“I love working with actors because you know your purpose. Acting is the gift you give to the planet, and you put yourself out there everyday to tell stories that make people think differently. Now, that’s inspiring.” Dallas Travers, author of The Tao of Show Business Check out Dallas Travers Store Follow Dallas on Twitter @dallastravers
The popular dating website eHarmony has become famous for helping singles “date smarter, not harder” by determining a level of compatibility between people before they even consider going on a date. The result? A better chance of first dates turning into happy relationships. Wouldn’t it be nice if a similar service existed to help match actors and agents?
Until that day comes, you can eHarmony your representation on your own. Yes, there is plenty of research to be done on IMDB Pro, but there’s another kind of preparation that actors often overlook: “internal research.”
Before you even begin any marketing plan for new representation, you must look inside and define what you’re looking for. This way, when the right rep comes along, you’ll know it because you already know what you’re looking for.
Here is some internal research to consider:
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Ask: “What 3 characteristics in an agent are most important to me?” to define your most desired qualities in an agent.
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Ask: “How often do I want to communicate with my team?” to set the stage for a successful ongoing communication plan.
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Ask: “What should that communication look like?” to establish your ideal style of communication.
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Ask: “How often do I expect to audition?” to discover if your audition expectations are in alignment with what your potential rep can do for you.
Addressing these questions and truly identifying how you want to run your business and work with your representation is, in my opinion, the most crucial part of researching the right representation for you.
A lot of actors dive into a partnership with an agent or manager assuming that those details will work themselves out. If you are not clear about your expectations, you will create confusion in your representation relationship. You’ll feel frustrated, insecure, and worst of all afraid to have conversations after you’ve begun working together.
Any good relationship is based on trust and open communication, and the same goes for your business relationships. Define what you’re looking for in a representative early on, and you’ll save yourself a lot of heartache. eHarmony couldn’t agree more.
About Dallas Travers
The leading expert on business strategy for actors, Dallas Travers teaches actors the career and life skills often left out of traditional training programs. Her groundbreaking book,The Tao of Show Business, garnered five awards including first prizes at The Hollywood Book Festival, the London Festival and the National Indie Excellence Award. Through her workshops, Dallas helps thousands of actors increase their auditions, produce their own projects, secure representation and book roles in film, television, and on Broadway. She is a certified life coach and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience implementing marketing and mindset strategies that work. To learn Dallas’ five most important actions every actor should take, please visit actorgottados.com for a free five-part video series.
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