behind your career and you will need to keep working on your skills and on raising your profile. Getting an agent is a step in the journey, not the destination.

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