Our Repped series asks agents to get real about what they want from prospective clients, Hollywood, headshots, and more. We sit with Mark Scroggs, the senior vice president of talent at mid-sized agency Prestige. His comic-heavy roster has clients with credits including “This Is Us,” “Silicon Valley,” Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie,” and Snapchat’s “Solve.” For this agent, maximizing one’s comedic potential, having the right attitude, and staying busy are key.
Describe your roster.
A lot of comedic talent who received lots of acclaim but aren’t megastars. Last year we had two Emmy nominees: Kim Estes won for “Dicks” [for Short Form Comedy or Drama Series] and Mindy Sterling was nominated against herself in the same category.
Is comedy your specialty?
Yes, and my interest. A lot of people who are comedic are proactive and create great content. Until recently, regular working actors would pretty much sit by the phone and wait. Now you can’t. You have to always be out there doing stuff and working. And it’s always good to be busy, because you don’t know where someone might see you.
Are you looking for new clients?
I never say we’re looking, I never say we’re not. I always want to be aware of new talent.
How can actors secure a meeting with you?
Just be creative. “I’m so-and-so meets so-and-so” may work for some people. It only has to work for one person. But it’s got to be something that makes you stand out. If you’re not going to stand out there, you’re not going to stand out elsewhere.
And what should they not do?
Don’t say, “I looked at your roster and I want to be with you.” Nothing about that rings true. If it’s a cut-and-paste email with nothing unique or specialized about it, I just get rid of it. And if you’re sending a reel, you’ve got to make it easy and accessible. Sometimes people send a link and it takes forever. There are only so many hours in a day and you want me to open a link in Dropbox? It has to be quick.
Do funny headshots work for comedy actors?
Some comedians have ridiculous shots. That works for certain club things but not for everything else. There should be personality in a headshot: It should be you on a first date. You should look normal, like yourself, so someone would recognize you.
What are some common misconceptions about top agents?
That we’re only interested in the commerce, or that we just don’t care, when I think it’s the opposite. A client brought up something recently and it made me think about how to follow up on a possible offer that I hadn’t thought of before. We want to be part of a team.
What would stop you signing someone?
Arrogance. I’ve noticed this a lot with comics at clubs. I look at how they walk on-stage and off. Sometimes they’re walking off and don’t want to talk to people. You’re still entertaining. You’re still in there!
Do you ever recommend that actors move to Los Angeles?
It depends why they want to move. L.A. is where most of the action is but you can be a big fish in Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, or Vancouver. To come here, you have to start from scratch and so many people just don’t realize that.
What does success on social media look like?
I don’t think the numbers matter. Who cares how many Twitter followers you have? Doing stuff matters, and making sure that people can find you. Make sure it looks good and also, control your name, by having a website for example.
Can you name some recent client performances you’re proud of?
I prefer not to single out clients but sometimes it’s people’s live performances that make me so happy I represent them. I’m proud of tons of them. There haven’t been any I’ve been ashamed of!
Check out Backstage’s Los Angeles audition listings!
