by Chelsea
(Clark)
QUESTION:
How do you get an agent? And how do you get your first role when you are first starting as an actor?
ANSWER:
First, read this information on acting agents. You’ll find the answers to most of your questions, including the big question – how does one get an agent?
Keep in mind that if you don’t have any acting experience, getting an agent can be hard, so don’t spend all your energy looking for an agent if you’re starting out. You can easily get your first acting role on your own.
Actually, the easiest way to get an agent is to start working. If you get a good role, the casting director in charge may even suggest an agent to contact. For acting tips on how to get your first acting roles, visit our actor resume page.
Here’s one more thing I strongly believe in…
If you’re college age and want to give yourself the best chances of having a successful acting career, go to a good acting school. Agents and managers get a lot of their clients from graduate showcases of acting schools. They want to help promising actors grow from the start. Of course, not all graduates get representation straight out of school, but even those who don’t have more opportunities to network and get involved in acting projects through other alumni. Starting an acting career without going to a good acting school can be very hard and time consuming. Four years to get an acting degree can seem a long time right now, but most aspiring actors with no strong training will take much longer to break into the business and find a good agent on their own.
If you’re not college age, then your best chances of making it are just to start working. Get involved in as many acting projects as you can to start with. If you’re in a community theater play that gets a good review in the local newspaper, make copies and attach the review to your resume when you send it off to agents. Don’t worry about whether acting jobs pay or not at the beginning. Audition for student films (not only will it help you build your acting reel, a good student of non-paying independent film can jump start your acting career if it gets exposure at a good film festival, plus the student filmmakers you meet today will work on larger projects when they get out of school).
Intern, network, take acting classes, go to open calls… Spend 90 per cent of your time training, performing and looking for acting work, and only 10 per cent looking for an agent or manager. Once you start getting a lot of work, finding representation will be easy.
Good luck! Add comments to this page to let us know how you’re doing.