It not easy, but it is possible
Getting on an agent’s website is not an easy thing to accomplish. Over three decades, I have learned that if you want a spot on their prime real estate, their website, you really have to provide them with something they want or need.
It is easy to get on a list; hell, every agent has a list. You know you are on a list when your friends start saying… “Hey did, so-and-so call you about that gig?” That agent is not selling an act. They are selling a service and are looking to plug in anybody who has any talent. It doesn’t matter where you have been or what you do. They just need a body.
I have worked side-by-side with world-class entertainers whose agents have plugged them into a gig. The client has no idea what this person has accomplished in their career. All they know is that this person is a juggler, or whatever.
When you are placed on an agent’s webpage things are different. Agents are selling a service or act. The list is short; 2-3 three names are being presented. The marketing material, the branding, and skill must all be in place. The agent is not going to waste marketing space on acts that do not meet their standards and their markets.
Do not confuse professional agencies with people who “call themselves” agents. Professional agents are not performers; they are sales people who sell acts. There is never going to be a conflict of interest when I work with my agents, because their job is to sell my act. My job is to make them look good.
Things you need to do to be listed on an agent’s website
Provide high quality marketing material- Have a niche, or unusual act
- Get lucky – Agents are not web designers and don’t just toss up a new act
- Develop a track record
- Make personal connections
Professional agents have a reputation to uphold with their clients and need to trust an entertainer before they market them to a client. I have known agents for years before they put me on the short list, and eventually on their website. It takes years of building trust, and realizing that this is my career, and not a hobby.
The best statement: “Professional agents are not performers; they are sales people who sell acts”. Too many “performer agents” are only looking for someone to take jobs they are already booked for or are too small to bother with. True agents work to sell their client’s services. It’s not easy to get in with a good agent but it can be well worth the effort. Thanks for the article.