Many people have heard celebrities or others associated with the entertainment business speak of their agents. While this type of professional is spoken about frequently, few people might realize the roles they play. In fact, agents perform several tasks including:
Gaining A Client Exposure
An agent might help a less known or up-and-coming entertainer gain exposure. Receiving notice is important for any non-established professional. Exposure could come in the form of helping the client receive auditions for various parts or meeting power brokers like directors, producers and studio executives.
Securing Gigs
For established clients, agents could procure work. Actors, actresses and vocalists with noted reputations are often in high demand for top jobs. Agents could search for these opportunities and help their clients land these lucrative gigs.
Preparation
Agents can help their clients prepare for certain events. For example, the professional might help a client read a script or develop a certain look in preparation for a specific role or audition. An agent might also perform a certain degree of legwork that helps a client understand or be ready to face the nuances or challenges presented by a specific role.
Arranging Deals
An agent is often responsible for brokering deals between a performer and a studio, production company, recording agency or publishing house. For example, an agent could help foster a book deal for an author. The entertainment professional could play a role in negotiating the client’s advance or a specific number of books the client will write for the entity in question. In the case of an actor, an agent may help arrange a multi-picture deal between the performer and a major movie studio.
Keeping The Client Relevant
One task an agent might perform on a routine basis is ensuring their clients maintain relevancy. For mega-watt stars, being in the limelight is not an issue. However, for aging celebrities and individuals hoping to take the next step in their careers, few things could be more detrimental to their careers than being unnoticed or deemed unimportant. For such individuals, agents can circumvent this potentially career-killing problem by performing duties such as updating the client’s demo reels, taking and distributing current headshots of the client and submitting current resumes to appropriate individuals.
While many people, like influencers and social media stars, rocket to fame without the help of an agent, those looking to make their way into television and movies need someone to help book gigs. What’s more, agents can help pave a clear cut career path for decades to come.