Should the biggest talent need an Agent?
Alex is the Managing Director of major UK talent agency InterTalent. He represents his clients alongside overseeing the agency's creative strategy, day-to-day operations & acquisitions.
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➡️ Should the biggest talent need an Agent?
Now, you might think I’m biased (I am) but my opinion is that everyone in our business needs an Agent. To me, it’s a non-negotiable. That goes for newcomers all the way to the super successful. I appreciate that there are many people who would love an Agent but are struggling to find one. That’s a different topic, and checking out this post may help.
What I’m looking at here is a recent rise in those who hit heights and for one reason or another then say ‘I’m going to represent myself’ or appoint friends, family or a PA to act as management - and why I think that doesn’t serve their best interests.
If you think about it, everything in your life that needs careful consideration will mean that you always take counsel from a third party who is specialised in that field and clearly knows more than you do. If you’re ill, you go to your GP. If you want to buy a house, you use estate agents. If you want to renovate that house, you get the builders in. If you have a legal problem, hire a lawyer. Getting specialist advice and an outside perspective is crucial in near enough every major life decision, so it baffles me when someone disregards this entirely when it comes to one of the most important things - their career.
I have seen a real increase in those we meet for representation who are extremely sceptical about having an Agent. The usual story is that their last management was so bad it’s put them off for life… but what they don’t realise is that they just haven’t found the right Agent. A great Agent. And by a great Agent, I mean all of this stuff I wrote here. Relationships, knowledge, protection, loyalty etc. What they’ve usually done is hired someone who talks a good game and probably has an aesthetically pleasing Instagram (a whole job in itself nowadays), but has no idea what to do once signing. They might have little-to-no credentials or you might be signing to a great agency, but just not the right person.
🤔 Here’s something that I have thought for years:
It always amazes me just how little anyone actually asks an Agent about their credentials. How did you start? Where did you train? Why did you become an Agent? Or, even more useful, sussing out their actual knowledge. Why does so-and-so happen? Explain to me what X, Y & Z means. You can probably cut through most Agents just by asking them to explain what an indemnity clause is. Agents spend an entire 60 minutes grilling potential clients to suss out their worth, but it’s rare that it properly happens the other way… and you know what, I welcome the questions. Test me. Let me show you why you should hire me. The great Agents out there will easily rise to the surface. There are a lot that are all froth and minimal coffee, no matter where they work. You want to find coffee and lots of it. What I love most about my team is that they are all learning nonstop, all given opportunities to create major relationships and all are passionate about the job.
The way our global industry is now, you need eyes and ears everywhere. As we speak we are in the middle of major shifts within the entertainment landscape ⤵️
The decline in ad funding in UK Television.
The Writers’ Strike, and potential SAG one too, over in Hollywood.
The uneasy streaming waters.
The decentralisation of distribution.
The rise of AI.
I appreciate that self-representing is empowering. Holding your career in your own hands with full creative control. I respect that 100%… but if you have the right team in place, working hard for your goals, then you should still be holding your career in your own hands and feel even more empowered. To have each member of your team - Agent, PR, Lawyer, Stylist, Hair & Makeup Artist etc - bring you strategy, relationships, protection, knowledge and opportunities all in line together and with your personal destination in sight - that’s the dream. If you don’t feel like your team is executing your vision, giving you creative freedom, working in a way that you like and delivering results then yes, I’m not surprised people are being put off.
Agents need to be different things to different people. Some people want the chat, some just want the facts. Some I have to be more formal with, others I can be more casual. Some only want a call, others run a million miles from talking on a phone and just want to WhatsApp (I do nearly as many deals on WhatsApp as I do on email nowadays!). That’s not me having multiple personalities, that’s me moulding myself to the client and their employers.
The most successful Talent are without a doubt very smart, very switched on and very entrepreneurial… and things will always just land in your inbox BUT…
➡️ Self-representing still opens the door to various pitfalls:
Being taken advantage of by people who think you have no protection, such as potential employers or partners. Lack of protection, bad advice, low-balling on fees and unreasonable demands.
Not appreciating the reality of their own value. We actually find they have been undervaluing themselves rather than overvaluing.
Cutting into you being great at what you do. An Agent should help you save time & energy so you can maximise your productivity. Self-representation is demanding and time-consuming.
Just at the height of success, something unpredictable can derail it out of the blue. Who is there to minimise the fallout?
Having to give yourself advice is never an easy thing.
Only knowing who and what they know. You need someone to know what you don’t know.
Being out of the loop and potentially out of important conversations.
And just a whole load of awkwardness. I know of some stars that self-represent have created fake Agents just to try and avoid it (no, I won’t tell you who).
Yes, there are always going to be Agents who make us all question what the hell they are doing but the ones with the right credentials, relationships and passion are irreplaceable and should not be seen as easily disposable.
So, yes, this is me making the case for why my job should even exist… and why your mate from home can’t do it.
To wrap up here are a few recommendations to check out:
📚 TO READ:
Beyond human imagination: How AI is pushing the boundaries of entertainment What you need to know about the creative pursuits of artificial intelligence.
Streaming platforms are now deleting shows from existence Disney+ are the next in line to delete a load of shows from their platform. What is happening and why?!
Reddit users have gone on strike - will it cause lasting damage? I’m a big fan of Reddit, so this has been firmly on my radar. Moderators of Reddit groups are protesting against the plan to charge some third-party app developers for access to the site's data.
🎧 TO LISTEN:
Jimmy's Jobs of the Future Former Downing Street adviser, Jimmy McLoughlin interviews top entrepreneurs. The chat is always guaranteed to be interesting.
Dead Eyes The hilarious/heartbreaking story of actor/comedian Connor Ratliff who tries to solve a decades-long mystery: why did Tom Hanks fire him from a small role in the award-winning TV series, Band Of Brothers?
Dr. Death One of my favourite true crime podcasts of recent times. A story about a charming surgeon named Christopher Duntsch and what happened to his 33 patients.
📺 TO WATCH:
The Idol, Sky Atlantic The show everybody is talking about. I literally can’t describe it other than it’s made by the creator of Euphoria and stars The Weeknd & Lily-Rose Depp. Not sure if you’ll love it or hate it, but you have to watch it.
Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It all, Disney+ I was surprised by how much I loved this. I’m as much a fan of Ed Sheeran as the next person but this was really different to what I expected. A real insight into his life.
Fatal Attraction, Paramount+ The film is iconic. You’re always going to be sceptical about a remake but this one doesn’t let you down. The best part of this year’s BAFTA Film Awards was meeting Joshua Jackson. Clang. One of my favourite actors.
See you next time!
Alex
💻 alex@intertalentgroup.com | http://www.intertalentgroup.com