First thing's first, congratulations! You are about to embark on a career where the successes can be both exciting and financially rewarding. As an industry prospect in fast forward motion, the entertainment industry has so many different avenues from which to choose, many varied professions that staff these avenues, and so many other business opportunities that will promote these people to the world. From directors and producers, screenwriters, actors, musicians, even television hosts, these professionals rely on you, as a talent agent, to carry their career to the next level.
Understanding the differences in specific talent agents will help you to identify in what direction you need to focus. Agents represent talent of many genres within this industry, the most identifiable positions being listed above. In addition, agents can represent dancers, song writers, models, film crew positions, theatrical artists, cruise ship entertainers, voice-over artists, athletes, and even lecturers. Agents can be found in small towns or big cities, working for larger corporations, small agencies, or even self-employed. The most coveted positions, representing talent from all over the globe, are held within what's known in Hollywood as "the big four," Creative Artists Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA), William Morris Endeavor (WME), and International Creative Management (ICM). This is where we will focus.
First and foremost, you must possess some key qualities.
-You must be determined. Undoubtedly you will not initially be hired as an agent. You'd have a better chance of Brad Pitt loaning out his wife for the weekend. Most likely you'll start out with a very low paying job that could seem demeaning considering the 100K you just spent on law school. You and the other lucky JDs and MBAs will be together filing and sorting mail in the basement for quite a while, though this may be one of the most educated and intellectual group of gofers in the country. It's a tough trade in the beginning, tirelessly working together in the dungeon, dreaming about becoming the next Ari Emanuel. Even beyond the mail room you're working 14 hour days with no lunch breaks, sorting skittles, brewing coffee, scheduling appointments, dropping off urine samples, and constantly reminding yourself that one day, you might be the one barking orders. And weekends, well you can forget weekends. You'll be too busy running errands, ironing work shirts, reading countless scripts, preparing sides, taking notes for the week, and preparing to get drilled about what you just read over the weekend. After a few years of being the very best at what some may consider a glorified secretary, assistant to a jackass, or one of my favorites, a phone-bitch, you may just be so lucky. You may get that opportunity to become a jr. agent. It's a good life from there, all the way to becoming an agent, then partner. And all the way to the bank. Proving yourself is vital to your success.
-You must be charismatic. Your ability to persuade, impress, influence, enlighten, and charm is essential in your success as a talent agent.You must know how to talk to people, importantly people from all different backgrounds, and all different professions. You must be adaptive to their needs, balancing both guidance and leadership with humility and patience. In addition, you must honor your word, and never give anyone a reason to doubt your integrity. If you're gonna BS someone, you better be damn good at it. Essentially your client's career is in your hands, you must be able to instill confidence in people and take control when it comes to the business interests of your clients. Insist on being stylish in your dress and demeanor, while maintaining a very professional appearance. After all. you're working with Hollywood's divas, the high school prom queens, the GQ centerfolds, and some of the most publicized people in the world. Dress to impress.
-You must know the industry. Following the Box Office Mojo and Billboard's Hot 100 is only the beginning. Keeping your focus branded on the changing trends of Hollywood will keep you informed and well aware of potential business. You should be able to recognize the ability and understand the range of artists and talent. Recognizing the right people to recruit is crucial as well, though at the major agencies, typically many agents will only take clients with an extensive history of success in the industry. So if you're an agent here, most likely you're not representing Kenny the boom mic operator on that creepy late night show on channel 2.
-You must be educated. With the exception of the infamous Jadin Wong, there is probably not a chance in hell that you're making it to the top in this profession without a nice chunk of college, unless your dad is Harvey Weinstein. My suggestion is finishing your undergraduate degree in anything significant to the industry. Business is essential, and marketing, communications, and finance are great areas to study. Depending on what type of talent you plan on representing, studying film never hurt. This will help you understand what your clients do precisely. It's also important to know how to read a script, and I'd recommend learning everything you can on financing a film and Hollywood accounting if you ever want to represent a director or producer. Ultimately you should strongly consider attending graduate school or law school. A Master's of Business Administration or a Juris Doctor will help tremendously in acquiring the know how to communicate, develop, and lead. Knowing the law concerning the entertainment industry, and knowing the law concerning the rights of your clients, will set you apart from the rest. Seek an internship with a large agency, inquiring about it as early as undergraduate school. Many times these internships will be unpaid, and they do not guarantee a future with any of the companies, but this will give you a feel of what life is like in the piranha tank, and you're going to need to know somebody when you're ready to apply for that dream job.
Being a successful talent agent can be a very lucrative career, but it's a bottom to top kind of experience. You must start at the bottom to make it to the top. But when you do make it, you'll soon become accustomed a glamorous life of luxurious company cars, expense accounts, the ability to shape the outcome of movies, published interviews, advanced movie screenings, coordinating the business of well known talent, lunches, dinners, happy hours at some of the hottest spots in the city, no reservations, no problem. The award ceremonies and parties are exclusive so you'll enjoy rubbing shoulders with the who's who of Hollywood. You become the go-to guy or gal when it comes to movie business. Become powerful enough and you can ultimately steer the industry in your favor, benefiting not only your clients, your agency, but yourself as well.
-Eric Douglas Statzer
