The world is full of bad ideas. Thinking about buying some swampland in Florida? Bad idea. Proposing to the cocktail waitress you just met in Vegas? Bad idea. Telling your agent how to do their job? Very bad idea!
Here’s a recent post from the Backstage message board:
“I have been represented by a well-known talent agency since November. I notice they are having success with their other clients and I also noticed they have another actor with a similar look who is getting out more than me.”
(Never compare yourself to other actors. Everyone is different. And agents need to have multiple choices in all the categories on their client lists.)
“Since I have been with this agency I have met with over a dozen casting directors at workshops and received amazing feedback from just about all of them. My question is: ‘Do agents pitch actors to casting directors over the phone?’ I honestly feel that will help. When I brought this up to my agent, she said when the casting director puts up the breakdown, then I will be submitted.”
(At this point, the agent is offended. This actor has only been a client for a few months and he’s already a pain in her ass.)
“I thought about this for a while but I still think pitching over the phone will help. So I emailed her a list of all the casting directors I’ve met with, their contact info and projects coming up, along with notes they gave me for reference. I didn’t get a response back.”
(Now the agent is really offended. She has access to all the contact information she needs and she certainly knows all about the projects that are coming up. That’s her job.)
“I know they submit online but I feel over the phone would be beneficial because I am still fresh in their minds. Do agents not pitch actors to casting directors over the phone?”
Now here’s my posted response:
Your agent probably hates you now. I mean, where do you get off telling her how to do her job? How would you feel if your agent told you how to prepare sides for an audition? Or how to rehearse for a play? The bottom line here is: You crossed the line.
That said, every agent is different. I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years now, so I can get pretty much any casting director I cover on the phone. But I’m very selective about that so I don’t wear out my welcome. I submit my clients, and then I follow up with either a phone pitch or an email pitch. The trick is knowing which casting director responds best to which approach.
There’s another reality at work here. On a breakdown, I submit every single client who’s right for the part. I might even throw in a few wild cards. But do I follow up by pitching every single actor I submitted? No, of course not. That would be insane. There’s not enough time. So I submit everyone who’s right but I only pitch the few I believe have the best shot at getting in the room.
But you know who I never pitch? The idiot client who tried to tell me how to do my job.
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