Expert: Phil Nemy - 4/15/2006

Question
My name is Tara, I'm 17-years-old, and live in Sacramento, CA. I have done a fair share of both school plays and local theatre, one short independent film through my HS and an on-camera PSA. I also have some training (both on camera and off).
I will be moving to Berkeley this August to begin college; therefore, I will be 15 minutes from San Francisco--a factor in choosing UC Berkeley.

What is your advice in seeking an agent in SF (I am very interested in a film career)? I desperately want to advance my acting career, as I am extremely passionate about it. If any more information about me is necessary to more properly answer my question--ask away!

Thanks a bunch,
--Tara T.

Answer
Tara,

Thanks for writing. And congratulations on being accepted to Cal State Berkeley. It's a great school!

One of the biggest drawbacks with going to school that is close to a big city that has film components available is the distraction factor. You're going to college to get a college education. You're not going to college to pursue an acting career, unless of course, your major in school will be film or theatre. I will assume at this point that you are not attending Berkeley to get a film or theatre degree. If you were truly serious about that kind of degree, I would think you would have chosen a school with a better reputation for those programs.

What I am getting at is this. Go to college to get your degree and experience the college experience. Don't try and focus on an acting career WHILE you're in college. Trust me when I say you will not be able to do both at the success level that you would like. One will fail. If you focus on your studies, you won't get the acting career opportunities that you like and you'll be disappointed. If you focus on acting then your studies will fail which will make both you AND your parents unhappy.

When you're finished with school, THEN begin your focusing on an acting career. This way, if you are never able to make a livable career as an actor, at least you'll have a college education to fall back on to support you. It's probably not what you want to hear, but it's the best advice I can offer.

However, since you asked the question, and my job is to answer questions, I will address your original q. I don't know the agent community in San Francisco, so I honestly can't tell you how to seek on in SF. I would assume you would seek one the same way as in LA. Put yourself in the shoes of an agent - how does he know you can act? He'd have to see you act, right? Then he can decide if you have talent. How will he see you act? By your appearing in a film, TV show, or a play. I would not suggest that you use the indie HS film or the PSA as my guess is, and remember I haven't seen them so I'm uncertain of their quality, I would guess that they are not of the best professional quality equal to what you see in theatres and on TV. You have to put your best foot forward when trying to get an agent as you usually only have one shot at convincing them to sign you.

So, if, during your time at Berkeley, you ever appear in a quality film, TV show, or theatre production, then contact the agencies you are interested in and invite them to see your work. After they've seen it, follow up with them and ask for a general interview. Come to the interview with questions prepared. You're interviewin them as much as they are interviewing you. You both want to see if it's a good fit. Hopefully you both will and you'll be signed.  Sometimes it's not a good fit and you don't get signed. That's how it works.

I hope this information helps. Good luck with your college experience and future career!

Phil