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Dear John

Starting afresh

First published 18th December 2003

Question:
Having been out of acting work for more of 2003 than I was in work, I am seriously wondering whether I should change my agent before 2004.

She was very enthusiastic about me when she took me on at the beginning of this year, but now whenever I fail an audition she further demotivates me by telling me I "probably wasn't right for the part". If I wasn't right for the part why did she send me to the audition in the first place?

I don't even feel like phoning her anymore - and the feeling seems to be mutual. I get the impression I'm inconveniencing her whenever I do. I feel like my career is going nowhere fast.

Answer:
From beginners to established names to Hamlet the pig, if I had a penny for every performer who tells me they're unhappy with their agent at one time or another I'd be writing this column from my private island in the Bahamas.

Like any other relationship the agent/performer pairing has its ups and downs even in a generally successful partnership. In my experience many of the downs stem from neither party communicating clearly what they need or expect from the other.

Sadly I still meet performers who are under the impression that their agent is their boss rather than someone whose services they are engaging and paying for and several others who behave as if that is the way the relationship is set up. Equally, even the most reputable agents cannot magically produce parts that just are not there.

If you don't like the way your agent speaks to you (have you raised this with her?) and don't feel she is doing a good job on your behalf you are perfectly at liberty to seek another agent - but it might be a good idea to spend some time working out your own career direction and goals first.

It is not unknown for someone to change their agent and end up in exactly the same situation as they started out in - ultimately, as in any other business, performers must be the chief executive of their own careers.

Some good books I've found which will help you create a career plan or mission statement are Your Best Year Yet by Jinni Ditzler (Thorsons Books) and First Things First by Stephen R Coveney (Simon and Schuster).

With your own career plan in place, you can make a proper assessment of the pros and cons of staying with your existing agent and also have a yardstick to judge prospective agents against should you choose to move on. I'll look forward to hearing the results at the end of 2004.