AGENTS (take 2)

It is nearly twelve  months since I met, and began mentoring, Karoline Ellis of KEManagement  –  thanks to Lyn Kidd of  The Actors Workshop in Brisbane . Once again The Actors Workshop still  features mostly in my all too few blogs- this is because  I trust Lyn and have worked for her over many years. Karoline Ellis and I had never met but I knew we could work together because of this trust.

What I have found over the now many years in the entertainment industry is that if you do not TRUST  nothing makes sense- does not compute.

One of the first lessons an actor attends to is to trust – and each other-  although this seems to be a total myth once they get into the real world!   Sure actors learn to fall backwards and trust their acting partner will catch them- duh – they have to or else …

So what about trust between Actors and Agents?   ..  What about Casting Directors and Agents?  What about Casting Directors and Producers?   I am now a member of the Casting Guild of Australia…more soon…

Over the years  –  I was an Agent  in Sydney in the late 70’s  and at one point represented Diane Cilento and Ed Devereaux along with some fine young actors ..it cost me heaps more than the 10% to look after them (more on that later in another blog!)   Luckily I got the casting gig for the Grundy Organization.  A great deal of my job was to maintain a trusting work relationship with almost every Agent in Australia – and then again when I was  Casting Associate for “Mcleod’s Daughters” in S.A.

I have worked for Agents too – Joan Gibson and Richard Kent in Sydney, Elaine Holland in Brisbane and Stacey Testro  – now in LA…..all of whom have made their mark in Australian showbiz history… I steered Kevin Palmer into being an Agent….I am introducing Karoline Ellis to him in a couple of weeks so we can discuss  “Agents Now and Then” .I have mentored Ben Parkinson in his initial stages of being a Casting Director. I do understand!

Because of the ever- increasing  leaps  in technology there has been a proliferation  of ” wannabees” who think because they have a camera/ are ardent Facebook writers/ can learn to be an actor in twenty weeks /can be a Producer/Director etc (the  list can go on)   that they have almost instant access to fame and fortune.

I am thankful that I have spent many years learning my all-round craft … I know that times have changed and people can receive information and friends on a continual basis in a much less time-frame.. …let’s hope that trust  still exists.

But then – if we don’t  take a risk  ..as is the nature of this ” show-biz ”   – of following our dreams in a wonderful country such as Australia ..what is the point?  We are so very lucky we have choices.

One of those choices is to find an Agent with whom you can trust and work with  – one of the first questions I am asked when giving Workshops is “Can you recommend a good Agent ?”

This blog is the introduction to my chapters on Agents in “The Right Place At The Right Time”  …still writing ….!