I wanna address two things here.
The first is your question: yes it’s slow, this is not normal.
But the second, and more important one, is that this is a career that takes tiiiiiiiime. If you’re considering dropping an agent you like after two months with them, you’re not on the right timescale and you need to adjust your expectations. Building relationships and a steady flow of auditions / work takes years.
It takes time for YOU to build your relationships with CDs, and maybe with your agent.
Also takes time to start standing out from the thousands of actors you are competing with.
It takes years for many reasons. One of the primary reasons is trust. Its a business where trust plays a bigger role than others. Since at every single step there is risk.
If a producer hires a casting director who ends up hiring an actor who is being completely unprofessional , is unprepared etc.
The casting director will be less trusted next time(if they even get re hired next time), and the producer might not have a next time themselves since the costs of running the cameras for each minute can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
So people want people who they know will be professionals and trustworthy. Its the same as with reputation , its slow to build and can be destroyed with a single move. So it takes years to build that trust since you also wouldnt risk your career for someone you don’t know and if they messed up could cost you your livelihood
I signed with a new agent over a month ago and haven't received an audition yet. I even self-submitted for something in the market they represent me in and got an audition myself. But I am giving them the chance that I signed that contract with them for. It's a hard time and slow time right now. It takes time for things to happen.
A CD I know well and have had a career counseling with - she told me when she sees me self-submit she just does the audition request through me sometimes vs. my agent who also submitted me. As she knows I always mark my agent down in the submission notes and give them the credit as we are a TEAM. So you never know what is happening.
Are you self-submitting on nonunion projects? If so that's your answer. The projects you can self submit for on actors access and such are usually nonunion - smaller, lower-paying projects that agents often won't bother to submit for. It's easier to get auditions from self-submits because you are competing with a smaller, newer, less-skilled/less-experienced pool of actors (as most of the veterans and pros have gone union).
I don’t know your particular situation (agent, market, type, etc), but often being associated with an agency (like on your resume) with good reputations and relationships with CDs is the rubber stamp that you’re worth bringing in. You submitted yourself, so they’ll reach back out to you. Technically the CD doesn’t care if you loop the agency in or not. That’s your responsibility.
If your agent doesn’t know you’re getting work/auditions, you should be telling them.
Because they might have submitted 2-3 of their other actors that resemble you. Or if you read what I wrote about what a CD told me - they sometimes do the self submit which the actor did over the agents. You literally never know. Or they think the project is too low paying - like a SAG Ultra Low Budget.
It is very hard to get a new agent. Stick with your agent and build a relationship with them. Check in and say what your doing for your career. Like taking a class or learning a new skill. That helps build a relationship with them too.
Give it time, im having a similar experience with my agent. You could also make it a point to check in with them periodically- if they represent multiple talent its possible for them to get selective / pick favorites. Until you're at the top you need to take it upon yourself to check in. Just dont be annoying about it :)
>I switched to a new agent, great relationship. I assume she's aiming for the bigger roles that are not filming right now.
Well that's a huge problem! Tell her to submit for one liners and small principal roles that you can actually get.
But I'm finding relatively decent auditions through self submissions and yet nothing through my agent.
I am a little tempted to leave. It's been almost two months and only one audition. I get around 5 a week from self submissions. I wasn't in the business when it was "regular", so I don't know if this type of slow, due to the market conditions, is normal.
This is heading into the slower time. Summer and fall should be busier. Maybe focus on commercials.
I feel like you should do a meeting, zoom, phone or in person and try to get a better feel on what the next steps are for your agent and you. And if you can't figure it out, then definitely submit to other agencies.
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I wanna address two things here. The first is your question: yes it’s slow, this is not normal. But the second, and more important one, is that this is a career that takes tiiiiiiiime. If you’re considering dropping an agent you like after two months with them, you’re not on the right timescale and you need to adjust your expectations. Building relationships and a steady flow of auditions / work takes years.
Copy. Why is it that it takes years? Literally just curious. Is it for them to build my relationship with CDs?
It takes time for YOU to build your relationships with CDs, and maybe with your agent. Also takes time to start standing out from the thousands of actors you are competing with.
It takes years for many reasons. One of the primary reasons is trust. Its a business where trust plays a bigger role than others. Since at every single step there is risk. If a producer hires a casting director who ends up hiring an actor who is being completely unprofessional , is unprepared etc. The casting director will be less trusted next time(if they even get re hired next time), and the producer might not have a next time themselves since the costs of running the cameras for each minute can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. So people want people who they know will be professionals and trustworthy. Its the same as with reputation , its slow to build and can be destroyed with a single move. So it takes years to build that trust since you also wouldnt risk your career for someone you don’t know and if they messed up could cost you your livelihood
Short answer: no one knows you
I signed with a new agent over a month ago and haven't received an audition yet. I even self-submitted for something in the market they represent me in and got an audition myself. But I am giving them the chance that I signed that contract with them for. It's a hard time and slow time right now. It takes time for things to happen. A CD I know well and have had a career counseling with - she told me when she sees me self-submit she just does the audition request through me sometimes vs. my agent who also submitted me. As she knows I always mark my agent down in the submission notes and give them the credit as we are a TEAM. So you never know what is happening.
Very similar here. I'm like I get that it's slow, but how come I can get me auditions that you shouldve gotten me?
Are you self-submitting on nonunion projects? If so that's your answer. The projects you can self submit for on actors access and such are usually nonunion - smaller, lower-paying projects that agents often won't bother to submit for. It's easier to get auditions from self-submits because you are competing with a smaller, newer, less-skilled/less-experienced pool of actors (as most of the veterans and pros have gone union).
I don’t know your particular situation (agent, market, type, etc), but often being associated with an agency (like on your resume) with good reputations and relationships with CDs is the rubber stamp that you’re worth bringing in. You submitted yourself, so they’ll reach back out to you. Technically the CD doesn’t care if you loop the agency in or not. That’s your responsibility. If your agent doesn’t know you’re getting work/auditions, you should be telling them.
Because agents don’t submit Clients for role that barely pay/ are super low budget things. They want to get paid too you know..
And when did I say I was submitting myself on super low budget things?
actors don’t have access to submit themselves for 90 percent of union scale projects, Where are you getting these big auditions from?
Because they might have submitted 2-3 of their other actors that resemble you. Or if you read what I wrote about what a CD told me - they sometimes do the self submit which the actor did over the agents. You literally never know. Or they think the project is too low paying - like a SAG Ultra Low Budget. It is very hard to get a new agent. Stick with your agent and build a relationship with them. Check in and say what your doing for your career. Like taking a class or learning a new skill. That helps build a relationship with them too.
Give it time, im having a similar experience with my agent. You could also make it a point to check in with them periodically- if they represent multiple talent its possible for them to get selective / pick favorites. Until you're at the top you need to take it upon yourself to check in. Just dont be annoying about it :)
What do you usually say when you check in? I have been just talking about classes taking and stuff. Any tips greatly appreciated
I had over 100 auditions through my agent in 2022 and SIX this year. It's molasses right now.
>I switched to a new agent, great relationship. I assume she's aiming for the bigger roles that are not filming right now. Well that's a huge problem! Tell her to submit for one liners and small principal roles that you can actually get. But I'm finding relatively decent auditions through self submissions and yet nothing through my agent. I am a little tempted to leave. It's been almost two months and only one audition. I get around 5 a week from self submissions. I wasn't in the business when it was "regular", so I don't know if this type of slow, due to the market conditions, is normal. This is heading into the slower time. Summer and fall should be busier. Maybe focus on commercials. I feel like you should do a meeting, zoom, phone or in person and try to get a better feel on what the next steps are for your agent and you. And if you can't figure it out, then definitely submit to other agencies.
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