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This is a great question. First, make sure you have a solid portfolio. More on that here: https://twitter.com/audreyknox/status/1344343103923052545?s=21 https://twitter.com/sammyvillarroel/status/1343991053242818562
You also want to make sure you have a solid writer brand. Who are you and what kind of person are you pitching when you pitch yourself to a manager. More on that here: https://twitter.com/audreyknox/status/1344333010410242048
Once youâre ready to market yourself, itâs time to start querying and reaching out to people you know who might be able to recommend you to some rep connections. But how do you know youâre ready? First Iâll go through the obvious ones:
1. If youâve just gotten a job and have some money coming in. You should never negotiate a deal on your own, but you donât need an agent or manager to look over a contractâan entertainment lawyer is perfectly capable of doing thatâin fact, even with a manager, youâll still need 1
But agents and managers are much more likely to get excited about you if they know youâve already got work and money coming in. Thereâs a @SteveMartinToGo quote I love: donât worry about finding themâwhen youâre good enough, theyâll find you.
(But thatâs not really helpful adviceâmany writers have found me by being proactive, and thereâs no benefit to being an obscure genius in your basement talking to no one)
Also @aadip makes a great point in this tweet. When I say âfind a rep once you have money coming inâ that doesnât mean you pay them 10% of your income for a job you already got without them. Theyâll sign you and commission the NEXT job they get you. https://twitter.com/aadip/status/1344330875161333760
Itâll just be easier for them to do that when you have a credit, so thatâs why theyâll be more excited about you. Also, itâs different if they sign you and then negotiate your deal. Even if they didnât get you the job, if they help you get more money out if it, you owe 10%.
But if you donât have a job offer, the second best time to look for a manager is if youâre starting to get a little bit of âheatââ
youâre about to graduate from a program, you just landed an impressive script coordinator job, youâve won or placed in a competition, youâre a finalist in a fellowship, etc.
But sometimes itâs hard to generate heat or get a job without someone in your corner. Thatâs why I say as long as your portfolio is solid and youâre making moves (networking, working on projects on your own, etc), itâs never a bad time to start getting yourself out there.
âBut how do I know if I NEED an agent? A manager? Both?â I recommend getting a manager first. If you have an agent (especially at a big agency) itâs easy to get lost, so itâs important to have an advocate. Plus managers can help you decide if you need an agent.
And a manager will walk you through the process of interviewing and finding one (we know all the agents after all). Generally if youâre finding yourself plateauing and you need a little help boosting your career to the next level, thats when itâs time to add someone to your team.
When youâre getting work or happy with your job, thereâs no need to give 10-20% of your income to someone just to say youâre repped by them.
At the early stages of your career, Iâd also caution against signing with just anyone because you view having an agent or manager as an accomplishment. Signing with someone in and of itself isnât an achievement.
You want it to be with someone whoâs as excited about you as you are about them. Someone you really anticipate as being a champion for you and you believe can help you achieve your goals (itâs a lot like dating/marriage. Just shacking up isnât as important as WHO youâre with)
And if youâre not connecting and not finding someone willing to take the next step with you, just keep putting yourself out there, network with peers, create opportunities, and keep growing as a writer. Eventually the right stars will align and it will happen when you need it.
Writers with reps: how did you initially connect with your agent/manager and get them to notice you? #ScreenwritingCommunity #screenwriting
