Important Talent Agency Information

I just wanted to get some important information out there about talent agencies. I myself am not a licensed talent agent. I work with casting. I have considered opening a talent agency, however it is a daunting endeavor. The $50,000 surety bond required by the state of California is limiting to say the least. I do not take 10% commission or negotiate contracts for my Feature Film Actor Submission Service clients. It is simply a minimal one-time fee. Many actors think that once they do sign with a talent agency, they will begin landing auditions on a regular basis. But most find out quickly that auditions come far-and-few-between through their agent.

The vast majority of reputable talent agencies in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta actually fill their client roster with a very large number of actors, although it is not easy to get signed with these agencies. The agents do not submit every single client for each role that every client fits, rather they only submit the top working actors for specific roles. They only submit the lesser known or less experienced clients if the top actors are unavailable due to schedules, or due to those actors not willing to work for SAG-AFTRA "scale" wages, which are good wages but not what the top actors are willing to accept. I often hear from actors who are signed with great agencies complaining about not landing very many auditions.

You also have to live in Los Angeles, New York, or Atlanta just to be eligible or considered for representation with these top agencies. They only deal with in-person audition in those cities. There has been a great trend with casting directors the last few years doing talent searches from talent in all areas with video auditions. My friend and producer Eric Hayes is a pioneer in the video audition arena, and you can read the following article about when he got this process started - https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/business/media/28steal.html. You can also see how many major projects have accepted video auditions for lead and supporting roles through Cast It Talent - https://www.castittalent.com/opencalls.aspx. All major casting offices use Cast It Talent today.

I myself have been involved in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, and in that time I have become friends and business associates with quite a number of people, including many casting directors. I decided to reach out to some of those contacts, and ended up being able to set up my own service. It allows for talent to be considered for feature film acting roles by sending in self-made video auditions, and subsequent live Skype auditions.

So never think that just because you sign with a top talent agency, you will start landing auditions on a regular basis. It is always highly recommended that you use all tools at your disposal! I also wanted to mention that it is extremely rare that top reputable talent agency signs any clients if they are not a union actor with SAG-AFTRA membership. But as you can see with the Cast It searches, and my service, casting directors are open to considering actors who are non-union from any area for lead roles in major studio feature films!

You can sign up to become my next client through Amazon at the following - https://www.actorsresourceguides.com/

Email me at alan.baltes@gmail.com if you have any questions.