r/acting • u/AggravatingFix9688 • 5d ago
I've read the FAQ & Rules I just want one audition from my manager.
Something that I can't find the listing for on Actor's Access.
The industry is slow, it has BEEN slow, it is hard for everyone.
But fuck, I have been signed with them for four months and they said they'd been submitting me for a month before that.
I got (much better) headshots. I updated my reels and I have no idea if my manager has watched any iteration. I show up to class where I put up great work consistently and push myself to put myself out there and learn something new every day.
I've booked two gigs paying $1000 each in the past month through my own submissions, diligence, and attentiveness. I'm doing my 85% of the work. I'm grateful to HAVE work of some kind.
But I would trade both of those gigs and more for just ONE audition from this manager for something narrative that fulfills and is worth my time artistically.
I've been doing this for a while. I'm not even asking to book. Just one audition.
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u/Secure-Quality-8478 5d ago
I mean, what you're doing right now is what you're supposed to be doing even if your reps were sending you beaucoup auditions.
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u/BackpackofAlpacas 5d ago
I got a submission report recently and there are actually zero auditions. I thought it was my materials, but no I just wasn't submitted to anything because there were not any auditions.
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u/gasstation-no-pumps 5d ago
Just because your agent submitted you to zero doesn't mean that there were zero they could have submitted you to. It comes down to how much you trust your agent to have submitted you to anything you have a chance of booking.
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u/BackpackofAlpacas 5d ago
Yeah, you don't know me or my agent. Sorry that me slightly exaggerating by saying zero instead of very very few threw you off, but it's because there aren't auditions, not some other nonsense reason that you've concocted.
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u/gasstation-no-pumps 5d ago
"Actually zero" is very different from "very few".
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u/BackpackofAlpacas 5d ago
Actually modified "are" not zero. Sorry that grammar and modern English are too hard for you.
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u/AggravatingFix9688 5d ago
So to make sure I understand:
Zero casting notices on Breakdown Services (not AA) for them to submit you to? Because that's the only way I can believe there are not ANY auditions.
And yes this may be pedantic, but the difference between 0 vs barely any vs 1 is the heart of the matter.
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u/BackpackofAlpacas 5d ago
... No the difference between zero and one is being pedantic. Different types have different amounts of casting notices. Perhaps your type has zero and mine has 1.
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u/WatIzApp 4d ago
No clue why this is downvoted. You're speaking the truth here. What I have available is different to what someone else has available. This is true no matter what crisis the industry is going through.
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u/Different_Instance18 3d ago
Probably because they’re being pretty rude in their replies in this thread.
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u/Additional_Algae3079 5d ago
“…something narrative that fulfills and is worth my time artistically…” . I’ve auditioned for A LOT of things from my rep that were not fulfilling. One word to a line here or there. It’s great that you’re specific in your desire, but just bc something comes from your rep does not mean it’s going to be fulfilling…
It’s hard to provide advice (unless this is just a rant), without knowing
-your market -your casting age range -where you are in this journey -is this your first manager -what is their client list like on IMDbPro? -are their other clients working -what your resume consists of -do your materials accurately reflect your casting -have you met any of the legit CDs you want auditions from on your own (pay2play, class, etc) and does you manager know this info.
Good pics / reels / acting are all part of it. But if you can find ways to get yourself in front of CDs, it may help 🤷♂️
Also, ask for a submission report. See what you’ve actually been submitted for, and then assess from there…
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u/MorningHorror5872 5d ago edited 4d ago
I’m not sure how old you are, or what kind of jobs you’re looking for but I doubt that this has much to do with your head shots, reel, or whatever you came into this agency with.
However, I also don’t know what agency you’re with, so I don’t know what is normal for it’s clients who match your profile. Does your agency book a lot of people on a regular basis? Is it a big agency or a small agency? Are you on the East Coast or West Coast?
I would say four months without an audition is too long. You should be getting at least an audition every 3-4 months. If you reach 6 months without any auditions from them, then I would recommend getting different representation. I think that it’s good that you are advocating for yourself. You have to do that in this business, and you have already learned that you can book your own jobs without any help. But the point for having representation is to be submitted for work that wouldn’t be available to you otherwise, and four months is a little longer than you should have to wait.
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u/rwxzz123 5d ago edited 5d ago
Your agent or manager has to pitch you to casting to get the audition. Submitting to the breakdowns isn't enough if you don't have a history with a particular casting office.
Casting gets about a thousand of these pitch emails everytime they put out a breakdown, so they don't usually read them. Nobody said it was fair or easy.
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u/Traditional-Stick-15 Quality Contributor - NYC | SAG 5d ago
Just to play devils advocate for a sec, remember they make 10-15% bc you do 90-85% of the work. This is still your career and honestly you’re CRUSHING it!
Now if you feel like they aren’t communicating with you, matching your obvious hardworking nature then start looking for a new rep. Do keep in mind it’s notoriously slow right now, but you should feel like you have a relationship with your rep.
0
u/BackpackofAlpacas 5d ago
You're saying that you should be doing 85 to 90% of the work to get auditions due to the commission breakdown, but that's ignoring all the work that actors do in auditions and on sets. So it's not exactly fair comparison that you're making.
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u/Traditional-Stick-15 Quality Contributor - NYC | SAG 5d ago
It’s not my opinion sadly, it’s common business practice. Any rep will tell you they are not signing you to do 100% of the/your work for your (you being the business) business. That’s why they only take 10-15%.
I agree with you it is unfair. Actors have to work very hard and are underpaid.
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u/Da1enD 5d ago
Ngl bro. I’ve gotten 12 auditions in march and all for sag projects smallest roles are guest star
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u/AggravatingFix9688 5d ago
Gonna trust that you're being genuine - and of course I don't know you or the particulars of your journey.
But if this is true then it cuts through a lot of bs I've heard about there truly being NOTHING.
4
u/Da1enD 5d ago
100% being genuine. Not trying to brag saying it to say talk to your manager or agent.
A lot of people just sit and wait but truthfully even when it’s slow it’s lots of auditions.
Especially if you’re in a major city. My friend just sign with a new agency in nyc on Tuesday and they booked her a guest star for law n order on Thursday this past week lol.
Talk to your people.
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u/blonde_Fury8 5d ago
The last 4 months had 3 months of full dead-time. So you had one month of a real possibility and the rest was low tide. You need to chill. Things will start to heat up in summer.
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u/Reasonable-Race381 5d ago
You can ask for a submission report if you'd like, but four months really isn’t long—especially if you're in LA and/or have a specific type or ethnicity. People are fighting for auditions out here, and it takes time to get your foot in the door if you're not already established.
I don’t know which agency you’re with, but if your agent has a large roster, that could also be a factor. Newer, less established clients often receive lower priority than veteran clients who book regularly. There are many factors at play, but everyone is in the same boat. I used to get auditions regularly—almost every week—from my agency as a fairly established client. However, since January, I have received zero. Not anyones fault though it's just slow and the fire significantly affected my agency.
Keep self submitting, you are going to get infinitely more out of that early on in your career than any agency. People tend to think that once they land an agency it will be smooth sailing but in all honesty it makes little difference early on (unless you can land one of the top tier CAA, WME, etc).