Agency Advice

[Rachel_M]

Hi Everyone My dd is in a bit of an annoying situation at the moment, and so we would really appreciate any advice on what the best thing to do would be:

My dd (who is 17) has been trying to get an agent for the past two and a half years. She was constantly applying and sending off her CV, but she's had nothing but rejections sadly. So this year I finally allowed her to join the Stagecoach Agency (which I wasn't keen on because of the fees, but she'd been waiting so long and she seemed to think that this was her only option left) So I took her up for an audition, and we found that the people there were very approachable, and they said they were impressed with her audition. She was really looking forward to starting with them in September, when yesterday she received an email from Kelly Management, inviting her to the Youth Auditions on Sunday.

So now we don't really know what to do. Obviously she will go to the audition, and of course there's a big chance that nothing will come of it...but if she did happen to get accepted to their books after her audition, what would be the best thing for her to do? We've already paid for the Stagecoach Agency, and I'm certainly not going to throw all that money away...but I know that Kelly is the better agency, and I wouldn't want her to turn that down if she was offered it.

So, any ideas and advice on how we get around this one would be very much appreciated!

Thank you

[pg]

Ouch! Tricky situation for you.

I think I'd be inclined to go to the Kelly audition and see what happens (if you can afford the time and expense - if you can't, then just make the most of Stagecoach and be happy!). If she is accepted by Kelly, they might agree to wait until the notice period is up on the Stagecoach agency, or they might agree to joint representation for a while (even if this means paying more commission, you might feel this was an option worth exploring). I should just cross the bridge when you come to it and see how you feel when you've met them. Look at it as audition practice.

I find the idea that you apparently have to pay for and attend workshops (as a condition of acceptance) with Kelly, rather off-putting myself. This would make me wary of joining the agency actually, though I know a lot of people are very keen and excited by the forthcoming auditions. If someone is good enough to join the agency, I can't see why they have to insist on workshops (though I can see that offering them is a very positive thing). I would see that in the same vein as my agent insisting that I attended acting workshops I had to pay for (as opposed to it being my choice, if there was something I wanted to do to refresh my skills or learn new ones). If my agent had this condition attached to representation, I wouldn't be with her. You might find that Stagecoach is an entirely acceptable proposition. What is your daughter intending to do in the future? Is she intending to try to work as an actor as an adult?

[Rachel_M]

Thank you very much for your advice pg We are going to go to the audition for Kelly, and just see what happens from there I also thought at first that paying for the workshops with Kelly, and having to travel all the way there is a bit off putting...but I've actually heard quite a lot of good things about how helpful the workshops are, and I'd be much more inclined to pay for them if dd is actually learning something, rather than paying the fees upfront for representation with Stagecoach.

Out of the two, which do you think is the most worthwhile agency to be with? I'd be interested in anyone else's opinion too, because I've heard mixed reactions to both!

[pg]

I think that what suits one doesn't always suit another (that's helpful isn't it ), but it looks to me as though Kelly has plenty of industry experience and that their clients seem to get work. It's difficult to make the assessment for Stagecoach as I don't know anything about their clients. Kelly also take on adult clients, which may be particularly significant for you. I'd be inclined to say, ask questions and trust your instincts.

I'm used to adult agencies, so obviously I have a bee in my bonnet about any money paid to the agent except commission. I won't beat that drum again though!