How To Apply To An Acting Agency

An important part of breaking into the acting industry is having an agency that can represent you, present opportunities to you, and help advise you on the next steps to take to improve in your career. This blog will explain what an acting agency does, what it takes to apply to an acting agency, and what you can do to better your chances of being successful. 

What is a professional acting agency?

An acting agency represents individual actors or actresses who are wanting to get professional work. Agencies usually have contact with a range of casting directors and companies. Essentially, they provide advice and legal representation to you all whilst managing the employment contracts. 

An agency will match their client (the aspiring actor or actress) with the casting director depending on their suitability for the role, taking into account previous experience, training, headshots, and in some cases, showreels. 

Argo Artists is a professional acting agency that works in partnership with iampro to bring opportunities to aspiring actors and actresses. Argo Artists does not require professional training or extensive experience to apply; they are searching for acting skills and potential over anything else.

How do you apply to an acting agency?

There is no straightforward application process when it comes to looking to apply to an acting agency. Some agencies offer open calls where you can go and audition for roles. These may involve performing monologues or reading lines that the casting directors provide you with on the day. Other agencies solely scout actors and actresses when they are in training or performing in other roles, and do not accept applications. 

If you are thinking of applying to an acting agency, ensure that you have professional headshots and a resume that reflects you and is up-to-date with all the experience you have and any training you are undertaking. This will help you to look and feel more prepared and committed to your career. 

It is important to start small and adjust your expectations. It is very rare to get signed when you are first starting out in the industry. Perhaps consider applying to local acting agencies to begin with or attempt to reach out to the current talent on different agencies’ books. By making connections with different aspiring actors and actresses, you will begin to understand what it takes to be successful at that particular agency. 

Why experience matters

Experience is the most important thing when it comes to being represented by an agent. Start small, perhaps look for extra work and upload short demos or films on YouTube. Then, when you have some work, perhaps create a showreel of everything you have done. 

Having experience not only shows an agency that you are serious about a career in acting, but it gives them something to work with in terms of matching you with the perfect job or casting director. 

Ensure that you sign up to as many acting events and tutorials as possible. This will prove valuable in developing and diversifying your performance ability. Widen your skill set by attending a variety of practical classes, from those that specialise in movement, such as physicality and character, to screen acting, and even those that can help develop your voice

Events or lectures put on by professional actors and actresses are also important to attend. They give real insight into the acting world and provide you with a range of tips and tricks on how to build your confidence and widen your knowledge of the industry. It is even better if these events are interactive, as you can receive direct feedback that could prove crucial to your career progression. 

How to get professional feedback 

One of the best ways to improve your confidence and chances when applying to an acting agency is to have professional feedback behind you. This feedback can come from previous auditions for roles that may have turned you down, or through participating in self-tape challenges that provide you with feedback at the end of them, regardless of how you did. 

Professionals know exactly what it takes to make it in the industry as, chances are, they have experienced rejection and set-backs plenty of times in their career. Feedback fuels improvement and, where possible, should be listened to and acted upon before you think about signing to or applying to an acting agency. This will enable you to both grow in confidence and work on your personal technique. 

What training might you need?

When it comes to acting, it is important to practise. Perfecting your line delivery, monologues, and performance technique is essentially going to make you a better actor or actress and get noticed. Luckily, online drama classes are easy to attend and really accessible, so you have the opportunity to test out what type of training suits you best. 

Talent that can demonstrate the ability to bring variety to a performance is more likely to get signed by an acting agency. This means that you will not only want to hone your acting skills, but also your movement, voice and production knowledge. 
If you want the opportunity to perfect your performance skills and get noticed by a professional acting agency, let us know.