April 19, 2025 • 7 mins
Tired of working hard and going nowhere? Trying to sign with an agent or a manager to help move your acting career forward? Look no further! In this video, a Hollywood talent agent breaks down what he looks for when he's looking to sign talent.
0:00 Intro
0:43 Professionalism
1:35 Talent
2:31 Marketability
4:36 Work Ethic
5:30 Business Savvy
6:57 Outro
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello from Hollywood.
My name is Anthony Boyer.
I've been a talent agent in Los Angeles for over 15 years,
and today I thought I would talk about
what a talent agent looks for in a client.
This is a question I get asked
probably more than any other question.
When I do a showcase, when I do a workshop,
anytime I do any sort of a q
(00:21):
and a, someone inevitably is going to ask me,
what do you look for in a client?
And I'm sad to say it's a very difficult question to answer
because I'm looking for something different in everybody,
but there are definitely some hallmarks that I'm looking
for, and I believe many of my colleagues
are looking for as well.
And that starts with professionalism.
(00:43):
So what does professionalism look like for an actor?
It means showing up on time.
It means communicating reliably.
It means making sure that you're prepared.
Uh, and so when we take a meeting with you, for instance,
I wanna see that you're on time.
I wanna see that you're communicating effectively.
I want to see that you understand the market,
(01:04):
you understand what's happening,
because at the end of the day, what I'm going
to do if I sign you is I'm going to send you on auditions.
And when you go on these auditions,
I need to make sure that you're prepared.
I need to make sure that you know how to communicate
with people in the industry.
And I need to make sure that you're going to be on time,
because as we've talked about, time is money,
and it's a lot of money.
(01:25):
So we need to make sure that when you make an obligation,
when you say you're going to do something, you do it.
The other thing I'm looking
for when I'm evaluating new talent is talent.
I wanna make sure that you're good at your job.
I always say I want to fall in love.
And what I mean by that is I wanna see your genius.
I wanna see what makes you unique.
(01:47):
What makes your brand of storytelling potent?
Uh, because ultimately when I go to casting directors
and when I try to pitch you, that's what I need
to pitch is the es the essence of, of your talent.
I need to know, a, that you're in training, for instance,
or, uh, that you know, that you understand who you are
(02:10):
and that you're not just trying to do it right.
There are a lot of very talented people in this business.
I think people lose sight of that.
They think that the most talented
person is gonna book the job.
It's not, it's not that way at all.
It's really like who is the best at presenting what they do,
the way that they do it.
And is that a match for the material?
(02:30):
Number three thing I'm looking for is marketability.
Yes, I'm sorry. This is where I commodify you as an actor.
The truth of the matter is, this is a marketplace
and I need to sell a product whether we like it or not.
Show business is in fact a business,
and it's very important that you have unique selling points.
(02:51):
The same way if you were to bring a soda onto the market,
uh, it needs to do something to crack the, uh,
the market share of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola.
It needs to bring something unique to the market.
You can't just put out another cola
and hope that it's going to topple these two giants, uh,
and Los Angeles, the acting scene really are the giants
(03:11):
of our industry.
So you're going up against the best of the best.
What makes you stand out? What makes you unique?
What makes you able to tell stories in a way
that is different than the existing?
Uh, clientele tell stories.
This also comes down to your materials.
Do you have the materials to be marketable?
(03:32):
Am I able to pitch the, your current headshot?
Is your resume in shape? Do you have good footage?
This is all really important.
Now, if you don't have those things, that's not to say
that you can't sign with somebody.
Certainly some people will bring you on
and help you develop that side, but it helps certainly,
and it's something that we're always evaluating.
Um, how much bandwidth do I have
(03:54):
to help this person build out this part of their
business while we focus on other parts of their business?
So it's something to think about when you come into a
meeting, really put your best foot forward.
Know where you fit in the marketplace.
Uh, have done some research. Know some casting directors.
Know what series you think you're right for.
Maybe have some actors that you think you're similar to.
(04:16):
Um, make sure your materials are on point,
if you have industry connections, if you have experience,
make sure that you're vocalizing that
and that you're presenting it effectively,
because that's really, at the end of the day,
what an agent is to do is we're going
to pitch your materials to the marketplace.
The next thing I look for in a client is work ethic.
I mentioned a minute ago
(04:37):
that the baseline in this industry is talent.
Uh, everyone that you meet,
everyone you audition against is talented
Work ethic really puts people ahead of the game.
Uh, it separates a lot of my actors from a lot
of my less working actors, for instance.
Um, it's really important that you be committed
(04:58):
to this business if you want an agent
or a talent manager to bring you on
because we're going
to be putting in many hours trying to get you work.
So we wanna make sure that you're consistent
and that you're dedicated, that you have a willingness
to improve, that you are resilient.
And this is can be a very difficult industry.
And I think being able to, to put your nose
(05:20):
to the proverbial grindstone
and just show up to work every single day that you're asked
to, is absolutely vital.
The next thing I look for is really just business savvy.
And by that I mean understanding
the business side of acting.
Now, this is something
that there is some give and take for sure.
(05:40):
Obviously if you bring on an agent, you're hoping
that they will handle a lot of the business side,
but it also does tie into making sure
that you understand the business itself.
That you are doing your market research by watching shows
that you're paying attention to
who casting directors are on the shows you like.
Uh, who casting directors are that already like you,
that you're paying attention to, to the sort of the ins
(06:03):
and outs, and that you are treating this as a business,
you're doing your networking,
you're doing your market research, um,
that you're setting realistic expectations,
but also that you have a solid long-term vision
for the brand and the career you're trying to build.
These are really important things to me specifically
and to many agents where we wanna make sure
(06:24):
that you are going to be in the driver's seat of your career
because we can't really do that for you.
We can, we can take a lot of the load off of your shoulders
as far as the business side goes,
but ultimately you have to be driving the car,
have a good idea of what's out there, of who you wanna work
with, who you've already worked with,
and just know that, uh, the more you sort
(06:46):
of work those skills,
the better you'll come across in a meeting with an agent.
So again, I'm looking for professionalism, professionalism,
talent, marketability, work ethic, and business savvy.
Those are really the overarching qualities
that I want in an actor and that many agents
and talent managers want in the actors that they sign.
Some people are gonna be a little stronger in one area,
(07:08):
others are gonna be a little stronger in another area.
But those are the five things I'm really looking for.
So if you got value outta this video, please click
that thumbs up button, click subscribe,
and the notification bell.
That way you get alerted every time we put out a new video.
Thanks. Watching.
Hello from Hollywood.
My name is Anthony Boyer.
I've been a talent agent in Los Angeles for over 15 years,
and today I thought I would talk about
what a talent agent looks for in a client.
This is a question I get asked
probably more than any other question.
When I do a showcase, when I do a workshop,
anytime I do any sort of a q
(00:21):
and a, someone inevitably is going to ask me,
what do you look for in a client?
And I'm sad to say it's a very difficult question to answer
because I'm looking for something different in everybody,
but there are definitely some hallmarks that I'm looking
for, and I believe many of my colleagues
are looking for as well.
And that starts with professionalism.
(00:43):
So what does professionalism look like for an actor?
It means showing up on time.
It means communicating reliably.
It means making sure that you're prepared.
Uh, and so when we take a meeting with you, for instance,
I wanna see that you're on time.
I wanna see that you're communicating effectively.
I want to see that you understand the market,
(01:04):
you understand what's happening,
because at the end of the day, what I'm going
to do if I sign you is I'm going to send you on auditions.
And when you go on these auditions,
I need to make sure that you're prepared.
I need to make sure that you know how to communicate
with people in the industry.
And I need to make sure that you're going to be on time,
because as we've talked about, time is money,
and it's a lot of money.
(01:25):
So we need to make sure that when you make an obligation,
when you say you're going to do something, you do it.
The other thing I'm looking
for when I'm evaluating new talent is talent.
I wanna make sure that you're good at your job.
I always say I want to fall in love.
And what I mean by that is I wanna see your genius.
I wanna see what makes you unique.
(01:47):
What makes your brand of storytelling potent?
Uh, because ultimately when I go to casting directors
and when I try to pitch you, that's what I need
to pitch is the es the essence of, of your talent.
I need to know, a, that you're in training, for instance,
or, uh, that you know, that you understand who you are
(02:10):
and that you're not just trying to do it right.
There are a lot of very talented people in this business.
I think people lose sight of that.
They think that the most talented
person is gonna book the job.
It's not, it's not that way at all.
It's really like who is the best at presenting what they do,
the way that they do it.
And is that a match for the material?
(02:30):
Number three thing I'm looking for is marketability.
Yes, I'm sorry. This is where I commodify you as an actor.
The truth of the matter is, this is a marketplace
and I need to sell a product whether we like it or not.
Show business is in fact a business,
and it's very important that you have unique selling points.
(02:51):
The same way if you were to bring a soda onto the market,
uh, it needs to do something to crack the, uh,
the market share of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola.
It needs to bring something unique to the market.
You can't just put out another cola
and hope that it's going to topple these two giants, uh,
and Los Angeles, the acting scene really are the giants
(03:11):
of our industry.
So you're going up against the best of the best.
What makes you stand out? What makes you unique?
What makes you able to tell stories in a way
that is different than the existing?
Uh, clientele tell stories.
This also comes down to your materials.
Do you have the materials to be marketable?
(03:32):
Am I able to pitch the, your current headshot?
Is your resume in shape? Do you have good footage?
This is all really important.
Now, if you don't have those things, that's not to say
that you can't sign with somebody.
Certainly some people will bring you on
and help you develop that side, but it helps certainly,
and it's something that we're always evaluating.
Um, how much bandwidth do I have
(03:54):
to help this person build out this part of their
business while we focus on other parts of their business?
So it's something to think about when you come into a
meeting, really put your best foot forward.
Know where you fit in the marketplace.
Uh, have done some research. Know some casting directors.
Know what series you think you're right for.
Maybe have some actors that you think you're similar to.
(04:16):
Um, make sure your materials are on point,
if you have industry connections, if you have experience,
make sure that you're vocalizing that
and that you're presenting it effectively,
because that's really, at the end of the day,
what an agent is to do is we're going
to pitch your materials to the marketplace.
The next thing I look for in a client is work ethic.
I mentioned a minute ago
(04:37):
that the baseline in this industry is talent.
Uh, everyone that you meet,
everyone you audition against is talented
Work ethic really puts people ahead of the game.
Uh, it separates a lot of my actors from a lot
of my less working actors, for instance.
Um, it's really important that you be committed
(04:58):
to this business if you want an agent
or a talent manager to bring you on
because we're going
to be putting in many hours trying to get you work.
So we wanna make sure that you're consistent
and that you're dedicated, that you have a willingness
to improve, that you are resilient.
And this is can be a very difficult industry.
And I think being able to, to put your nose
(05:20):
to the proverbial grindstone
and just show up to work every single day that you're asked
to, is absolutely vital.
The next thing I look for is really just business savvy.
And by that I mean understanding
the business side of acting.
Now, this is something
that there is some give and take for sure.
(05:40):
Obviously if you bring on an agent, you're hoping
that they will handle a lot of the business side,
but it also does tie into making sure
that you understand the business itself.
That you are doing your market research by watching shows
that you're paying attention to
who casting directors are on the shows you like.
Uh, who casting directors are that already like you,
that you're paying attention to, to the sort of the ins
(06:03):
and outs, and that you are treating this as a business,
you're doing your networking,
you're doing your market research, um,
that you're setting realistic expectations,
but also that you have a solid long-term vision
for the brand and the career you're trying to build.
These are really important things to me specifically
and to many agents where we wanna make sure
(06:24):
that you are going to be in the driver's seat of your career
because we can't really do that for you.
We can, we can take a lot of the load off of your shoulders
as far as the business side goes,
but ultimately you have to be driving the car,
have a good idea of what's out there, of who you wanna work
with, who you've already worked with,
and just know that, uh, the more you sort
(06:46):
of work those skills,
the better you'll come across in a meeting with an agent.
So again, I'm looking for professionalism, professionalism,
talent, marketability, work ethic, and business savvy.
Those are really the overarching qualities
that I want in an actor and that many agents
and talent managers want in the actors that they sign.
Some people are gonna be a little stronger in one area,
(07:08):
others are gonna be a little stronger in another area.
But those are the five things I'm really looking for.
So if you got value outta this video, please click
that thumbs up button, click subscribe,
and the notification bell.
That way you get alerted every time we put out a new video.
Thanks. Watching.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.