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VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!
Established November 10, 2004
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Bruce
Boardmeister
Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7980
Location: Portland, OR
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 Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 8:05 am Post subject: |
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When I'm asked "do you have an agent?" it's almost always because they'd rather not deal with one....and on the occasions I have to or want to say "yes", I usually get one of two results: they either demur and go shopping elsewhere, or they sigh and get my agent's number.
Not totally true. The really professional clients are happy to deal with agents.
B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005
I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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craigcrumpton
Been Here Awhile
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Posts: 240
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:07 am Post subject: |
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| AceTachyon wrote: | I'm not agented. Would I be killing my chances if I responded "No"?
Could I answer something like "I'm in between agents" or "I currently shopping for representation"? |
As others have suggested, honesty is the best policy in this and (nearly) every situation.
If you said yes, it would make you look unprofessional if they asked to contact your agent. And saying that you're "in between agents" or "shopping for [one]" doesn't seem to be necessary to me.
BTW, in response to some of the other replies:
From another perspective--having an agent's not the "be all, end all," nor does it mean you've "arrived" as a voiceover actor, and it certainly doesn't mean the money's just going to start rolling in.
I currently have 4-5 agents representing me, although technically it's only 4 right now since I don't know what my status is with Arlene Wilson since they merged with Ford Models. They haven't sent me a VO audition in... wow, it's been so long I can't remember. Seems like early 2007 was the last time.
Of the 4 remaining agents, they all represent me for on-camera work, and although two of them have a VO dept, I get very few VO auditions from them.
Anyone who thinks that once they secure an agent the work's just gonna start pouring in is just plain foolish. In fact, if I didn't market myself and submit my own self for auditions, I would've had only 2 paying gigs in the last 12 months.
Having an agent's nice, but with today's technology and resources you can rep yourself a lot better as long as you know what you're doing.
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louzucaro
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 1915
Location: Chicago area
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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You definitely don't need an agent, but what agents are good for is for getting you auditions that you might not get otherwise. For instance, plenty of ad agencies won't go looking for voice talent directly or won't use an online service, whether for reasons of policy, preference or ignorance.
For those (and there are many of those), it's nice to have an agent.
But as Moe said (and I'm paraphrasing of course), nobody cares about your v.o. career as much as you do, so if you're determined to do a great job marketing yourself, that's just as valuable, if not more, than having an agent.
I have two agents and I get a lot of work through them...which is good for me, because I've been the biggest lazy-a** about marketing myself 
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Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com
"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!" |
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