Dear Tombudsman:
My teenage daughter is represented by a well-known talent agency for theatrical representation, plus a small talent agency for commercial representation, and she has a reputable talent manager. This well-known "full-service" talent agency did not pick her up for commercial representation due to a "conflict." My daughter subsequently went with a smaller agency for commercial representation. The smaller agency primarily signs adults, and she is one of a few kids it represents. Her manager has mentioned that we may want to move her to the smaller agency for theatrical representation, as well. She said at the larger well-known talent agency my daughter is one of many teenage girls. As she currently doesn't have enough credits on her resumé to warrant her being the top choice for submissions, she probably goes out less for theatrical auditions.
It seems that when she goes out for auditions or attends various acting classes, people seem impressed that she is represented by this well-known agency. I suspect the name lends her credibility. Meanwhile her manager said the smaller agency loves her and wants to also represent her for theatrical opportunities. She thinks that the smaller agency would work for her.
Is it better to be a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond? What part does representation play with casting directors, especially as it relates to kids?
Blair Z.
Los Angeles, via the Internet
Dear Blair:
That probably depends on the fish—I mean, actor. Let's be honest. If most actors had their dream representation, it would be as a priority at a large, full-service agency. But that's not the way it usually works, as your daughter has found out. There's a great misconception out there that the top-tier agencies have all their clients working. No way. Just like at the small one- or two-person agencies, just like at the top boutique firms, just like at the strong mid-sized rep companies, even at those über-agencies that have streets named after them, you will always be able to find some actors who are hardly getting out. Bottom line, sure it's great to be with a top agency if the agency makes you a priority, or even a semi-priority, maybe even a semi-semi-priority, but if it is putting you on the back burner or ignoring you altogether, you have to explore other options.
In this case—not all that rare by the way—we have an actor who no doubt is very good but is less likely to be sent out for roles today because her credits are overshadowed by others in her age range and type at the agency. Even that could be understandable for a short while, as long as the main agent has a plan in store to eventually get the actor auditioning and working. If there is no plan other than, 'Let's keep her in the file and see if anyone calls,' then trouble is brewing.
In your daughter's situation it comes down to two things: the short term and the long term. For practical reasons right now I'd be focusing more on the short term, which means auditions in the near future. Look at the numbers closely and sensibly. Have there been many auditions? If your kid is getting out three times a week and is unhappy because she hasn't booked theatrical work, she can't complain too much. There's a big difference between wanting six auditions a week instead of three vs. going out once a month or once every three months. Expectations must be reasonable and patience must be practiced, even if you are with the biggest agency. But by the tone of your letter it sounds like auditions are few and far between.
You seem to have a good relationship with the manager who is pushing for a move to the smaller agency. Considering the audition barometer, that sounds reasonable, but don't do it blindly. The old line "the grass is always greener" comes to mind. As with any business, it almost always comes down to the people. It's time to find out who is going to work the hardest on behalf of your daughter, and that can only be somewhat determined by sitting down with all the current agents and prospective new representatives. Start with your current agency: Schedule a meeting to ask how long it will be before she will be sent out more regularly, like the other teenage clients repped by the same place. Don't be timid; ask for specifics. Find out to which shows the agents have been sending her picture and to whom they've been pitching her. Granted we're coming up on June, so there won't be too much activity, but you can ask for a history of the past six months to get some perspective.
Ask what the plan is for the upcoming fall season. If it's a focused plan and the agent seems genuinely enthused, then, considering the size and reputation of the agency, you might want to stick it out for a while longer. The agency may have been very busy laying the groundwork for future possibilities, but you won't know if you don't ask. Also make sure you understand how the agency works. If there are multiple agents within the office responsible for getting the auditions for your kid, then you must speak with all of them to make sure the interest isn't just from one or two. If a team is going to be successful, every member has to believe in what they are doing. Naturally one or two might have a stronger enthusiasm, but all have to have at least some serious interest in advancing the actor's career.
After meeting with the current agency, you'll then interview with the new, smaller company that has theatrical interest. By the way, there are plenty of cases of actors leaving big agencies for smaller ones and ending up being much happier. And, yes, there are many who have done so and regretted the day they did it. So be very careful, ask a lot of tough questions—you can afford to—and only make that kind of representational change if the agents absolutely, positively state a clear plan and unified vision for your daughter's career. In this case she would have to be a priority from Day One; otherwise there would be no reason to make a change. Ask away, suss out the information. Things can always change, but if they don't have a focus when you are sitting in front of them, they probably won't have one the day after. Remember this, too: Though she may be going out regularly for them today as a commercial client, it doesn't mean they will do the same for her theatrically. There very well may be a whole different agent or team involved. You don't want an agency mindset that suggests, "Oh, our client already has a commercial running, she's working, so we don't need to be pushing her theatrically this week or the next." If you're with two separate departments in one company, you want both of them to be working equally for you.
All during the selection process, but especially after the meetings are concluded, you'll want to actively get your manager's perspective. Does the manager have other theatrical clients at the smaller agency who are actively working in the kind of roles your daughter hopes to be doing? Does the manager have a much stronger relationship with the agents at the small agency than at the bigger one? The agency's "smallness" doesn't matter all that much if the agent(s) and your manager have a great synergy and a common view of where the client is now and should be in the near future. That kind of unification can take professional performers a long way, even if they are at the tiniest agencies. Of course if there isn't regular communication between manager and agent—or worse, if animosity exists—the client suffers.
Examine all these factors, don't make any rash decisions, and keep in mind that you can always make another change later down the line. Speaking of which, if your daughter goes with a small agency and things start to take off in a big way, inevitably one of those super-agencies will start calling—possibly even the same one she left, but now with a new promise of prioritization. Once success starts happening, the big boys will call, because those agencies built their impressive structures by working with actors who already have a gig.
Then oftentimes comes the next decision: Do I leave my small or mid-sized agency that helped get me here for one of the big ones? And sure enough if you're walking in the giant door, there's going to be another actor walking out looking for a smaller agency that'll make him a priority. What a business!
You asked about casting directors and talent agencies. It won't be any shock to hear that casting directors bring in more actors from major agencies than from smaller ones. Most bring in actors from agencies big and small, but big agency clients will always fill up most slots on the sign-in sheet and will be seen for more substantial roles. The big boys usually aren't submitting for one- and two-liners. But CDs are hired to find new talent wherever it may exist, and if your daughter has the skill, look, and other factors they need, she'd probably be found with any agency.
I hope she finds the right pond and swims well.