10 Things to Improve Your Relationship with an Agent

If you want to make your working relationship with an agent as smooth and fulfilling as possible, these 10 tips can help:

1. Be honest about what you want out of the relationship. Do you need a new agent or are you looking for a better fit with your current rep? Are you willing to follow the agent’s advice? If so, to what extent? How much time do you have to devote to this? (Remember: Your rep is dedicated to your career, but they also have other clients.)

2. Make sure your vision matches the agent’s vision for you. If they are representing you in commercials while you only want film work, that’s not going to make either of you happy. An agent will be more invested in your success when they believe in what you’re doing.

3. Don’t just take an agent’s word for it; always do your research. You’ve got to be proactive about your career, and if an agency doesn’t have the credentials to back up their claims to be able to help you, then find representation that does. Check out their website, talk to other actors who are represented by that agency, and even call their office and ask questions.

1. Get your script read quickly. When you make your agent a promise, keep it. If you don’t, the agent may not trust you in the future. If an agent asks for something quickly, don’t let time get away from you. Agents are busy and have lots of clients to track, so it’s important that you stay on top of everything. Also, when an agent gives you a note, don’t wait until the last minute to get back to them with a revision.

2. Use a cover page that’s easy on the eyes and doesn’t have too much information on it. Keep it clean and simple. Don’t put your address and phone number in the header or footer of your script because agents will print out multiple scripts and they want to conserve paper. They also tend to prefer Courier font over Times New Roman or Arial because Courier is easier on their eyes when they’re reading many scripts at once.

3. Format your script properly – before sending it anywhere! This is one of the most common mistakes writers make: submitting an unformatted script that’s either hard to read or impossible to follow because of weird margins, fonts, and spacing between characters, action lines, dialogue lines, etc., which makes the script very hard

Your agent is your first, best shot at getting a job. The better your relationship with your agent, the more likely he or she will want to do their best for you. So take a few minutes to review the following tips and see if they can help you take your relationship to the next level.

1. Read everything! As soon as you get it. Then sign it and return it as quickly as possible. Your agent should not have to follow up with you on paperwork; that’s time he or she could be spending trying to get you work instead of calling around asking where the contract is or reminding you that your paperwork was due yesterday.

2. Ask questions! Nearly every agency has an open door policy (some literally), so take advantage of this and stop in to talk about your career, upcoming meetings, and what other clients are doing.

3. If something changes in your career — a new manager, new classes — let them know immediately so they don’t find out from someone else first and feel like they’re the last to know about their own client’s life.

4. Scripts: Send them on time, but also make sure all of the information is included in the submission e-mail so there’s no guessing game involved when it

1. Never ask your agent to do something that can be done by someone else.

That includes scheduling auditions, placing calls, or doing your dirty work when you’ve had a disagreement with a casting director.

2. Do it yourself first.

Your agent is there to represent you and make your life easier, but not at the expense of someone else’s job. Don’t be afraid to take initiative. If you’re going up for an audition, schedule yourself first and send your agent the information afterward so that he or she will know what time to be there.

3. Be organized and prepared!

Your agent is constantly juggling many tasks at once and will appreciate it if you are on top of things from the beginning–particularly when it comes to paperwork, which makes up nearly half of what we do on any given day. Not only does it save us time and effort, but it also helps us keep track of everything you’ve submitted for in case we need to follow up with a casting director.

4. Know when to back off (and when not to).

I understand that this is your career and livelihood we’re talking about here, so I’m not suggesting you let your agent run the whole show without input from you whatsoever–far from

1. Keep paperwork up to date.

2. Send holiday gifts.

3. Don’t use your agent as a therapist.

4. Don’t play favorites with assistants!

5. Let your agent help you create the best version of your script possible before submitting it to a producer or studio.

6. Remember that “no” means “not right now.”

7. Once your script is sold, let your agent do his/her job and don’t be afraid to ask for updates along the way.

8. If a project doesn’t get made, don’t take it personally!

9. Stay in touch with your agent regularly, even if you’re not working on anything together at the moment!

10. When you’re ready to move on, please make sure to tell your agent directly before posting it online or sending it out elsewhere!

1. Your script. Your script is what you will be judged by. I can’t emphasize this enough. I’ve had clients that have won contests, been to film school, etc. and they’re still struggling to get their scripts read. Out of the hundreds of students that graduate from the major film schools, only a handful will get representation.

2. Treat your agent like a client. When sending emails or making phone calls, always be courteous and respectful. If you are rude or arrogant on the phone with an agency receptionist, chances are good that your call will not be transferred to an agent and your email will be deleted without being read.

3. Know when to follow up. “Following up” includes, but is not limited to: confirming receipt of materials, asking about contests/fellowship deadlines and checking in on submissions/coverage requests (via email). It does not include: calling more than twice a week about a script submission or asking for feedback before coverage has arrived from a producer/studio/network exec (unless specifically requested by the agent).

1. Be prepared. Agencies are interested in material they can sell, so be ready to pitch new ideas and projects that you have developed. If you do not have a new script ready, ask your agent if there is anything in their office that might be right for you.

2. Read the trades and review the material that is selling – both the feature films and television shows. Find out which of those scripts were written by agents and writers who are represented by your agency, then tell your agent what it was about those scripts and writers that attracted you to them. This will help your agent understand what you like to write and bring in more appropriate material for you to read.

3. Make sure your agent has current contact information – phone numbers, email address, mailing address (your agent needs to mail original signed contracts back to you). If your phone number or address changes, give your agent written notice immediately.

4. Tell your agent when you are available to meet with clients or producers so they can use that information when setting up meetings for you.

5. Let your agent know if there are any times of the year when you will be out of town or unreachable so they can avoid scheduling meetings during those times if possible (unless, of course,