A Dolphin In A Deep Blue Sea of Hollywood Sharks

The other day
I got a call from a woman who was following up after sending a submission (photo/resume) seeking talent manager representation for her 9-year-old daughter.
(Note to actors: I highly recommend following up. We’re busy with a lot of other things so even if we’ve expressed interest in you, via your submission, chances are we haven’t actually had the occasion to call you and set-up a meeting ~ even though we’ve meant to do so.)

At any rate, a reminder never hurts. Unfortunately for this woman, we don’t represent children.

However, since I know how hard this business is, I like to be ONE of the few genuinely nice people that they encounter on the creative, yet difficult path they’ve chosen to take. I like to think of myself as one of the few dolphins in an ocean full of Hollywood sharks. And believe me, there are many.

I’m especially nice to screenwriters that call to pitch their writing. Heck, I work for a talent manager… and I hesitate to admit that I’ve made the occasional phone call from our offices in which I’ve resorted to pitching one of our clients’ (aka one of my…) screenplays. I know that I'm not the only one who has done this, by the way... With this approach, I might get a little further along on the telephone trail…like the time that I pitched my (client’s) screenplay to Goldie Hawn’s assistant. However, the reality is that, from one assistant to another, we’ve all got our own goals… so I can tell you, that it doesn’t get any easier no matter where you're at on the ladder of success. The difficulties just change form. What you've got to do is just keep on climbing.

My advice for today? Stick with it-- as long as you can hold out. Miracles and oddities of every sort do happen… and they happen most often, here in Hollywood.

Copyright © 2008 KLiedle
*Photo credit: fotolen/flickr

A La Mode : A Bit About Casting...

Talent Managers (and a little bit about the casting process...)

Like most writers, I have a day job and many different side jobs. For one, I work as a talent manager’s assistant. What exactly does that entail, you might wonder…
Answer: Lots! But for now, I’ll focus on how the whole submission process.

For those who are unaware, the Casting directors in the film/television/commercial industry primarily work with Breakdown Services www.breakdownservices.com Breakdowns is an online directory and list of all the projects that are currently casting roles. Casting directors post new projects and roles on Breakdowns. It's constantly being updated. In the meantime, Agents and Talent Managers have all their clients’ photos and resumes uploaded into an account with Breakdowns.

Usually, I take great care in scanning the breakdowns throughout the day and reading the roles thoroughly to see where one of our clients might fit in. A definite plus to having a talent manager is that we usually have fewer clients than the typical agent. That means that when the role comes up, it’s more likely that I’ll think of a particular client.

If it’s a good role for them, I’ll submit them either electronically or with a hard copy photo and resume. Many casting directors do electronic submissions these days, but there are a few that still work with hard copies (and actually prefer them.) You cannot flub much with casting because if your clients consistently don’t fit the role descriptions, casting will start ignoring your submissions.

When one of our clients is requested for an audition, casting alerts us in one of two ways: by calling or sending what’s called a cmail through the Breakdown Services system. At that point, I call the actor to see if they’re available. If so, I confirm them with casting, download their sides ( “lines” for the audition) and send the actor all the particulars about the audition, including information about the role/project, any special notes, etc.

Sometimes, I get just as excited about an actor’s audition as the actor themselves. For instance, yesterday, I got a cmail requesting one of our client’s for an audition THAT DAY for a possible recurring role on UGLY BETTY. I gave the actor all the info and then sent them a blackberry message: “Knock ‘Em Dead At Mode!”

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Talent Managers are members of the TMA http://www.talentmanagers.org/ here in Los Angeles. Like agents, talent managers can represent actors, musicians, voice-over artists, writers, directors, and below-the-line talent (such as a production designer or editor.)
Unlike agents, talent managers cannot negotiate a client's contract when they book a job. Although many of the duties of agents and talent managers cross-over, this is an important distinction. In that case, talent managers have to fall back to a client’s agent or hire an attorney to negotiate a client’s contract.

For Actors, Breakdown Services also handles Actors Access http://www.actorsaccess.com

Also, check out--

*THE CASTING FRONTIER http://www.castingfrontier.com

*NOW CASTING http://www.nowcasting.com

*LA CASTING http://www.lacasting.com/la_home.asp

Vintage Camera -- Photo Credit: Eskimo Demus