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By the end of this guide, you'll know everything you need to know about how to find an actor's agent, from how they work and what they charge, straight down to how to get an agent for yourself as quickly as possible.
How to Find an Actor's Agent
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Downloaded by over 350 actors so far.
"Within a matter of 3 weeks of using your cover letter template, I signed with a brand new commercial agent! I am both surprised and not surprised. I knew that it would be effective, but I just didn't know how effective it would be, since I've tried to get agents in the past and they never responded to my messages."
- Chloe M.
I recommend submitting to your 20 chosen agents at a rate of five per week so you can see how the responses are and make tweaks.
If you don't get any responses in your first round of submissions, go back to the drawing board and check your marketing materials again, make some tweaks to your cover letter, and see if there's anything else you want to adjust. Perhaps something isn't as good as you thought it was, and going back a week later with fresh eyes can help you improve it.
One reason you might not get invited to a meeting is that the agencies' rosters are simply full. Therefore, if you submit 3 months later, you might actually get a response because new slots are opening all the time!
Some agents might respond saying they're not looking for new actors. If they tell you this, it's an invitation to keep them up to date on your work in the industry. You can occasionally reach out letting them know about shows you're in or new things you're doing, and eventually they might bring you in for a meeting.
A long term but more surefire way to eventually get representation is to intern at an agent's office. You'll build a strong personal relationship with them and most likely eventually get signed (after a year or two) if you're a great actor and you ask them to consider you!
Step 5: Interview & Audition for Representation
So, you've been submitting for a while, and an agent emailed you back saying they're interested in setting up a meeting. Congratulations!
So what do you do to prepare?
Well first off, don't under-prepare. You need to do your homework on the agency and make sure you're completely ready for your meeting, otherwise you'll probably lose their trust right away and never make it past the meeting.
Here are some things to keep in mind for your agent meeting:
Once the meeting and audition is finished, it might take 3-4 days to hear back. If you haven't heard from them in that time, a brief followup email is recommended (note the word brief).
Don't be discouraged if you don't sign with the first agent you meet with. It can take numerous attempts before you find a good fit. Getting rejected is usually due to one of two things:
So what do you do to prepare?
Well first off, don't under-prepare. You need to do your homework on the agency and make sure you're completely ready for your meeting, otherwise you'll probably lose their trust right away and never make it past the meeting.
Here are some things to keep in mind for your agent meeting:
- Show up on time. This should go without saying, but if you're even 2 minutes late, no excuse in the world will save you. Aim to get there super early just in case something happens. Remember – getting an agent is a HUGE opportunity. It's what will get you TONS of auditions, so treat it as importantly as you would the audition of a lifetime. Aim to arrive an hour early and then hang out at the coffee shop across the street until your meeting time.
- Dress well. Don't wear something extremely specific, but do show up clean and with solid colors. Wearing professional clothing will help agents see you in a good light and assume you're responsible and easy to work with. Here's a great guide of clothing that works well (for both headshots AND auditions/agent meetings)
- Do not lie. If an agent asks you a questions about your training or experience during the interview, never lie. They'll eventually find out and it will come back to haunt you.
- Bring a folder with your headshots, resume, and even a DVD copy of your reel just in case. Chances are they won't need it, but you should have it handy if they do. You can also include a business card and a printed version of your cover letter.
- Prepare at least three monologues ahead of time. Most agents will require you to perform a monologue as part of the audition, so you should have three different types of monologues that you feel comfortable with. They MUST be fully memorized and should each represent a different side of you – funny, sad, and angry, for instance. Having three different monologues memorized will give you the opportunity to do something different if they want to see a different side of you.
- Be aware that they might hand you a script on the spot. If they ask you to do a cold reading, it's OK if you don't have it memorized. They just want to see how you perform and sound when reading the lines. Keep calm and carry on!
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Have questions prepared in advance. They'll inevitably give you the chance to ask questions during the meeting, and if you have none prepared, it will look like you didn't do your homework ahead of time. Some great questions to ask them include the following:
- I see myself as _______, but out of curiosity, how do you see me?
- How do you feel about me submitting myself to projects?
- How involved do you typically get with your clients and helping them move their careers forward?
- What can I do that will make your job easier if you decide to represent me? (agents love this question)
- How do you prefer your clients keep in touch with you? Text? Email? Phone?
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Do NOT ask stupid questions. Yes, there ARE stupid questions, regardless of what they tell you in school. You should NOT ask questions that you could have found out the answers to ahead of time by simply researching the agency. The following questions are big red flags for agents, so do NOT ask these:
- Who will represent me from your agency? You should already know who you're targeting. The only time this question is fair is if the agent you were interested in has a full roster and you might get connected with someone else.
- How many clients do you currently represent, and are any my type? You can easily find this information online. If anything, ask them a modified version of it to show them you did your research: I saw you currently represent 156 actors. A few of them look similar to me, so I was wondering, how do you submit actors who are similar, or do you see me as a different type?
- What kind of work have you gotten in the last six months for your clients? This is a borderline offensive question and might really annoy the agent – especially since you could have easily researched this as well. Who are you to ask what kind of work they've gotten their clients? A much better way to phrase this is, "I noticed you got some of your clients into amazing productions, including Production A, B, and C. What are some other great gigs you're in the process of getting for your clients?"
- Be absolutely clear on your Types. Almost all agents want to know what kinds of characters the actors they represent see themselves playing. This means they are very likely to ask you about your Types. Saying, "I'm not fully clear yet," or suggesting a Type that doesn't actually make sense could cause the agent to end the meeting and ask you to come back six months from now (this actually happened to a few actors I know).
Once the meeting and audition is finished, it might take 3-4 days to hear back. If you haven't heard from them in that time, a brief followup email is recommended (note the word brief).
Don't be discouraged if you don't sign with the first agent you meet with. It can take numerous attempts before you find a good fit. Getting rejected is usually due to one of two things:
- You look too much like other actors they represent. As mentioned previously, agents don't like signing actors who look too similar to each other because they'll be competing for each other's roles, which creates a conflict of interest amongst their clients.
- You do not have enough training or experience for that agent to represent you. But this might not be the case for all agents, so keep submitting to others – someone will likely want to take you on even if someone else thinks you're not ready for representation.
Step 6: Create a Strong Relationship
Why do agents drop actors? There are many reasons. If you're not booking a lot of work or you don't do much to move your career forward (meaning you just leave all the work to them), they'll likely look for another actor to represent instead.
To avoid getting dropped, you need to maintain a strong relationship with your agent! Here are a few things you can do to ensure you don't get dropped:
How do I drop my agent? If you're unhappy with the work your agent has been doing, you should first review your contract to see if there are any outs. Most contracts will say that your agent has to do certain things, like submitting you and ensuring you get paid properly, etc.
If you can find any areas in your contract where your agent is dropping the ball, you can easily get out of the contract. However, if you signed a contract that doesn't clear outs written into it, you can try setting up a meeting with your agent to get them to start working harder for you. Ask them to send you a submissions log so you can see what you've been submitted to, and then ask your agent to meet with you to discuss how you can better work together.
If they completely ignore your request for a meeting, you can try speaking with a lawyer to see what your options are, because most agents are by law supposed to be in communication with their clients.
To avoid getting dropped, you need to maintain a strong relationship with your agent! Here are a few things you can do to ensure you don't get dropped:
- Be quick to respond. Your agent might text, call, or email you and nothing bothers an agent more than an actor who takes more than an hour to respond. Turn all your notifications on and respond within just a few minutes to make the best impression. The actors quickest to respond are going to be sent on the most auditions, so keep that in mind!
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Keep working on your audition and acting technique. If you get nervous before auditions, you gotta get more training (or read my Ultimate Guide to Preparing for Auditions). Agents drop actors who don't book a lot of work, so audition technique workshops are critical!
- Related: Acting for Film: The Ultimate Guide
- Be sure your agent has access to your latest marketing materials. If you shoot footage for your reel or update your headshots, be sure to let you agent know. And make sure to invest in those marketing materials when your agent tells you to. This means you should save up some money so it's there, ready to be spent at a moment's notice if your agent needs you to get new headshots. They hate having to wait months and months for you to finally get your marketing materials up to date.
- Be respectful of your agent's time. Agents hate getting calls or texts late at night or early in the morning. Keep your communication to normal business hours, and only update them with things they need to know. If you booked a role, great! But it's not a good idea to tell them about it at 2am.
- Listen to them... but make sure they also listen to you. If your agent makes a recommendation on taking a certain class or paying for new headshots, don't simply say "Yes." Instead, ask them what specifically they want and why so you can be sure to get them exactly what they need. And if you disagree, find out why they're asking you for that specific thing. If you still disagree with their recommendation, set up a phone call to discuss. Being on the same page as your agent is vital for a strong relationship.
How do I drop my agent? If you're unhappy with the work your agent has been doing, you should first review your contract to see if there are any outs. Most contracts will say that your agent has to do certain things, like submitting you and ensuring you get paid properly, etc.
If you can find any areas in your contract where your agent is dropping the ball, you can easily get out of the contract. However, if you signed a contract that doesn't clear outs written into it, you can try setting up a meeting with your agent to get them to start working harder for you. Ask them to send you a submissions log so you can see what you've been submitted to, and then ask your agent to meet with you to discuss how you can better work together.
If they completely ignore your request for a meeting, you can try speaking with a lawyer to see what your options are, because most agents are by law supposed to be in communication with their clients.
In Summary
Getting a great agent is all about being prepared and doing the hard work necessary to get one. You might get lucky where an agent finds you (instead of you finding them), but that's very rare and shouldn't be counted on.
If you really want an agent, YOU need to be the one who goes out there and submits, and you need to make EVERY submission personalized. If you don't put in the work required, the chance of getting a great agent is always going to be out of your reach.
Good luck!
Enjoyed this article?
Book more work by thinking "Outside the Industry."
The process of finding an actor's agent is tough! That's why I want you to have all the information possible before going after one. Luckily, there are many ways to continue growing your career and getting auditions even if you don't yet have an agent.
As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).
I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:
Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.
The process of finding an actor's agent is tough! That's why I want you to have all the information possible before going after one. Luckily, there are many ways to continue growing your career and getting auditions even if you don't yet have an agent.
As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).
I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:
- How to network easily and authentically with casting directors – even if you hate self-promotion.
- How to find your Type and Brand in just 18 minutes (it doesn't require awkwardly asking lots of random people for feedback)
- How to find a hardworking and reliable agent – even if you don't have a strong resume or reel
- And much more...
Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.
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Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses “outside the industry” thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 6,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues. Want to book more acting work by thinking different? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com. |
Some Additional Q&A
How Much Do Acting Agents Cost?
Agents should not charge a flat fee. In general, they should take commission of anywhere from 10-15%, although some go as high as 20-30%, but I personally feel those rates are too high.
If they charge a flat fee, run the other way – it's a scam.
If they charge a flat fee, run the other way – it's a scam.
How to Get an Acting Agent for a Child?
The process of getting an agent for a child is virtually the same as for an adult, and you can learn about the steps in great depth in this article. Here's a brief outline:
If you want to go deeper, you might be interested in my article: How to Become a Kid Actor: The Ultimate Guide
- Get your basic marketing materials together (headshot, resume, and reel).
- Avoid scam agents and unsuccessful agents by knowing what to look for an what to watch out for.
- Make a list of agents to target.
- Begin submitting to those agencies.
- Interview and audition with each of the agencies that shows interest.
- Create a strong relationship with the agent you wind up signing with.
If you want to go deeper, you might be interested in my article: How to Become a Kid Actor: The Ultimate Guide
How to Get an Acting Agent Without Experience?
It's very difficult to get an acting agent with no experience unless you're extremely talented and under 18 years old. The fastest way to get an acting agent is to submit your materials to them with a custom-written cover letter, following the guidance in this article.
If you want to gain experience first and increase your odds of being signed, I recommend first reading this article: How to Become an Actor With No Experience
If you want to gain experience first and increase your odds of being signed, I recommend first reading this article: How to Become an Actor With No Experience
Further Reading:
If you enjoyed this article (How to Find an Actor's Agent), I have a feeling you'll enjoy the following links:
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