Expert: Kitty Kavey - 7/22/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a couple questions. My daughter is looking into finding an agent in the Washington D.C. area but I don't know which ones are scams and which aren't. Do you know how to find a legitimate agency or do you have any you could recommend? She's 17 and has taken classes both outside and in school and been in a few plays. What do agents look for in possible talent and how does that process work? Do they need a resume or is there an audition?
Sorry for all the questions - I'm new to this and I want to make sure my daughter isn't taken advantage of.

ANSWER: One of the best ways I've found to look up legitimate talent agencies in the US is to use the Screen Actor's Guild list of franchised agencies: http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent

There are two agencies listed on the SAG list in the general D.C. area:
Kids International Talent Agency
938 EAST SWAN CREEK RD., FORT WASHINGTON, MD 20744
301-292-6094
http://www.kidsinternationaltalentagency.com

Taylor Royall Agency
6247 FALLS ROAD BALTIMORE, MD 21209
410-828-6900
http://www.taylorroyall.com

It looks as if both agencies represent talent of your daughter's age, for acting as well as modeling.  I'm sure there are more details on their websites as to what they want to see from your daughter for agency consideration, although generally they would ask to see a professional actors headshot and resume to be sent to them.  If they are interested in her "type" or look/skills, then they would call her in to their office for an audition/interview.  Depending on the type of acting she is going for, they might ask her to have a monologue prepared, or give her commercial copy to read on the spot.

The first thing an agency will look at when considering new talent is their headshot.  If they have a lot of one particular type, they may not consider another person that looks too similar to talent they already represent.  Sometimes if a talent is extremely unusual, an agency might pass if they feel they are not that marketable to their clients, or for that geographic area.

The next thing they look at is the actor's resume.  If talent is new to the business, and has no training at all, some agents are quite understanding, some prefer to see more experienced talent.

Lastly, if they like the headshot, and either don't mind seeing brand new talent or have seen something on the resume that catches their eye, they will generally make an appointment to audition the talent.  Whether that's done only as an on-camera auditioning process, a personal interview or a combination is up to the individual agent, and the process can vary from agency to agency.  Generally the agent would want to see that the talent can act, is hopefully photogenic, and likely to be professional and reliable on the job.

I see that both of the Screen Actors Guild agencies in your area offer other services beyond just agency representation.  One offers classes to represented talent, and the other has an online casting/website service.  I believe neither one will require your daughter to use those additional services, and I would suggest holding off on either of those until you see how the agency works with your daughter.  The agency should be earning money by getting their talent work, for which they take a percentage (usually either 10 or 20%).  Even in the SAG list, not every agency is right for every talent, and if neither of those agencies seem like a good match for your daughter, you may have to look further out on the list.

I hope you find the perfect agency for your daughter and her acting goals.
Good luck to you both,
~Kitty

 

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your answer, it was very helpful. I just have a couple more questions about resumes, headshots, and what to send to the agencies. We checked out both of the agencies you suggested and since they both sound good, we were going to try them both. Is it advisable to send the resumes to both at the same time, or should we send to one and hear the response before sending to the other? Also, my daughter has been doing a lot of research to find out how to format her resume properly. Does it matter how the information is layed out? And for headshots, would you recommend full body or close up? Color or black and white? There are so many opinions on all the websites we've read it gets very confusing. Is just stapling the headshot and resume together okay, or should they be glued? Finally, one of the agencies said they want 2 headshots and resumes and/or modeling comp cards as well as a cover letter sent in. What should be written in the cover letter? And does that mean they want two different headshots or just two copies of the same thing?
Sorry again for all these little questions- my daughter is worried about having everything right. Any information you have to help us would be welcomed. Thank you very much for your help.

Answer
I would send out information to both at the same time, and if both are interested your daughter can meet with them also around the same time and make the choice between the two.  The resume format is generally standardized, although there are variations.  This is a very good PDF guide to resume format: http://careers.utah.edu/downloads/ACTORSRESUME.pdf

You can print the resume directly on the back of the headshot, or print the resume on regular paper, trim it to 8x10 size and staple it to the back of the resume.  I would not recommend glue, as it might distort the photo or resume if it's too liquidy, or may not fasten the resume to the headshot securely enough to withstand repeated handling.

An actor's headshot should ideally be the head and perhaps part of the upper body - although if someone is a professional dancer, a bodybuilder, etc., then they may want to include more figure in their headshot.  If the agency is asking for two headshots, you can send in two copies of the same.  They may have two agents looking at potential new talent, and it's fine if they are both looking at the same information.  Although a lot of people still use the traditional black and white headshots, particularly in the smaller markets, it is more common to use color headshots.  

The cover letter is what contains more personal information.  Usually, one does not put one's direct telephone number or address on a resume.  So when submitting your materials to an agency, you will want to include in your cover letter your daughter's contact information, her age (since she's under 18), and a brief paragraph about her.  There are also examples online of cover letters.  From eHow.com: http://www.ehow.com/how_2152431_write-cover-letter-talent-agents.html

I hope that helps, and good luck to both of you.
~Kitty