What makes a great Talent 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.
Hi - so I’ve decided to start a newsletter all about life as a Talent Agent. Now that Succession has actually finished (praying for a Roman spin-off) the last excuse I gave myself to not start this has now disappeared. So here I am.
Quick few bits of housekeeping first:
If you’re interested in reading more than just this one please subscribe. It means that as soon as a new article is published it’ll drop straight into your inbox. So spread the word and click that button just so I know if it’s worth writing more. Message me your thoughts or questions and I’ll hit you back ASAP.
Also, just to get it out of the way, I won’t be mentioning specific InterTalent clients or the intricacies of their deals. Sorry. Confidentiality is the name of the game.
Why am I starting this?
I don’t think a day goes by where someone doesn’t ask ‘How do I become an Agent?’ or ask what an Agent does besides go to pool parties (clearly watching too much Entourage, definitely no pool parties in London…). It’s hard to answer that in one sentence. Ask an Agent what they do and be prepared for a monologue. It’s also one of those jobs that anyone thinks they can do which is highly annoying because, let’s be honest, most people can’t do most jobs. Ours is a complex one, there’s no university degree for agenting, but it’s also hugely rewarding. There’s no buzz like creating opportunities to help fulfil your client’s ambitions. Let’s be real, show business is fun.
The other reason I’m here is that as an agent you need to know EVERYTHING that’s going on. When you boil it down we are in 2 specific businesses: THE CONTENT BUSINESS and THE AUDIENCE BUSINESS. Who can produce great work and does anyone actually care enough to want it? This is something I impress on my team at InterTalent every week – what are our clients creating and who wants to buy it? If we can’t answer those questions, we’re in trouble, and we can only answer that if we know about all avenues. The difficulty is that the entertainment industry is so decentralised right now that distribution is expanding quicker than some things are even around for (sorry Quibi) and audiences are spread everywhere so keeping ahead of the game is a military operation.
When I first started at a talent agency 14 years ago the conversation was only about DVD or Blu-ray (well done to all those agents who didn’t accept the being bought out for ‘media now known or hereafter invented’ clause!), and the only place to find your audience was in a cinema, a theatre or on a handful of TV channels. Simpler times. Now it’s everything from a trillion apps to every network throwing a + after its name. It couldn’t be more exciting and the routes to success are endless BUT it’s the wild, wild west right now and you have to know your sh!t. Making sense of it all is tough. So I’ll also dip into a few things that I’m noticing around town which may be interesting to you.
Ok let’s crack on with the first topic!
WHAT MAKES A GREAT AGENT? I’ve boiled it down into what I think are the key qualities. I’m going to expand on all of them in future newsletters.
RESPONSIBILITY: I put this first for a reason. It’s not a game. When you say you’re going to manage someone that means you will fight your hardest to help them put food on the table and pay their bills. I felt it when moving from Assistant to Agent: we have to take it seriously and we can never forget that.
CLIENTS: This might sound silly but you need to be able to sign clients. You might be amazing at everything else but without a client, no one cares. Great clients open big doors. In this industry, you get 2 types of agents: ones that sign, and ones that service. The very best agents can sign great talent.
PASSION: You have to love what you do, love what they do, and love content! It’s not a 9-5 job, clients will call you on your holiday – that’s life. Yes, you need boundaries but you have to be ready to accept that it’s not a job you can check out of all that often. It’s a work your butt off everyday gig.
TASTE: What’s your vibe? what’s your style? Every agent needs clients that they think are super talented. Taste is a matter of opinion but make sure you know what yours is. Do what you love.
PERSUASION: You have to constantly convince producers, bookers, brands, commissioners etc that your client is the right person for the gig. It’s a selling & buying industry, and you have to be bloody good at selling.
NETWORKING: This is key. You need to know everyone. A huge part of your success as an agent will live and die by how well you network and how big your phone book is. The bigger your network, the more options, recommendations and possibilities. This is why I hate WFH (yep, I said it). Networking from home is impossible and Zoom doesn’t really count. You need to get out there, meet people and build your network daily.
COMMUNICATION: Speaks for itself (see what I did there?). Working out who to call in what order, what to say and how to say it is a skill you don’t start with but definitely develop. Trying to find the win for your client is actually an art form. Also, we often end up as a therapist or confidante to our clients. It’s part of the agent/client relationship. You have to fight for them in life not just in work.
IMAGINATION: Some people think agents aren’t creative. I 100% disagree. To be able to create & guide you need to have a strong creative vision for your clients over 1, 3 & 5 years.
ENTREPRENEUR: It’s show business after all. Any great deal nearly falls apart 10 times… but problem-solving, learning how to close a deal and knowing how to make everyone leave the table thinking they’ve got the better end of the deal is what it’s all about. Also, learning how to negotiate a contract is vital.
HONESTY: I know some people think this is the opposite of what an agent is… but lying to advance your client is actually a bad tactic. You don’t always have to tell everyone everything, but the art is in being real and still getting the result.
ORGANISATION: If you look messy, sound messy and act messy then no one will trust you. That’s the truth.
COMPETITIVE: Ok, let’s be real, we all want to win and be the best. That’s ok. I have lots of great mates who are agents at other agencies but if it’s between my client or theirs, then it’s game on.
I’m leaving out the two most important things, KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE. Too many talented people approach the agents at InterTalent saying they’re cautious having been burned by bad agents. Usually, it’s because they’ve never trained (start as an assistant, do the hard yards, learn the craft) or don’t have many of the above qualities. I’m proud that at our place all of our senior staff, including me, started at the very bottom. The agents I highly respect never took shortcuts. You have to read lots, watch everything, meet everyone and know that knowledge really is power. If you want to become an agent then I highly recommend trying to get in as an Assistant at a great agency and go, go, go.
Let me know if you agree or disagree. Would love to hear from you.
To wrap up my first post here are a few recommendations to check out:
TO READ:
How Hollywood’s Writers Strike Could Change the Future of TV & Movies! What you need to know about the current WGA strike and the implications it will have for us all.
Google ordered to pay Sonos $32m! A judge has ruled that Google has to pay Sonos $2.30 for every unit sold that infringed on Sonos’s copyright. The problem is they sold 14 million of those products.
The Sidemen sell their back catalogue for millions! The Sidemen are following in the footsteps of Justin Bieber & Bruce Springsteen by selling the rights to their back catalogue for millions - which allows them to grow their new ventures faster.
TO LISTEN:
The Town The Town is the #1 podcast about Hollywood.
Sporticast The business of sports. From Football to UFC to Basketball and even to the fastest-growing sport in America, Lacrosse.
Blank Check with Griffin & David My favourite film review podcast at the moment. Hilarious and super geeky.
TO WATCH:
Jury Duty, Amazon Prime If The Office and The Truman Show had a baby then meet Jury Duty. It’s a mega-hit in the States right now and the hype is worth it.
A Small Light, Disney+ Bel Powley & Joe Cole are exceptional in this drama about Anne Frank. Beautifully shot, and beautifully told. I guarantee it will win lots of awards.
Still, Apple TV+ The Michael J. Fox documentary. A childhood hero of mine (still is) and this doc is the perfect look at his life & career. Funny, tearful and heartwarming.
See you next time!
Alex
alex@intertalentgroup.com | http://www.intertalentgroup.com
