Call for Actors Seeking Talent Agent in New Mexico

The Atherton Group is seeking submissions for prospective talent for representation in The New Mexico Market in Film, Television, Commercial, Voice Over, and Print. Founded in 1994, The Atherton Group has been ranked as one of the top talent agencies by the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com). Recent success stories for talent with The Atherton Group include Brea Grant (star of NBC’s hit TV series HEROES), Cambell Westmoreland (cast in Robert Rodriguez’s SHORTS and Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD), Davi Jay (cast in HBO’s upcoming series TREME), and Natalia Castellanos (cast in an upcoming episode of CBS’s CSI:NY). In addition to serving the Texas and New Mexico markets, the agency also has divisions in Louisiana and California.

The agency is accepting submissions from the following...

Children: They do not represent babies. They are currently only accepting submissions from children who are at least 4 years of age. If you do not have a professional headshot, please submit two or three close-up images, including a face shot and a body shot, along with a resume of your interests and special skills. Please include hair and eye color, height, weight, ethnicity, and date of birth.

Voice-Over Talent: Please email your resume and Voice-Over demo(s) (links only - do not email large files). They will consider Voice Over Talent from other regions who have in-house studios, ISDN and/or Phone Patch capabilities.

To be considered for representation please mail your headshot(s), resume, and other material to:

The Atherton Group Operations
New Mexico Submission
1310 E. University Avenue
Georgetown, Texas 78626

No Phone Calls. Meetings by Appointment Only.

Voice Over talent ONLY can email a demo to:

michael@tagtalent.com

Please note that they receive many submissions and cannot always get back with everyone. They will contact you for an appointment if interested.

How Much Do Talent Agents Make?

Agents get 10% commission from your income after you work. Now figure if Bruce Willis' agent books him on a job, and Bruce makes $25,000,000 per film, then the agent gets TEN PERCENT after taxes. That would be roughly $1,700,000 for booking Bruce Willis on that job.

But of the hundreds and hundreds of Agents and Sub-Agents in the business, only a tiny fraction of agents make over a million bucks a year. Most agents make less than $30,000 a year, and many don't even make a living off of it, they have other means of finances that allow them to be agents.

There is a HUGE turnover of agents who are starting out within the first two years of becoming an agent because it is extremely hard to become a successful professional Theatrical and/or Commercial Talent Agent. The "average" annual income of a Talent Agent (including these sub-agents, associate-agents, etc.) is roughly $25,000 per year.

What is Commissionable by Your Agent?

Independent Agents

If your agents are Independent (i.e., not affiliated with either ATA and/or NATR), and therefore still franchised by SAG, then these agents (as well as the SAG members they represent) continue to be protected by and bound to the terms and conditions of Rule 16(g). Hundreds of SAG franchised agents across the country have maintained their on-going relationship with SAG, and continue to loyally serve SAG’s members pursuant to the requirements of Rule 16(g). Any standard SAG agency contract you sign with an Independent Agency may be filed with, and processed by, the Guild.

How Film and Television Shows Are Cast

The Film and Television Studios give the "green light" for movies and TV shows to be produced.

Then the production companies hire casting directors, who in turn send out "breakdowns" of the characters being cast.

These "breakdowns" actually are sent out by a service called "Breakdown Services" and are only available to licensed Talent Agencies.

Then the agents at these agencies submit photos, resumes, and sometimes "demo-reels" to the casting directors.

Then the casting directors call in the actors that fit the roles they are casting, usually many many actors are called in.

Then they narrow it down to the best actors who came in and "call back" these actors to read again for the director, sometimes the writer, producer, etc.. Then they narrow it down further, and sometimes there are 3 - 4 "call backs" before an actor is finally hired.

Do I Need An Agent To Be Cast?

Although it is possible to be cast on a show or film with out having an agent, it is very difficult. This usually only happens with smaller roles, and of course with extras. The studios usually only deal with reputable licensed talent agencies when casting acting roles.

In addition, agents are the only ones who receive the "breakdowns" of what roles are being cast at a given time. And in most instances, a studio or production company will not negotiate a contract directly with talent.

I have personally landed several acting roles by randomly sending in my photo and resume to casting directors when I did not have an agent, but it is not common to land roles in this manner.

However, I do recommend sending in to casting directors randomly because you never know if they will be looking for your exact type when they receive your photo and resume.

Important Safety Information

Do NOT incude a home address when sending out your photo and resume. I always recommend using a PO BOX.

Also, NEVER meet someone outside of a professional environment such as a studio, agents, or casting office. Do NOT meet someone at a restaurant, private residence, etc. You should ALWAYS let someone else know EXACTLY where you are going, WHO you are meeting, and WHEN you are going there.

And a parent or guardian must ALWAYS accompany minors. A parent or guardian should NEVER be out of eyesight of the minor, whether it be at auditions or on set.

Talent Agents