There was a time not so long ago that you could count the number of reputable acting agents in Australia on your fingers. These days, however, there seems to be acting agencies all over Sydney and Melbourne. In fact, pretty much every major city now has at least one agency serving the area.
And depending on your location, you may find that you’re spoiled for choice. But that brings with it a whole new problem—how to choose the best one?
Of course, it would be easy for us to just tell you that you’re currently reading an article posted by the best talent agency in Melbourne, possibly even the whole of Australia. But as true as that statement may be, we’re certainly a little biased. That’s why we’re going to show you how you can separate the wheat from the chaff (or the wannabes from the stars) when looking for the best acting agencies in Australia.
That means that we’re not going to actually list any agencies. Instead, we’re going to teach you the main characteristics of a top acting agency and let you decide which you think is best.
The main reason we’re taking this approach is because although an agency must have certain attributes, how you interact with the agency on a personal level could be very different to another actor’s experience. In other words, an agency that is great for one person may not be ideal for another—and we include Hunter Talent in that statement.
So if you’re trying to get into acting and finding the best agency in Australia for you is your goal, these are the things to watch out for.
Reputation is everything
This is true in all walks of life but particularly so in the world of acting management. The best agencies in Australia have solid reputations and are well-known not just for taking care of their actors but also for taking care of their clients.
So what does taking care of their actors actually mean? Well, it means that they are first and foremost concerned with your career progression and not just about locking you into a contract and collecting their fees. Instead of putting you forward for anything and everything on the market, they will only put you forward for jobs that they think will help your career and that they feel you are a good fit for.
The trouble here is that you won’t know much of this until you actually work with the agency, right? That’s true, but you can talk to actors who have been represented by the agency or read up on any chat on acting forums or on social media. Just remember that every agency will have a negative review or two, and that this doesn’t necessarily reflect how it treats its actors.
Experience in the industry
Even if an agency is relatively new, like us here at Hunter Talent, the people that work for it should have plenty of experience in the industry.
What this actually means is that the agency will have worked with some of the biggest production companies and helped cast roles for multiple major motion pictures or TV productions. Working with such high profile names in the industry on a regular basis is a surefire indication that the agency is one of the best.
So take a close look at the agency’s list of previous work and if you can’t find it, then simply call and ask. And remember, there should be plenty of names that you recognise.
A professional signing up process
Believe it or not, there are more than a few unscrupulous acting agencies out there who are just after your money. They want you to sign up on the double so they can bank your fees. Then there are others that simply want to have as many actors as possible on their books. Their thinking is that more actors equals more potential for paying clients, but this also means that they have less time to devote to each of their signed actors.
The best acting agencies, on the other hand, will have a strict vetting process that will include an initial application and an interview either online or in person. This is so the agency can get a better understanding of where you are in your career and what you hope to achieve in the coming months and years. They can then decide whether or not the agency can help you achieve those goals.
As much as it may surprise you, the best agencies actually turn down quite a lot of applicants. Not because they don’t want to work with them but often because they feel that they simply can’t help the actor achieve their goals. And that brings us to our next and final point.
No guarantees of work
The problem with the industry right now is that with so much competition out there, some agencies will do anything to get you to sign on the dotted line. And this includes promising you that they will find you a certain number of acting opportunities within a specific timeframe.
Trust us, this is something that the best agencies will NEVER do. Any promises or guarantees of work or even just auditions are meaningless as the agency doesn’t have any control over who a casting director will want to see. The best agencies will instead tell you that they will do everything in their power to get your profile in front of the right people for the right roles. Everything else is up to the casting director and you, the actor, in the audition.
As we mentioned earlier these attributes are what the best acting agencies have in common, but that doesn’t mean that an agency with all four is a good fit for you. For example, an agency may already have too many actors on their books that are similar in style and appearance to yourself. Or another agency may not represent actors unless they have a certain level of experience in the industry. These agencies might be the best, but they certainly aren’t a good fit for you.
So remember, when choosing which agencies you think are the best, remember to look at it from your own perspective and with your own career in mind, not actors in general.
