Finding the Right Agent
by Charles Wilkinson.
This article is an excerpt from the book, “The Working Director” by Charles Wilkinson.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1932907025/actiocutprint
AGENT
Do you have the right agent? Should you look for a better one?
Do you need an agent at all? Consider this: Virtually every
director finds and signs their first life changing deal without
the aid of an agent. That first low-budget movie. The first
music video that lights the kindling that starts the fire that
will become your career. No agent on earth can light that fire
for you. Nobody in the directing trade gets “discovered.” BUT,
once you start a merry little blaze no one can turn it into a
roaring bonfire like a good agent. So if your excuse for not
working is that you have the wrong agent or no agent at all,
that may be just what it is. An excuse.
If you’re not currently working it’s because the people doing
the hiring aren’t thinking about you. Or they’re thinking the
wrong things about you. Assuming you are qualified for the
work, the right agent may be able to change this situation. But
how do you get the right agent? By being a promising director.
And how do you do that?
Direct. Wherever you can. Do a play that gets good notices. Do
a music video for a group about to break out. Do a commercial
on spec, a student film, a wedding. Enter every festival under
the sun. Win an award. Suddenly the agent sees you (and more
importantly can sell you) as the award winning director who
just….
Can the Right Agent Get You Work?
Sometimes. If you are studio or network approvable for the kind
of work you want and if your agent is in that particular loop
then yes, they can. What does that mean?
If you’ve directed 20 episodes of prime time drama and if your
agent talks daily with the producers who hire for prime time
drama then your agent can probably get you more of the same
kind of work. Can that agent get you a studio feature? Almost
certainly not.
On the other hand let’s say you have one low-budget feature to
your credit. Say it didn’t go theatrical but a few critics
liked it and it won some awards. Can an agent who’s plugged
into the world of small features get you serious job interviews
for more of the same? Yes. Can that agent get you on to this
season’s hot prime time episodic? Almost certainly not. Agents
specialize.
GM Goodwrench mechanics know nothing about fixing Ferraris.
They never see one. Likewise, the perfectionist Ferrari
mechanic wouldn’t know where to start on that $49.95 tune-up.
Directors often complain about their agents. The agency is too
small. Nobody takes their calls. Or they’re too big. They don’t
take your calls. Or they’re addicted to packaging. They claim
your name doesn’t have the sizzle that the latest ex-rocker
first timer’s does. The complaints may very well be true. But
the complaints we make about our agents are often excuses.
Put yourself in the agent’s place. They can’t stay in business
if they don’t have income. In a way an agent is like a
salesman. Give a salesman a desirable product and they’ll move
it. As anti-art as it sounds, if you make yourself that
desirable “product” your agent will sell you.
Big vs. Small
Everybody wants to be repped by the CAA, ICM, or the William
Morris Agency. They rep the biggest of the big. Some of that
success is bound to rub off on you, right? And also, their
sweatshirts are cool. Who doesn’t enjoy a visit to the park
with “Property of Wm. Morris” on their chest? And their logo on
your resume and demo reel. What producer won’t put that one at
the top of the pile?
Pure fantasy.
I was represented by the Morris Agency for two years. I worked,
but not one of my jobs came from them. Why?
Because the kind of work I was approvable for was simply not
going to Morris clients. And of the few jobs my agent there
could have sold me for, he had other clients with better
credits. When I came to my senses and signed with an L.A.
agency that was tops in my field my phone started to ring
again.
Was I wrong to sign with Morris? No. Besides directing I write
spec screenplays. During the time I was there two or three of
my scripts were seriously looked at by people who could have
helped them happen if the material was right. That chance,
however slim, was worth something.
My point? The big/small criterion isn’t the way to choose an
agent. So what is?
Here’s a way I’ve found that works. Pick a number of shows you
realistically could have been, but weren’t, considered for.
Find out who directed them and who represents those directors.
Call these agents. Tell them who you are. Ask for a meeting. If
you’ve been truly realistic regarding where you stand a chance
of being hired, odds are the agents will want to meet you.
Here’s another method that can work very well. Say you’ve found
the agent that’s perfect for you. Only problem is they don’t
want to sign you just now. What to do?
Bring them your best lead. Do the agent’s job for them. Find a
job you are hirable for. Do the leg work. Call for yourself.
Take the meeting. Again, if you were correct in your judgment
about how hirable you are, the producer will talk to you
without an agent being involved. Once it looks like they want
you, go to the agent and ask them to close and commission what
amounts to a done deal. In a way it’s kind of bribery. But it
also shows you’re motivated. And most importantly it tells the
agent that you take responsibility for your own career.
The same applies when you have an agent but you’re considering
a change. Don’t wait until you’re into a slow patch to shop
around. Who wants to rep an unemployed director? Make the calls
when you’re working. Very few agents will refuse to meet a
working director.
Bottom line, there are SO many agents out there. Every one of
them is right for someone. Get the right one for you.
Speaking of bribery, reward your agent. Let them share in your
excitement. Every time they get you work buy them flowers or a
fruit basket. When they get you work in Paris send them a print
from the Louvre. When they get you work in Germany, say it with
lederhosen.
To get this book from Amazon.com, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1932907025/actiocutprint
—————————————————————
Charles Wilkinson is a film and television director. He has
directed numerous dramatic programs for theatrical and U.S.
network release (Max, Breach of Trust, The Highlander). His
most recent work is the 2004 independent U.S. feature The Heart
of the Storm starring Tom Cavanaugh (Ed) and Melissa Gilbert
(Hollywood Wives). His book, The Working Director (MWP
Publications of Los Angeles) is available through Amazon,
Chapters, and in film bookstores all over.
http://www.charleswilkinson.com/
—————————————————————
Copyright (c) 2003 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
Recent Comments