Expert: Kitty Kavey - 3/20/2009

Question
Hello,

My 8 year old son is very interested in acting and keeps asking me to help him find opportunities.  We live very close to NY, and I understand you have to have an agent to be seen or heard, but I also have seen many suspicious adds of different agencies, which make me think twice before sending them money and never hearing back from them unless they wanted more.  How can I find a good legitimate and experienced agency that I can trust will do the job they are promising to do and not just another money making machine?

Thank you so much,

Mari.

Answer
Firstly, don't send any "agent" money.  A legitimate agency earns their money by taking a percentage (usually 10-20 %) off of the money a model or talent earns through them.

If an agency is charging you for registration fees, printing, photography, classes, etc. then that will be where their focus is - not necessarily on obtaining industry work for their models or talent.

Certainly there are items that you may want to get for your son at some point; headshots and his actor's resume will come in handy once he's older and has more experience.  It may be that you will be able to work from a non-professional photo to begin with because of his age, or if you have a talented friend or family member who can take a good, clear headshot of him you should be able to avoid the costs of a pro photographer for the time being.

There are two suggestions I have for the NYC area that should help you find good (legitimate) agencies for your son.  The Ross Reports (now called Call Sheet by Back Stage) is published monthly and available on newsstands, in bookstores and online (www.rossreports.com).  They can be an easier way to find agencies who specialize in or have a children's division.

Some of the top agencies are affiliated with the Screen Actor's Guild who keeps a list of agencies on their website (and it's free!)
http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent
You can search by location/area in the US, and use your favorite search engine to look up the agencies you are interested in.  Most have websites, and of those who do, most of the time they list agency criteria and submission instructions for new talent.

I prefer union-affiliated agencies, as they not only need to adhere to state and local rules/regulations, but also the guild's rules as well.

Good luck to you and your son.
~Kitty