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Maintaining a Good Business Relationship with Your Agent Once you’ve met with, and made the decision to join a particular Agent who appears to be a good “fit” for you, you must build and maintain a favorable business relationship. The most successful partnerships occur when both parties are “on the same page” about what you want to accomplish in your entertainment career. Here are some tips to help you and your Agent reach your full potential together. Be a Pleasant Pest Actor friends of mine have expressed concerns over whether or not they could potentially “upset” or “annoy” their Agent, simply by contacting them often. Do not be afraid of this! It is their job to be available to you, as you have “hired” them to represent you! I believe that calling and emailing your Agent regularly (at least once a week) is crucial to success, and I even suggest scheduling a meeting in person (or via Skype) every so often. There’s a big difference between being a “pleasant pest” and being disrespectful. As a “pleasant pest,” you are able to respectfully remind your Agent (and many other entertainment industry contacts for that matter) that you’re eager to work! You should never worry about “invading” your Agent’s time if you are respectfully reaching out to them. If your Agent is “too busy” to reply to your emails, calls, or requests for an in-person meeting, find out why that is happening. And you should seriously consider the response. If your Agent is “too busy” to lend his or her time to your needs, then I can almost guarantee that your business partnership will fail. You should be a priority to your Agent, as you’re in a business partnership, and you’re making them money. You’re the Boss Making sure that you’re a priority of your Agent’s time is part of what comes with being your own boss. Though you have joined your Agent to be in business with you, and you do work together, the talent is still always the boss and always calls the shots. As a Performer you are running your own business, and you must be self-motivated and be able to successfully manage your relationships with colleagues, including your Agent. You must be proactive in your career - a “go-getter”! No one is going to make anything happen for you. Sometimes Agents want to have a lot of control over what they think is best for you. Listening to their opinion and their suggestions is fine and can be very helpful. Most Agents are very respectful of their clients; they recognize that they are being “hired” by the Performer, and they truly want to see you do whatever you can do in order to succeed. However only you know what is truly best for you. If there’s a role, for example, that your Agent wants you to read for, yet you are uncomfortable with the particular character or the project, you must stand up for what you believe in and do what you want to do, and be you. Nurture the Relationship! Building and maintaining a healthy business relationship with your Agent is an ongoing process, and it all really begins with keeping the doors open for communication, goal setting and executing, sticking to the plan, and being respectful of each other. (This is true in all relationships!)
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