How do I find a Hollywood Agent for my Child?
Links to Information about Agents are listed alphabetically below
Hollywood Agents AHollywood Agents B
Hollywood Agents C
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Hollywood Agents KL
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Hollywood Agents OP
Hollywood Agents QRS
Hollywood Agents TUVWXYZ
How do I find a Hollywood agent for my child? Once you make the decision to look for an agent for your child, there are a couple of things you should be aware of.
- First Once you make the decision to look for an agent you have to commit to that pathway. You have to be ready to commit your time and effort to follow up on auditions. If an agent wants your child to be somewhere at a certain time and place, you had better be there. Many calls will be at incovenient distances and at a time that would not be convenient for you.
- Second If you are a parent of a child, you need to make sure that a parent or guardian is available to be with the child during the audition or shoot
- Third It can be a full time job chaperoning a child to auditions, let alone once a job has been landed
- Fourth If your child misses an audition or is late for a shoot you and your child will be seen as unreliable and your child will be dropped from the agent's roster. Once your child gets the opportunity don't blow it.
So where are these agencies for children? There are a limited number of agencies that are legitimate and most of those are located in two major centres; Los Angeles and New York City. Agencies that you should be looking for are SAG(Screen Actor Guild) franchised or those that are members of AFTRA (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)There are also agencies that do live theatre AEA (Actor's Equity Association). You can also check out these websites for there associated agencies. It would not be a good idea to send your resume and picture to agencies that do not have these professional associations
We have listed many of the more legitimate agenices in Hollywood that deal with children and young people on the following pages. We are constantly updating so the information will change, and as time goes on, we will add agencies in other states as well.
How do I contact agents? Send in a headshot and a resume in order to make your first communication with an agent. The headshot should look like your child. A short covering letter would be useful as well, introducing your child.
Then you should address the envelope and send it in to the various agencies associated with SAG or AFTRA. Once you make the decision to seek representation you should send your information in.
The odds are you will get no response.
What should I do if none of the agencies get back to me? If you do not hear from any of the agents you have submitted information to, don't take it personally. Your child may not have the right look. There might already be actors that have the same look as your child in the agent's stable of clients.
Acting Classes. In the mean time, you should sign up your child for acting classes, and if possible, get your child involved in community theatre or independent films. There will be limited roles for a younger child but there are always roles for teenagers. An agent will always look favourably at someone that generates their own work. If an actor can create their own work, agents will take notice of it. An actor that can get work will make money for their agent. An agent will not look kindly at a client that they have to do all the work for. Its a competitive business and if you and your child can represent your agent well, then your agent will push to get your child work.
Why do people fail? Most people have built in excuses for failure. What you need to do, is get rid of those built in excuses. If you don't get signed by an agent, make sure you improve your opportunities in the future by improving your resume and in six months send a new photo and your updated resume to these same agencies. Drop a short note to these agemcies if you are involved in a play or have been involved in a film that you might want an agent to see.
Let agents know what your child is up to. I had a young acting student of mine performing in a play in Toronto. I sent notes to every agency in Toronto asking the agents to come and see the show. Two responded. They did not come and see the show but they agreed to meet with her, and she got offers from both agencies.
The odds are you will get no response.
How much work does it take to get an agent? It is a full time job seeking representation. It is a full time job building your child's career. It can't be a hobby and initially, it can mean a lot of heartache, but if you keep your eye on the goal of getting your child an agent, of getting your child professional work, and you keep your child busy in the industry, and you always make sure your child puts your best foot forward, then your child's potential for getting an agent will improve. Dependability and reliability are highly-valued commodities in show biz.
What do people do wrong? In my experience, many actors have had chances to get professional representation, but somehow they end up blowing it by
- deciding not to go
- finding an excuse for either being late or missing the meeting
- having a poor meeting or audition
- never getting around to sending in their headshot or resume
- signing with a scam agency even though the list of legitmate agencies was freely available to them
- signing with a scam agency despite being told it was a scam agency.
One ten year old girl I taught had been signed up with a scam agency that ended up costing her parents $10,000.
In conclusion; Agencies generally won't advertise and you have to look for them which is why we want to help you get on the right path. Check the websites for the Screen Actor's Guild and the American Film Televsion and Radio Association. They will give you a lot of very helpful information
Start Now. The best way to find an agent is to start now. Check out the following web pages for legitmate agencies or check out the SAG and Aftra websites. The right information is out there. Work hard to present your child with a nice head shot that looks like your child, a neat and well-organized resume,and a nice covering letter. Show people your child's willingness to work hard to improve. And as they say in show business; Break a Leg!
Disclaimer.Bottle Tree Productions cannot be held liable for any experiences you might have through contacting these agencies. We will not assume any responsibility for any incorrect information.
