Expert: Phil Nemy - 9/16/2007

Question
Hello My names Stephanie. I have been interested in acting all my life and would love to get a chance to audition for films or TV work. One company i would love to work with is the Disney channel. I've read some of your other answers about how to get auditions and you mentioned getting an agent, where could i get one and how much would they be(preferably a good one :) )
Thank you x

Answer
Stephanie,

Thanks for writing. Agents don't cost you anything up front. If an agent is interested in representing you and he/she asks you to pay them a fee up front, RUN! If they ask this, they aren't legitimate, they're crooks!

Legitimate agents don't get paid until YOU get paid. By law, the maximum amount of money an agent can earn is 10% of your fee you earn for your acting work. So if you earn $100,000 for an acting job, your agent will take $10,000 from that fee and give you the remaining $90,000.

The way you get an agent is by performing in something to which you can invite prospective agents to see you work. No agent will represent an actor unless he/she has seen the actor act. He/she needs to know you have talent, or at least, a marketable quality about you. So when you're performing in a play or showcase, invite the agent(s) to come to and see your work. If you appear in films or TV work, then add a clip of your work onto a demo reel. Once you have at least 4 pieces of work on the reel, you can submit your reel to agencies with a note that says you're seeking representation.

Hope  this helps, Good luck!

Phil