New York City Agent Q & A

On Thursday, October 29, 2011, Equity Members and Equity Membership Candidates (EMCs) filled the Actors' Equity Association Council Room in New York for a Q & A Panel Discussion with Equity Franchised Agents.

By setting workplace standards, creating fair compensation and protection from discrimination, Actors' Equity, over the course of 100 years, has made a profound difference for actors and stage managers. As a benefit of membership, Equity presents free educational workshops and seminars for Members and Membership Candidates. This event was sponsored jointly by the Eastern Region Membership Education Committee (Mark Aldrich, Chair) and the Agency Committee (Judy Rice, Chair and Equity Councillor). Panelists were: Diane Riley, Harden Curtis Agency, and Jamie Harris, Clear Talent Group. The moderator was Judy Rice. Also in attendance was John Fasulo, Equity's National Director of Membership, Calandra Hackney Equity's Eastern Region Agency Business Representative and Tom Miller, Equity's Director of Outreach & Career Development.

John Fasulo began the evening by reminding members that Equity has clear regulations which permit talent agents to represent them for theatrical employment. These Equity Franchised Agents must meet certain requirements to receive such designation, including maintaining commercial office space and providing State incorporation documentation and license, letters of recommendation, and financial information, among others. They are then bound by this agreement to certain rights (including the right to negotiate performer contracts with producers) and stipulations (including commission caps).

Here are some highlights:

When receiving mailings, what do you like to see included: headshot, resume, cover letter, postcard, video? The agents agreed that when making initial contact, headshot and resumé were of primary importance. One agent stated that, though she opens all her own mail but barely "looks at the cover letter, unless there's a referral listed." Another agent said that a cover letter should mention if the agent had specifically requested that the Actor submit their picture and resumé. Members were encouraged to be completely honest about referrals, because agents do follow up with those who provided the referral. For occasional updates, both agents agreed that it was fine to send notes or postcards. It was felt that providing a link to online performance material was preferable to enclosing a DVD. "I'm not going to have time" to look at a DVD, one agent stated. Actors were reminded that having their reel posted on an online site is tremendously helpful in that submissions that include access to additional material often receive priority. Personal websites were felt to be another helpful resource as another means of posting demos, and to show varied looks.

What are your thoughts on the Agents Access Auditions program that Equity started last year? Both agents stated that they have attended sessions and praised the idea and execution of the new program. Both agencies keep files on actors met at these auditions, and every few months actors will be called in for follow-up auditions.

John Fasulo stated that as the program enters its second year, feedback has been positive. The program makes efficient use of an agent's and actor's time as well as "respecting the actor's dignity."

What should an actor expect from their agent? Often, actors spend so much time cultivating an agent, that once they finally get one, there is a subconscious reliance that now the agent is going to take over. Ultimately, the relationship must be collaborative and on the same wavelength about the actor's placement in the industry. "I want an actor to see himself the way that he/she is really perceived," said Harris. "When [an actor] mentions a role and they're way off the mark, I get a little nervous." One of an actor's most common complaints is that their agent is not working hard enough for them. Agents encourage clients to inquire about what they are being submitted for. An agent added "And we're not expecting results from you every time." Actors were encouraged to extend that same courtesy to their agents. John Fasulo pointed out that members do not always see all the work that the agent is doing; that by the time they actually land a job, the agent has put in untold hours securing that booking. In addition, an agent must then negotiate on behalf of the actor, a challenging and often lengthy process.

Do you actively recommend or discourage personal managers for actors? Regarding personal managers, Equity staff cautioned that the Union does not have jurisdiction over personal managers. If you choose to sign with a manager and you are dissatisfied, please understand that, because Equity has no authority over managers, Franchise protections and rules do not apply.

An agent stated whether or not to work with a manager, "is an uniquely personal decision. There are great managers, there are managers that I love, and there are managers that after one conversation, I never hear from again. Yes, I think there are some clients that can benefit from having the private services of a manager because they need more attention than I can realistically give them. There are some who really do a lot of ground work [for their clients], a lot of taking additional time to push things, or to work with you on your scenes, or go into a studio and put you on tape, things that I realistically don't have time to do."

Another agent stated, "There are some managers that we really like working with, the kind of manager where it's symbiotic, like a full-court press. The ideal is working together so our clients are getting a lot of appointments. I wish that was always the case. Sometimes I feel like I'm working against the manager, like we're competing, and I don't want to compete. We're all in this together."

There is a big divide between what an agent does and what a manager does. If you have both an agent and a manager then you will have financial obligations to both parties. If you have questions regarding managers, please contact the Membership Department in your regional Equity office.

Is knowing what your type is, what you're right for, "branding"? One agent responded to much audience laughter, "Can we all just back off of branding, please?" It was agreed that "branding" was a term for the times that we live in, a concept that used to be called "marketing". "Let's just do our work and do good auditions and train and be good actors. We can brand later." Another agent added, "We're hoping that your brand will be Working Actor."

I am in between agents and was just cast in a recurring role in a New York-based TV show. If I freelanced with you, would you help me negotiate the contract? Both agents agreed that this situation was more complicated than it might at first appear.

"Sometimes [when] somebody wants to bring a contract to [an agent], there's an expectation that just because of that [the agent is] going to be able to produce further results." The reality is, "Someone's already offered you a role. Now I'm coming in as a phantom agent which makes the negotiating harder because I had nothing to do with it at the beginning of the deal. [The producers] usually are a little pissed off, like, 'Well I didn't know they had an agent.' And so already we're at not a very good place to negotiate. Also, we really don't know what you do. Your agent needs to know exactly what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you bring to the table so I can really present this to a casting director and say, 'This is the person; you've got to see this person.' But I can only do that if I really know what you do. Just because you've booked something - which is great and I'm really glad you did - doesn't mean that I really understand your talent and fully understand what you're capable of. I don't want to discourage you, but don't assume that just because you're bringing a contract and money to me that you are creating a lifelong relationship."

Following these responses, John Fasulo stated to the audience: "This is some of the best advice you can get… [T]here are other agents out there who will say, thank you for this contract, I'm happy to negotiate it, here's minimum and now give me my money. A relationship with an agent is not unlike a marriage, it takes a lot of give and take for it to be successful. Bypassing the dating period and jumping right into the marriage may not be the most productive way to create a long lasting and productive relationship."

The final question was: What are you most proud of as an agent?
Jamie Harris: "I am really proud when I find somebody that I believe is really, really talented, and maybe no one else knows them yet, and then they book something that's really big and that changes their lives. That makes me proud. It helps to validate what we do."

Diane Riley: "I love my job and that every day is different. It's great to be a service provider for actors. And I do love when you can say, 'you should see this actor, no, really', and then they book it."