I've been trying to find a way to get representation or at least know what I'd need to be considered but have unfortunately hit a brick wall. I've reached out to agencies to point me in a general direction but to no avail. Is there a specific criteria to be represented by an agency as a Director? Body of work and experience aside, how do you get the attention of an agent or manager?
Filmmaking / Directing : How do you acquire representation as a director? by Andres Ramirez
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Do you have a trailer or teaser that I can view?
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I'm a manager of physical production. I can assist. Please feel free to send me a message.
How about asking for a referral from actors, producers, crew who have worked with you?
Dan MaxXx I've asked a few of my actors but they are unsure of the right strategy behind what goes behind the process of getting represented as an actor. The gist I got was it depended on the number of films that have made it to a festival. Not sure if that's entirely true.
Antwon Taylor I do! I have a teaser to my upcoming short film
Ben Phelps Thank you so much! I will message you
Legitimate, licensed representation for Directors, DPs and Editors is challenging to obtain... even when you are already working full time in that capacity. As director, you will need multiple projects distributed or a current / recent breakout hit, and you need multiple properties in development. There are production collectives who rep a group of directors to create commercials, web content and the like. And there are creative agencies licensed by the State of Ca. who rep directors and other creatives. A successful Director comes in with existing notable clientele and a clear brand and work realm. I have a colleague with 2 distributed features, 2 award winning web series, MTV Music Video award, and an insanely lucrative editing and producing career. He has been unable to get any agent over a decade of work. I think body of work and experience in the current world are trumped by the buzz around your brand and your collaborators. Talent and experience are no longer leverage enough for creatives. People whom I do see often getting representation and production backing have web presence and buzz, and actually perhaps little else. Agents want to rep people that are not hard to sell to a client. So think backwards from that truth. I am interested to see observations on this from others.
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Royce - a little feedback: You're pretty much dead on.
Representation as a Director is based on your prior work - you really don't need (or want to pay for) an Agent. Nobody in Hollywood is ever hired off a resume; folks get hired off sets & shoots - in person.
Royce Allen Dudley Thank you so much! That was exactly what I was looking for and was sort of already guessing how it worked. I realize the market for representation is changing everyday because of the presence of social media and the works. That was very helpful!
Doug Nelson, I think maybe I was unclear in my descriptive. To rephrase, a director definitely wants an agent.... that's actually the first goal of making a good film after getting it made and seen and distributed. Legitimate representation is the only way a director will make a living directing for hire, the only way to get the meet and greets that lead to deals, and the only way to get the best deals negotiated. My point was that coming in to an agency with existing paid work and new properties simply isn't enough. You must have existing attention. Strong social influencers with no real background outside their YouTube presence now get representation. Working film folks with a body of work but no attention, not so much. The business has changed. But there is no time in a career when a director would not want an agent or a mangement collective.....today more than ever.