Aaron Marcus, a 37-year veteran actor, breaks down seven red flags for fake agents: upfront fees, forcing you to use their photographer, mandatory classes, a shoddy website, signing without seeing your work, high-pressure tactics, and ignoring your gut. Check if they're members of the Agent Association or National Association of Talent Representatives.
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Hey, finding a really good agent can be hard. So in this video, I'm going to be sharing with you 7 absolutely sure ways to know that your acting agent is legitimate and not running a scam. Also, watch this to the end. I've got a special bonus. There are 2 agent associations that you need to know about. These are great agents. Okay, let's get started. Hey, I'm Aaron Marcus, and welcome to the Acting and Modeling Quick Tips channel and the Actor Career Center, where I share information with others from my 37+ years working as a full-time actor. Hey, if you haven't done this yet, don't forget, click the subscribe button and the notification bell, and that way you will always know when I upload a new video. And if you like the video, please give it a thumbs up. That's always helpful. Finding an agent and one that's legitimate can be hard, especially if you're just getting started and you really don't know what to expect. So here's number one. I know people will say to you, if an agent asks for any money up front that is not a percentage of a booking that you've gotten, they're not legitimate. Don't, you know, run away. Don't sign with them. Hey, look, To some extent that's true. There is an exception and you need to know about the exception. So there are some agencies that have their own website. It's their way of promoting their talent and typically they are going to ask you for a fee and it could range. It could be $75 a year, it could be $150 a year. I really haven't heard of it costing Much more than that. But it is a range. And so if you are asked to be on their website and they do charge a fee for that, absolutely, that is perfectly legitimate. Number 2, look, it's one thing if an agent asks you to get a new headshot because they just don't think that the photo you have is really good. And if they say to you, Look, we have photographers that we can recommend to you. That's wonderful. That's what you want from an agent, someone who can help guide you and give you the information that you need. However, if they say to you, if you want me to represent you, you have to use our photographer, that would make me nervous. Because typically what will happen is they're getting a kickback from from the photographer, and it's not necessarily the best headshot for you. And that's not the way that agents are supposed to be making money. They're supposed to be getting a percentage anywhere from 10 to 20%, depending on whether you're in the union or whether it's an acting or modeling job. So if you are forced to sign, uh, to, to use their particular photographer, that would make me a little bit nervous. Number 3, if you are told that, look, you're just getting started, I think there's a lot of potential, you need to take classes. Once again, that's fantastic. That's what you want from an agent. But if they say to you, we are only going to work with you if you take our class, that would send off some signals to me that don't feel really good. I can tell you that Franchised agents, signatory agents, agents who signed contracts with the union SAG-AFTRA, they are not allowed to offer classes. Now, I don't know, I feel a little bit differently. You know, look, I'm a union member, but it doesn't mean that I have to agree with everything that the union says and enforces. They're concerned about a conflict of interest, I get it. But there are a lot of really good agencies that offer classes so that their talent can be better. That makes complete sense to me. But that is different than saying, look, if you want me to work with you, you've got to take my class. Number 4, check out the agent's website. Look, you might not be a photographer. You might not be able to specifically say what works in a headshot or in a commercial shot, but you can look at photos and see Do they look good to you? You know, are you seeing photos that just look like they were taken in people's backyard? Are you looking at only test shots from all of their talent? You know, if you're looking at some commercial photos, hopefully some of the models that they are representing have actually done jobs, and you will be able to see some of their tear sheets, which are copies Of ads. But, you know, if all you're seeing are really poorly shot, poorly lit photos, that would make me a little bit nervous. Number 5, if someone is saying, you've got the look, you are fantastic, I want to sign you, and then of course they are asking for money for various things and they haven't even seen you perform at all. They didn't ask you to read some commercial copy, you know, for a TV commercial, or have you read sides for, you know, a film or television audition. If you don't have an acting reel, and certainly if you're just getting started, you're not going to have one, so they didn't see it. But basically, they're just wanting you to sign without having seen you do anything, I'd be a little uncomfortable about that. Because look, why would an agent want to sign somebody unless they know what they can do? You know, they don't want the agency to be embarrassed by having people go to auditions who can't perform at all, because it makes the agent look bad, and those casting directors might not ever ask those agents to submit their clients ever again. So, you know, if they're not asking to see you perform at all, or at least look at your photos if you are a commercial model, that would make me a little bit nervous. Number 6, if they are putting pressure on you. Look, I went to a scam one time, and these people were really good. They claimed that they Were an agency in New York. They wanted me to sign right there and then. They never saw me perform. And when I was hesitating to sign a contract, because I knew it was a scam, I just wanted to see how they did it. And they were good. They were very good. They put a lot of pressure on me. Hey, do you want to work in New York? I don't live in New York. I didn't live in New York at the time. I lived in a smaller market. And I said, yeah, I want to work in New York. Well, you got to sign the contract today. And I said, well, I'll tell you what, you know, I'm really interested. I just want to take it home because it was like 3 or 4 pages. I just wanted to take, you know, look it over. And what they did was— I'll never forget— the guy slammed his hand down on the table and he looked me in the eye and he goes, Aaron, you want to work in this industry? I said, yeah. He goes, you want to work in New York? Yeah. You want to be in movies? You want to be in TV shows? Yeah. Meanwhile, I was presenting myself as a complete novice. I had already done a lot of those things at that time, but I just wanted to give the appearance of being completely new once again, just so I could see how it worked. And here's what he did, and this is the pressure that some of the scams will put on you. He goes, I can tell you this right now, Aaron, you walk out that door, you don't sign this right this second, you are never going to work in this industry. So if you are hearing pressure like that— come on, you're never going to work in this industry if you don't sign right now— watch out. That's not good. Number 7, use your intuition. Look, I know sometimes we get the feeling of, I think this is a legitimate agency. They seem to be saying a lot of the right things. I don't know. I'm also a little nervous. There's something in my gut that's telling me something doesn't quite feel right, but this might be my only chance, my only opportunity to have success in the industry. Use your intuition. I'm telling you, if something doesn't feel right, leave it alone. You will know. You, you know, if something is not quite right or normal to you, trust it. And look, even if you make a mistake and it is a legitimate, legitimate agency and you walk out, there are lots of really good agents out there. It's not like this is your only chance. It's not like this is the only agency, you know, out there. So trust yourself. Look, it's hard getting started, and unfortunately there are scams out there, and these people can be good, but do your research. See if you can find some of the other models, you know, and actors that they're representing. If they do have a website and the talent has a, you know, they have resume, look at their resume. You know, are these people actually working? And like I said, trust your instincts on this one. I had mentioned that there are 2 acting associations or— I'm sorry, agent associations that you should know about. One is called the Agent Association. I will post the link to their website below so you can see it. And check them out. And look, let me just tell you— actually, let me tell you about the second one as well. The second one is the National Association of Talent Representatives, and I will post that link below as well. Look, most of the agents that are members of those 2 associations are in big markets, most of them LA and New York. I can tell you though that most agents Are not members of these associations. So if there is an agency near you and they are not a member of one of these 2 associations, it doesn't mean anything. Hey, do me a favor. If, if there are any experiences that you've had, and please don't— I wouldn't mention names, it gets complicated. But if you've experienced some scams, please share them. Share it, uh, with others so we can learn from you as well. If you haven't done this yet, please don't forget to subscribe. Click the notification bell so, uh, you always know when I upload a new video. And, uh, if you like it, give it a thumbs up and please share this link with others so we can have more people sharing information. I'm Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.
