Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Open Call for Jeff Louie & Associates Talent Agency in Vancouver

This is for Vancouver, BC talent ONLY.

Jeff Louie & Associates Talent Agency in Vancouver, BC is holding an open casting call for local actors on Sunday Feb. 7, 2010. Both children and adult talent are welcome to attend. They will be scheduling some appointments ahead of time from mailed and emailed submissions. There are limited numbers of spaces available, and once full, they will encourage actors to attend the drop-in session.

To schedule an appointment please submit to the following:

Adults:

Please mail or email your headshot/resume to Jeff and brief cover letter. He is currently seeking adults with professional headshots who are training regularly.

jefflouiesubmissions@gmail.com

Kids/Teens/Babies:

Please email a headshot or good clear digital photo that shows the teeth to Liz. Full body and headshot preferred. She is currently seeking energetic, sociable kids who do not play shy.

liz72@shaw.ca

Mail submissions also accepted:

Jeff Louie & Associates
301-1076 Richards
Vancouver, BC
V6B 3E1

Adults and children above 8 years old are strongly recommended to have professional industry standard headshots. Children and Teens may attend the open call without a headshot, but if chosen to join the agency roster, professional headshots will be expected over age 8. Limited experience is acceptable, however training is not something provided by this agency, as this is an open call for representation not to be confused with what an acting school or coach would otherwise provide.

If attending either the scheduled or non-scheduled open call, please bring a hardcopy headshot and resume. Children and teens may bring a printed snapshot or digital photo. For children/teens with little or no experience, please bring an info sheet with your name, birthday and contact information. Preference will be given to those with acting experience, training and on-camera appeal. If the agency is interested in representing you, they will contact you directly at a later time.

Open Call Details

Where:

Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
6450 Deer Lake Avenue
2nd Floor (look for signs)
Burnaby, BC
V5G2J3
Click Here for directions.

When:

Sunday February 7, 2010
Scheduled Appointments from Headshot Submission: 9:00am - 10:30am
Drop-In Non-Scheduled Open Call: 10:30am - 12:00pm

Consideration for representation will be based upon a prepared scene of your choosing, and some actors may be asked to do a cold reading.

Jeff Louie & Associates' clients audition regularly in the Vancouver market, and also self-tape auditions for Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and NYC.

Agency license #ER136-644

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

Open Call for Jeff Louie & Associates Talent Agency in Vancouver

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