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WHY ACTOR NEED THIS LISTBROUGHT TO YOU BYWHY ACTOR NEED THIS LIST1

2017 UPDATE

Copyrighted MaterialThis is a friendly reminder that the information in this document is copyrighted. Iwould ask that you do not share this information with others. You personally havepurchased this list, and you have the right to use it on your system. Another personwho has not purchased this document does not have that right.Please note that it is the sales of this valuable information that makes the continuedexistence of ActingPlan.com website possible and allows me to continue to providefree advice on the blog. If enough people disregard this simple economic fact, mywebsite will no longer be viable or available.If other creatives think this information is valuable enough to ask you for it, theyshould think it is valuable enough to purchase on their own. I’ve tried to make theprice low enough that just about anyone would be able to afford it while at the sametime allowing me to maintain the site and write more advice for actors seekingcomprehensive resource about the industry.It should go without saying that you cannot post this document or the informationit contains on any electronic bulletin board, websites, FTP sources, newsgroup, or well, you get the idea. The only place from which this document should be availableis on my website at http://actingplan.com.I appreciate your support and understanding. Thank you!Paul Valentino,Acting Planhttp://actingplan.com150 Top Talent Agencies in Los Angeles – 1st edition.Copyright 2017 by Paul Valentino.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disturbed or transmitted in any form orby any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without theprior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviewsand certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

“If I had threehours to chopdown a tree,I’d spend the firsthour sharpeningthe axe.”– ABRAHAM LINCOLN –

150 TOP TALENT AGENCIES IN LOS ANGELESWhy ActorsNeed This ListEverybody wants a piece of the pie. This canbe a helpful resource for any aspiring actor inbe a good or a bad thing for all of us actorsLos Angeles.living in Tinseltown. It’s good, because youhave a lot to choose from. And it’s bad, becauseAs a result, I had to put in a lot more workthere’s a lot more work to do in terms ofinto this to make sure the information isresearch and choosing the right agency thataccurate, expand the number of agencies,can potentially take you on.and “dress it up.” Now the list has most of thebest agencies in Los Angeles, ranked by howNormally, you would have to put togetherpowerful they are in the industry, and all ofa huge list of all LA-based talent agencies –which are looking to represent actors.which is what I had to do – then go throughthat list and pick which firms representI’ve also included all the essential detailsactors, because many of the LA agencies workfor every agency which you may find usefulexclusively with hosts, entertainers, newif you’re doing more than one round ofmedia talent, and so on.submissions and staying proactive withyour search of representation. You will needThis list solves this problem, and a few otherthis information not only for your researchissues as well. Originally, I’ve intended toprocess, but also for getting in touch withput this list together just for myself so thatagents and making connections, mailing yourI can effectively do 2-3 rounds of mailingmaterials whether by email or snail mail (I’vesubmissions and follow-ups, and then stayindicated whenever that was possible onin touch with agencies using social media,which method you should use) and any otheremails, phones, tracking their sites, etc. Oncecreative ways you can find.I got a lot of it down, I realized that this maywhy actors need this list1

150 TOP TALENT AGENCIES IN LOS ANGELESHow to Use This ListMost EffectivelyThe first thing you need to pay attention toWith that being said, this list of agenciesis how big and powerful the agency is. Thishas more to offer than simply ranking all LAlist has been ordered from the largest talenttalent firms by how powerful and known theyagencies in Los Angeles all the way throughare. It took many weeks to research, analyzemid-sized firms and into boutique agencies.and put together this list to make it the mostKeep in mind that even though the best effortscomprehensive and helpful resource, so Ihave been made to keep these numbers asrecommend you take a full advantage of it.accurate as possible, the industry changes on aweekly basis with agencies signing new clientsLet’s go through all the details provided forand new deals, so just like a stock market, iteach agency, and what you can do with thatwill continue to fluctuate constantly.information. As you scroll down to any agencyon the list, what you’ll see is the following:Another important point to make is that thereis no official or scientific approach to rankingtalent agencies past the number 30 or so. Thisis somewhat arbitrary and based mostly on theagency’s client list and specific names, howmany agents they have and how experiencedthose agents are, how well-connected theagency is within the industry, and so on. Thefurther down the list you go, the harder thisranking becomes since those agencies are farless known, which means toward the end ofthe list, most boutique agencies are almost allon the same or similar level in terms of howmuch power they have.2ADDRESS – this is agency’s locationand their mailing address which you useto send them your materials, drop-off yourmaterial in person or come for a meetingif invited (you can even drop-by to talkto someone at the agency, but this rarelyresults in anything substantial for actors).PHONE – agency’s primary phonenumber which you can use if you have agood reason, but do not call about gettingsigned and submissions unless specificallystated that you should.HOW TO USE THIS LIST MOST EFFECTIVELY

HOW TO USE THIS LIST MOST EFFECTIVELYEMAIL – if email is included, thatother reasons which I mention below.means you can contact the agency overAGENTS – this is simply a numberemail with any questions, but only submitof agents the firm has on staff, whichyour materials over email if specificallygives you an idea of how big they are. Theindicated to do so.number also shows you the agent-to-clientsratio, which tells you how much attentionWEBSITE – agency’s website willsometimes provide additional informationfor the actor to learn more about the firm. Irecommend that if the agency has an “About”page, or any other details about themselves,you read and study everything to betteryou may get from this agency should youget signed. For example, if an agency hasonly 1 employee on staff who also runs theagency itself, and over 100 clients, you maynot be the most important on their roster, ifget any attention at all.understand who you may potentially workwith. Some also have names of agents,REPRESENTED CLIENTS – thismore email addresses and other details thatis the number of creatives they have asmay not have been included in the detailsclients. Again, it shows how big the firm is;on this list since they can update the site athowever, a huge number of clients doesn’tany time.always mean that it’s a good thing, and that’sfor two reasons. First, use the previouslySOCIAL MEDIA – most importantmentioned agent-to-client ratio to see howones are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Iflikely you are to get a sufficient amount ofan agency has active social media page(s),attention from the agency. Second, it’s notthat’s a good sign for actors. Start byall about the number of clients but ratherfollowing them, see what they post andwho those clients are – one name can bringlearn more about the firm. Occasionally,more business to them than 50 creativesit may result in a contact through naturalcombined.conversations; however, note that 99% ofagents in LA will not meet with an actorREPRESENTS AGES – this figure willwho submits themselves over social medialet you know whether this agency even has(consider this approach to be frowneda department for you. Even though ages areupon). It’s just good to have their pages formentioned in numbers, it mostly breaks150 TOP TALENT AGENCIES IN LOS ANGELES3

150 TOP TALENT AGENCIES IN LOS ANGELESdown into categories like these: kids, youth,should address. You should always submitadults (roughly). Simply look at the numberto a specific agent rather than the agencyto learn if it’s worth submitting.itself. Some firms will have just one ortwo names, while bigger ones will haveSUBMISSION POLICY – this is avery important detail because it tells youspecifically what to do and what not todo. Some agencies will accept any type ofsubmissions, while some want them onlyover email or through regular mail, andothers will not accept mailings but willaccept invitations to showcases, and so on.Pay attention to this policy and try to stickto it the best you can.Quick side note: A lot of firms do not disclosetheir submission policy so actors oftenhave to go by industry standards in thosecases (you’ll notice the pattern as you scrollthrough the list). Most agencies will notwant unsolicited mailings, but many actorsstill go ahead and submit them anyway. Icannot advise one way or the other, so it’s upto you how you’d like to proceed in this case.There are pretty much no cons to submittingto all the agencies using regular mail (notemail, which is far less effective) other thanyour time and money potentially wasted.SUBMIT TO AGENT(S) – in hereyou can find names of talent agents you4ten and more. There really is no way totell which agent is best to submit to, so allyou can do is research their name further(starting simply with Google and checkingtheir LinkedIn profile as well) and makinga decision that way. If you cannot find anyhelp in deciding, then pick one name andsubmit to that agent with a cover letter.DESCRIPTION – this is just a generaldescription of the agency, with someadditional information that’s not as vitalbut may still be helpful. Wherever that waspossible, I’ve included their history, howthey got established, who the agency is runby, and any controversial stuff about them.I’ve covered their clientele, what knownnames they are representing, how you cansubmit to this agency, what you shouldexpect from them, and more. It’s just a fewparagraphs, so it definitely wouldn’t hurt toread it and know a little more about a firmyou’re applying to.Using all the above information, you can makeyour submission process a lot more effectiveand get better results. You’ll know exactly ifHOW TO USE THIS LIST MOST EFFECTIVELY