Talent Agency holding open calls for Models and Actors near Indianapolis

The Helen Wells Agency is holding a series of open calls for new talent, both actors and models near Indianapolis, Indiana. Founder Helen Wells started this agency in 1980 and still runs the company with the assistance of several of her five children. This is a legit, established, respected agency. Helen not only remains active in the business, but serves on the board of several companies, including the Better Business Bureau.

You will need to bring a current photograph (taken within the last month) that you can leave with the agency, the picture does not need to be professional taken, but it should be of you on your best, normal day, without extra makeup or photo manipulation. It should be in color and in focus. Again, this picture will not be returned to you. Also, bring a resume. It is only necessary if it is within the past year and pertinent to our industry.

You MUST download the information sheet and bring it with you.

CLICK HERE to download the information sheet.

● You should come casually dressed. Please bring a pen and pad of paper for note-taking purposes.

● Be on time. Late parties will be asked to return to an Open Call at a later date.

● Only the person interested in joining should attend the Open Call.

● Only one parent/guardian per child will be permitted, for Teen and Child Open Calls). Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

● Only bring the child/teen you are interested in joining the agency; these are our most well-attended open calls and seating is limited.


Which Open Call should you attend:

Children (5-12 years) should attend the Open Call for Children, regardless of acting or modeling ability/interest.

Teens (13-18 years) should attend the Open Call for Teens, regardless of acting or modeling ability/interest.

Adults (19+ years) who are interested in modeling or who would like more information about our agency and what we do, should attend the Open Call for Modeling.

Adults (19+ years) who have had acting experience should attend the Open Call for Actors.

If you are an adult interested in both modeling and acting, you may attend either open call. Open calls for teens are for ages 13-18 years. Open call for children are for ages 5- 12 years.


Open Call Details


November

Models: Tuesday November 10th, 2009 10:000am
Teens: Wednesday November 11th, 2009 3:30pm
Actors: Thursday November 12th, 2009 10:00am
Children: Wednesday November 18th, 2009 3:30pm


December

Models: Tuesday December 8th, 2009 10am
Teens: Wednesday December 9th, 2009 3:30pm
Actors: Thursday December 10th, 2009 10am
Children: Wednesday December 16th, 2009 3:30pm

Where:

Village of West Clay
12721 Meeting House Road
Carmel, IN 46032
CLICK HERE for directions.

Open Calls are held in the Green Room on the first floor of the Village of West Clay Meeting House.

Talent and Literary Agency Don Buchwald and Associates holding open call in New York

Talent and Literary Agency Don Buchwald and Associates in New York City will be holding an open casting call on October 10, 2009. They are seeking talented young actors and theatre performers between the ages of 5 and 17 years old. Don Buchwald and Associates has offices in both New York City and Los Angeles, CA. The agency is a member of the Association of Talent Agents (ATA) and National Association of Talent Representatives (NATR).

In New York City, Don Buchwald and Associates is housed on six floors of their own office building in mid-town, between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue. In Los Angeles, the company occupies a 12,000 square foot office complex at 6500 Wilshire Boulevard, overlooking the heart of the city. The agency became an industry leader in 1977 when Don Buchwald with five associates founded the company. They have since grown to become a strong bi-coastal force in the entertainment industry.

The open call is NOT being held at the agency office.

You MUST email the following and request an appointment time and registration for the call :

Important Information Regarding Non-SAG Franchised Talent Agents

There are some talent agencies that are no longer franchised by Screen Actors Guild. This means that those agents have no legal obligation to abide by the requirements of Rule 16(g), the SAG Agency Franchise Agreement, and that SAG cannot enforce the Agency Franchise Agreement against those agents. The Guild’s leadership will immediately engage in an active campaign to persuade agents to re-sign the Agency Franchise Agreement.

Although members are permitted during this interim period to be represented by an ATA/NATR Talent Agent, members are advised not to sign individual representation agreements if the terms provide less protection than Rule 16(g), the SAG Agency Franchise Agreement. Examples of agreements which provide less protection are those with: a term longer than 3 years, a commission rate of greater than 10% and payment of commission on compensation including penalties, residuals, per diem, etc.

ATA agents have no legal obligation to abide by the requirements of Rule 16(g), the SAG Agency Franchise Agreement, and many of them have chosen not to do so. SAG cannot enforce its agency rules against these agencies. Although members are permitted during this interim period to be represented by these formerly franchised agents, members are advised not to sign any individual representation agreements presented to them (e.g., “general service agreements,” or “GSAs” or “Stare approved agency contracts”) with these entities without first consulting with their Guild, especially if the terms contained therein provide less protection than the SAG Agency Franchise Agreement.

Most GSAs contain provisions which offer SAG members drastically fewer protections than those in the Agency franchise, including, but not limited to, the ability for the agent to commission previously non-commissionable residuals as well as other sources of revenue, and significant alterations in the performer’s ability to terminate his/her agency contract. Members will also note that SAG will not be able to offer its arbitration/mediation services to settle commission or other disputes with these agents since they are no longer under SAG jurisdiction.


What to do if an Actor is handed a General Services Agreements (GSA) to sign:

● Attempt to negotiate terms and conditions that are similar to, or better than, those in the standard SAG Agency Agreement.

● Seek independent legal advice prior to signing any contract that is NOT a SAG Contract.

● Immediately notify SAG’s Agency Department (in LA: 323-549-6745; in New York, 212-827-1444) and provide the Guild with a copy of the GSA so that the union may assist you in reviewing it.

New Talent Agency in Charlottesville, VA seeking new local talent

A new talent agency is attempting to fill a void in Central Virginia. Conversations with film industry professionals have made it clear that there is a need for an agency to represent emerging talents as well as established performers in the Charlottesville area.

They are currently seeking youth (ages 5-10), tweens, young adult, and adult actors to fill their roster. This is currently a proposal to create the agency and they are going to be very selective, as one of the partners is a former agent from Los Angeles and has many contacts in the industry. The agency's main focus will be to market talent not only in and around Charlottesville, but outside the state of Virginia as well.

For the time being they are only accepting talent from Charlottesville and the surrounding areas.


Email the following:

In your email please introduce yourself along with your experience, immediate goals and training. If you are the parent of a minor child please indicate special skills/training the child has. Also, please indicate any trouble you have had with representation in the area. Perhaps you are a parent of a child and a company has asked you for money to get you work. Or you are an adult and had to wait months to get paid for a job you completed. The agency wants to hear all of the nightmares you have experienced in the area due to scammers, unethical business practices, and even lack of information. They want to make sure that they provide their clients with the best services, education and information.

Please submit one headshot and a resume (if your child does not have a resume, please indicate what skills, demeanor, special characteristics and qualities your child possesses).

You may include a link to your online resume link (i.e. Personal Website) or casting (i.e. NowCasting, Actorcast, etc.) resume link if you have one.

Do not submit video reels at this time.

Progressive Artists Agency holding additional open casting call for it's Youth Division

Progressive Artists Agency is holding another open call for its youth division (ages 5 -17) this Saturday, September 26.

This open call is only for actors between the ages of 5 and 17 who are available to audition and work in the Los Angeles area.

Progressive Artists is an established boutique talent agency in West Hollywood that has been representing top talent in television, film and theatre for over twenty-five years. This is an extraordinary opportunity for young actors to introduce themselves to representatives who have the ear of the top casting directors in town.

To receive an appointment time, or for more information, please send an email to:

paaopencall@gmail.com.

All emails must include the child and accompanying parent’s names and the child’s age in order to be responded to with an appointment. Please do not send headshots and resumes without this required information. Thank you.


Where:

PAA
Progressive Artists Agency
1041 N. Formosa Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046

When:

Saturday, September 26, 2009
10:00am - 3:00pm


No phone calls to the agency please. As a licensed California talent agent, Progressive Artists does not take any fees from its clients or prospective clients. Clients pay in commission when they work.

Important Notice to AFTRA Members and AFTRA Franchised Agents

No Contract, No Work Rule In Effect for Commercials Produced by Nickelodeon

Please be advised that Nickelodeon is not signed to the AFTRA Television Commercials Contract or the AFTRA Radio Commercials Contract.

Although AFTRA has collective bargaining agreements with Nickelodeon covering other types of programs, members are prohibited from accepting employment for commercial services by Nickelodeon or by any other employer, unless that employer is signatory to the applicable AFTRA TV or Radio Commercials Contract.

Please be reminded that AFTRA members may not accept employment in commercials, whether for broadcast, cable or the Internet, unless the employer is signed to the AFTRA Television Commercials Contract or the AFTRA Radio Commercials Contract. (AFTRA members are also permitted to work under the SAG TV Commercials Contract.)

Franchised Talent Agents should check and verify the signatory status of an employer who seeks to engage their AFTRA member clients for services in a broadcast, cable or Internet commercial.

If you have questions about this notice, about the signatory status of an employer, or about whether a particular project is commercial in nature rather than a covered program or promo, please contact your nearest AFTRA office.

Click here to see the list of AFTRA Locals, along with their contact information.

CESD is currently accepting submissions

Cunningham Escott Slevin & Doherty (CESD) is currently accepting submissions from youth and young adult talent seeking representation in their theatrical, on-camera commercials, and dance divisions.

CESD has been around for nearly a half century and is an extremely respected top talent agency with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. They have a large client base that includes numerous stars such as Chevy Chase, Peter Fonda, Burt Reynolds, James Garner, Edward James Olmos, Ann-Margret, Peter Fonda, Kristen Bell, Howie Mandel, and many many more.


The agency has the following divisions:

● Theatrical
● On Camera Commercials
● Commercial Voice-Over
● Models/Print
● Celebrity On Camera
● Celebrity Voice-Over
● Promo
● Trailer
● Radio Imaging
● TV Affiliates
● Animation
● Narration
● Espanol Voice-Over
● Puppeteers
● Beauty
● Dance
● Hosting

Please submit photos and resume, along with any demo material, to the following addresses by mail only:

Los Angeles:

ATTN: New Talent
Cunningham Escott Slevin & Doherty
10635 Santa Monica Blvd.
#130
Los Angeles, CA 90025


New York City:

ATTN: New Talent
Cunningham Escott Slevin & Doherty
257 Park Ave. S.
9th Floor
New York, NY 10010

Click Here for photo and resume information.

Click Here for information on how to submit photos and resumes to talent agents.

NO PHONE CALLS

SAG Members - What You Need to Know About Your Agency Contract Before Signing It

What:

Screen Actors Guild National Agency staff will hold a bi-coastal educational seminar on general service agreements, or GSAs (i.e., the contracts that ATA/NATR agents have been using to represent our members instead of the standard SAG agency contract). These GSA contracts are signed outside of SAG’s protection, and it is imperative that members have a working knowledge of what these contracts say before signing them—your professional future and your income may depend on it. This educational seminar will be especially helpful to any member having trouble making sense of the complicated legal language contained in the contracts that their agents have provided them. We urge all SAG members to attend. The event will not be taped.


When:

Noon-2:30 p.m. (PDT) and 3-5:30 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, August 24, 2009 (RSVP required*)


Where:

Los Angeles:
James Cagney Board Room (first floor)
5757 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90036
Parking will be validated.

New York:
NY Boardroom
360 Madison Avenue
12th Floor
New York, NY 10017


Who:

The seminar will be conducted by National Director and Senior Counsel of Agency Relations Zino Macaluso and Senior Agency Manager Xochitl Cerda in Los Angeles. Members in New York will participate live via videoconference. You must bring your SAG membership card (paid thru October 31, 2009) in order to attend this event. No exceptions will be made. We strongly encourage all members who attend to bring a notepad and pen with them to these meetings.


*RSVP:

Performers interested in attending should immediately e-mail the Guild’s agency mailbox at agentquestion@sag.org. Please write SAG GSA Seminar—Reservation in the subject line. YOU MUST ALSO INDICATE IF YOU ARE PARTICIPATING FROM HOLLYWOOD OR NEW YORK. Only those members who have received confirmation e-mails from SAG may attend, so please act quickly as seating is limited.

Questions about upcoming events should be directed to the SAG Agency Department at (323) 549-6745 (Hollywood) or (212) 827-1445 (New York). Any performer who has to cancel a reservation is asked to notify SAG immediately so that members on the waiting list may be contacted. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you on Monday, August 24, 2009.