Want to Change Agents Ask These 4 Questions First

Hey, are you thinking about switching or changing your acting agent? Watch this video and you're going to learn the 4 questions you absolutely need to answer before you make a final decision. And there's a lot more that goes on into making decisions about leaving an agent that you're going to learn about in this video. At the very end, I've got a great bonus for you. Uh, it's All about why agents don't want you to be honest with them. And it's a really— it's a good video. I know you're going to like it. Okay, let's get started. Hi, I'm Aaron Marcus, and welcome to the Acting and Modeling Quick Tips channel and the Actor Career Center, where I share and give you information that I've learned from the 38+ years I've been working as a full-time actor. Hey, if you haven't done this, don't forget, click the subscribe button, the notification bell, so you always know when I upload a new video. And if you like the video, give it a thumbs up. That's always helpful. And please share the link with your fellow actors so we can continue to build a channel where actors are sharing information and helping each other. A big question that I get from fellow actors is, you know, when, when do I leave my agent? Should I leave my agent? When's the best time to leave my agent? Look, Having an agent is like being in a relationship, and there are times when, yeah, it's a good idea to end things. There are also times when you really need to think about this very seriously before you make a major decision. And here's the first thing that that you might be thinking about and a question that needs to be answered. So if you're thinking, you know what, I've been with this agent for 3 months, for 6 months, for a year, however long it is— and first of all, you have to give agents some time before things start happening. They need to go out and promote you. They have to let people know that you are around. They have to let casting directors know about you. But let's just say You've been with the agency for a while and you're just not getting any auditions or very, very few auditions. Now, don't make the mistake that some actors make and they think, you know, I haven't booked any jobs with this agency. You know, I've done all these auditions and I haven't booked anything. Now I'm going to leave. Look, that's, that's a crazy way to think because the agent has nothing to do with you booking a job. That's, that's up to you. All you can ask of your agent is to submit you for the project, and if you happen to book it, to negotiate it for you and help make sure that you get paid. So if you're not getting the auditions that you feel like you should be getting, here's, here's a recommendation. Get in touch with your agent, and whatever is the best way to converse with your agent Maybe it's an in-person meeting if that's still being done with you and your agent, or a phone call. I wouldn't do this through a text message. I wouldn't do it through an email because this is an important discussion to have. But what you can do is— and I love this line— ask your agent, what can I do? to make things happen more? You know, I just haven't been getting very many auditions. What can you recommend that I do to try to help get more auditions? And then sit back and see what the agent says. Maybe the agent's going to say, hey, I've been submitting you a lot. You know, casting directors just don't seem to be interested. Maybe the agent will say, you know, there's just not a lot of work in your category. Maybe they might say, you know, I've sent you some emails, but you just haven't responded. Who knows? But have that conversation And yeah, look, if you're doing everything that you've been asked to do and you're still not getting any auditions, then maybe that would be a time to leave. Here's another time that maybe it would be appropriate to leave your agent. Maybe you feel like you're just getting lost in the shuffle. You don't feel like the agent is responding to you, doesn't return emails or text messages or phone calls, however you've been trying to get in touch with them. You just don't feel like you are a team, that you've got a partner here. And once again, and look, you're going to hear me say this a lot, communication is really important. And I know things have changed a bit. Look, a million years ago when I first started going to New York, there was an agency that I signed with, and there were a bunch of people, a lot of talent who would just Sit in a room at the agency. They'd set up a room for the— for all the talent, and we would just hang out there and see if there was a— this was a commercial modeling agency— and see if there were any, uh, go-sees happening for us. There was a telephone because nobody had cell phones in those days. And but, but things have changed. I guess the point is we spent a lot of time talking with the agents. Certainly we didn't keep them from doing their work, but there was a really Good, close communication taking place. And today I realize it's changed, but find out the best way to respond and have this conversation about just feeling— you feel a little lost in the shuffle. Another question that you need to be asking yourself is, do you feel like you and your agent just are on very different pages? As to where you see your career heading. You know, maybe you're seeing yourself more working in the film and TV industry. They're viewing you more as a commercial model or a commercial actor doing TV commercials. You know, you've talked with your agent about it. You're still not being submitted for the kinds of roles that you want. Maybe that would be a good time to change After a conversation. Another time when, you know, you might be thinking of leaving, and another, you know, question to answer here. Let's say, you know, you're working with a smaller agency, more of a boutique agency, and that's where you got started. And, you know, things have been going well and you've booked some jobs, but now there's a bigger agency that saw some of your work And they are wooing you, they are courting you, they are reaching out to you and saying, hey, look, I think you're really talented. I've seen your work. You should be doing much bigger things, much more prestigious kinds of jobs, and ones with a higher profile, things like that. I know that's easy to kind of get sucked into that. And I'm not saying don't do it. Look, let me also just tell you, I never tell people what they should or shouldn't do. It's not my place to do that. What I can do is share with you information that I've learned that I think has been helpful to me, and I'll share it with you. But ultimately, it's your decision here. And I know because I've spoken with a lot of agents who have told me, yeah, I got this person started and they're working, and now they're telling me they want to leave and go to a bigger agency. And look, I'm not saying that that's the wrong move, but here's something that needs to be answered. If you go to a much, much bigger agency, are you still going to get the same kind of attention that you're currently getting from the boutique agency? And I have heard of situations where people have gone to huge bicoastal worldwide agencies And they get lost in the shuffle. You know, you might have had some success, but you are not bringing in, at least not now, the $20, $30, $40 million per film contract that some of their stars are, who might even be producing their own projects. So when it comes time to really spending a lot of time You know, with their talent, well, who are they going to be promoting? Not somebody who's, you know, maybe has some good guest starring roles and things like that, as opposed to people who have their own TV series. So it is risky because it is— it's very easy to completely get lost when you are with a huge agency. So that's just something else to keep in mind. And once again, you can have this conversation. with your current agent and see what they have to say. They might say, yeah, I think it's a good idea. You know, go ahead with my blessings. Or they might, you know, say exactly what I'm saying to you. But here's some of the things that you absolutely need to be keeping in mind before you make final decisions. The first thing you have to think of, do you have a contract? Look, if you have a legal contract, And quite often when people first sign with agents, it might be a 1 to 3 year or could even be a 5 year contract that gets renewable or gets renewed at the end of the year. If you're in the middle of a contract, you know, I'm not an attorney, I can't give you legal advice, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to break it, you know, in the middle of it. Now, If you've never booked any jobs, you have brought in absolutely no income to this agent, and you have, you know, a 3-year contract. Once again, I'm not an attorney. I'm not giving you legal advice. I am telling you what a couple of attorneys said to me, and you need to check this out before you make any decisions. And please don't come back and say, hey, but Aaron Marcus— no, I'm not telling you to do this. I'm saying to check it out, and this is what I've heard. If you have not brought in any income to that agent and you break a contract, then yes, they can sue you, but they would have to show damages. And there are no damages because they're not losing any money. You haven't brought in any income. But that's something I just wanted to share that with you so you can check that out. So if you have a contract, that's something to think about. Before you split. When you are planning on doing this, once again, I know things are done differently now, but have the courtesy to have a conversation with the agent. Don't send a text, hey, decided to leave, best wishes, or I'm thinking about leaving, even though you are leaving. Make it very definitive so they know. But maybe, look, sit down with them, call them, I don't know, if you're out of town, do a Zoom session with them, whatever it is, and explain the reason why you're making this decision. We had these conversations. I really want to be submitted for film and television. It's just not happening. And listen to what they have to say. Look, this is— it's a big world out there. I can also tell you that sometimes In our industry, it can be a small world. And if you do things that are nasty, unprofessional with an agent, you just never know when it might come back to haunt you. You know, maybe that agent moves and now is working at a really big agency, and you're thinking about working there and being represented by that agency, and that person remembers how you dealt with them. Many years ago, it's not going to be good. So I highly recommend that if you do decide to leave, have a conversation with the person, explain why you're making this decision. And the other thing too is don't make it personal. You know, it's, it's just, it's just business, just like actors get dropped by agents as well. And unless you did something horrible, it's just a business decision. And so that's how you should do it. Don't take anything personally. The other thing too is if you find that when you're having this discussion, the agent gets really upset and they're getting angry and they're raising their voice, just detach yourself from the situation because maybe they are taking this personally. It's not a personal thing. You might still really like the agent. You might really like the agency. You just don't feel like it's a good fit. You don't feel like they are moving your career in the direction that they— that you want and that you expect. And you've had conversations and nothing has changed. So if they are acting out a little bit, don't engage. Let them rant. Let them have a hissy fit. Let them scream, whatever it is. And let them know how nice it was working with them and how much you appreciated everything that you've done for them. And it's just time to make a change. Look, if you have ever made a change and you left an agent, please share the information with all of us on the channel so that way we can learn, was it a A good split, you know, uh, amicable, or, you know, did it not turn out so well? What was your strategy? What did you say? How did the agent react? How did things work out when you went to the other agent, um, you know, that you, you decided to sign with? I'd love to hear about that. And look, that's the whole purpose of having this channel is to share information with each other. And, and so please, you know, share the link. You know, with others as well. And if you haven't done this yet, don't forget to subscribe, click the notification bell so you always know when a new video has been uploaded. And if you like it, give it a thumbs up. That's always great. If you look in the upper left-hand corner, you will see the little, uh, icon that will allow you to, um, watch this another quick tip video about why agents don't want you to be honest with them. So anyhow, I'm Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.