Welcome to Ask Bob Blume. I am the host and president of Step Forward Entertainment, a bi-coastal talent management and entertainment production company.
Today’s topic is Tips for Talent Pitching Representatives.
This column is a benefit for The Actors Fund Covid 19 relief effort which is helping all in entertainment to help weather the financial hardships caused by the virus. Should you be so inclined and can afford it, the link to donate is actorsfund.org/stepforward
People who have talent such as actors, singers, dancers, comedians, etc. and want to get into the entertainment business need representation by agents and managers to open doors and guide their careers in order to work.
As a talent manager/ representative, I recently attended two talent competitions. Those talents that impress me, I contact and have them send materials that show them off. If I am further impressed, then I will sign them, if I believe they are a fit for my company.
For those of you who are ‘talent’ there are basically 4 ways to acquire a rep (agent and/or manager).
1- By reference from someone in the business.
2- Talent doing work they get on their own.
3- The most common way – performing on talent showcases or competitions, auditions, etc where you are guaranteed to be in front of reps and/or casting persons.
4- Many actors go to lists and certain books, where they can acquire addresses or emails of agents and managers. They pitch themselves to these reps on the lists, hoping to hear from some of them. I personally get a number of these each week.
For me personally, most of my clients have come to Step Forward via a referral from someone I know. This leads to a level of trust for both myself and the talent. Otherwise, I sign clients periodically that I have seen at the talent showcases that I attend.
Most reps are continually looking as they do not want their roster to become stale. They periodically drop talent that does not work out and look to add fresh faces to their respective rosters. Both agents and managers do this but more so agents.
As a talent, you need to know that if you are performing for a rep, it must be to the best of your ability. If it does not work out, try to find out what part of your game was not strong enough and work on it for next time.
Most reps, should they see someone they like at a showcase or a talent competition, will then request materials. The quality of your materials, i.e. pictures, videos, resume, production photos, etc. must be professional and strong enough to impress the rep.
It is talent’s responsibility to supply whatever the rep is looking for, not what you have necessarily. If you don’t have the materials they need, you need to get them, or you will not be signed. It is that simple.
As I end this column, I am now going to review the materials of the actors that impressed me (and reached out) at the recent talent showcases, and decide who I will contact to work with me and who I will pass on.
To conclude – pitching to reps, talent needs to impress them with their skills, materials and willingness to be a solid client and professional in all areas.
If you have questions, please email me at AskBobBlume@gmail.com. Thank you and goodbye.
Step Forward Entertainment site is www.StepForwardEntertainment.com
To Donate to The Actors Fund: www.actorsfund.org/stepforward
To Send in a question: askbobblume@gmail.com
To see ALL of the prior columns: ASK BOB BLUME columns
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