Advice from the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television (AFTT)
It is well known that the best way to become a successful actor or actress is to get an agent who can secure you the best roles. After all, an agent’s job is to utilize their contacts and inside information in a way that gets you acting gigs.
So, how do you go about getting an acting agent, and a good one at that?
Firstly, don’t sit around waiting for an agent. You may have graduated your acting course, but don’t think they’re going to pick you up straight away.
We here at the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television equip our graduates with the tools they need to approach agents and the necessary introduction to industry networks by inviting agents along to our students graduating plays.
Graduates are also provided with an industry leading actors showreel and are featured on our websites Acting Graduate page, which is then promoted to agents, casting agents and other industry professionals, so many of our students get representation immediately after graduating.
However, this isn’t always guaranteed. Start getting out there and trying to make a name for yourself, even if this means volunteering for student films etc., it’s good to get more things on your showreel while you’re trying to get paid gigs.
Consider perhaps even becoming your own producer and creating a role for yourself to play and inviting agents or sending them online links to your content. Keep busy and working in the industry as this also helps with networking.
When talking about networking, we don’t mean harass agents and other industry professionals, we just mean that you should be building connections and making contacts.
This way, when appropriate, you should bring up the fact that you are looking for an agent. You could be at a casting call where they ask about your agent, or when chatting to other actors, just mention that you are looking for representation.
The business of acting is a strong part that not many people realise they need in the industry, but can be the difference between securing a top role and not.
In our Acting for Stage and Screen course, we focus on some of the main aspects of the business of acting including; getting an agent, the role of casting agents, marketing and promotion of self, independent theatre making skills, casting profiling, casting for film, TV and theatre, career plans and creating a CV.
All of these skills are vital in building a successful career.
One of the most important things you can do to get an agent is have a strong online presence so you can actually be discovered online if searched for.
Make sure all of your work is in one place, with your headshots and previous work. You can also then use this link to send to agents when asking if they would be interested in representing you.