South Florida Talent and Modeling Community

Natalie Toewe, the owner of Boca Talent and Model Agency, was busy advising actors how to create better resumes and choose better headshots at Lori Wyman's Casting office in North Miami Monday. The room was packed with actors, photographers and acting teachers who came by to drop off letters protesting Florida Governor Charlie Crist's cuts for film incentives in this year's state budget.

Without the incentives, film production will all but cease in South Florida. Actors, teachers of actors and casting agencies will suffer. Lori Wyman called on all of us in the industry, and all those impacted to come by with three letters each. And we responded. The room was wall-to-wall with people coming by all day long, dropping off letters, writing letters, and discussing the impact on us all.

 The talent was given a little incentive to show up too. Natalie helped with headshots, and even recruited a few promising talent. Photographer Bob Lasky provided workshops throughout the day giving actors and models tips on their comp cards and headshots. Director and Acting Teacher Marc Durso was there too. The vibrant Marc showed actors some of the ways they could improve their craft.

Now let's hope the hundreds of letters Crist gets in his mailbox tomorrow will make the state  legislature stand up and take notice.

Save the film industry in South Florida! Write Crist a letter already.
 

Consider your headshot a visual resume. What do casting directors want to see? You might be surprised at the answers. Casting directors are most often on the hunt to cast natural looking people rather than glamorous or extremely pretty people. Good looking is not a bad thing, and there is a need in the industry for those actors as well. However, if you aren't that typical beauty but can act, and can do well in an audition, you are set - especially with a headshot that truly represents your look.

Will a bad headshot prevent you from working? Probably not, but it might prevent an agent from sending your headshot to clients because they don’t think you can book. That means working a lot less than you could. Now why do that to yourself?

Finding the right photographer is key. That doesn’t mean the most expensive one either. These Dos and Don’ts are listed to give you a better idea of what to look for in a photographer and will up your chances of a better headshot. Remember, there's a lot of competition out there and a better headshot could put you in front of the line.

DON’Ts: If a photographer wants to use any of these techniques, beware

DON’T go for the glamorous look, or lighting that is drastically lit or extremely shadowy.  The shot should look natural and reveal your confidence as an actor.

DON’T dress in character. Sure you might play the best punk rocker ever, but don’t dress like one at the photo shoot. Look like yourself.

DON’T touch up your photos. Casting directors want to see what you look like. If you see a surprised look on their faces, you’ve blown it simply because you look nothing like your headshot. Worse yet, your agent will hear about it, and won’t send you out again until you’ve renewed your headshot.

DON’T rest your hand under your chin or it will look like amateur night.

DON’T go black and white.

Please DO these:

DO order color headshots. Black is so two years ago.

DO smile. Everyone looks better with a smile on their face. So smile, and show your teeth too.

DO update your headshot if your appearance changes. For example, you dye your hair, grow a beard or cut your hair. Casting directors aren’t often pleased seeing a blonde when they’ve requested a brunette. Agencies won’t send your headshot and that means fewer auditions, fewer call backs and fewer bookings. Again, why do that to yourself?

DO update your headshot if your booking category has changed. For example, you’ve aged and are no longer a teen, so a card that represents you as a 20-year-old would sell your skills much better.

DO ask your agency for advice as they can recommend photographers who will do a great job and won’t charge too much. They can also help you pick the shots that will best market your skills. Remember, the agent knows what talent is booking. Just make sure the photographer is not in-house or that the agency is not receiving a kickback for the referral. Agencies should not be involved with photographers, but they are familiar with the work of some of the best in the market. Use their knowledge for the good of your headshot.

Remember too that you are constantly changing over the years. It's the nature of life. Don't deny the change but work with it. Embrace your new look, new wrinkle and new category. And get some new photos while you are at it!

1.Like mailmen, they arrive in rain or shine. If a tornado or hurricane is near, these industrious actors and models find their way to the set. Even if they are on traffic-jammed highways like Interstate-95, getting there on time is their goal. Yeah, they’ve figured out that leaving early is the key. Google maps are gold.

2.And they’ve learned the art of writing things down. They have a calendar - you know, one of those day-timer thingys - with all their castings, dates, callbacks and bookings. It saves the day every time.

3.When their agent calls them, they pick up – cuz you never know. Working with Jennifer Aniston could be the offer on the other line. They might call back, but OOPS, it's too late.

 4.When a casting comes along they say, “YES!” Sure dressing up as a chicken wasn’t their idea of acting. But shucks, it gets them in the door. So what if the pay is less than chicken feed, at least there’s one thing to add to a resume.

 5.Speaking of resumes. Hey, working talent know how to work it. With their resumes updated often, they showcase all of their abilities. Their agency KNOWS what they can do, sending them on castings regularly.

 6.Talent is always courteous to everybody. They’ve learned it’s easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar. No high and mighty here. Just enthusiasm and gratitude (maybe some acting too).

 7.Their agency knows what to do, the talent sees. “We need new comp cards,” the agency says. In days, in no time at all new ones magically appear at the agency’s door.

Here's a question we at the agency hear quite a bit: What’s the difference between a management company and a talent agency?

I've listed a few details below. These are by no means comprehensive, but this information may help to answer some questions.

Managers and Management companies:

 Managers are not legally able to collect any money for those they represent or to book any jobs for them; they must work through an agent who has a license to negotiate contracts and collect money for talent. Sometimes an agency may decide to work with a management company if the agreement they’ve worked out is beneficial to both.

If actors and models decide to work with managers, an additional commission of 10 to 15 percent will be taken on top of what the agent takes.

Managers and management companies may also have a contract that will obligate the talent to pay a commission to them for as long as three years. Some may request money up front as part of their agreement to develop a talent.

Part of that development includes preparing marketing materials such as comp cards. If they are legitimate, they will be up front about an actor/model's potential for that market.

And while it may make sense to hire a manager in a large market like Los Angeles, in a smaller market like South Florida it may not be necessary. This is because a manager’s primary job is to promote his talent to an agent. In this market, actors and models can promote themselves to an agency by submitting their photos and resume.

Talent Agencies:

Talent agencies should have a license that enables them to negotiate contracts and collect money for their talent. As part of the licensing process, talent agencies must be bonded. The bond acts as a back up in case the agency finds itself in financial distress. The money in the bond ensures actors and models will be paid for their work.

The primary job of the agency is to offer their talent as many opportunities to showcase their abilities. The agency does that through submissions for castings where they think the actor or model has a good chance at booking the job.  They spend a great deal of time negotiating with clients, finding the right talent for the casting and submitting them. Finding fresh faces and generating new client prospects is also a continuous process for these agencies.

Once you have booked the job, the agency takes 10 to 20 percent commission of earnings as their fee. Agencies also collect an agency fee from their clients.

An agency only makes money when the talent books a job. For that reason, small agencies have a variety of talent – too many who are similar can’t all book the same job. And generally, agencies in Florida don't expect their talent to be exclusive with them because it is a secondary market.

One specific difference from a management company is that an agency cannot or should not request fees up front from a talent.

And they should never charge for training, for photos posted on their website or for any other kinds of fees - the only fees should come from booking work for the talent. The agency should have this laid out in a contract. If other fees suddenly pop up, make sure to look at the contract closely.

If you still have questions about how talent agencies in Florida should operate, look at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations' website under the statutes and rules of registered talent agencies.

See this link: http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/talent/index.html

 I may only be the book keeper at Boca Talent, but I've learned a few things as I cut the checks in this office, watching the talent come and go...

Here are some words of advice to new talent wanting to break in as the world's next top supermodel:  Boca Talent and Model Agency isn’t for you.

But we do a lot of commercials, TV and some film and print. You can make a living in the commercial acting/modeling business if you can read from a teleprompter, can follow directions to new places in Miami or wherever the casting call or the call back is shooting and you have the right attitude.

Other words of advice: Don’t get lost and forget to call us. Don’t turn down jobs. Or decide not to show to a time-slotted casting call, and forget to tell us. Sounds simple right? You wouldn’t believe how many instances we encounter where actors and models do just that… and the excuses are unbelievable.  I came up with better in the third grade.

And don’t forget to send us your new comp cards or headshots on a yearly basis. You change, styles change and what directors look for also change. You want to work? Then please make sure you keep your profile up-to-date.

Finally: Listen to us. We know what we’re doing.

That's it for now.

Next up: Getting paid as a talent at Boca Talent and Model Agency

Thanks for reading (if you've gotten this far)

Lily Spamer

Boca Talent and Model Agency's book keeper