Hello Actors!
I hope all of you found the idea of asking for help… well, helpful. 
In this article I want to talk about agents. The right agent and agency is one of the most important factors in building your career as an actor, so finding the right one is also very important. Here is the most common way to be successful when pursuing an agent.
First, go to your local Theater Arts bookstore (or a bookstore with a Theatre Arts section) and buy a directory of the local talent agents. In Los Angeles for example (or NY, London, or Toronto), you could go to Samuel French bookstores. They have directories which are regularly updated and published. And if you already have an old one laying around – go get a new one! Agents, like many other professionals, will move from agency to agency and you want to get the most current information.
Once you get your listing, look through the descriptions and find the specialties of the different agencies, such as children, models, character actors, leading women or leading men. You want to target the agents who fit your type. Remember in the earlier article about how you should find out your type? This is one reason why. When just starting out you generally want to submit to Boutique (smaller) or mid-level agencies.
Also, if you are just starting out as an actor, my suggestion is to start with commercials. Target the commercial department of an agency first, especially if you are non-union (not a member of SAG or AFTRA). That way, once you get in with the commercial department, your chances of being seen by the theatrical department increase greatly.
Once you have narrowed down your list to agencies that would cater to your type, find out if any of your friends or contacts know any of the agents you’re targeting or are represented by them. Ask them about their experiences with the agency and if they can give you a reference.
Next, submit your headshot and resume to the agent, with a brief cover letter introducing yourself. Be sure to do your homework on the person you are submitting too and address them by name if possible. Be creative and enlighten them on your type and what makes you different from all the other actors they come in contact with.
Once you’ve submitted your “pack” you’ll want to:
* Follow up with a call and a postcard in a couple weeks if you haven’t heard from them. Sometimes agents get busy and they let submissions pile up on their desk (they get a lot of them) so it takes a while to look through all of them.
* Send invitations to all of your performances to agents whom you have targeted.
* Perform in carefully selected showcases. They can be expensive so be sure to find out which agents are attending first.
* Be persistent but not annoying. Update agents on your activities every 2 to 3 months. That means you have to be active so you’ll have things with which to update them.
Now go get em!
