Hi guys, just wondering if this is normal. My commercials agent has told me in no uncertain terms that I am not allowed to search for my own work. I want to work full time and even though any work I am secured through them is well paid it isn’t frequent. I feel like if I was able to secure my own work as well that might be slightly lower pay than they might accept I could at least get a more regular income.
Is this normal? Feel as though it is my career so surely I should be able to find my own work if I want to.
its not something ive ever heard before but its totally rubbish, if your a freelance actor your fully entitled to get your work from any source you can as you say no work they offer you is often enough and none of the roles they put you forward for are guaranteed for you to get so just keep on applying.
There could be a couple of reasons for this - possibly the agent doesn't want you to 'just take anything' in case it's cheap/poor quality, if they're trying to build your profile up. Also - some commercial stuff is advertised on multiple platforms, so maybe they don't want you applying for something they've already put you up for (which would be embarrassing all round). Ultimately, this is something that should have been agreed when signing with them. They'd still take commission for self-found work (as is normal), but it's definitely something that should have been addressed at the start.
I have heard of this before, including some quite high profile agents, and it is not unheard of. I personally prefer to have the freedom to apply for my own work as well, because it makes me feel proactive and it's extra income on the side. I've used Mandy/CCP for a long time, and it's always given me more money back than what I have put in. It fills out the CV as well.
However, there are some agents who would rather avoid their clients self-submitting. This may be commission related, but also, they might not want a client committing to something they see as low profile, when it could clash with a casting/project for something much higher profile. Agents may also wish to steer clients away from certain work, and aim them solely towards the highest paid/highest quality work.
This is something that should be discussed with your agent, and it may well be stated in the contract, if you have one. I've just learnt gradually that different agents work in different ways, and there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to clients self-submitting.
Do you mean any work or specifically commercials? If they rep you for commercials as said by some others they don't want you to double submit which makes it look like you don't trust your agent.
if it's all work in general that is very unreasonable as no=one can be just a commercial actor
You have to remember: an agent works for YOU. They should have no say but be happy with taking commission.
5 years ago
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