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Explain Hollywood: How To Get A Job As An Agent

 


Ten years ago, Chris Noriega took a leap of faith and pursued his dreams in Hollywood.

The Big Lebowski fan quit his job at a San Francisco Bay Area bank, where he made six figures right out of college. He got his MBA and then took a different direction than his classmates in a mail sorting role at the Gersh agency at the age of 31.

The idea of ​​going into a mailroom and starting at the absolute bottom was kind of a hard pill to swallow, said Noriega, who is now a partner with Verve, a Los Angeles-based literary and arts agency. At the same time, if I was going through this change and going back to school to do something that I was really passionate about, looking at spreadsheets wasn’t it.

Although the talent representation industry has been put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic, getting a job as an agent is still one of the most coveted positions in Hollywood. We spoke to Noriega and other experts for advice on what you need to know about entering the profession.

Who becomes an agent?

Noriegas’ life changing decision followed the traditional path many people have taken to become a talent agent. He is a favorite job often described as a Hollywood matchmaker who brings together talent for projects, negotiates deals and fiercely defends the interests of clients.

The key qualities to being a successful agent include a strong work ethic, refined cultural tastes, a passion for your clients, and patience. It can take years before you become successful in the profession and reap financial rewards.

We were looking for people with a great work ethic, said Noriega, who also co-leads the Verves TV department. We want people who behave with integrity. People with great taste. But the most important thing is that we want people who love this job. People who have a clear passion for entertainment. You can teach people how to negotiate deals and how to introduce clients. But you need that foundation of work ethic, positive attitude, and passion.

How do you start?

Noriega, like many agents before him, made his debut in the mail room, printing and binding scripts. He had no connection to the industry and wondered if he was going to get into a real version of the HBO Entourage series.

Fast-paced agency life is not for everyone. The traditional steps to becoming a talent agent first as a mailroom clerk, then as an assistant, to become a coordinator and finally an agent, often involve long hours of work and start at low wages.

The cost of living in Los Angeles can be expensive. To make ends meet, Noriega leaned on his wife, who worked at a tech company to help her make her dreams come true. Others choose to live with their parents.

After a month or two of working in the mail room, Noriega became Bayard Maybank’s assistant., continuous phone calls, set up meetings and read scripts.

He was preparing for an environment similar to the one depicted in Entourage, where Ari Gold screams and everyone panics and is on high alert.

Although he says this type of agent exists, Noriega was relieved that Maybank didn’t work that way. Maybank was down to earth, loved movies and reading scripts, and operated out of passion, excitement and positivity, not fear and aggression, Noriega said.

So it was like, Oh, OK, you could be like that as an agent, said Noriega, who became an agent at Verve in 2013. You don’t have to be like a maniac.

What are the paths you take after you are gone?

For starters, there are many types of agents. For example, at the Beverly Hills-based talent agency WME, agents can work in multiple fields, including music, television, sports, film, and comedy.

Elizabeth Wachtel’s passion for storytelling led her to become a literary packaging agent at WME. Wachtel grew up in Los Angeles reading and watching Harry Potter novels and films. Now she spends her weekends curled up reading books that could eventually be adapted into Hollywood movies and TV shows.

My 15-year-old self would think it’s the coolest job ever, said Wachtel, 33. I was a really shy kid and really didn’t come out of my shell until I discovered theater and got addicted to storytelling.

A woman in a gray blouse smiles.  A cactus is in the background

Elizabeth Wachtel, WME Officer.

(Olivia Burgher)

Two years ago, Wachtel was a WME coordinator and trainee officer when department heads asked her to read a book proposal for Finding the Mother Tree, a memoir by forest ecologist Suzanne Simard. She concluded that her story could be adapted into a Hollywood movie. After becoming an agent in 2019, she brought the book to market and in March was instrumental in securing a deal for the books film, starring critically acclaimed actress Amy Adams.

It was my role in the process, kind of like a matchmaker, Wachtel said. It’s the kind of thing that when I wake up in the morning makes me smile and brings me out.

At Verve, a typical day for an agent consists of a staff meeting, then dividing it into three different sections. If the agent is tasked with covering a certain network, he talks to executives and gets the latest information, Noriega said. Agents also spend time checking in with clients and then signing, finding and identifying new clients they would like to do business with.

Depending on what stage you’re at in your career, you’ll spend more time in one bucket than the other, said Noriega, who works 60 hours a week.

Agents have a key responsibility in Hollywood in helping talent find employment. In California, only licensed agents can procure work.

You guide people’s careers, Noriega said. If you make a mistake, if you miss something, someone doesn’t get a job. This is how people pay their mortgages and send their children to school. So you have to recognize that this is the responsibility you have on your hands and treat it with that kind of respect.

Chris Noriega, partner at Verve, a literary and arts agency based in Los Angeles.

Chris Noriega, partner at Verve, a literary and arts agency based in Los Angeles.

(Joshua Shelton)

How do you make money and what kind of money?

Agents earn a base salary and bonus based on their performance and commissions on the transactions they complete for their clients. Part of their success is therefore also based on the success of the talents they represent.

The gains can be significant. Base salaries can start in the five-figure range, but many senior agents are paid seven-figure salaries.

How is this career different from 10 years ago?

The rise of streaming platforms has caused great changes in the industry. As TV seasons got shorter, agents had to work harder to find jobs for their clients.

The way people entertain themselves has also evolved into areas like podcasts and short 15-second videos on social media. Agents need to keep following the latest trends and know how to make money for their clients.

Agencies are also undergoing cultural shifts, as Hollywood has had to grapple with the treatment of women with the #MeToo movement and calls on workplaces to get rid of bullies. The police murder of George Floyd last year also prompted entertainment companies to face their lack of diversity.

Some agencies have a reputation for being predominantly white and male workplaces and are stepping up their recruiting efforts to diversify their ranks.

What advice do the pros always hear wrong?

Some agents have said it’s important to fend off the anxiety that sets in with people who think they need to be the youngest and fastest and build their customer lists immediately once they become an agent. . It’s important to take the time to develop these skills because it takes years to learn, Noriega said.

It’s a small town and you are making a name for yourself. This will determine the course of your career, Noriega said. You can start signing clients, but you don’t really know what you’re doing right away. If you make a mistake, if you make a mistake, it can haunt you. It can affect your credibility there.

A woman in a peach velvet jacket folds her arms and smiles.

Daniela Federman, WME agent.

(Daniela Federman)

Daniela Federman, a 27-year-old TV scriptwriter at WME, recommends reading and watching as much as possible to better identify your personal tastes.

Get the job done, be prepared, Federman said. Google the person you meet, who they represent, who they work with, listen to the podcast they made.

What is good advice?

Officers say a key part of getting the job is believing in yourself and working hard.

Erica Ling, WME Officer

Erica Ling, WME Officer

(Photo courtesy of Erica Ling)

Erica Ling started her agency career as a licensed lawyer who realized she really wanted to be an agent. Ling is the only WME agent who is fluent in Mandarin.

It’s scary to enter an industry where you don’t know anyone and you don’t know the rules, but I would recommend people to bet on themselves, said Ling, 32, a literary film agent. The worst part is that someone tells you no or doesn’t take you to internship or ignores your email but you really have to try to put yourself forward because if you are not ready to bet on yourself – even, no one else will, especially in an industry where everyone is trying to get in.

Sources

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2/ https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-07-26/explaining-hollywood-how-to-get-a-job-as-an-agent

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