Expert: Phil Nemy - 7/24/2008

Question
Hi Phil,
I am looking at opening a talent agency focusing on children and/or extras in northern Michigan.  There are none in my area and our state is providing incentives to the film industry that make it very enticing to shoot here.  I'm seeing a lot of activity here and was wondering if you may be able to give me any pointers on doing this.  I have an business background primarily in insurance, am a perfomer myself (voiceover and singing), have great business references and formal education in PR at Wayne State.  I really think there's an opportunity here, not to mention a whole lot of talent...any suggestions?

Answer
Tracy,

Thanks for writing. A talent agency representing children is a very different thing from handling extras. Extras don't have agents. If you want to handle extras, then you need to develop a database of thousands of people of varying ethnicities, sizes, shapes, ages, colors, etc., people that are willing to work 12-14 hours for very little pay. Then market your company's services to production companies and hope that they'll give you a shot.

As far as talent agencies for kids are concerned, most young kids don't have "talent" per se, but rather charm, cuteness and like-ability. Most kids can't be "trained" to act, but they can be given direction and cajoled. It's all about how they respond on camera and whether or not they are easily distracted.

Both business are a tough business to make a living in. Good luck!

Phil