How to Spot a Bad Agent
by Damie Green

Looking for an agent but don’t know how to get one? There are many different resources available for models and actors seeking representation. Trade magazines like Back Stage or Variety have ads for agencies. You can also go to any website or publication that’s even somewhat entertainment related such as LA Weekly or Craig’s List and you will find people posting ads for their agencies. The best resource I’ve found is SAG (the Screen Actor’s Guild). On their website, www.sag.org, you can see, browse, and print a listing a mile long for agencies in all the major US markets, with the majority of the listings in Los Angeles and New York. The question then becomes, how the heck are you supposed to know who to trust and how can you get “good” talent representation when you are just starting out?

I moved to Los Angeles with 5 years of professional modeling experience underneath my belt and a resume with tons of local and educational theatre credits. It took me over a year to sign with an agent and when I did she wasn’t even that good.

I began my search with a mass mailing. I sent hundreds of headshots and resumes to agencies I knew were vouched for by SAG. One of the agencies contacted me with interest and asked me to prepare a monologue, be ready to do a cold read, and come in for an audition to meet the head agent and booker.

When I arrived at the office there were tons of people waiting outside in the hallways. Actors, actresses, models, and kids of all sizes and shapes were lined up against the wall. Most of them looked like they had been waiting for a very long time. This was discouraging to me. But I signed my name and headed to the back of the line.

After all, an opportunity to be seen and to show your stuff is still an opportunity, and I didn’t have an agent yet and was pretty much willing to do anything within reason to get one. So I waited, as patiently as possible.

I finally made it inside after running back outside many times to refill my meter. I did my audition piece and even though I felt like it hadn’t been that strong the woman I read for seemed interested. She thanked me for my time and promised to call me.

When she called an excruciatingly long month later I was insane with waiting but ecstatic. She offered me a spot with a new agency she was heading. Against my better judgment I agreed to sign up for a mandatory online database service. She asked for money up front. I was so blinded by my dreams and her promises- I agreed.

Damie Green has enjoyed international success as a model and actress. She has appeared in several commercial campaigns running all over the world. She has also done guest roles on television shows such as Strong Medicine and ER. Last year she starred in the independant film Neptune Cowboy. She is a published poet and an aspiring novelist.