Acting agents can, surprisingly, actually sometimes hinder a career. If you get the wrong agent, you might not even realise it, but the chances are they will be focussing much more on their bigger name clients and rarely consider putting you up for roles that you might be perfect for. They may also simply be putting you up for the wrong castings, or not even be particularly trusted within the industry, and knowing whether this is the case might not always be easy to find out.
For those who want to ensure that their career is being looked after as best as possible, whether you decide to keep your agent or not, you may find much better results if you work as your own agent. Not only will you be sure that you are doing all you can to be seen by the right people, but you also won’t have to pay what can sometimes be quite extortionate commission in the process.
There are many ways you can find yourself acting as your own agent, from joining a co-op agency to simply hunting down all the right castings. There are numerous sites available that will have details on castings, and many of these you will be able to join easily. There are the old faithful industry magazines and you can even now have all the latest casting calls text to your mobile. Services such as those at Audition Now offer the chance for those aged 18 years and over to sign up to receive texts (charged at £1.50 with a maximum of three texts per week) with details of the best casting calls for you.
So with so many potential ways to get your feet in numerous doors, don’t simply rely on your agent to do the work for you. Get out there and be your own agent.