Commercial agents?

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bebo1990
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Commercial agents?

Post by bebo1990 »

Hi guys,

I have a meeting with a commercial agent this week, could someone please tell me how these differ to a standard agent? Would I have to look for a theatrical agent as well as these if I do sign?

Cheers!
pg
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Re: Commercial agents?

Post by pg »

In my limited experience:

Some agencies have commercial "sections" and some do seem to bill themselves as "commercial agents". I think the significant difference for an actor is that the numbers of clients that commercial agents take on is often much greater than other actors' agents. Those agencies that have commercial sections will not usually submit their commercial clients for theatre, film and TV roles (except as walk-on roles/featured extras). Taking someone on in a commercial section means that they are likely to be concentrating on your commercial "look" rather than necessarily assessing your talent. I think your opportunities will be more limited with a commercial agency. The commercial agency is not likely to insist on sole representation, so you shouldn't be prevented from looking for another agent. However, if you do find another non-commercial agent to take you on, it is very likely that they will insist on sole representation - so look closely at any contract you have to sign to make sure you won't have any difficulty leaving to go to another agent.
francescasmum
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Re: Commercial agents?

Post by francescasmum »

From your description pg it sounds like you can substitute 'commercial' with 'extras'!
bebo1990
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Re: Commercial agents?

Post by bebo1990 »

Thanks pg, you've really cleared that up for me, that was really helpful.

Cheers!
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