SOLD OUT: Working with Representation: Getting an Agent or Manager

1:00–2:00 P.M. – 4th Floor, Class A
Sooner or later, all actors need someone in their corner. Learn how to get the agent or manager who's right for you at the right stage of your career, plus how the two can work together. Moderated by Frank Nestor, Writer and Editorial Assistant, Back Stage.

Speakers:
-- Francesca Francois-Grimaldi, Managing Partner and Agent, Plaza 7 Talent Agency
-- Karen L. Gunn, Founder/Owner, Soiree Fair Inc.

SPEAKER BIOS

Francesca Francois-Grimaldi, Managing Partner and Agent, Plaza 7 Talent Agency
Francesca Francois-Grimaldi is managing partner and agent at Plaza 7 Talent Agency, a full-service entertainment agency with branches in Tribeca in New York City and King of Prussia, Pa. (just outside Philadelphia).

Currently she runs the New York offices of P7NY. Clients include producers, directors, actors (film and television), and voice talent. She began her career in the mailroom at ICM in New York, before moving to its Motion Pictures Talent Department, where she worked for five years.

She was also previously an agent at the Fifi Oscard Agency in NYC. She holds a B.A. in business from Kingsway Princeton in the U.K. and Iona College in New York. She is a Dance Theatre of Harlem alumna and a member of New York Women in Film and Television.

Karen L. Gunn, Founder/Owner, Soiree Fair Inc.
Formerly an agent at the Fifi Oscard Agency, Karen L. Gunn founded Soiree Fair Inc. in 1995, which transitioned from an event party planning company. She has an extensive background in stage management and running crew in NYC, notably at Manhattan Theatre Club, and at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

She has worked at NBC, RCA Records and RCA Video Productions, Business Month magazine, and HarperCollins Publishers in audio book production. She attended NYU School of the Arts and the Neighborhood Playhouse. She holds a B.A. from Seton Hall University in English and communications.

Karen has served on the advisory boards of the 12 Miles West Theatre Company, based in New Jersey, and the Turnip Festival Theatre Company, based in Manhattan. She is the associate producer of the independent film "Nicky Newark," from Feenix Films, released in April 2011. Soiree Fair Inc. specializes in actors and writer clients who are very eclectic and diverse and are crossover talents in all mediums.

MODERATOR

Frank Nestor, Writer and Editorial Assistant, Back Stage
Since January 2011, Frank Nestor has worked at Back Stage, where he writes the Ask an Agent column, features, and news stories. He is a 2010 graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in history.

While receiving his degree, he served as a project editor and contributing author to the Encyclopedia of New York City, which features his articles on the School of American Ballet and the Lindy hop.