Dear Eric Klass,
I'm glad that your insight on my question may help others in my situation, and I thank you for withholding my name.
I made my envelopes and cover letters stand out. I outlined the edges, front and back, of my envelopes with purple highlighter. My cover letter had a hand-drawn girl peeking out of a door way, and below, a very brief introduction:
"Hey there! My name is ***** and I am currently seeking new theatrical representation. I was hoping that you would be the one to help open the doors for me. Please don't hesitate to call me or my manager to set up a meeting. I look forward to meeting you!"
And all of them were individually signed by me, with accompanying phone numbers for both my manger and me. My manager says that the main reason she can't get me into offices, is the fact that I don't have tape. I have decided to produce my own reel through *******, or by renting the equipment myself. I understand that my not having tape is like being a painter without any art to show interested buyers, so I'm getting on that as soon as possible. My commercial agent isn't getting me out as much as I would hope, so I don't know if I should even ask her about
any possible referrals or suggestions until I have tape.
Eric Klass replies…
Your envelope and covering letter sound very cute and “openable”.
Speaking just for myself, what would turn me off a bit would be the “call me or my manager” statement in your covering letter. What this would say to me is that – if this person has a manager, why isn’t the manager doing the contacting of agents – rather than leaving it to the client. If the manager doesn’t do this – what else don’t they do? Very off-putting – and a sign of possible trouble ahead in working with this manager.
Another trouble sign with a manager (or agent) is their stating that they can’t get you into offices because you don’t have tape. Baloney! Most new people or young people don’t have good professional tape is because they are just starting out and haven’t done much yet. A reputable, credible manager’s (or agent’s) job is to get their clients seen – and in most cases there is no time for tape. What does this kind of manager (or agent) do then?
Eric Klass
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Another Actor Asks - Getting A Theatrical Agent
Dear Eric Klass,
I am having a really hard time finding a theatrical agent, mostly because of my lack of credits. I have a manager and
a commercial agent, am SAG-eligible, and am young (I'm in the 16-23 age range). I sent out 57 submissions a couple of weeks ago, and still haven't heard back from them. My headshots are pretty good, and I have a lot of training
under my belt for someone my age. Could you help me diagnose the problem?
Thank you,
Dear (name withheld):
It’s difficult to diagnose your situation without seeing how you have presented yourself to these agents (your picture, resume, covering letter – even what your envelope looks like). Don’t forget – these people get vast numbers of submissions from people looking for representation every year, and unfortunately, many of these submissions do not get the attention they deserve. As someone who was an actors agent for more than forty years, believe me, there is an art to be learned in presenting yourself to these people in a manner that will gain their interest (i.e. an attractive envelope, a brief, respectful covering letter, etc.). Don’t be so quick to assume that your lack of credits is the reason you haven’t received replies from these people. Everyone was in that position at one time.
You write that you have a manager. What kind of input have they given you on this matter? Have you asked your commercial agent about suggestions for possible theatrical agents?
Please feel free to write me again if you wish.
Eric Klass
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
I am having a really hard time finding a theatrical agent, mostly because of my lack of credits. I have a manager and
a commercial agent, am SAG-eligible, and am young (I'm in the 16-23 age range). I sent out 57 submissions a couple of weeks ago, and still haven't heard back from them. My headshots are pretty good, and I have a lot of training
under my belt for someone my age. Could you help me diagnose the problem?
Thank you,
Dear (name withheld):
It’s difficult to diagnose your situation without seeing how you have presented yourself to these agents (your picture, resume, covering letter – even what your envelope looks like). Don’t forget – these people get vast numbers of submissions from people looking for representation every year, and unfortunately, many of these submissions do not get the attention they deserve. As someone who was an actors agent for more than forty years, believe me, there is an art to be learned in presenting yourself to these people in a manner that will gain their interest (i.e. an attractive envelope, a brief, respectful covering letter, etc.). Don’t be so quick to assume that your lack of credits is the reason you haven’t received replies from these people. Everyone was in that position at one time.
You write that you have a manager. What kind of input have they given you on this matter? Have you asked your commercial agent about suggestions for possible theatrical agents?
Please feel free to write me again if you wish.
Eric Klass
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Monday, May 21, 2007
The New Fall Season Approaches
Eric Klass Consulting – Special Summer Group Rates
Save money by signing up along with one or more of your friends – get full-price benefits at a reduced group rate.
Rates:
One person alone - $150
Two people signing up together - $125 per person
Three (or more) people signing up together - $100 per person
You sign up as a group to get the group rate – yet all consultations are private, confidential one-on-one sessions with me. Full payment for each group must be made before the first consultation with a group member.
Included in the price of the consultation is the right to make free follow-up calls.
There are no additional or hidden fees.
Take charge of your career, and make the upcoming season a great leap forward for your career.
Take this opportunity to learn the best ways to advance your career from Eric Klass, who ran his own very successful Beverly Hills talent agency for 32 years, and also, for many years, conducted the orientation seminars for new members of Screen Actors Guild.
Eric Klass can be reached via e-mail at eklass@earthlink.net.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Save money by signing up along with one or more of your friends – get full-price benefits at a reduced group rate.
Rates:
One person alone - $150
Two people signing up together - $125 per person
Three (or more) people signing up together - $100 per person
You sign up as a group to get the group rate – yet all consultations are private, confidential one-on-one sessions with me. Full payment for each group must be made before the first consultation with a group member.
Included in the price of the consultation is the right to make free follow-up calls.
There are no additional or hidden fees.
Take charge of your career, and make the upcoming season a great leap forward for your career.
Take this opportunity to learn the best ways to advance your career from Eric Klass, who ran his own very successful Beverly Hills talent agency for 32 years, and also, for many years, conducted the orientation seminars for new members of Screen Actors Guild.
Eric Klass can be reached via e-mail at eklass@earthlink.net.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Respect And Consideration
In a recent posting, I re-stated a fundamental belief of mine that actors must learn how to get themselves seen, by people who are in a position to help advance their careers, as “distinct individuals of unique and special talents, each deserving of respect and consideration”.
Every consultation I do with the actors who come in to see me deals mainly with this most vital issue – and I have written about it in many of my postings.
We discuss in detail the steps you, the actor, can take to better insure that the information you send out about yourself will actually get to, and be considered in the most advantageous way, by the proper people.
We discuss how you can make better use of the various methods and forms of sending out this information - your pictures, your resume, the general “attractiveness” of your presentation, the internet, etc. In short, what I feel are the ways to get a better response to what you are trying to tell people about yourself.
It is not that difficult, nor expensive, to learn. As I’ve seen in my years of experience, and often written about, the results can be career (and life) changing.
Eric Klass
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Every consultation I do with the actors who come in to see me deals mainly with this most vital issue – and I have written about it in many of my postings.
We discuss in detail the steps you, the actor, can take to better insure that the information you send out about yourself will actually get to, and be considered in the most advantageous way, by the proper people.
We discuss how you can make better use of the various methods and forms of sending out this information - your pictures, your resume, the general “attractiveness” of your presentation, the internet, etc. In short, what I feel are the ways to get a better response to what you are trying to tell people about yourself.
It is not that difficult, nor expensive, to learn. As I’ve seen in my years of experience, and often written about, the results can be career (and life) changing.
Eric Klass
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Another Actor Asks...
An Actor Asks...
I acquired a commercial agent .Is it a good idea to send postcards to commercial casting houses mentioning this and where does one get a list of addresses .
Eric's Reply -
Firstly, I'm not a big fan of postcards. Millions of them arrive in people's mail
every day, and I don't think people pay any attention to them - plus the fact
that, being small, they always fall out all over the place and are a general pain in the neck.
As you say you just acquired a commercial agent, informing the various casting people
is what they are supposed to be doing, and I would give them a little time to see
if they do their job.
As to addresses of commercial casting directors, I would get a copy of Ross Reports.
They are pretty thorough and update themselves regularly.
I hope this helps.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
I acquired a commercial agent .Is it a good idea to send postcards to commercial casting houses mentioning this and where does one get a list of addresses .
Eric's Reply -
Firstly, I'm not a big fan of postcards. Millions of them arrive in people's mail
every day, and I don't think people pay any attention to them - plus the fact
that, being small, they always fall out all over the place and are a general pain in the neck.
As you say you just acquired a commercial agent, informing the various casting people
is what they are supposed to be doing, and I would give them a little time to see
if they do their job.
As to addresses of commercial casting directors, I would get a copy of Ross Reports.
They are pretty thorough and update themselves regularly.
I hope this helps.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Another Actor Asks...And Eric Replies
An Actor Asks…
I hear so many different points of view about actors using the internet to promote themselves. What do you tell them?
Eric’s Reply…
When actors come in to consult with me these days, I find we spend more and more time discussing how the creative use of the internet by actors can be of great help in getting themselves seen (in person) by the people they have been hoping to reach.
It does require a bit of a different “mind-set” on the part of the actor from that of just having a website, a reel, or a photo gallery on line - and my thoughts on the subject are as follows:
As we all learned early in life with someone we had a “crush” on - or wanted to be friends with - the best way to get them to notice us was to be someplace where we were pretty certain we would encounter them. This approach can also work “professionally” for the actor.
These days, vast numbers of people watch sites like “You Tube”, etc. and I am convinced this is a perfect venue for actors to be seen – but there has to be a novel and creative approach to what the actor posts on such sites – something that will “get the word out” that what the actor has posted is clever or funny or “special”, and will draw notice to the actor, and the actor’s abilities.
As every actor is different, so there have to be different approaches for each actor (copying something done before is usually of no help - as we so often see with endless “re-makes” of films).
So, this is what we do more and more of these days in consultations – planning and discussing these little video “skits/auditions” tailored to the individual actor, with the aim of drawing a substantial audience and “getting the word out” about the actor – hopefully to the people the actor is trying to reach.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
I hear so many different points of view about actors using the internet to promote themselves. What do you tell them?
Eric’s Reply…
When actors come in to consult with me these days, I find we spend more and more time discussing how the creative use of the internet by actors can be of great help in getting themselves seen (in person) by the people they have been hoping to reach.
It does require a bit of a different “mind-set” on the part of the actor from that of just having a website, a reel, or a photo gallery on line - and my thoughts on the subject are as follows:
As we all learned early in life with someone we had a “crush” on - or wanted to be friends with - the best way to get them to notice us was to be someplace where we were pretty certain we would encounter them. This approach can also work “professionally” for the actor.
These days, vast numbers of people watch sites like “You Tube”, etc. and I am convinced this is a perfect venue for actors to be seen – but there has to be a novel and creative approach to what the actor posts on such sites – something that will “get the word out” that what the actor has posted is clever or funny or “special”, and will draw notice to the actor, and the actor’s abilities.
As every actor is different, so there have to be different approaches for each actor (copying something done before is usually of no help - as we so often see with endless “re-makes” of films).
So, this is what we do more and more of these days in consultations – planning and discussing these little video “skits/auditions” tailored to the individual actor, with the aim of drawing a substantial audience and “getting the word out” about the actor – hopefully to the people the actor is trying to reach.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
Monday, April 16, 2007
An Actor Asks...And Eric Replies
An Actor Asks…
“I always get very nervous before auditions, and as well as I think I hide it (after all, I am an actor) I think the people I audition for can tell – and I think that detracts from the quality of my audition. As a result, I don’t think I am booking the percentage of jobs that I should. Is there anything you can recommend to help me with this problem (aside from telling me not to be nervous)?”
Eric’s Reply –
As you can imagine, this is a very common problem. I have always told actors to play a little “game” with themselves, if they are nervous before an audition. What I tell them to do is say to themselves that they have little chance of getting the part, and just “hang loose” when they go into the audition, and try to have some fun with it. I think that people can “sense” nervousness, and that it detracts from your audition (or meeting) and plants doubt with the people you are auditioning for. I have found over the years that this little “trick” can be very helpful in showing you to the best of your abilities.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
“I always get very nervous before auditions, and as well as I think I hide it (after all, I am an actor) I think the people I audition for can tell – and I think that detracts from the quality of my audition. As a result, I don’t think I am booking the percentage of jobs that I should. Is there anything you can recommend to help me with this problem (aside from telling me not to be nervous)?”
Eric’s Reply –
As you can imagine, this is a very common problem. I have always told actors to play a little “game” with themselves, if they are nervous before an audition. What I tell them to do is say to themselves that they have little chance of getting the part, and just “hang loose” when they go into the audition, and try to have some fun with it. I think that people can “sense” nervousness, and that it detracts from your audition (or meeting) and plants doubt with the people you are auditioning for. I have found over the years that this little “trick” can be very helpful in showing you to the best of your abilities.
Copyright 2007, Eric Klass Consulting. All rights reserved.
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