Talent Agent or Scam?

The digital world has been a powerful enabler for everyone who ever dreamed of a career in film. Would be film makers and future stars are no longer beholden to the behemoth studios that seem to own Hollywood. Thanks to the power of the internet, anyone with an idea and a great camera phone can produce a film and get it seen by thousands, even millions of viewers. Use the right streaming service and you might even make a buck or two in the process.
     But thanks to the complete lack of regulation and the truly global nature of the internet, for every positive there are negatives. These normally take the form of charlatans and scammers who prey on the gullibility of those who dream of a career in film but have no idea how to start. Today, let's focus purely on the so-called "Talent Agents" out there who fall into this category. Whip out that notepad and pencil - here's how you can tell the real agents from the fake.

1. Money: The most common scam out there is designed to part you from your hard-earned cash with little to no service provided in return. You'll see this in the form of talent "sites" that promise you access to acting/modeling/voice over opportunities in exchange for an up-front or monthly fee. Real talent agents work for a portion of your earnings, not for excessive up-front fees.
2. Advertising: Incredibly, the scam artists and sham talent agencies do the most advertising. Your radio and TV blare out opportunities to work with top studios and even throw out a few star's names to add to their credibility. Usually they have nothing to do with any of the shows, people or studios they talk about. Most real talent agents do little more than maintain a small web presence and an ad in the trades. They almost never offer to take the inexperienced and turn them into an overnight star.
3. Headshots: Scam artists will charge you hundreds for mandatory photography fees and even offer comp cards as part of this bargain basement package. Show up at a real talent agency without your own headshots and you're not likely to make it past the receptionist.
4. Audition Listings: Real talent agencies don't charge you for access to a list of available auditions. A quality agent knows their talent pool and matches you with viable auditions rather than expecting you to figure it out on your own. Why? Remember, they only get paid if you do. Casting directors will also stop calling them if they don't produce viable candidates for auditions, which means they're going to pre-screen both you and the listings to ensure they keep credibility with the C.D.s out there.
5. SAG/AFTRA Affiliation: Union affiliation isn't easy to obtain. If the agency isn't listed on the SAG website, they're probably not worth your time. There are some exceptions as independent filmmakers have begun to rely upon some trusted talent listings online, but these are few and far between. If you want to get paid for your acting, SAG/AFTRA franchises are a no-brainer.
6. "No Experience Necessary:" Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, if you're under 10 years old this might be true. Otherwise, no self-respecting agency is going to talk to you if you have zero experience. What you WILL find with these "no experience needed" agencies is the opportunity to drop 4-figures on mandatory training before they'll represent you. Now, there are a handful of well-known, semi-respectable agencies that offer training courses to youngsters. Just beware and do your research. If you get invited to a large group "audition" where everyone there gets an offer to attend class, it's safe to assume the agency is more interested in milking you for cash than helping you get started.
7. No Audition: Real talent agents will require a portfolio for models and/or an audition "reel" for actors. REAL talent agents do not create these for you but instead require you provide said portfolio or reel before they will agree to meet you in person for an interview/audition. They may assist you in producing higher quality audition screening materials, but only AFTER you've provided your own and they've decided to represent you. If you get invited to meet without providing your headshot, resume, portfolio and/or reel first, respectfully decline.
8. Cattle Calls: Open auditions are commonly held for extras near the location of the expected opportunity. (I.e. The C.D.'s for "Any Given Sunday" held an open call for football player extras near the stadium where the scenes were to be shot.) These open calls are almost never for a principal/lead role and inevitably require you show up prepared to work within a day or two of being accepted. (Sometimes on the spot.) A common scam is to hold "open auditions" for "new talent." You will spend hours sitting in a waiting room, may even get interviewed and asked to do a cold read. You are then offered positive feedback and invited to attend some very expensive industry event. This will get you nowhere 99.9% of the time except less rich.

If you REALLY want to become a paid actor or model, you need to first learn the trade and second get some experience. If you've never acted before or never done so on camera, attend a workshop or two. Plenty are generally offered by local colleges and industry professionals. You'll probably have to do some work for free before an agent will show any interest in representing you, so connect with your local independent film community and audition, audition, audition. Working for nothing more than SAG and IMDB credit is the most common way to get started.
     Attend local film festivals, media (headshot, resume or business card) in hand. Rub elbows with filmmakers and casting directors so you can get your name out there. Once you've built a little bit of credibility into your resume, start sending requests to talent agencies, but keep working for free in the indie world until you find representation. There is no EASY way into a film career, and you certainly can't buy your way in with a low monthly fee. It won't likely happen overnight, but if you're serious about your career, talented and persistent, odds are good you'll at least work enough to feed the need.