Dear Tombudsman:
I'm 22, have lived in Los Angeles for almost a year now, and have gotten a few good auditions and my first television job during pilot season. I'm studying as much as my budget allows, and I have an OK survival job that pays my bills. I also have an agent, but we don't talk all that much. He's really busy and has a lot of actors, so there isn't much time for us to talk on the phone about my career.
My roommate also has an agent, but he also sends his own photos to casting directors. I'm not sure if his agent approves of this, but it got me wondering about some things. Should an actor do that if she has an agent?
I'm also curious about how the big picture works. I know the agent submits the picture, but what happens after that? Is it just a random choice that the casting director makes, or does the agent or agency do more to try to get the audition? Do they pitch you before they send the picture? How does the process work behind those closed doors? And how does a personal manager fit into the picture?
The other thing my roommate told me is that there are some casting directors who bring in only those actors who are with those big agencies. This seems really unfair. I understand that experience really counts, but don't they realize that all agents have some experienced and talented actors?
Ashley R.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dear Ashley:
OK, here are a few things that happen in Hollywood behind those proverbial closed doors. Realize, however, that there is no one template for how things are done. Each office and each person in that office—whether agent, casting director, or manager—has his or her own style and unique twist to the game, but there are similar tried-and-true approaches used by many agencies in marketing clients to casting directors, and ultimately for attaining interviews and/or auditions. In other words, you'd have to be behind each and every door in the Los Angeles entertainment scene to get the total picture of what's happening—and even then I'm not sure you'd fully understand it.
Anyway, here's what often happens. Most agencies rely on breakdowns to find out what is being cast. The film and television reps get theirs in the morning, and the commercial agents receive them throughout the day. The agents put together submission packages, which include photos/resumés of appropriate clients and suggestions for which role they are submitting. The packages are messengered to the casting directors, who then begin the laborious process of looking at thousands of pictures for various roles they are casting. Interspersed among those agency submissions are packages from managers, as well, and plenty that have been directly submitted from actors who are not represented—and even some from actors who do have an agent.
Imagine the deluge of photos the casters have to deal with. It's outrageous in theatre and almost laughable in commercials. That's why I've always said, actors are blessed when they get any legitimate audition.
So the pictures arrive, and the casting assistants start separating the keepers from the passes. The keeper list is miniscule compared with the number of photos reviewed. The caster often does more cutting before the next phase begins. Soon after, depending on the casting dates and project's schedule, the casting office will begin phoning the actors' reps for appointments.
In a perfect world all submissions would be treated equally, but that's just not going to happen in many cases. The bigger agencies and the more respected boutique agencies have gained their standings for a reason: They generally offer very strong clients for roles. Should it be that much of a surprise, then, that many of their submissions might get an extra dose of attention?
It's often said by casting departments that they look at every picture that comes across the desk, and some may even honor that, but there are different ways of "looking." I think packages from the better agencies are given somewhat more attention, but that doesn't mean that a smaller or less-well-regarded agency won't have a chance to get its clients read. Likewise, a picture submitted directly by an actor would be more of a long shot to hit the keeper pile, but it happens every day to some degree.
Then there are the follow-ups. Depending on the nature of the project and the relationship among the agent and manager and casting office, there may or may not be calls made to try to grease the wheel a little bit. Again, more powerful agencies have a wider berth here, because they've earned it through those impressive client lists. Smaller agencies will make those follow-up calls, too, when appropriate, but it isn't realistic to think every agent from every agency is going to be working the phones after each submission. If someone is absolutely perfect for a role, and if the agent has a great relationship with the casting office, and if the casting is happening just that day, there may be calls put in.
The truth is, the submissions are made by messenger, and a lot of agencies must wait for the phone to ring offering appointments. If nothing happens they focus on another package for another project. A lot of times follow-ups are only done after callbacks, and, even then, it's often a wait-and-see situation. If the casting director does want the client, the CD will do the calling. Occasionally the manager pushes the agent to do follow-ups, or the manager, who usually has a smaller client base than the agency, is sometimes more apt to make that call.
There's also the theory that no one wants to share bad news with anyone. The relationship between rep and casting director has to be pretty strong before the CD will call to say, "We really didn't like your actor." And, yes, on rare occasions, actors have been known to follow up themselves. If you dare do that, you'd better be pretty darn sure you blew them away, and the casting director had better like you a lot from your work history.
There are other ways agents make submissions. Occasionally they'll only submit a list of names to the casting director. When relationships and trust have been established, there may be submissions for projects that never reach the breakdowns stage. In situations like those, you can understand the importance of the relationship. Those situations are earned over long periods, but every good agent has that opportunity at one time or another. Similarly, the agent may hear of a role well before it's been announced (perhaps the manager was offering the info) and will call the casting office to pitch a client. The big enchiladas—those few glorified agencies that often package the projects or put the deals together—can certainly command major attention in the casting arena.
But with that said, there are only a few casting people who fail to at least consider submissions from all agencies. If there are a few who have blinders on for one or two agencies, that's really unfortunate, but what can you do? You focus on the dozens of casting directors who are seeking talent from across the board.
As far as your own marketing is concerned, many actors still submit their pictures even though they have agents. I always look at it this way: Your agent represents others, as well, while you represent only yourself. Personally I've always had more activity when I was working on my career at the same time my rep was. An actor has to do it the right way, though. You are not an agent or manager, and you shouldn't approach an office in that way. You're an actor who has a marketing strategy, and that's absolutely fine and necessary. It's great when you can coordinate things with your representation team, but reality soon teaches actors that it's rarely that simple. Naturally if your agent says, "I don't want you submitting pictures to casting directors," you'd better listen to that agent or find yourself another.
For the record, I've never heard of any agent forbidding a client to send pictures or postcards.
Well, my 1,500 words are up, and even another thousand couldn't tell you exactly what goes on behind all the doors. One thing's for sure, it's all fast and furious, and it's a tribute to the passion and professionalism of all concerned.
