Do you have a manager, agent or representative who helps you sign or close deals? Why or why not? If you do have one, how did you find them and how did you know they were the right one for you? These are some of the questions we asked some very talented folks from the community and we’ve shared their responses below.

Rex Dane

This has been quite a process. I sent over hundreds of emails to talent agents all over Los Angeles. The amount of response I received was truly overwhelming, a lot of meetings, followed by countless offers. But for me, selecting the right agency was very easy, because there was only this one agent who I felt I truly connected to during the meeting, it was Myreon Arslan from MJB Talent Agency. Read more>>

Brittany Mcvicker

Finding the right agent feels a lot like navigating a series of job interviews. You know, you’re just starting out—it’s like walking into an interview with a sparse resume, minimal training, and no credits beyond student and short films. You think, do I even truly need an agent at this stage? Because it’s truly like trying to land a job with no prior experience. Yet, it’s also a bit of a paradox because, well, you need a job to get more experience or to secure that promotion. Read more>>

Martha Cargo

I want to provide a counter argument with this concept. I pursued my (roughly) decade-long career in NYC successfully without an agent. Much of this is due to my sustained relationship with the experimental arts community. Read more>>

Wes Molebash

Back in 2017, I put together a pitch for a picture book series and sent it to literary agents. The story was about this kid, Travis Daventhorpe, who finds out he’s a legendary hero, and in each book he would have to fight some strange monster that is attacking his small, rural town. The book series was soundly rejected by every agent I pitched it to, but there was one agent who gave me some actionable advice. Read more>>

M J

Although I haven’t signed anything yet, I have two major labels interested in both signing me for a record deal and hiring me as a producer and song writer. I advise all independent artist to do their due diligence before signing anything. Read more>>

Tyler Prince

A goal that I had for 2023 was to finally get agent representation. I make no secret that acting and performing is my only dream in this world and I am prepared to do what it takes to make that happen. I have been trying for a while to find an agent but have heard multiple “nos”. I will never accept “no”. Each no added fuel to my fire. I am resilient and will keep fighting no matter who believes in me! I am so unbelievably proud to that I have just signed a contract with Avant Agency! Words can’t express how this feels. I am one step closer towards seeing my dreams realized. Read more>>

Danielle Halley

Signing with an agent is really so important to an actor/actresses career. However, many agents want to see some sort of self tape or performance from you. So how do you get an agent? There are many different ways and no one way is correct, you can have one come across your work, be referred to by a friend, or what I personally like to do is reach out to THEM. Agents don’t know what they don’t know, and if they don’t know you exist how could they ever represent you. I’d say the first thing you should be doing is getting a few solid headshots and then start working on projects where you can get some footage for yourself. Read more>>

Rachel Ruff

Rachel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager? Read more>>

Julian Vidaurrazaga

First of all thank you for having me as your guest. I started my professional acting career at the age of 11. I remember taking acting classes, taking school theater, doing a play in Hollywood, writing my own acting skits, acting them out, recording them and then publishing them on my instagram. I would have the tendency to tag some talent agents, in hopes to get noticed as an actor. This is how I got noticed by some of them and ended up meeting with them. This lead to me signing with my first talent agency. Read more>>

Diane Bator

I currently do not have an agent, but did work with one for a few years. I actually had a round about way to getting an agent. While I was submitting my first novel to various publishers and agents with no luck, I joined a little critique group. There were 4 of us who would send each other chapters every month and give feedback. One of the women gave really solid advice and was a wonderful source of information. Read more>>

Gretchen McNeil

When you’re starting out in publishing, landing an agent is the Holy Grail. The process of pitching your book, known as querying, has been written about up, down, and sideways and the internet is full of advice on everything from how to write the perfect query letter to how to target the right agent for your book. So when I finished my first manuscript way back in 2007 and asked Google “what do I do with it now?” the answer was immediate: query an agent. Read more>>