The jobs of talent agents, casting agents, and personal managers are often misunderstood by people not in the business or just starting out. They all have different functions in the world of voiceover.
THE TALENT AGENCY
Talent agents represent performers. Talent agencies are licensed by the state and must include the words “Talent Agent” or “Talent Agency” in any print advertising, along with their address and license number. The talent agent works with advertising agencies, producers, and casting directors to obtain work for the performers they represent.
A talent agent receives a commission of 10% to 25% based on the scale they negotiate for their performer and whether their performer is union or nonunion. For AFTRA/SAG work the commission is above and beyond the performer’s fee (scale plus 10%). In some cases, the commission may be taken out of the talent fee, especially for nonunion freelance work obtained by an agent. For talent agencies to book union talent, they must be franchised by the local AFTRA and SAG unions. Contact the union office in your area for a list of franchised talent agents.
Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and there are many unscrupulous agents who will attempt to relieve you of your money. If anyone asks you for money up front to represent you or get you an audition, he or she is operating a scam. Period! The same is true for 1-900 numbers that charge a fee for information on auditions and casting. Most of the information is available elsewhere, either for free or a minimal charge. The best thing to do is find a reputable agent and stay in touch with him or her. Even if you are freelance and must pay your agent a 25% commission, the advantages of representation may well be worth it.
Do you need a talent agent to do voiceover work? No. Will a talent agent benefit you in your voiceover career? In most cases, yes. Chapter 20 includes a complete discussion on how to find and work with a talent agent.
THE CASTING AGENCY OR CASTING DIRECTOR
A casting agency is hired by an advertiser or production company to cast the talent for a particular project. They may also provide scriptwriting and some producing services, such as directing talent. They may even have a small studio where some of the production is done. Casting agent fees are normally charged directly to the client and are in addition to any fees paid for the talent they cast.
Most voice casting agencies work with talent agents and have a pool of talent that covers all the various character styles they use. Talent from this pool are used for all projects they work on and they will rarely add a new voice to their pool unless there is an opening or special need. The talent in their pool may be represented by several talent agents. Casting agencies may occasionally hold open auditions to cast for their projects but they are generally not a good resource for nonunion voice talent.
THE PERSONAL MANAGER
A personal manager is hired to manage a performer’s career. The personal manager attempts to get the talent agent to send the performer out on auditions, and encourages the agent to go for a higher talent fee. Managers usually work on a commission of up to 20% of the performer’s fee, which is taken out before payment to the performer and in addition to the agent’s commission. Some managers may work on a retainer. Either way, a manager can be expensive, especially if you are not getting work.
Personal managers are fairly rare in the world of voiceover, and the voice actors they work for are generally well-established on-camera performers who will only occasionally do voiceover work.
HOW ADVERTISING AGENCIES WORK
Advertising agencies work for the companies doing the advertising, coordinating every aspect of an advertising or marketing campaign. They write the scripts, arrange for auditions, arrange for the production, supervise the sessions, handle distribution of completed spots (spot announcement, or commercial) to radio and TV stations, purchase air time, and pay all the fees involved in a project.
Ad agencies are reimbursed by their clients (advertisers) for production costs and talent fees. They book airtime at the station’s posted rate and receive an agency discount (usually about 15%). They bill their client the station rate and get their commission from the station as a discount. If the advertising agency is an AFTRA or SAG signatory, they will also handle the union fees according to their signatory agreement. Since the ad agency books all airtime, they also handle residual payments, passing these fees on to their clients.
Most advertising agencies work through production companies that subcontract everything needed for the production of a project. Sometimes the production company is actually a radio or TV station that handles the production. In some cases a casting agent might be brought in to handle casting, writing, and production. Some larger ad agencies, with in-house facilities, may work directly with talent agents for casting performers.
Ad agencies can be a good source of work. Your agent should know which agencies use voiceover and will send out your demo accordingly. You can also contact ad agencies directly, especially if you are nonunion. As part of your marketing, you can telephone ad agencies and let them know who you are and what you do. You will find many ad agencies work only in print or use only union talent. When you call, ask to speak to the person who books voiceover talent.
The ad agency assigns an account executive (AE) or on-staff agency producer (AP) to handle the account. Sometimes both an AE and AP are involved, but it is usually the AP who knows more about the production than the AE. The AE is more involved with arranging the schedules for airtime purchases. The AP is the person who is generally in charge of selecting talent. The AE is less involved, but often approves the AP’s talent choices.
Either the AE or AP may be present during auditions and one or both is almost always present at the session. If the ad agency is producing the spot, they will want to make sure everything goes as planned. If the spot is being produced by a casting agency, someone from that company may also be at the session. Casting agencies are more common for television on-camera productions than for voiceover, but a casting agency rep may be present at
an audition or session if their agency is handling the production. And, of course, advertisers are very likely to be at the audition and session to provide their input.
HOW PRODUCTION COMPANIES WORK
As their name implies, production companies are where the work of creating the radio commercial, TV spot, industrial video, video game, or other production is done. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the one- man shop to the large studio with hundreds of people on staff. Most production companies have a small staff of 2 to 10 people, many of whom may be freelancers.
Production companies generally work directly for a client, or as a production resource for an ad agency or a corporation’s on-staff producer. Many large corporations have their own in-house production facility. Although some production companies can be a good source of freelance voiceover work, most work primarily with talent booked through a talent agent by the producer or with talent hired by an ad agency. Learn which production companies do the kind of voiceover work you want to do, and get to know the producers and directors. You can find production companies in your area by checking your phone book under “Recording Services—sound and video,” through an Internet search for “production company your city,” or by contacting your city’s Chamber of Commerce. Many cities have a film bureau that maintains a list of local production companies.
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1 Source: http://www.AFTRA.com and http://www.SAG.org 2 Source: http://www.nrtw.org/d/rtwempl.htm
3 U.S. Supreme Court, NLRB v. General Motors, 373 U.S. 734, 1963.