Use Communication Etiquette to Secretly Be Your Talent Agent's Favorite Actor

​HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED

First, I want to explain the difference between poor communication and an unhealthy actor-agent relationship to make sure that's not your issue, then we'll dive into communication tips.

An actor friend of mine asked if we could talk one day about a strange interaction she had with her agent. She'd only been signed with her for a few months.

She said, "I think this is weird. I'm not sure if this is right." 

When I heard and read the really negative comments being made to my friend (that I knew were not true about her), I was shocked. 
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I said, "You need to be done with this particular agency. You need to write your 30-day written notice. This is not just an issue of poor communication. This is straight up unhealthy." 

When you have a negative feeling, or you feel like there's a red flag that goes beyond poor communication, ask other people in this business that you trust for their opinion.

You may need to make the hard decision to step away from your agency. If you're wondering, "Should I change my acting agent?" then ask yourself, "Is this interaction good for me?"

Listen to that warning if you have it. Communication is one of the key components of an actor-agent relationship.

After hearing about my friend's issue, I immediately wrote my agency a quick email saying, "Hey, thanks so much for always looking for the silver lining and trying to stay positive. I really appreciate that. Here's what I just heard from another friend, and I'm glad that's not true for us."

That type of negative interaction is not anything I would ever expect my agency to do. so I let them know I was thankful. I'd encourage you to do the same if you're in a good situation. Healthy communication can be that simple.

If you're thankful for something, tell your agent! They're humans that need encouragement, too.

I want you to be proactive this year. Let's break down tips and tricks that I've personally used in this post.

Hey, if you don't have an agent yet, actor friend, that's okay. You're gonna get one one day. So stick with me because there's really a lot of trial-and-error in this business for figuring out what works and what doesn't.

Outside of learning your craft and getting coaching on your talent it's like, "Where's the manual? Someone tell me!"

Read the following tips about what the actor-agent relationship should look like in case you're asking yourself, "I have an acting agent--now what?"

ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 1: HOW OFTEN TO EMAIL

Sometimes I hear actors talk about how often they contact their agents, and my stomach hurts because I always want actors to communicate from a place of confidence. 

Initiating conversation from a place of confidence is a good way to keep the actor-agent relationship healthy. I, too, have written an email that I regretted because it sounded insecure in hindsight since it was so wordy. 

Communicating from a place of power is also dependent on how often you communicate.

The first tip is to send an email to your agent maybe once a quarter. I don't even do it that often if I know I haven't provided them with what they asked for in a prior communication.

For example, I know my agent needs more film footage from me since I have a lot of commercial clips.

I sent them a couple of film clips after that request, only one of which they liked enough to use. I also recently uploaded new headshots. So if I were to contact them with the same question right now, what do you think they would say?

The same dang thing. They need more film footage! Ergo, there's no need for me to ask them again if everything is up-to-date except for what they've already requested. 

When you are ready to check in with them, keep it simple. Ask, "What do you need from me right now?"
​
You may get feedback you didn't realize was an issue. What if they need a certain look or type of footage that you thought you'd already uploaded but isn't translating the way you hoped? You won't know unless you ask.

If you're not bombarding them a million times a week with emails, it's more likely you'll  get a detailed response.

They see things differently on that end of the submission table, and good agents are aware of current casting trends that you may not recognize.

Be proactive. Don't wait on them to get in touch with you. This is your career. You check in with them, but don't do it too often.

Again, I don't want you to come across as desperate or needy. You also need to be prepared to follow through on whatever notes they give you, so communicate when you'll be financially ready to do that if it won't be soon after they respond. 

ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 2: ASK TO SEE YOUR AUDITION SUBMISSIONS

Avoid accusatory questions such as, "Why aren't you submitting me more?" They most likely are! If instead you ask what they need from you, it puts the responsibility back on you where it should be.

But what if they're not submitting you?

Most actors don't realize this, but you can ask your agent to send you a breakdown of roles they've submitted you for this year.

Good agents are happy to send it.

Try to make this request feel like a team effort, though. You should look at your submissions list to analyze that data.

What types of productions did they submit you for? Which casting directors consistently turn down an audition from you? Are they submitting you for guest star roles when you don't even have co-star or U5 roles yet? 

Let's say you have enough principal commercial roles to audition for a national commercial, but you realize they haven't submitted you for any national commercial auditions. Have you communicated that goal? 

It's important that you ask for feedback once you've analyzed your submissions.

Here's an example of how I suggest you communicate:

"Hey, I feel like I've booked enough commercials that I'm ready for a national commercial. I noticed I haven't been submitted for any. What needs to happen on my end from your perspective to make that a reality? Thanks so much for your input and help!"

You may find out there simply aren't any national commercials filming in your area. It could be that they don't have enough of your commercial footage to submit a strong demo for you.

​It might be that industry trends are changing, and digital commercials are taking over in lieu of national commercials (which is actually true). 

Feel free to ask for your submissions list, but make sure to ask from a place of openness that promotes teamwork. ​

​ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 3: ASKING FOR AUDITION FEEDBACK

I've heard a lot of different opinions on this topic, so I'll share my experience.

I do not ask for audition feedback. 

​I've never once asked my agent to contact a casting director for me, but I've had casting directors reach out to my agent about me for positive feedback.

Typically, if a casting director wants to send you notes, they will contact your talent agent, then your talent agent will send that to you.

I've also had a situation where I was in an actual casting office and one of the casting directors came up to me to give me feedback face-to-face about a particular client really liking me.

She didn't need to take time out of her day to tell me that, but she did. They will tell you! The information will get to you, okay? Casting directors love giving actors good news or helping them reach the next level when they see potential.

When you do get that golden, rare in-person audition now-a-days, I want you to pay attention to what they're saying to you while you're in the room. That's feedback!

You may notice that casting directors are giving you the same note over-and-over again. That's feedback. You may notice that they consistently ask you to try again without moving too much. That's feedback.

The best time for you to ask casting for feedback directly is while you're in the room. You already have them as a captive audience, but make it quick and specific.

Weak Question: Do you think I'm a good actor?
Strong Question: Do you feel like I took the note you gave me, or should I go further next time?

Weak Question: Are my auditions good?
Strong Question: Are my objectives being clearly communicated?

Weak Question: Why am I not getting more callbacks?
Strong Question: How's my energy when I walk into the room?

I think this is best done when you're in a solo audition on a low-key audition day. Avoid days when the lobby is packed. Never ask for feedback at a callback in front of a client (i.e. directors/producers).

Notes will go through the right channels if you need it, that channel being your talent agent, if not to you directly in the room. There's no need to email your talent agent in my experience.

Go with your gut on this, but my two cents is that I haven't asked for it, and I've gotten it.

​ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 4: SEND YOUR TALENT AGENCY A GIFT OR THANK YOU CARD

Are you happy that you have a talent agent? Have you heard from all of the actors that don't have talent agents talk about how hard it is to get one?

Actor friend, send a gift to your agent at least once per year, okay?! 

If they don't celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, but you know their birthday, send something for their birthday.

I think a great option is to send something on the anniversary of your contract signing or at the end of the year if you can only send one gift per year.

Do you know the date of your contract signing? You should still have your contract somewhere so that you can look at it. I kept thinking mine was in July, and for the longest time I would intro my social media videos saying, "I signed with my agent in July of 2016." It was actually in May.

And I thought, "You know what? I need to go check my contract and see." You should know where you put that contract. You should have a date on that contract.

Find that date so that for every additional year they say yes to you, you can say thank you to them by sending a gift or thank you card.

Get comfortable expressing gratitude. Your gift does not need to be super expensive. It just needs to be thoughtful. ​

​ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 5: CONFIRM OR DECLINE EVERYTHING

I'm always surprised at how often I see audition emails or postings that highlight a request to confirm or decline an audition. This is a very standard practice for our industry.

Confirm or decline every single audition no matter what. It's super quick and simple to shoot them back an email.

Sometimes you'll be instructed to decline through the system (i.e. Actors Access), but I say send your agent an email as well letting them know you did.

I declined through the system once, and my agent didn't see it, so they reached out to me two days later reminding me to submit the audition. 

So play it safe if you're declining through a casting system, and email your agent letting them know you declined.

UPDATE: If you decline on Actor's Access on your phone, you must scroll up to the popup box to type in a reason to finish declining. Otherwise, nothing will go through, and it will look like you didn't do your part to decline through the system.

Hey Actor Boss, you do not need to give a lot of detail about why you're declining. Some of the best advice I've ever gotten was to simply put "not available." Your agent will reach out to you if they're curious as to why, but even then, keep it short and sweet.

Speaking of short and sweet, keep all of your emails to the point. If your email is a paragraph, ask yourself how you can compress it down to two sentences.

I like to add details to my confirmation emails just to make sure we're on the same page. For example, "Confirmed Tues 11/12 at (Casting Office Name) 1:00pm Thanks," because sometimes the date and times don't match so they may catch that and clarify. 

Also, I made a mistake once of writing a huge long email to my talent agent without giving them a heads up it was coming.

​It was in reference to information security, but I should've sent them a short email asking them if I could send them more info about the topic first. In fact, I should have first asked them what security measures they have in place.

ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 6: BOOKING OUT AND REMINDERS

I recently booked out for vacation, and when I got back, there was an audition email in my inbox for a SAG-AFTRA commercial that I hadn't responded to! So I'm now implementing a new system.

3-Step Booking Out Process for Actors:

1. Book out ASAP, ideally 1 to 2 weeks in advance.
2. Send a reminder email a few days before your book out dates.
3. Schedule an email auto-responder saying you're away from your email.

First, please book out and let your agent know if you won't be available to audition, even via self-tape. 

If you can't go to an in-person audition, but you can self-tape, then don't book out.

Still email your agent to let them know you can't do any in-person auditions but will have access to self-taping. If they forget, just request a self-tape in lieu of the in-person when you receive your audition email.

I personally book out when I can't attend an in-person or film a self-tape. I let them know that I'm on vacation, and I'm not working or self-taping.

Let's park here for a second. Are you okay fully booking out and stepping away from auditions for a few days? You really need that freedom to clear your mind and get away sometimes.

Are you planning your weeks and months in advance? Because if you're not, it's gonna be hard for you to know when those book out dates are coming up in your schedule.

Try to book out at the beginning of the month by emailing, "Here are all of my book out dates for (month)." Sometimes things will happen a little closer to the date, and you'll need to book out last minute. That's ok! Just be sure to do it.

It's so crucial to book out with your agent know because they need to go into your casting profiles to mark those dates. That's something only they can do, at least on Breakdown Services, that actors don't have access to on Actors Access yet.

Your agent needs to fill that audition spot with different talent if you're unavailable, which makes the casting director's life easier as well. 

​Include a reason for booking out if you want, but keep that short, too.

ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 7: USE AFFIRMING LANGUAGE

Lastly, let's talk about the words you use with your agent.

Be generous and affirming in your conversations. 

​I try to say things to my agent like, "Here are these five new headshot options. Which ones are your favorite? I trust your opinion."

Tell them you trust their opinion. Do you trust their opinion? Because if you don't, you might need another talent agent.

I know that my agents have been in this business a lot longer than I have, and they have a very different perspective on the casting process. Sometimes, trusting your agent will get tested, like with any relationship.

My agency rejected a piece of footage that I liked very much, but they said, "This isn't right, for this reason," and they explained why to me.

I responded, "Okay, I trust you."

​Your agent should take the time to provide you with explanations or feedback if they reject your materials so that you know what to do next time.

If they do reject something, don't take it too hard. Walk it off for maybe thirty minutes, then realize they have your best interest in mind because that's also their best interest.

The more your acting income increases, the more their revenue and exposure increases. Their success is dependent on yours, so they want you to succeed. 

Say nice things. Affirm them. They're humans, too.

ACTOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP TIP 8: UPDATE YOUR HEADSHOTS

I emailed my agents one day about headshots, and they said something that I was clueless about.

I don't want you to make this same mistake with your headshots, so I have to ask--how often are you rotating your headshot edits?

This isn't the same thing as getting new headshots. Let's breakdown the difference.  

HEADSHOT EDITS TIMELINE

Between new headshot shoots, we should be uploading new headshot edits to our casting sites for our agents to use.

Here's the big fat news I didn't know--my agent asked me to upload new photos every six months at a minimum.

Ideally, these new uploads will be two at a time, one theatrical and one commercial.

You may throw in slightly more specific looks from time-to-time. For example, wearing a blazer that reads professional or pulling back your hair and wearing a polo for a sporty vibe.

However, we shouldn't get too specific in our headshot looks. 

Word on the street from a source I trust is, "You'll piss off a director because they'll think you assume they're too stupid to imagine what you look like in scrubs."

Select enough edits from each headshot session that you can rotate every six months for up to 18 months, namely, six edits: three theatrical and three commercial.

Only give a "vibe" in your headshots while saving the super specific looks for a comp card. 

NEW HEADSHOT TIMELINE

This doesn't mean you need to get new photos every six months.

Based on the feedback I've received, you only need brand new headshots every 18 months, sooner if your look drastically changes.

Headshots cost MONEY, so we only need to take brand new headshots as often as needed.

If you're asked to change your look for a project, remember to also schedule new headshots during that project shoot so the look is fresh.

You'll most likely have great new hair if production just paid for it.

Negotiate the cost of those new headshots into your pay.

Here are my suggested estimates to have negotiated:

• Headshot session ($300+)
• Headshot edits ($20 per photo not already included)
• Headshot uploads ($10 per photo for Actors Access)
• Hair and makeup if needed ($100-$200)
• Cosmetic purchases if required ($20-$60)
  
  

Schedule this into your calendar.

I promise you'll forget. This will also help you budget for upcoming edits, uploads, or headshot sessions.

Be sure to also ask your agent what type of looks they need from you.

Scheduling headshots is NOT the first thing you need to do if you're new to acting. If you're still unsure how to become an actor and find a talent agent, you need my Kickstart course. Enroll now.

PLANNING YOUR HEADSHOTS

I have a sad story to tell. I spent $300 on my last headshot session, only for my agent to reject them. In fairness, we had a few technical difficulties at the shoot, especially with the wind, and I tried a new foundation that did not work (Smashbox 15 Hour). I also had a freaking stye in my eye.

You do not have money to waste on new headshots if your agent isn't going to use them.

Side note: I did not realize that agents and casting directors expect to see a full body shot in your casting profiles, so make sure you dress according to your body type so your clothes look flattering.

Google what's my body type to find yours. I am a pear, so skinny jeans do not look cute on me in photos, which I learned the hard way. Now I know I need to wear wide leg dress pants or bootcut jeans for my full body photos.

The silver lining to my rejected headshots is that I created a new headshot strategy. 

Try booking various photographers for just one outfit per session, which is a lot cheaper and will give you a more diverse portfolio throughout the year.

The focus of my next shoot will be a full body shot. While we're at it, I'll see if I can get one good commercial and one good theatrical photo.

The next session will be a little more gritty. I'll probably listen to music that makes me cry, work through a good sense memory beforehand, and be okay with my eye makeup looking smudged. 

In summary, I suggest booking various photographers for just one outfit per session, focus on getting one type of shot (see list below), and then ask for a few closeups at each shoot to see if you can get a new commercial or theatrical headshot while you're at it.

Here are a few ideas on how to focus your one-look sessions:

• Full body shot
• Gritty and gloomy
• Happy and preppy
• Professional
• Blue collar
• Highlight a special skill

I've read that casting directors love special skills photos. 

You may need to hire a very specific photographer if one of your special skills involves action, such as sports, to make sure they know how to capture movement correctly.

Again, only hiring them for one outfit will make the session cheaper if they're willing to do that.

​You'll also get better photos because you won't be worried about pulling off various looks. You can just focus on looking awesome at playing sports or looking professional, not both.

However, I highly suggest that you hire a hair and makeup artist to help you transition looks if you want more than one look per session.

Ask your photographer for a reference. Ideally, they'll have a good working relationship. Make sure everyone knows who you're working with to avoid any potential drama.

​TAKE ACTION

Has this helped you better understand the secret of a happy actor-agent relationship?

Comment to let me know which tips are helpful. Which one can you act on today? Writing a thank you card would be the easiest to try.

I'd also love to hear any additional advice you have about interacting with your agent. If you know any actors that need to see this post, feel free to share it on social.

Are you currently looking for a talent agent? You must take five steps before you submit to agencies. Learn more in my Kickstart course. Enroll now.

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