Actorslife.com | How to Get an Acting Talent Agent - Acting Business Coach: Brian O'Neil

BRIAN O’NEIL is a former talent agent and personal manager who has represented actors for theatre, film, television, commercials, and radio. As a talent representative he was responsible for the career guidance and professional placement of hundreds of actors including some of todays biggest stars. Brian is the founder of Acting As a Business, a one-on-one career-consultation and career-coaching service for actors. He lives in New York City and is a frequent guest lecturer at some of the nations finest acting-training programs including The Yale School of Drama and The Juilliard School.

Interviewed by Joanna Parson

You recently came out with a new edition of your book, Acting as a Business: Strategies for Success. What do you mean, acting is a business? I thought it was just fun! Seriously– why is it important for actors to educate themselves about the business side of the business?

I think it’s important for actors to know what they’re getting themselves into, and to know realistically what’s expected of them from those on the other side, that is, agents, casting directors, directors etc. It’s good for new actors to see how it all works. It helps to see the big picture. In doing so, an actor is at least somewhat less likely to take every disappointment so deeply and so personally. It’s also important for someone who is entering a profession where there appears to be so little control to know that there are many things he or she can do to advance his or her career.

I bought the second edition in 1999 when I was just getting started in New York, and I know there have been a lot of changes in the profession since then. Can you describe how the industry has changed in recent years, and how you address those changes in the new edition?

Sure. I am always trying to teach actors new and innovative ways to gain access. For example, most of us know that it’s not easy to get a main stage acting job at a top theater. It’s somewhat easier though to get in a “reading” of a new play at a top theater, simply because logistics and finances dictate that more readings can be done than main stage productions.

In the new edition I talk about how a reading at a top theater is vital, and can be placed on a resume in such a way that it doesn’t misrepresent the actor but still gives the actor most of the credibility that he or she would have gotten if they had been in a main stage production. I’ve had a lot of actors set up their resume like this and had their phones ring from agents and managers.

I also dig much deeper into how an actor should prepare an answer to the dreaded “How do you see yourself?” question so often posed by agents in an interview. As far as industry changes go, I talk about the escalation of actors meeting industry people through paid seminar events, and I analyze the value of said events. I also show that working in regional theater can get an actor an agent sometimes even faster than if he or she is appearing in a play right here in New York. I also point out that actors, via the Internet, often get to directors and playwrights and directly. And it should come as no surprise that I reinforce the importance of stage visibility to the New York actor who wants to work in film and TV, which is just about everyone.

The overall theme of the book is, as before, learning to create quality audition opportunities for yourself and learning how to communicate effectively as a person in the business of acting.

You’ve been helping actors get agents for years– you must know what agents are looking for in new clients. So– what the heck is it? And what can actors DO to make themselves more appealing to agents?

Most agents are looking for an “easy sell.” A prime example of an “easy sell” would be someone who just got out of a top school, or is really good-looking, or better yet, a combination of those two things. That aside, many agents feel they can be effective when someone has already gotten themselves “on the map”, so to speak.

For example, through a prior contact, an actor might have gotten himself or herself in a play at a really good regional theater, or gotten themselves in an independent film that got distribution. Luck of the draw stuff like that. If an actor wants to be more “appealing” to an agent, sometimes he must realize that he has to get some work first, before an agent will even be interested. I outline strategies for getting that work in my book. See, some actors get an agent, and then they get a career. Some actors get a career and then they get an agent. And some of the best careers happen in the latter manner!

You’ve said about headshots that “a preoccupation with this subject is, at best, time-wasting.” What do you mean by that?

Perfect timing with that question! But remember, I also said that good pictures are important! What I mean is, there is often OVER emphasis on the photo. With the current digital color pictures, the quality of photos has never been better. And yet actors often go on and on and on about their picture, when the real problem is often their RESUME!!! As in, there’s nothing impressive on it!! Recently, I was on a panel with three casting directors, all of whom concurred that if the picture is a quality photo and looks like the actor, then fine. They all said they were far more interested in what that actor had done! Training, jobs, in other words, THEIR CAREER!! Touche!

Here’s what I mean. An actor recently showed me his picture. I thought it was a great picture. He told me that he was working with two different agencies. One of the agencies was getting him a lot of auditions and the other wasn’t getting him any at all. The agency that wasn’t getting him any auditions told him his picture wasn’t any good and that’s why they couldn’t get him any auditions. “Go get new pictures”, he was told!

I asked him to name the two agencies he was working with. He did. I said: “The agency that’s getting you lots of auditions is the ‘such and such’ agency, (and I named it) and the agency that is getting you no auditions is the ‘so and so’ agency(and I named it). He said, “Yes!! How did you know?” I said: “I am very familiar with the industry reputations of both agencies. The ‘such and such’ agency has a lot of clout and access, and the ‘so and so’ agency has very little. As such, the ‘so and so’ agency is ineffective in getting you auditions so they are blaming it on your PICTURE which happens to be a very good picture of you!”

Similarly, another actor that I know had a meeting with an agency who didn’t like his pictures. Wanted him to go out and get new ones (he had just gotten new ones!) Wouldn’t work with him with those pictures! He met another agent the next week who LOVED the pictures! They send him out all the time and now he’s working like crazy. Okay, best of all: A really smart young actor friend of mine showed me his pictures. I liked them. He said his agent didn’t. Then he said: “But isn’t that what agents almost always say? That they don’t like them? I told them I couldn’t afford new ones right now, which wasn’t completely true. Anyway, I just laughed it off after I left the office.” Well, he’s talented and they “made do” with the pictures and guess what? This kid is now the star of a huge hit prime-time series and making tons and tons of money and he NEVER got new pictures! His pictures were fine, but his TALENT is sublime, and so it goes. I think I’ve said enough.

If an actor is planning to move to NY/LA to pursue a professional career, what should they do to prepare before leaving, and what should they focus on when they first arrive?

They should get great new pictures!! (Kidding). Before departure, they should get the best training locally that they can, explore the local scene for film, commercial, and stage opportunities that may help build their resume and possibly even give them a demo to show when they get to the big city. On arrival, survival stuff aside, get in a good class.

You’re a big fan of working in soap operas– how does one “break in” to soaps? Should I spend my resources on getting into soaps even if I may not be targeting them as a focus of my career?

I like soaps for a few reasons. One is that I used to work on them in my earlier years when there were many more of them around. But it’s still a good way to get on a professional set and learn a few things. Also, there is an “access” factor in soaps that doesn’t quite exist in prime-time television. To cut to the chase, let me put it this way.

If you watch a soap, and you see an actor who has, say, a scene with maybe four lines in it, he or she probably got that job by themselves. If you watch a prime-time show, and you see an actor with a four-line scene, he or she almost definitely had an agent send them in to read for it. Also, one can get upgraded on a set from extra to small part on a soap, which is under AFTRA’s jurisdiction without union membership much faster than on a primetime SAG show, where the upgrade will almost always be given to someone who is already a member of SAG.

Actors get called in by soaps from their mailings to casting directors every day. That’s a fact, but there is far less access for the actor in primetime work. So it involves mailings! And it’s greatly detailed in Acting As a Business. Actors call me and stop me on the street all the time telling me they got soap work using the same techniques that worked for me years ago. As far as whether or not you should spend your resources approaching the soaps, just remember that if you are a New York actor there are only four soaps left in New York, so a small handful of postcards a couple of times a month wouldn’t likely take up too much of your energy or your money.

Are “mass mailings” of headshots to every agent in town an effective way to build a career? Should actors continue to send postcards and headshots to agents if they don’t have any bookings or callbacks to report?

A “mass mailing” might work—depends on what you look like, how old you are, and possibly your credits. One young Brad Pitt type I worked with recently did a mass mailing. It probably won’t surprise you that it worked! He got an agent immediately,and two soap screen tests within a couple of weeks. Again, going back to what agents want—he was an easy sell. But for most, effective follow-up every month or two—with progress will be critical. Some will call actors in to see monologues, others still would want to see your work in something, and won’t call at all.

But remember that your progress can determine whether they come see you when you are in something! The bigger issue is that you have a goal and through regular progress reports, you are chipping away at having your goal come to pass. Not to get all “new-agey” on you, but when we have a goal and we have an ongoing strategy, things happen that might not happen if we didn’t have the goal-mentality in place from the get-go. So when actors say “mailings don’t work”, sadly, they’re not making a statement about mailings, but they’re making a statement about themselves, i.e. the way they look, or that no progress is happening. And if there’s no career progress to report, something is wrong and I wouldn’t keep writing to someone if I have nothing new to say.

With the proliferation of the Internet, actors may be tempted to find the e-mail addresses for agents and managers and overuse them. When is it appropriate to e-mail people in the industry?

Generally speaking, and there would be exceptions, I would say to e-mail someone after you’ve met them. E-mail is also easier than post office mail (I hate the term “snail-mail”), so it has proliferated. Sometimes a combination of using the internet for research, and then using postal mail is most effective of all. I’ll give you an example later (it will appear as an answer to question # 14, but don’t read it yet!!)

You have always believed in the stage as a route to film and screen acting careers– certainly for actors based in New York. How has the advent of digital cameras and the proliferation of indie films changed that? It’s easier now than ever for an actor to create film or video work as a calling card– is it still important for New York actors to be seen on stage?
I invite the reader to go to amazon.com and look at the free sampling they offer of the first several pages of this third edition of Acting As a Business just to see how alive and well the stage to screen connection is! And those examples are just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s wonderful that technology has made film making easier, but the problem area is that the overwhelming majority of small films and independents don’t really get much visibility. There are exceptions, of course.

Remember that theaters have reputations, high level productions get reviewed, and even if someone doesn’t see the production you’re in, they may see a review. Or even if they don’t, it’s on your resume for keeps, which highly valuable if the theater is respected. Most independent films on a resume are simply titles that don’t mean much or often don’t mean anything to anyone. And even if you get a demo, you still have to have someone want to look at it. Okay, here goes. A young actor friend of mine got in a play at a really good off-Broadway theater two months ago that was scheduled for a four week run. The New York Times said he was “excellent”, so did The New Yorker. Boom. He had a great part on an episode of a New York prime-time show within two weeks. He also told me that his auditions through his agent had escalated after the show opened –from one per week to five or six per week –and that his call-back rate had also escalated from 30% to 80%!

I asked him if he thought he was auditioning better than before. He said, “No, I’m auditioning worse than before because I’ve been sick as a dog for the last three weeks. But it doesn’t matter because everyone that auditions me has either seen the show or read the reviews so I’m being seen in a new light. The perception of me is different.” He was absolutely right, although many casting directors, directors, and producers would probably be in denial about just how much they are influenced by outside sources, which in effect, make them somewhat less scared about who to cast.

Many actors believe they can’t make headway in the New York theater scene unless they’ve gone to “the right” school. What do you tell people with that mindset? In your opinion, is a degree in acting essential to a successful career?
It’s not essential, but the facts bear out that people from top academic training programs have a far better shot at being considered for major New York stage productions. Still, it’s no guarantee. I’m a little amused in that I work for many top schools and the students at those schools often say to me: “Okay, so I’m at a top school, but if you aren’t a name from film and TV, you still can’t get theater!” This isn’t true of course, but everyone points to the next group up the ladder and blames it on that! My solution is to show actors how to get into good, smaller places that still are good to perform at and be associated with, and from there I can show them how to get the bigger stuff.

Some new actors have trouble identifying their look, or their “type”– and it can be a self-defeating trap, trying to second-guess how other people might see them. How can a person get ideas about their type without limiting themselves?
As I mentioned at the outset, I really delve into this more deeply than ever in the latest edition of Acting As a Business. My approach is to think about the essence, that is, the makeup or the traits of the characters you have already played well, if only in class. Watch a profile emerge as you compare one character to another. You will discover that these characteristics often also describe you as well, in varying degrees. This way, you can start to get a “rap” ready to answer the “How do you see yourself?” question. If you have a prototype, think about a specific role that he or she played that most makes your point and it will bring your discussion full circle. In other words, don’t just name someone simply because you look like him or her. After you’ve done this, get out of the house and find an audition to go to. The business will guide you to where you fit in so by all means have a realistic sense of where you fit in, but don’t overstress the “type” thing. (Sorta like the pictures).

There are many ways to get in front of casting directors and agents by paying for seminars or “audition workshops”. When do you think this a good use of an actor’s time and money? What should actors be wary of when considering these workshops?
I think an actor needs to know exactly which accounts a casting director has, and if the actor is going to pay to meet them, prepare appropriate material. Most venues provide this information. One actor I worked with did this: He waited to meet a specific casting director when he knew the casting director was preparing to cast an Irish play for Broadway. The actor came in and did a monologue with a flawless Irish brogue. When he finished, the casting director said: “Wow! That’s great! In two weeks it so happens that I will be casting a play for Broadway that requires what you just did!!” The actor (laughing up his sleeve) said: “Really? That’s just great!” Yep, he got the Broadway Now that was smart! When it comes to agents, I think an actor should be aware of the career level the agency handles. Is it realistic for you to meet them at this time? Are your skills agent ready? Or, perhaps, whether it’s a particular agency’s policy to free-lance, which would make for a flexible situation, and sometimes offer a more realistic chance to be able to work with that agency.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve seen actors make in terms of approaching acting as a business?
I guess I would say they’ve made the biggest mistakes by NOT approaching acting as a business!

Tell us a story– in the last six months, what’s the most innovative thing you’ve heard of an actor doing to get a part?
Well, I’ll take some credit here, because I told the actor what to do, but here goes. An unrepresented young actor whom I know wanted to get an audition for a production at an A-list off-Broadway theater. Not so easy to do, but here is where the internet-post-office connection I mentioned earlier came in. No casting director had been listed yet for this play, which was a revival. He told me that he had the director’s e-mail address. So I said: “What are you going to do, e-mail this director who doesn’t even know you and ask him to go to the trouble of downloading your picture and resume and your letter just because you want something from him?” No, no, I said! I suggested that he do an internet search for the director, and we discovered that the director was directing another play between then and the time of the play this actor wanted to be in in New York the play was being done in the midwest.

I told the actor to put together a photo, resume, and a letter telling the director why he felt he should be considered for the part. He did. I told the actor to extend his best wishes to the director (in the letter) for the play he was directing at the theater in the midwest and then to “post-office” mail the package to the director care of the theater in the midwest the week the play was opening. I told the actor that the director would get the package, which of course, he did. The director read his letter, was impressed by what the actor said, and kept his photo and resume and then called him directly when casting was imminent a few months later. He got the part!! Now, isn’t that a smarter approach than firing off an email to someone who has no clue who you are and making them work to find out what YOU want from them? It’s called “the extra mile” and it so often makes the difference in work and in life. But you already knew that!