The Agency

ShoutOuts

Ron

Hey, Simon and Crew, Happy New Year. It's gonna be a GREAT one!

8:46pm Jan 27

Deidre

Many thanks for your heads up !

11:38pm Jun 24

Robin

Shot this last week!

3:53pm Dec 23

Deidre

Thanks for thinking of me.

8:40pm Nov 1

Steph

New headshots now up

8:35am Jul 10

Deidre

Thanks coming your way!

11:47am Jun 1

Deidre

Another round of thanks!

10:27am Apr 19

Deidre

Another round of thanks!

8:27pm Mar 16

Deidre

Thanks for thinking of me.

1:37am Feb 5

Terrence Glenn

Thank you Agency, YOU ALL ROCK! I appreciate your professionalism, and generosity when it comes to helping actors. 👊🏽

10:26pm Oct 7

Deidre

Thanks so much for your heads-up!

8:14pm Sep 25

Rob

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy week <3

7:38pm Sep 14

Tips For Talent

Get the most out of The Agency !

#1 Look Your Best.
Pictures in your profile are key! Make sure to include at least 3-4 pictures in your Portfolio and Compcard (more is better, and highly encouraged). Use a favorite image that shows your face very clearly, and close up, to be your #1 compcard picture, and your profile picture. We strongly recommend that you include at least one picture of yourself smiling, and that you select a variety of pictures that show different expressions, moods, and looks. Don't be afraid if you don't have professional shots! In the age of digital photography, a few well-snapped digital shots done by a friend near a window with some nice natural light can go a long way. Just make sure to have fun and give clients a real idea of what you look like.

#2 Tell Us About Yourself.
You'll be called in for more castings (and booked more often), if you're easy to find on the site and provide ample information about yourself; nobody likes to play a guessing game when they're pressed for time! Make sure to include your Birthday in your profile (or something close ;) ! Your actual age and birthday will never be visible to anyone, but without an age in your details a search from 0-100 years may not include you! The same goes for your union status, skills, height, measurements, ethnicity, etc. Clients and Casting Directors will appreciate how quickly & easily they found your profile in a search, and you'll benefit greatly.

#3 Submit on Castings.
The Agency is the only true online talent agency. This means that while you are able to submit on castings, view projects, and be reached by clients directly, we still submit you on jobs daily and work hard to make sure clients find you for their projects when you're a fit. Nevertheless, we've already proven that talent who also submit themselves as often as possible will get more castings in the long run! We may not always know every detail about your skill set or assume that you're interested in the less exciting castings, so log in as often as you can and submit on roles that fit you. Remember to leave short, relevant notes when information is requested, and pay close attention to ethnicity, age, and union status when submitting on a role.

#4 Be Easy to Reach.
The Agency makes it possible for some of the worlds finest casting directors and industry pro's to contact you directly for a casting, in addition to often sending hand-picked casting appointments out ourselves on their behalf. It is very important that your profile includes a working email (mandatory requirement) and a phone number (highly recommended, bot not mandatory) so that we, and our clients, can reach you when you're called in for a casting or go-see. Only approved, established, trusted clients, and the finest casting professionals in the business have access to any contact information on our site, which is always login protected. Make sure to check messages and emails often!

#5 Be Professional.
The Agency is designed to get you castings, and get you booked by the best casting directors and clients around. Whether you're new to the business, or an established model or actor, it's always incredibly important to be professional, reliable and informative, and respect the time of our clients when submitting on a casting. Be on time or early to all castings and appointments (five minutes late may be too late), and never be late to a shoot or booking. Pay attention to details such as wardrobe and style requirements or scripts, and make sure to confirm that your'e going on a casting or have received information when requested. Don't be afraid to let us, or a client know when you may not be available or interested as well (always up to you!), and don't hesitate to ask us for help anytime! We're here to help you succeed.

Additional Tips

Castings 

Always take a couple of compcards (or a headshot & resume) with you on castings to leave with the  client, and make sure they include your contact information. You can print out a card from you personal profile on the site (‘print card’ button)  that will be look just as it appears on-screen. This can be a very important part of the process, since a nice compcard or headshots can save the client having to take more pictures, or write down information about you. The client will  probably take a snapshot of you for their records, but be well-prepared to make a good impression!

More On Your Pictures
Please use only images that are recent and reflect your appearance today, and keep in mind not to post anything that might offend anyone, shows any frontal nudity or 'too much skin' unless in an obscure or artistic fashion, or is distorted to the point that you're no longer visible. If your images are retouched, please keep in mind that retouching must be done within acceptable parameters and not to an extreme, so don't make yourself 35 years younger or add third eyes, pirate jewelry, or remove any trace of human pores or features from your face.

Your Appearance

If you have changed the way you look …. put on weight, had all your hair chopped off, had an octopus tattood on your chest, whatever … and that fact is not obvious from your personal profile, you must let any client or photographer interested in working with you know immediately. If they want (and book) someone who looks like Oprah in their pictures online, things won’t go well if Naomi Campbell shows up.

Can You Play the tuba while juggling upside-down?
Every skill could be the one that gets you the gig. Don't be afraid to be honest about your skills and interests, many castings end up leaning one way because of a person's prior experience or skill set, no matter how usual or unusual it may be.

Personal Grooming ("Smell Your Best")

It may sound obvious, but take a shower before you go to a job, and do not arrive with lots of product in your hair or make-up on your face unless the client has asked you to come ‘camera-ready’. Wear underwear. If you’re a woman, shave your legs. If you’re a guy, ask the client or photographer whether or not they want you to shave. If a client asks you to arrive ‘clean, clean’, what they mean is without hair product or make-up on. This normally mans that they will have a hair or make-up person there to take care of it.

Tear Sheets

Tear sheets are pictures that appear in magazines, advertising materials, etc. Your tear sheets are those pictures that feature you. You should always keep copies of your tear sheets and use then use them in your online profile / portfolio (as long as you look good in them). Clients browsing your pictures like to see  that you have worked on other jobs. Make sure to keep your portfolio and comp card up to date. Also, email us your tear sheets so we can include them in the Agency's portfolio, or if you ever want our input on using them in compcards, etc.

Vouchers
A Voucher is a simple way to obtain a written record of the details and agreed terms of a booking.

Download and print a voucher from the web-site for every job booked, take it with you, and before leaving make sure that the client has signed it. All applicable fields should be filled in, including any usage (i.e. what the image(s) will be used for), how much you are getting paid, and the clients name and address. If possible, copy and print the filled out voucher for the clients records. Simple, but important

Usage

When you do a job, make sure that you are aware of what the pictures / footage will be used for beforehand (the ‘usage’). Clients should be able to specify where the pictures / footage will appear (magazines, advertising, tv, cable, billboards, all media, point of purchase (in stores), which countries, etc) and how long they are planning to use those  materials .  As an example, the usage might be trade magazine only, 1 year, North America only. It sounds a little complex, but the client will have those details, and they should be part of what is written on your voucher when you are getting it signed following a job. That way, any further usage (or extension of time) will be easier to track, and more usage means …. more money!  The amount you are getting paid for the job will often be reflected in the amount of usage, especially for advertising jobs. Worldwide, all media, forever, will normally pay significantly more for example than one-time usage in the local shoe-shop flyer that arrives with the newspaper on a weekend.

Testing and New Pictures

One way to get new pictures done by a pro, a photographer may offer you  the chance to have your picture taken and made available for your use without being paid for  the shoot or having to pay for the picture(s). This is called a ‘test’, and normally takes place  because the photographer needs pictures, you need pictures, and you both agree to work  together to achieve that goal. Tips are as follows:  Check out the photographers other work before agreeing to shoot with them. Have a clear understanding of the type of pictures you need, and determine whether or not  the photographer’s work is a good fit for you. If you’re young, take a chaperone, and as with any job, always let someone know where you will be and how you can be reached. Do your  best to determine that the photographer is legitimate, and reach a clear understanding before the shoot of what will be involved. Treat the shoot like a job. Be professional.

Our 'Resources' Section (above) is also stuffed with photographers near you that offer amazing rates on new pictures and headshots, so be sure to take a look!

And if you're just in the mood to update your profile today, we recommend that your new pictures:
- be taken with a decent digital camera with at least 3 megapixels (no phones, webcams, etc.)

- be taken near a bright source of light or bright window in front of or next to you (not behind you).
- feature you and show various facial expressions.
- show you without sunglasses or other props/ accessories that either distract from or cover your face. (You're the star, not your shades.)

Browsing The Site / Your Login
For the best experience when browsing the Agency, we strongly encourage you to use either Safari, Firefox, Opera, or Chrome as your browser. Also, make sure that cookies are enabled to allow you to log in most easily. If you forget your login or password for any reason, just click "I forgot my password" at the top right of the site, and make sure to closely follow all steps. Email us anytime if you still need a hand!

Socialize, and Shout it Out!
The Agency lets you friend other talent to share wisdom and experiences (and become friends), and provides a Shout-Out Wall and News-Feed on which you can share updates and let everyone know what's going on. Post a Shout-Out from the homepage anytime you're logged in, and simply update your Highlights in your profile to see it reflected in our News Feed.

Making Money and Getting Paid

We do not handle payment for jobs, do not handle money on your behalf, and don't take any commission, which means that you are always paid directly, by clients.

You are responsible for obtaining contact information from clients that you work with and following up with them very soon after the shoot to make sure your payment comes in. Based on industry norms, The Agency’s voucher gives our clients up to 90 days from the shoot to make a payment (again, always use a voucher!). If the client passes this payment period without payment, you do have the option to contact the agency, report that client, and inform us of the problem. Though we cannot act on your behalf to track down payment, it is very important to us to enforce honesty and quality; those clients that don’t pay their bills will be removed from the database and blocked from the site, and we will help you in any way we can.

Our clients are the best and most professional in the industry, are individually approved by us, and payment is most often prompt. Still, we're available to you to help in any way we can should something come up.

Aways make sure that you have a firm understanding with the client with regard to how much  you are getting paid, what the pictures / footage will be used for, plus details like travel and  overtime (where applicable), before you go to a job.  If you are unhappy with the pay-rate, either do not go/ submit to the casting, or if contacted  directly, let the client know (politely) that it’s not enough money, and turn the  job down. Never accept a job, then get to the shoot and try to re-negotiate the deal (unless  the job itself is different to that described). Also, be aware  that different types of jobs pay different amounts of money. For example, cable non union t.v .commercials do not pay as much as union, network spots. Magazine editorials pay much less than advertising shoots, even though the pictures may end up side by side in the same  magazine!

Unless otherwise noted, you can assume that castings and rates posted in our Castings listing have been inspected and approved by us, and are up to par (or above) industry standards. We don't work with just anyone, and we won't waste your time with low quality projects.

Have a Question?
We're here for you, and easy to reach via email for any casting, website, project, or industry related questions. Shoot us an email anytime, you'll usually hear back on the same day. ( Support@theagencyonline.com)