Ahhh, back at the
computer. I took a class this
summer! That kept me b-u-s-y. More on that in the future, but it’s over…and
a few days later I had a septoplasty (that’s like, a nose job without the
nose…but I had a really freaky septum that’s now a week post-op and is healing
very well) so I’ve been a little preoccupied.
But here I am, Peroni beside me and the Real Housewives of NYC reunion
on the TV…life is good.
I thought I’d start,
actually, with a quote from a Housewife.
Dorinda, the newest NYC Housewife this year, told Sonja Morgan – while
Sonja was in a babbling drunken stupor, what else is new – that “Money talks
and wealth whispers.” Let me set this up
another way, as well, because I’m not talking at all about money, per se. Here in CT there are plenty of colleges. Let’s use two for my example. One advertises everywhere: billboards, bus
stops, on the radio, on television. They
are trying to build their brand and attract students and they shout it from the
hilltops. (I think their marketing is
fantastic! …My buddy is their marketing director.) For my contrasting example I’ll just say:
Yale.
Do you see what I’m
getting to here? IN YOUR FACE versus
subtlety. Having to say it all versus
speaking for itself. You need to tell
people versus…people just know.
I’m going back to a
topic from the beginning of this blog journey, but I know I’m reaching more
people now and I want to emphasize some points.
What a parent wants in an agent, I had asked (and answered) before. I’m still basically addressing the same thing
here, but I want to hit on a few things because there has been this ALL OUT WAR
on the Backstage child modeling message board.
If you don’t read it, I would say…probably not the time to start. If you’re going to have surgery and will be
severely limited by your pain vs narcotic levels, maybe hit it up between
sleeps because hopefully you will forget it all as though it never happened. (Here's the link if you cannot stay away.)
I think this thing
happens to many parents when they start looking for modeling agencies for their
children. Parents put agents up on
pillars…like they are gods and goddesses to be pleased and may we bow down and
offer up our child to you? Please make
my kid a model? I’m guessing that if you
have a kid in this business you have felt that way at least once. Maybe it was for 30 seconds, but I’m guessing
you felt it at least once. It’s kind of
like applying to schools or jobs – and I’ve said that before. “I want YOU to want ME!” You prepare for the big meeting…you make sure
your child is clean and groomed to perfection.
But…guess what. To the
agent? You’re the 2:30 appointment. And you may be meeting with just one or maybe
even five agents…and they see hundreds of you.
It’s like I’ve told students when they ask me a question about a point
they lost on a homework three weeks ago – I graded a hundred and twenty of
those; you looked at one.
Perspective. Let’s create a
healthy understanding of the role we play in each other’s lives and go from
there. The agent may or may not want to
represent your kid. Let me say that
again. The agent may or may not want to
REPRESENT your kid. Represent. REPRESENT.
Represent in business negotiations.
Doing all the legwork to get your kid to castings and bookings and
bookkeeping and maintaining professionalism and looking at photos and talking
to casting directors and changing schedules and and and…doing business.
You want your agent to
be a business person. You will notice that
I never mention my daughter’s agent and I never speak of specific agencies
here. That’s because all of the
reputable agencies are great in different ways for different parents. If my agency blew off the face of the earth
tomorrow I would be honored to work with whichever of the major players that
would offer my daughter representation.
The reason they are major players is that they have earned their street
cred. Two agencies I can think of are
new (meaning less than three or so years, so that gives them away, sorry
ladies) but they have POUNDED THE PAVEMENT to get full swing into the NYC
market. And how did they do it? And the ones who have been around for
longer? They worked hard. They maintained professionalism. They stayed quiet when they needed to be
quiet and they advocated hard and worked those phones when they needed to. They found the right combination of real
trust in casting directors and parents and the owners of their agencies (or
maybe they ARE the owners of their agencies) and got it done. Once the wheels got turning, they kept their
noses to the grindstone and didn’t get off course. They focused on the business and not the
bullshit. My assumption? If you’re dealing with bullshit, you’re not
dealing with casting directors, and that means you’re not booking my kid. And that’s why I was very careful to give
agents a fair shot when I answered what agents want from parents: parents need
to not cause extraneous bullshit for agents.
Some agents love when the kids pop in to say hello. Some don’t.
Some do if you call first. Some
agents work out of their homes in their PJs at 3:00 am. Respect the life. But if an agent is out there acting all
crazy? Who – CD, accounting department,
photographer – wants to deal with him or her?
Maybe he or she can convince the parents (especially if the agent pays
Google to sponsor the agency when parents search) but eventually…the business
reflects the agent.
Feedback? Thoughts?
Add a comment here, on my Facebook page The Bizzy Mama, or send me an
email at thebizzymama@gmail.com
…I’m also on Instagram at TheBizzyMama. Say hello!
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