Aaron Marcus, an actor with 37 years of experience, breaks down why agents reject actors: bad headshots and resumes, weak skills, roster overlap, and mismatched look. His fixes: polish your materials, take classes, and resubmit every few months when agency needs shift.
In this video, I'm going to be sharing with you 4 reasons why actors are not being offered contracts by agents. And watch the video to the end, and I'm going to share with you 3 solutions to give you your best chance to get a contract with an agent. Okay, let's get going. Hi, I'm Aaron Marcus, and welcome to the Actor and Model Career Center and the Acting and Modeling Quick Tips channel. Where I share information that I've learned in the past 37 years working as a full-time actor. And hey, by the way, watch this video to the end and I've got a great bonus video for you where I'm going to be sharing with you some tips that the great Tom Hanks shared with me that all actors need to hear. Hey, if you haven't done this yet, don't forget, subscribe to this channel, click the notification bell so you always know when a new video is being uploaded. And if you like the video, give it a, uh, give it a thumbs up. That's really helpful. The very first reason why some actors are not being offered contracts by agents is because their headshot just doesn't look professional. Their resume is not put in a format that is expected by agents. Look, there are some agents who will take people on and help them and guide them and give them information, and there are also a number of agents who want people who are ready so that they can begin marketing them right away. And they don't want to work as someone who needs mentoring. That's not what the agent typically wants to do. I'm not saying some of them don't. Some of them are really nice about that. But a lot of times they just want people who are ready so that they can begin submitting them. Number 2, another reason why some actors are not being offered contracts is because maybe their acting skills just aren't where they need to be. You know, maybe the agent sees some potential, but once again, they're not ready, and the agent doesn't want to wait or help guide the person along. So that could be another reason. And if that's the case, then, you know, it's time to take some more classes, to read more books, to get more experience, to practice more so that you really have the chops to go to an audition and really know what you're doing and do it in an effective way. Number 3, another reason why you might not get a contract. Maybe you're very talented. Maybe your headshot and resume looks great, but perhaps they already represent a number of people in your category, people who look like you, people who would be submitted for the same jobs. And sometimes agents don't want to take on other folks who would be considered competition. And so, you know, that says absolutely nothing about your skills and capabilities. They just don't want to bring you on because of who they already have in their roster. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that sometimes when you do get turned down, then maybe you should try resubmitting in 3 months or 6 months. There was an agency I spent 2 years staying in touch with them, and then finally at one point they said, yeah, we'd love to have you. And I'm not even really sure why. I don't know if a different agent came in who liked what I had to offer. Maybe they did have some people who were in my category and didn't want to bring me in. Maybe they just didn't have that kind of work in their area. I don't know. Who knows? And the other thing too is maybe— and it is possible that they don't have the work for your type in that area. You know, that's a possibility too. And number 4, here is the 4th reason. You know, it's possible too that the agent just doesn't represent talent like you. I can tell you there is a really good agency in New York. It's a commercial modeling agency, but they take on beautiful people. People who basically, they kind of look like Ford models, but, you know, maybe they don't have the statistics for the fashion industry. But these people are beautiful. Women are beautiful, men are really handsome, and that's just not my look. And so they wouldn't take me on as a client because I just don't have that kind of look. So it's not a statement about my abilities. I just, you know, I just don't have the look that they are going after and the type of people that they submit and help get booked for jobs. So, you know, the key, the key takeaways, you know, make sure that your headshot and resume are effective. That's one solution. Next solution is just make sure you're really good at your craft. And number 3, sometimes, you know, you just have to, you know, keep resubmitting yourself, you know, to the agents. And, and, you know, always remember you can't take anything personally. It's not that you're not a good person for whatever reason you're just not the perfect fit for this particular agent at this time. And always remember, no doesn't mean never. Things change. And so just keep getting better at your craft and your business. Keep going out there, keep hustling, keep trying to find agents. And You know, those are really the best ways to make things happen for you. And by the way, I did promise that I was going to share a great bonus video. Just use the link above and you will see the link to this wonderful video where I had a chance to work with Tom Hanks and he shared some information with me that I just thought was great and I want to share it with you as well. And by the way, if you have any experiences with, you know, going after some agents, whether you, you know, did get a contract, didn't get a contract, please share it here so we can learn from you as well what things work, what things don't work. Also, feel free, share this link with all of your acting and modeling friends so that way we can continue to build a channel of people who truly are trying to help each other in the industry. Um, I can't wait to talk with you guys again soon. I'm Aaron Marcus. See ya.
