A great place to start looking for an agent is at one of the many agencies around Melbourne; however you should take the time to reach out to the local acting union (SAG-AFTRA in most cases) and ask them for a list of the franchised agents in your area. Franchised agents are usually agencies that have been working in the business for many years and already have the seal of approval from the various unions in the Melbourne area. You also run the risk of possibly working with a con artist, when you try working with a non-franchised agency. You don’t want to risk your money and your peace of mind for something that will put a delay on furthering your career as an actor or actress. A real agent or talent manager will never ask you for money up front to help you land acting roles, they always get paid when you do.
At this point you should have a pretty decent list of agencies compiled that you wish to work with in Melbourne. The next obvious step is taking the time to market yourself as an actor or actress. This will require a professional headshot and drawing up a resume with a one-page cover letter. The goal is to get a meeting with a talent agent in Melbourne.
It is important that your headshot looks professional, this will capture the agency's attention, your resume should show your experience and the cover letter will act as an introduction. It is important that the agency and agent’s name has the correct spelling and you have the correct mailing address now. These should all be mailed to every union-franchised agency to obtain the best results. Wait ten days and start reaching out to the agency to set up a meet and greet.
To prepare for the interview you will want to make sure that you know how to get to the talent agent’s office. Nothing looks worse than showing up late to a meeting. Make sure you dress professionally but don't go too crazy because you do not want your agent to typecast you for specific roles. The talent agent will most likely have a copy of your package, but be sure to bring copies just in case. The purpose of the meeting is to give the agent a chance to determine if you can make it as an actor, so be ready to perform for the agent. That means you should have a monologue prepared to recite at a moment’s notice and be prepared to do a cold reading from a script that the agent hands you.
The biggest thing you should do at your interview in Melbourne is to ask the agent questions during the interview. It is important that you have all the information necessary to make an informed decision for yourself. Here are seven questions you should ask during your interview:
Who is representing me from your agency?
How large of a client base do you have being represented right now?
What type of actor would you categorize me as?
Are there many actors that have similar skills to me in your current roster?
Which direction would you direct my career?
What kind of acting jobs have you landed for your other clients?
What kind of expectations would you have for me?
How would you prefer your actors to contact you?
Do not get frustrated though, you have completed your interview now; that is the hard part. Though you may find there are hundreds of talent agencies out there but when you are applying to get represented you may be faced with a ton of rejection letters and declined. When you think about it, actors like Kevin Costner, Angelina Jolie, John Travolta and Brad Pitt may have faced the same struggles when finding a talent agency to represent them when they first entered the entertainment industry. Honestly everyone gets rejected by agents because agents are never sure who will become the next A-list actor.
