Hi E…,

The photo you attached is fine…as long as it still looks like you. However the truth is you probably need more than one photo. This one is pretty ‘serious’…which is good for many roles but might not be good if you were going up for a lighter role or for a commercial. I also suggest you get any new photos taken in color. Many years ago, color photos were only for models but that day has passed. With the advent of digital photography, color headshots have become the norm for actors as well. There is a link on my web site to a local photographer named Kathy Whittaker. I don’t get any money for recommending Kathy, I was just very pleased with her work and her pricing. If you decide to get new shots I’d call around or check web sites to get prices and see whose style appeals most to you. There are a number of good photographers in town.

BUT if you’re looking at changing agents, I’d wait on new photos until you get the agent thing settled. Then go over the issue of photos with your agent and see what kind of photos they want you to have…they’ll give you some opinions on how the think they can best market you.

If you’re going to try to establish a working relationship with any agent, it’s best to [not only] enlist their input [but] then to do what they say and see how that works. Also get the agent’s recommendations about photographers. As long as you are with a reputable agency, then you shouldn’t have to worry about getting scammed by an agent who makes money off photographer’s referral fees…an OLD scam in the agency business. Continue to check with your peers about their representation and about who shot their pictures, etc. That kind of information can be gold to you and save you from making some mistakes.

As to changing agents…

I don’t know who you signed with or the terms of the contract. Typically there is an ‘out’ clause in every talent contract..for both the talent and the agent. If you haven’t been working and they aren’t calling and the contract is still in force, a simple letter terminating the agreement should do the trick. But check your contract for specifics such as the requirement that the letter be [sent by] certified mail, etc. Depending on how long ago you signed the contract, it may no longer be in force. Again, check your copy of the agreement.

BUT before you do seek a new agent there is something that you might want to consider: It sounds like you haven’t been a very good client to this agent. I don’t say that to be critical but just in response to your representation that you haven’t been available because of school. Nothing will turn off ANY agent faster than a talent who is not available for auditions.

Once in a while is not a problem, but after a few times…or worse, if the talent just doesn’t return the agent’s call…or EVEN WORSE if the talent accepts the audition and then gets busy with class or whatever and DOESN’T SHOW AT THE AUDITION, the agent gets the idea that the talent is not really serious and they move on to those who are.

Not showing up for an audition appointment is NOT ACCEPTABLE as it can give you AND your agent a black eye with the casting person. I’m not saying you stiffed the agent on auditions, because I don’t know that. I’m just saying…agency and talent relationships are a two way street. SO…before changing agents, you may want to get back in touch with your present agent and have a discussion about how you’re now ready to be available and serious about getting acting work. If you liked this agent well enough to sign with them in the first place, maybe you don’t need to change agents, just get back in their good graces.

Otherwise, truly, in this market I think all the agents are going to provide similar results. Just go with someone with whom you feel a connection and then do your part by getting them the photos they want and need and by being available when they call…by taking some classes if possible to show you’re continuing to study, etc.

Also you’re going to want to get up to speed with a few services like NOW CASTING and ACTORS ACCESS. Those are two online casting sites that many/most agents and casting people are now utilizing. At least familiarize yourself with those sites so you can ask potential agents if they use them and what they expect from you in terms of getting signed up…they’re both free to actors.

Find someone you ‘like’ and stay with them.

I’ve had a LOT of agents in my career and sometimes a change of agent is about all an actor thinks they can do to get things jump started. You have to understand the realities of the market in which you’re working. Right now, local production is way down due to the lack of an adequate tax incentive program in Texas. That lack has resulted in a LOT of work moving to other states like Louisiana and New Mexico and even Michigan.

At this time and in this market…given the statement in the paragraph above, I would discourage moving from agent to agent because I just don’t see the point. All the [reputable] agents will get all the calls from the casting people. If you establish that you are serious about acting and do your part, the agent, whichever agency you are with, will probably get you out. All the agent can do is give the actor an opportunity, it’s up to the actor to book the job. Easy money, right? Hah!

You might take a look at agency web sites and see which agents seem to have the most talent who ‘look’ like you and which don’t. You might consider approaching an agent who DOESN’T already have 10 guys in your age range and with your ‘look’…so you will fill a need for that agent.

Hope this helps some. It’s a long road and it takes a lot of persistence, patience and work to get anywhere. Best of luck and keep in touch.

Tommy

Check out this video from the site:

Thanks. I needed that.

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Now generally this is not a great idea. Why? If you’re thinking about hitting L.A. and breaking in at 30, 40 or 50something, you need to consider that there are no ‘holes’ in the talent pool in L.A. Every age range, every look, every ethnicity is already represented…probably hundreds if not thousands of times over. Hit L.A. at 40 and you’re competing with 40 year olds who have been competing in the big leagues for decades.

The prospects, then, are not good. BUT, that’s not to say having success when starting ‘later’ in life is impossible.

So as not to be a total naysayer on this topic, let me share with you the bio of actress Kathryn Joosten from the IMDB.com

Date of Birth
20 December 1939

Mini Biography

Kathryn is best known for her portrayal of Mrs. Landingham, secretary to the President (Martin Sheen), on the critically acclaimed NBC drama, “The West Wing” (1999). She has also recurred on “Dharma and Greg”, and guest-starred on many hit television series such as Becker, Arli$$, Ally Mcbeal, Providence, Scrubs and over twenty other prime time shows. Kathryn will also be seen later this year on ABC’s Daytime Drama, “General Hospital”. Her credits are impressive for any actor, let alone one that only began the craft at age 42 and arrived in Hollywood seven years ago.

Although only put into action well into her middle years, Kathryn’s dream began in her twenties when her mother died of cancer in 1963. While dying in the hospital, her mother shared that her biggest regret was not following her dreams. Kathryn vowed at that moment that she would someday pursue her own dream of acting.

At the time she was entering into a new career as a psychiatric nurse in a medium security wing for disturbed teenagers. Through that job she met and married a psychiatrist, gave birth to two boys and settled down as a suburban housewife in Lake Forest, Illinois, a well-to-do suburb of Chicago. But Kathryn never forgot her dream of acting, something that she never had time to pursue in between caring for her children and husband. In 1980, her husband’s alcoholism led Kathryn to a divorce and a difficult situation; a single mother with two young sons. Rather than lose hope, she took the opportunity to change her life forever and follow her lost dream.

Kathryn took classes at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago and performed at community theaters all over Northern Illinois. By day she supported her family hanging wallpaper and painting the mansions of Lake Forest, working as a sales person for a Welcome Wagon company and using her contacts to book film and print locations in the houses she was painting. By night Kathryn was improving her skills and moving from community theater to semi-professional theater.

Her first break was in 1991. Disney held a cattle call for street performers for Disney World. After standing in line for five hours, Kathryn got the part and moved shop to Orlando, Florida. Though she was living behind an adult arcade in the “tourist unfriendly” part of Buena Vista, Kathryn was finally earning her living through performance and loving it. The part only lasted for a year and once again Kathryn was forced to supplement her acting income with other work — bartending and catering during the day, theater at night. Though the acting gig was over, the move to Florida proved one thing to Kathryn…she had the talent to make it as an actor. She did it once and she could do it again. Unfortunately, it took her two and half years to realize it wouldn’t happen in central Florida.

In December 1995, Kathryn again packed a truck and drove to Hollywood. Although she didn’t have an agent and had no contacts, Kathryn never hesitated following her dream. In only five months she landed her first part…two lines in “Family Matters”. In the six years since then, she has appeared in over a dozen plays, six movies, eleven national television commercials, two pilots, ten drama series and over twenty sitcoms. From her many roles Kathryn is recognized as one of Murphy Brown’s secretaries, Frazier’s agent’s mother and the bingo buddy to Drew Carey’s girlfriend. But it is her portrayal of Mrs. Landingham, the foil, friend and secretary to Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet on The West Wing that has propelled her into the spotlight she truly deserves.

As an inspiration to us all, Kathryn continues to make her living following her dream. She doesn’t know who she will play next…a nun, a bartender, a judge. Whatever it is, she will use her talent to touch and amaze us, and we are glad for it.