Actor Looking For Agent Video

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF WILD AGENTS

Let’s assume that after a long and exhausting hunt, you finally managed to bag that elusive beast…an AGENT. You knocked him out (with your charm and talent) and dragged him off to your lair, where you figured a few fluffy pillows and some See’s chocolates were all he’d need for the rest of his life. Well, sorry – it doesn’t quite work that way. It’s now your responsibility to keep him happy and well cared-for. A happy agent will repay you in spades…or at least with some decent auditions.

Despite what the handbooks may tell you, it really isn’t all that difficult to look after a domesticated talent agent. They require very little maintenance and only eat as much as you’re willing to give them. Here are a few handy-dandy dos and don’ts:

- Whining noises (“Why aren’t I going out more often?”, “My neighbor down the street has an audition. Can you get me in on it?”, etc.) are like fingernails being run down a chalkboard to agents. Do it too often and they will bolt, and even if you’ve inserted a LoJack chip, they may never return or love you again.

- Not keeping them well-supplied with the materials they like and need (your headshots and resumes, bookout dates, new phone/cell/email info) tends to irritate them to no end. It’s so much more fruitful to simply give ‘em what they want without having to be asked

- Ringing phones remind them of their former lives as somebody else’s put-upon assistant. Try not to call them unless there’s a very good reason to do so. Particularly grating are those “I’m just checking in to see if anything’s going on” calls which imply that you think the poor creature has completely forgotten who you are or, worse yet, is keeping your career a secret…from YOU!

- Behaving as if you are their only master. Even though you were very proud of yourself for having caught this agent, you have to face the fact that there are probably several hundred others in his “stable” who feel the same way about him. You must learn to share!

- Come the holidays (or when you just plain want to pat him on the head), don’t be fooled into thinking that yet another box of those same chocolates is going to make your Snooky-Ookums of an agent feel special. Put some thought into gifts. Ask his assistant what he prefers: Scotch or apple cider; blue mittens or movie tickets; coffee or tea. Get the idea? And while you’re at it, for heaven’s sake remember that more than likely it’s his staff that’s doing the lion’s share of the day-to-day work on your behalf. Ignore them and you’ll regret it. (Also bear this in mind: Agents and their young, when no longer out in the wild, tend to sit around on their behinds all day, thus gaining weight. Do not encourage this by only bringing them sweets. A nice fruit basket says the same thing and is a lot healthier.)

- Although your agent may appear to be lonely, don’t provide a mate (meaning a new manager) without consulting with him first. There needs to be some chemistry in any new family arrangement and blind dates don’t always turn into love affairs.

- At some point down the line, you may feel the need to enact the “release” part of “catch and release”. Be nice. If you have the guts, do it face-to-face. If your guts are tied in a knot (yes, we know this is stressful), then phone the agent. But please, please, please do not send a perfunctory “per SAG rule such-and-such” drop letter unless, that is, you absolutely detest said agent and never want to hear that voice again. Always thank him for his efforts on your behalf, even if you don’t think there were any (!).  (And if that is what you think, you are more than likely wrong.  No agent is going to hold onto somebody just for the sake of having a longer roster.  They don’t make any money if you don’t make any (duh!), so why would they not be trying to get you work?  The fact that their efforts may not have paid off is probably not their fault, so don’t put that on their shoulders unless you know something specific that says otherwise.)

- Should you be on the receiving end of the release program, continue to be nice and don’t start bad-mouthing your former agent. Dropping clients is usually just as hard on them as it is on the dropee and sooner or later, that bad-mouthing gets back to them. Then guess who develops the bad reputation…!

There, now. Don’t you feel better? If you follow this advice, we just know your agent will be purring and your reputation as a very good client will be forever intact.

We will leave you with the following:

My Agent? I Love Him, Man!

I always ask my agent
Lots of questions about him –
Like “How’d you like my photos?”
Or “Ya think that I should join a gym?”.

I don’t ask how his weekend was,
Of if he has the flu.
(Though I worry ‘bout his nasty cough –
If he drops dead, my career is through!)

I heard he just got married
And I even know the bride.
Did I send a card to say congrats?
Are you nuts? I’ve got my pride!

He’d think I’m kissing ass for sure
If I show him that I care.
Treat my agent like he’s human?
Nah! – I’m really not that square.

But in every conversation,
I am sure to let him know
He’s not doing quite enough for me
And I just might have to go.

Yeah, man – that keeps him on is toes
And interested in me,
His most important client…!
And I’ll book my first gig someday –
It’ll happen – just you wait and see!

- K.D.W.

THEATRICAL CASTING DIRECTOR, JACKIE BRISKEY

Longtime theatrical casting director Jackie Briskey has had a fantastic run of enviable assignments over the years, but like most casting people, she didn’t begin her career in that particular end of the business. Jackie spent several of her early showbiz years performing management and public relations duties for (are you ready for this?!) the Smothers Brothers, Kenny Rogers And The First Edition, and many others.

Jackie segued into casting when she was hired by MTM Productions, in the 1970s. Her very first show was “WKRP In Cincinnati”! From that auspicious beginning, she went on to cast the pilot for “The Bob Newhart Show”; “Gloria”, starring Sally Struthers, for the great Norman Lear; “Valerie”, starring Valerie Harper; “The Hogan Family”; “Perfect Strangers”; “Midnight Caller”; 5, count ‘em, five Danielle Steele Movies of the Week; and countless other pilots and episodics. In 1999, she took the plunge into daytime television as the casting director of NBC’s wild and crazy soap opera, “Passions”, where she has remained ever since. (This candid shot was taken on the “Passions” set. You’ll just have to guess which actor has his arms around Jackie.)

Needless to say, Jackie has witnessed both the sublime and the terrible in her casting offices over the years. When asked to share some of her thoughts on the dos and don’ts of auditioning, she didn’t hesitate.

At the top of her list of don’ts…too much perfume or cologne. In fact, like most of her fellow CDs, Jackie would really prefer it if no one ever entered her office smelling of anything but fresh air! Even after an actor is hired, the problem can persist. Many a time she has had to go to a set and as diplomatically as possible request that an actor refrain from wearing any more of his or her way-too-potent cologne, because it was giving everyone else a headache.

Chewing gum during an audition. Don’t.

Props are never necessary during a cold reading. They make the actor look amateurish and they distract from the performance. She said that the same applies to “indicating” with one’s hands. The moment an actor starts using a prop or his hands to indicate something, the casting director, the director, and the producers will all find themselves looking at the prop or the hands, instead of where they should be looking: The actor’s eyes.

As a matter of fact, Jackie emphasized several times that in her opinion, the eyes are the most important tools that an actor has at his disposal. The people who will decide whether an actor is hired or not – the casting directors and the people who hire them – want to see what’s going on behind and through those eyes. She also noted that if a “reader” has been provided at the audition (someone who is there to feed the cues to the one who’s auditioning), the actor should make eye contact with him or her.

Another distraction for both men and women is too much or just plain unusual jewelry. Ditto clothing that’s so eye-catching it almost forces the viewer’s attention away from the performance. Never wear clothing that has words or logos written on it; even a pro like Jackie has found herself more interested in interpreting what’s written across an actor’s chest than in how he is interpreting his scene!

Actors should always have their sides in their hands during their auditions and should be turning the pages as they proceed. There’s nothing more embarrassing than going up on the lines and not being able to locate them on the page, as well.

Ask questions before you start the audition – that is, of course, if you have any. Jackie knows that not every single casting director will offer to answer questions, but the actor should take the initiative if it’s a pertinent, serious question.

Always be on time. If you know you’re going to be delayed, have your agent call the casting office and let them know. Or rather, ask if that’s going to be all right. If you were scheduled for the last slot of the day, guess what: It will NOT be all right to arrive late.

Remember to always take a headshot and resume with you, even if you think the CD already has one. Do not put your home address on the resume – it’s dangerous. If you don’t have representation, just put your cell phone number (not the home phone) on there; otherwise, you should have your reps listed.

Now, here’s a suggestion that a lot of actors, both young and old, should take to heart: Stop talking so much. A lot of actors, perhaps out of nerves or perhaps in an attempt to ingratiate themselves with the CD, rattle on about totally inconsequential things that have nothing to do with the task at hand, which is their audition. Nobody really cares if there was a lot of traffic on the way over, or that you had to take your cat to the vet this morning, or how tough it is to be…an actor! Just enter, be polite and warm, do your job and try to exit gracefully. If the CD wants more conversation or to ask questions, let him or her take the lead, not the other way around.

Jackie says that most actors are good judges of how they did in an audition, be it good, bad or indifferent. “Over the years, I’ve had many agents call to tell me how well their client thought he did and how excited they were. That is, until I had to tell him how awful his client was. On the other hand, I’ve had agents call to apologize for a client who was sure he’d done horribly in the reading and I had to interrupt to tell the agent that I was just about to call to hire that client!”

Jackie’s advice is to simply do your best, say “thank you” and move on.