Another 2 cents worth from Dave Bradley of Bradley Talent Agency, for what it is worth.
Hello,
It seems that the self proclaimed Talent Scouts are in Florida again and they are trying for your hard earned money. Please do your research and ask questions prior to agreeing to become "Represented" by these Scouts who are only in town for a few days.
Some things to take notes of, would be that you should NEVER pay to be represented by a Talent Agency. You should NEVER pay an agent to look at you or bring you in for an audition or interview. Legitimate agencies can not charge you a registration fee in the State of Florida.
NEVER pay to have you child seen by an agent or agency.
When you go to an agent's office, make sure that they are legitimate. Look for their license on the wall. If they do not have it posted, ask for it. If they refuse to show it to you walk out. A "Talent Agency" must have several things posted for you to see. Their State license. The state license is green and almost double the size of a dollar bill. It will also have the words, "Department of Business and Professional Regulation". The license is supposed to be posted on the agencies wall with their other licenses.
Also ask to see their business tax receipt. A business tax receipt must be obtained to do business. If the agency is located inside city limits, you will see 2 licenses, one for the city and one for the county. This applies to casting directors, or anyone who has a "Business" and practices business.
If you are signing a contract with an agency, ask to see their bond. The State of Florida requires that every agency have at least a 5,000 $ bond. They have to have this to obtain their license from the State of Florida, but you should ask for it anyways.
Any Talent Agency who has a business address as their home address, you should also beware. As far as I know, Talent Agencies do not fall under the regulations for home businesses. I can not answer for casting agencies and more since they do travel a lot. However, casting agencies are usually hired by production companies and directors, producers etc and do not fall under the Talent Agency requirements.
Yes, you can be signed by an agency without being interviewed first. Demo reels, and head shots are great for us to see. If we have a part coming up close, we may sign you to be able to promote you for a production. Most agencies do not make this common practice, but it does happen.
With that being said, most agencies are going to want you to submit certain ways. Most of the time this can be found on the agencies website. Once your submission makes it to the agents desk, you may be called in for an interview. If you are not called or emailed back from an agency, do not take this personally. Most agencies are very busy with new talent as well as working with existing talent, production companies, film commissions, locations and more.
If you are called in for an interview, please come prepared. No one likes to waste their time, and those who are not prepared at all are more than likely not to receive a second call. For example,. I like to see an additional headshot, updated resume, and a demo reel if available. Our agents will talk with you, and see how you are as a person, and possible get you in front of the camera for a short monologue so that we can see if you are comfortable speaking on camera. (Always a good idea to have a 3 to 5 minute monologue prepared.) We will take a photograph of you during the interview to keep in our files so that we know that the headshots that we are using are current.
Once the agent or agency decides that they want to sign you to a contract you will be notified during your interview or asked to come back in. Please READ over the contract prior to signing. It is never a good idea to just sign. You should know what you are signing. I always encourage our new talent to read it over, and ask us any questions prior to signing on the dotted line. I do not want any mis communications.
Well, that is my 2 cents worth for today.
Check back soon as we plan on chatting about what to expect in an audition for new talent, What to expect from your agent, and what your agent expects from you.
Dave Bradley
www.BradleyTalentAgency.com
Credit to: http://www.myspace.com/talentandbookingagency
