When I lived in Chicago, my friends would drop by all the time. They never called to check if I was home. They would just show up. And that was totally cool because those unplanned visits always led to good times.
Sadly, I’ve been living in Los Angeles for almost 20 years now and I’ve never, ever had a friend just pop in. That sort of thing doesn’t happen here. The reason might be that we all live in our cars and it forces us to make plans, which we always cancel at the last minute. That’s just the way we roll in Southern California, and that aversion to spontaneity applies to both our personal and professional lives.
Unless you’re an actor. Then you have no boundaries. We have pop-ins at my office all the time. Sometimes, they’re a pleasant diversion from the Hollywood grind. And sometimes, they’re an annoying interruption that makes me wish I had a loaded shotgun behind my desk.
Should you show up at a talent agency without an appointment? Well, there are two ways to answer that: First, I’ll focus on actors (strangers) who aren’t represented by the company. And then I’ll discuss actors who are.
Despite what you’ve heard, you’re allowed to visit an agency that doesn’t represent you. We don’t have guard towers or German shepherds protecting our perimeter. All we have is a waiting area and a receptionist. So come on by!
But expect nothing. You will be allowed to drop off your material and that’s it. You will not get face time with an agent. You won’t even get face time with our bathroom. And quite frankly, no one will take you seriously because professional actors don’t do this sort of thing.
READ: “3 Audition Room Tips to Show You’re a Professional Working Actor”
In other words, there’s no legitimate reason for you to pop in at a talent agency that doesn’t represent you. But until Trump takes over, this remains a free country and you can do whatever you want. So like I said before, come on by!
(No, seriously. Don’t.)
If you’re a client, it’s a totally different ball game. Every agency I know has an open-door policy. But that doesn’t mean you can visit every single day. That would be stupid. You should have a reason and that reason should be positive.
For example, let’s say you just got engaged and you want to tell me all about it. Or maybe you just had an audition that went extraordinarily well and you want to tell me about that. Those are both excellent reasons to pop in. Guys like me love hearing good news from their clients.
The trick is to limit your expectations. The amount of time you’re given will depend on how busy I am. It might be a quick exchange or we might sit down to chat. Either way, it’s all good.
Apply for your next audition here!
On the flip side, you don’t want to come by and spend your visit complaining about the lack of activity. That’s a major buzzkill. And I will hate you for ruining my mood. Do this sort of thing often enough and your name will end up on the drop list.
So the key here is to find the right balance between never seeing your agents in person and being an annoying pest that shows up every day.
See you soon!
Or not…
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