Teaming up with one or more entertainment agents can be a real boost to your career as an entertainer. However, getting a good agent to notice you can be a challenge for magicians new to performing for the public. If you want to turn your hobby into a part-time or full-time job, it's vital that you understand get noticed by an agent or agency. Although this post has been written from the point of view of a magician, the advice and tips should be equally valid for any gigging performer.
The Advantages
A decent agent has a wealth of experience in the entertainment industry. After all, it's their specific field of expertise. Working with a good agent will allow you to promote yourself successfully, and overcome the pitfalls of the business.
Over time, agents build a relationship with a list of clients. They understand the market in your local area, and will already have a number of events lined up that need magicians. Working with an agent means you benefit from their reputation as well as your own. If you invest your effort into working for an agent, they invest in you... It can give you valuable access too clients that you may not be able to attract on your own.
The costs.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and an agents services come at a cost. You may be charged a commission from each booking they give you (Usually around 10% - 15%). Some agents prefer to look for the best and most reliable entertainers they can find, who will work for a fee that allows them to add their own markup on top without pricing themselves out of the work. They will ask you and several other magicians to quote for the gig, and then they will go back to their client and add their fee on top.
It's almost always the case that agents will not want you to market yourself at an event they send you on. They usually insist that you hand out their business cards instead of your own. This is fair, as it is their client, but it can limit your ability to create your own contact list from referrals.
Some agents ask for an exclusivity clause, which prevents you from working with another agent whilst your contract with them is in place. This is fine, as long as you are sure they will provide you with enough work to make the exclusivity viable.
How to choose an agent.
Most agents are great and will work really hard to push you forward. Over time a relationship will develop over the years. However, there are some that have bad reputations and should to be avoided. Never work for an agent that charges you an up front fee to go on their books (This is illegal) The Agents Association has a code of conduct for its members and includes a very useful directory on its website.
Avoid companies that want to charge you a fee simply for the 'opportunity' to bid for possible work. The union Equity also has a code of conduct for agents and produces a list to warn members about agents that performers have had problems with.
How to contact an agent.
A quick search on Google will bring up the details of several agents in your area. The usual process involves you sending an agent some information to introduce yourself. This should include:
* A recent photograph of yourself, dressed as you do when you perform magic.
* A short biography, with details of your act and previous experience.
* Your membership of any magic societies.
* Details of your availability.
* A show-reel video of you performing.
Hopefully an agents will add you to their books right away. Sometimes they will want to meet you first and watch you perform. They may try you out on a 'safe gig', perhaps with other magicians attending. The agent will usually be there themselves, so it's a good time to meet you and see you in action.
Avoid agents that want to charge you just for quoting for work.
A growing scam is to offer to sell performers 'leads' for a small fee. The performer can then contact the lead ans bid for a job. Some sites can create fake leads in order to take money from performers without any real job being available. Some offer the 'lead to so many performers (taking payment from each, regardless of any chance of an actual paid gig) that the job becomes a race to the bottom and not financially viable for the performer. Avoid these types of services as much as possible. Your agent should work for YOU, ans payment should come from gigs they provide you, rather than from your own pocket.
Create a good magicians show-reels
The show-reel you send an agent needs to be your very best material, at your best gigs, getting the best reactions. Remember that an agent is not a magician. They don't care how technically perfect your pass is. They care that the client enjoyed the magic you performed, and that the guests loved you being there too. Your personality, appearance, and professionalism are your products.
The show-reel video needs to be professionally edited to show the reactions your magic really receives. Don't include footage of magic tricks filmed in your bedroom, living room or hallway, the footage needs to be at real events. If you do feature some tricks that are not live, make sure the background is plain and professional. An agent WILL make up his or her mind about you within a few seconds of the footage. No show-reel is much better than a poorly made one, as you only get one chance to impress an agent. If they don't like what they see, it will be a challenge to get work from that agent, and possibly the agents they network with. Your show-reel needs to be professionally produced, and present you at the 'top of your game'. It doesn't matter how impressive your bio or list of clients appears to be, if your show-reel is not impressive, all that effort will be for nothing.
Sometimes agents will contact you instead.
Agents chat with the magicians that work for them, and sometimes, if an agent can't find any magicians available for a gig, they will ask for a recommendation. If you have a good reputation in your area among the working magicians, you may find you get a call from an agent, needing to do a gig.
Six Tips:
Send your details to an agent and follow up seven days later. Don't spam the agent, chasing them to deal with you as that may turn them off you. They may just be very busy and were waiting for the right event to try you out.
Make sure the details you send them are professional and brief. Don't hit them with a huge essay on your life story or why you like magic... It simply may not even be read.
If your agent asks that you don't market to their clients, NEVER do it EVER. Don't be tempted to hand out a few of your business cards. If that got back to the client, and the agent found out, you will not be used again, and a bad reputation spreads quickly.
Create a copy of your own promotional website, without any contact details or links, that the agent can send clients to. An agent may use a few of your promotional images and a short description about you, on their own site, but will welcome an 'agent friendly' site about you, that will help sell your magic to a client.
If you host a show-reel, you need to create a second copy which does not have your contact details featured in it.
When doing a gig for an agent, remind the client that you are working for the agent, and ask that they let the agent know how well you did.