I really feel like I don't know what to do anymore and sometimes feel like giving up. Without an agent the only place I can really go to for auditions is Backstage and most of the time they have nothing for me. I can't even get background work for crying out loud! And when I do get called for something its usually not paid and you gotta get naked or some crap like that. I've done at least 10 student/independent shorts and I'm sick of it I was the lead in at least 5 or 6 of them. I figure that is good enough credits to start working with an agent. I;ve done some mailings but is that the best way to go? I mean thats what everybody does! How do I know my work is even getting looked at? I sent a reel too. I even take classes at TVI and do those seminars at The Network. But my pockets are running empty to keep doing that stuff. I have not done much theatre though, but I don't like theatre and most of it is unpaid and you have to spend a lot of time on it. I can't afford to do that. I don't want to do theatre, only film and tv, but does that mean an agent won't contact me? I don't even care about being famous and all that glam, as long as I can make decent money to survive without having to waitress anymore I'll be happy. A lot of people tell me to go to LA, but that is another expense I can't really afford. Anyone have good advice or share some similar experience?

Hi, there. I am sorry this has been so frustrating to you. As you have discovered, it is very difficult to get an agent in New York City. There is a ton of competition, and even when you are meeting agents through the proper channels (classes, The Network) it can still be a difficult process.

You mention that you do not like theater and therefore don't want to spend too much time doing that. One the one hand, I say bravo for focusing on what you really want. But there are two big benefits to doing theater that you may want to consider. First, NY is a theater town, and theater credits are looked on very highly, even for those actors who are solely focused on film. Theater training and experience is considered to be a foundation for all mediums of acting, so having some experience in that area is helpful. The second benefit is that it gives you something to invite agents to come to see. Most of the time, agents are hesitant to bring you on until they have seen you perform- even if you go to The Network and have a reel they often don't consider it to be enough. I met an agent last week at The Network who said that the next step is for her to come to see me in something. Theater provides you with the perfect chance to make that happen. Now, I agree that it is difficult to justify doing theater for free, especially when it takes a lot of time. But if you find a project that has a really good character for you, you could really use it to your advantage in your search for an agent.

Mailings are an important part of getting ourselves out there, but they are not really effective unless you do a lot of research (who exactly are you mailing to) and determine why you would be a good fit for them (for example, do they specialize in helping actors at your level, or do they have clients doing the exact kind of projects you would be perfect for?)

Obviously there is a lot more to talk about with this post, but I will end it at that. You can always message me if you have further questions. And, of course, I know more of these fine readers will jump in with some help!

#1 advice- hang in there. You can make a career for yourself here, you just need to have the tenacity to do the right kind of work to make it happen.

If you can't get extra work, you haven't done enough home work. There are a lot of books on the business of acting that you should read--I think they are listing in one of the threads here.

OK, here's my two cents:

1) I know you think doing leads in 10 student/independent films is enough to get an agent, but trust me, there are folks out there who have been doing this for 10 YEARS or more, with legit CREDITS, who can't get agents! I'm curious how long you've been going at it. One of my friends finally got an agent after doing this for six years, and she has tons of regional theater credits, a recurring under five on a soap, and has been called back for tons of legit projects. Seriously, you shouldn't feel bad about that. I completely understand your frustration, but look at all the folks out there who can't get agents who have actually been on TV ? Trust me, they are out there.

2) I agree with Erin, theater credits are important in this town. Even all the Casting Directors for film and TV here care about theater credits.

3) mailings DO have to be targeted, and you need to research your people. But also, you need to be consistent about following up!! Postcards are a HUGE part of the marketing process!

Someone once said to me an acting career is comprised of three different things: training, marketing, and networking! Most actors only do one or two of those things....rarely all three.

And finally, getting an agent will not necessarily change your life. Even with representation, you STILL have to continue your marketing plan, your follow-up plan, your networking. An agent works with you, is a part of your TEAM, but you are still doing most of the work. Remember, they only get 10% from work you book from them. Someone once said to me it's because they are only doing 10% of the work to build your career. The other 90% comes from you.

Hope this helps. Just keep going! - RHL

there was a great post about this in the showbiiz blog

http://theshowbizblog.com/?p=24

agency are employment agencies, just like the temp agencies many actors work for - the agents get on the phone and try to convince them you are right for the job - Are you?

if not - you are not ready for an agent -
if your product is not ready for the professional market, go work on that. Improve your skills, take classes, find ways to get yourself infront of the people who do the casting - either in CD wrkshops or other classes or shows with people who are really on the ball and who will REALLY get those folks to come.

an agent is the middle man between the product (you) and the buyer (the cd's and directors)
that's all.

you can get your own work without an agent if cd's already know your work.

This is an impossible question since I don't know you and I don't really have enough information.

But...

You're obviously in a very bad state of mind about this. Pursuing an acting career is making you miserable. Will things get better? Maybe but probably not. And the fact that you have no interest in theater - the purest form of acting - is a very telling sign. I think it's time to walk away. You've chosen a very difficult path and life is too short to be this unhappy. I know this is not what you want to hear but I'm sincerely trying to help.

Gosh, and I though it would be harsh to say that...

Of course, my phrasing might have been a bit crasser: "So give up already."

But really, if acting only makes sense to you if you can make a living at it and only if you get on-camera work, well, bear in mind that you're up against thousands of people who will act for NOTHING because they love it and will (as many stars once did) labor away at thankless nothing little productions just because it's doing SOMETHING.

I am personally grateful to have found another "work-out" venue after a past one pretty much disintegrated. What do we do? We act. What are the chances of getting booked? Zilch. Though I've already seen two people I recognized instantly as former regulars on major series. Just as, doing local theater, I've been on stage with people who were on TV weeks later.

Years ago I was at a talk where someone asked Garrison Keillor (then working at the New Yorker) "How do we encourage young people to write?"

"Why?" he said, "We've got too many writers already."

That's pretty much the story with actors. If acting itself - in any venue, any chance you get - doesn't thrill you, you're in for a world of frustration and not much fun if you keep trying to make it your life.

Of course If I had the chance to do theatre I would, but like I said it is very time consuming and if your not on broadway, you really don't get paid and how could I take off all that time from work and not make money? I pay rent, I have student loans and lots of bills. I have met actors who are doing theatre, and mommy and daddy are helping with that stuff for them, What about other people in my kind of situation? How do they survive? I've never met someone like that. I always hear "Oh my dad pays my rent" or "my parents give me some money" I just feel like if I take a part in a play its going to leave me in a great financial downfall. Anyone out there that doesn't have the luxury of parents like me that can give me advice what they do?

I didn't have rich parents. Basically, when I was starting out, I worked a full-time job, then took classes and did off-off-Broadway theater at night. It didn't pay, but it gave me the credits I needed for my resume to get to the next level. A lot of folks do that. Then, after I built my credits, I went to working part-time with a more flexible schedule in order to audition more frequently during the day. I know folks who then switched their day jobs to night jobs (like bartending and such) when they had enough theater credits to then make the switch to audition more during the day. More film & TV auditions happen during the day.

There are plenty of auditions that happen at night or on the weekends for off-off Broadway theater.

Seriously, building your resume takes a LONG TIME. It takes patience. So while you have a day job, try to save money so you can BUY your flexibility.

Honestly, there are many ways to do it. And everyone's situation is different.

But like Secret Agent Man and Jim mentioned above, it really doesn't sound like you're happy. I find you HAVE to enjoy the career process just as much as the acting itself in order to do this for the long haul, or else you will give up.

The problem you have Eallen is that you seem to think your dilemma is somehow unique - when in fact you're encountering the same obstacles innumerable other actors deal with. I know almost no one whose parents are supporting them - the casts I've been in more likely had people doing temp work, waiting tables, etc. There are people who even work full time day jobs just so they can support some small theater troupe that will never make any money.

So complaining that you can't do theater because it's too time consuming and unrewarding economically is not gonna win you a bunch of points with people who have been taking those limitations for granted for years - and acting nonetheless.

More to the point, though, is that I don't get the feeling you're having any FUN acting. You don't have to be in a theatre production to find places people just get up and do scenes for the fun of doing scenes, or to get hold of a digital camera and work up some material for the internet.

I just told this story on another board, but I'll repeat it here: I was sitting by some people one day when Mike Myers came in to greet them. He then proceeded to talk about how,when he'd lived in London as a struggling actor, the most wonderful thing was that he KNEW he wouldn't make any money as an actor. It was all about doing it.

You'll hear similar tales from artists in all fields. Most "successful" writers, for instance, still end up having to teach or otherwise support their art. And most members of SAG DON'T live off their acting. A large percentage don't even make enough to get health care.

So the idea that on-camera work is somehow going to support you is, at the best, a very long shot.

Think of the things you do for pure fun - playing ball? Making music? Dancing? If acting isn't even more fun than those, quite independently of whether it pays the bills, you're seriously on the wrong path.

As the very successful novelist Ann Patchett put it: "Nobody ever made a living depending on a muse." The exceptions to this rule are just that: exceptions.