After you know your type, have gotten your head shots and have some training under your belt, you're ready for an agent. I don't believe that an actor, new to the profession, needs a business manager right from the start. What the actor needs is an agent or agents.

The agent's primary function is to provide an actor the opportunity for an audition. The actor then gets his own job. The agent never gets you the job; you do that on your own. Never forget that!

The agent markets the actor by talking to casting directors, production people and showing demo reels. They get a commission for every job that you book, usually 10% for union work and 15% for non-union work. So, as you can see, they need to book a lot of talent to make a living.

Make sure your agents have everything they need that will help market you. Keep in mind that you are the product they are selling. The better the product, the more money you both make. The best way to get an agent is to have a decent resume, a good head shot, proper training, beginning credits, student films, etc. You need to be very persistent, if you're not persistent, you're not going to get anywhere.

When you sign up with an agent ask how many actors do they represent that are your type. It may be best to join a small agency that can properly represent you and get you more jobs, then to be with a big agency that has a lot of actors your type.

You want to be on their call list; that way you don't have to be constantly bugging them about jobs. A lot of times, when the agency gets busy, they may not have time to talk to anybody. They're not being rude; they just don't have the time for you. Learn to respect that, and be patient. The more honest, professional and open you are with your agent, the better you're going to be in the long run. This relationship will, hopefully, last a long time.

Okay...you've got an agent and an opportunity for an audition. Here's some important information you need to have.

Type of job, Shoot date, Call backs, Union or non-union, Pay, Where to go, How to dress, Is there a script, and Who's casting?

The secret of getting organized and staying on top of things is to get a Holden Performer Logbook or ActorTrack 2.0. In the Performer Log book you keep track of: