Episode 3 / Alex, an Actor and Agent with 1984 Personal Management

In this episode, Alex, an actor and agent with 1984 Personal Management, talks about how co-operative agencies work, navigating the process as an actor and an agent at the same time, the ideal actor/agent relationship and the importance of authenticity in headshots.

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1984 is a Co-Operative. How Does That Work?

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"I would say that if you're scared to message your agent, there might be an issue there. Because it should be someone who understands what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how you want to be marketed for it..."

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  1984 is a Co-Operative. How Does That Work?

  Of course. So, a co-operative agency, the basis of it is it's an agency full of actors who act as agents for each other. It ranges from agency to agency, but between kind of 15 and 30 actors and the idea is a few of you are in every day acting as that day's agent for the rest of the actors in the co-operative. And obviously there's some months of training and there's some bits of the industry which are harder to understand than others, but I'd say the advantages are it's hugely beneficial to be able to see what comes out. I feel like as an unrepresented actor, you get a dribble of jobs from what Spotlight gives you, and you're kind of lost in the dark about where are all these Netflix jobs going? Where are all these West End jobs going? I have no idea. And to be able to see them come out and see how they're advertised and then through being an agent for other people, seeing how the process goes from you submit someone for something, then you get a self tape, then you get an audition and a recall and a pencil and a job. That whole process. It demystifies the whole thing and it can really get rid of a lot of paranoia. The other massive plus I would say is just have the control over your career and that's so so important to be able to - I think no-one should know how to market yourself better than you and be able to come into a group of people who understand what being a jobbing actor is like and talking to them and being like this is what I'm brilliant at. This is what I'm less good at. This is the kind of work I want to be doing. And knowing and going into the office and seeing how you're being submitted for things and being able to verify that yourself. It's not only a massive weight off your shoulders, but it liberates you to be able to be like, okay, if I go and do a workshop at this, if I train in puppetry, I then know exactly how to tell the people, okay, I'm now great at puppetry and put me up for those jobs. So, I think it's a level of control over your career that other agencies might not be able to offer.
  

  Is The Process Easier To Navigate As An Actor & Agent?

  Definitely, I have to say I don't think it's for everyone because you have to give up some time. So me, like so many members of the agency, we have kind of freelance jobs that we're able to balance around it because we work night shifts or we work weekend shifts. So you know, if you've got a traditional 9 to 5, it's quite hard. And also just for some people, they like the idea of having one person who fights their corner for everything and understands them. And for some people that is perfect and I totally get that. But I think for some people who don't feel like they have that person or people who know them as artists and understand them as artists, to have a group of people who you can draw on for their experience. The stories that you hear, the anecdotes, it all builds up to kind of help your understanding of this very nefarious industry that can feel like a fog at times. It yeah, it demystifies it. It clears the fog.
  
  
  How Should The Relationship Between Actors and Agents Work?

  Yeah. I think it's I think it's a very interesting topic the actor agent one especially recently given news about some agents not acting in their clients' best interests and my instinct would be it's different for every actor and agent, of course it is, some people are naturally much more we fire WhatsApps back every day, some people are much more like if I need to tell you something I'll tell you something and that can work however it is but I would say that if you're scared to message your agent, there might be an issue there. Because it should be someone who understands what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how you want to be marketed for it. And if you're sat there hovering over your phone being like, "Oh, if I send this message, am I going to get dropped?" I wonder if - I'm not sure that's perfect. In the same breath, texting your agent every day, don't. Just don't. Especially agents who have you know beyond 20 or 30 towards 50 towards a 100 clients. You pestering someone like that will not endear you to them. It should be I think, you hear this from casting directors as actors, in terms of give me something that's actionable, that's targeted. It's not just being like oh any good jobs come out today because then you know the answer will be like "Yep I'm doing my job". But it's the stuff kind of every now and again if you see something come out that you're like, right I know you've seen this but I am perfect for it. Please get me in that room or like oh I'm not sure this kind of came in on the fringe but I think it could be a great fit. I think it's those marginal things of trusting your agent to do their job because they're very good at their jobs. So many agents are fantastic and I prioritise traditional agents as well. They are committed to that job and they are fantastic at it. But in the same breath it's just giving them a little nudge now and again just to be like just in case you didn't know that's me, that's a bit of me. So I think it's something you work out with every agent and every actor but just, you know, a balance of trust from both parties is very much needed
  

  What Makes A Good Headshot?

  I'd say. Don't try and be a character because when the casting director, when you walk into a room the casting director will see you. And if you've put on a face, so to speak, they will immediately see like, oh, that's not who I picked in the headshot. So, it's got to be you. And obviously, you've got space on your Spotlight to have more characterful shots and full body shots. And I think those can be very helpful because there are some jobs that need certain things and those can help. But your main headshot, just have it be you. Don't over complicate it. Just your face, your head. And it's very interesting to see when submissions come into our co-operative immediately, you can almost tell the ones who have really thought about that and have just kind of, and you see them and then you click on their showreel and it's like "That's them" for their showreel. Whereas some people you're like "That's two different people!" So yeah, just be you for the main one and then have fun with the other ones.t goes here

Episode 2 / Fran, Director at Apex Management

Fran, Director at Apex Management, talks about the importance of actors headshots, how to choose the right photographer for you and how to approach the industry today.

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Why Do Actors Need Professional Headshots?

"Remember you are the artist and every room that you walk into you're going to give something to somebody there. I think that's the kind of positive attitude you have to have, to allow yourself to go through it and know that amazing things are going to come your way."

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  Why Do Actors Need Professional Headshots?

  I mean it's a great question if you think about it the headshot is the first thing that anyone in the industry sees about you so surely you want that sort of like best foot forward for yourself. An actor is an actor, you know, a writer is a writer and a photographer is a photographer. There are just so many fantastic tools that you can you can get and that can be used in a studio to kind of help you achieve that maximum look so when a casting director or director are scrolling through, your headshot kind of jumps out and and not only visually looks fantastic but says something about you that differentiates yourself from other people. So I think it's so important to be able to work with a photographer and a headshot photographer that understands who you are and why you're in the industry

  How To Choose The Right Headshot Photographer For You?

  Absolutely I mean it depends you know what kind of actor and what kind of person that you want to be and I think at the end of the day it's realising that we're all just people and like yes you have to sell yourself but what makes you unique. You have to kind of find that partnership with you and a photographer and a headshot photographer, so looking through people's work and sort of thinking well what does that picture say about them and how does that make that different from other pieces of their own work that means that they understand their client and knows how to work with them and knows what their needs are and how to make them feel safe and make them feel comfortable with what they're doing. Because we're not all naturals in front of the camera, it's kind of like Ready Steady Cook where it's like you have that sort of like bag with all these ingredients in and every single person makes something different and you kind of got to see what's for you and what you like. Because everyone is so different so you have to make sure that a photographer understands like all your special ingredients and what can kind of bring it to light.

  What Advice Would You Give To Actors In The Industry Today?

  I think all of it is about identity and remembering why you're here in the first place. If you wanted to do a corporate job you could do that but you're here because you have a passion and a love for something and at one point in your life you believed in yourself so you have to continue to believe in yourself and know that if you work hard and surround yourself by the right people things will work out and you have to have that hope because if you don't have the hope what is there? So just remember you are the artist and every room that you walk into you're going to give something to somebody there and I think that's the kind of positive attitude you have to have to sort of allow yourself to go through it and know that amazing things are going to come your way.

Episode 1 / Gabe, Director at Apex Management

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Gabe, Director at Apex Management, talks about the importance of headshots for actors and what makes a headshot stand out from the crowd. Apex focus on nurturing and supporting their talent and he covers both the role of an agent, well-being and why you need representation in the industry today.

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Why do headshots matter?

"Each individual actor is an individual first and foremost. They are a human and so it's really important for me, as your agent, to create really safe spaces for you, make sure that you are equipped in every situation to feel that you can give your all without there being many barriers to entry."

• READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

  Why Do Headshots Matter?

  Okay, so you've got - I guess you've kind of got to imagine it from the casting director's perspective. So imagine that they're receiving thousands of submissions as they do. It's your kind of first real chance to stand out across maybe even you know 1,500 submissions. That small photo that would say a lot.

  What Makes A Great Headshot?

  So, I would say for me the the key thing is authenticity. So you know you should never be kind of portraying a character in your headshot. They should still be you. However with that being said I think they should have a glimmer of something a little bit I guess extra that will really pull the casting director's attention. I also think that something really important is your eyes. Your eyes tell a story and so being able to really kind of look not just look at the camera but look through the camera and try and convey some sort of story emotion is really really helpful from a casting perspective

  What's The Role of An Agent?

  100%. So I the way that I kind of see the relationship between an agent and an actor is that agent is almost like the portal to the industry especially during downtime we are the key to unlocking opportunities but also being able to go okay this is what's going on in the world. And so because of that something really really important to me is communication So being able to feel like I can pick up the phone and talk to you you can pick up the phone and talk to me and we can have a really open dialogue is is really important. That kind of also leads on to well-being So obviously as we all know the industry - it's a crazy industry - but being able to be open and frank and honest with your conversations really, really helps the well-being of my clients, of everyone that we kind of work with. And so that's really really important for me to be able to be open.

  Why Do Actors Need An Agent?

  So there are a few kind of key things I guess. Obviously you've got the logistical side. So we as agents, we spend our lives working. I always think you know we work for our our clients. We're there to unlock those opportunities and those opportunities that are sometimes harder to find and harder to come across. So that's a very key thing. On top of that as well like I say it's very very important to have almost your kind of right-hand man in the industry to be able to work together, feel like you're working with someone to achieve your goals so we can celebrate the good and the things that need to be worked on. Okay, so something that I find really really important is kind of noticing that each individual actor is an individual first and foremost. They are a human and so it's really important for me as your agent to create really safe spaces for you, make sure that you are equipped in every situation to feel that you can give your all without there being many barriers to entry.