Jayesh Bagde asked:


A talent agency does a large gamut of tasks from discovering qualified artists and developing their talents to consistently looking for job opportunities for its artists.

A talent agency is an organization that finds work, may it be permanent or temporary, for its pool of professional artists. It is also generally tasked to take care of the careers of artists as well as negotiate their employment contracts. An artist can be a model, dancer, singer, musician, or an actor. Artists may perform in various productions and fields such as print and video product advertisings, commercials, radio, television, theaters, and motion pictures.

A talent agency provides a limelight experience to its fresh artists and facilitates constant link with veteran performers as well as companies, as the industry can be all about maintaining a set of connections. To be taken in by a talent agency, an artist has to present a resume, excellent headshots, and profile, pass the interviews and must meet the talent and personality that the agency requires. A new artist needs to be spirited and equipped as the competition can be extremely tough. Sound advice, further training, research, together with frequent networking with industry players would be very helpful in order to thrive.

There are sundry types and levels of which a talent agency can dedicate itself to. For example, there are talent agencies that focus on modeling. Other agencies may decide to cater to print advertisements and television commercials. Yet, other talent agencies concentrate on acting fields. In other examples, talent agencies may put particular emphasis on impersonators and stand-up comedians. There are talent agencies too that offer the professional expertise of product specialists, tradeshow and convention hosts, and marketing personnel.

Nearly all talent agencies have an Internet existence, making it much easier for talent scouts, producers, and other clients to get hold of the right talents for their specific projects.

An agency may represent thousands of existing and would-be clients, as well. Clients commonly include advertising agencies, casting directors, photographers, production firms, and other direct clients that have their internal production team.

The talent agency persistently looks for opportunities for its artists. It helps artists in acquiring an audition or interview with potential clients. As a rule, the agent would coordinate the specifics of guidelines and wardrobe to be applied for a project. It also discusses talent fees and manages the collection of payments on behalf of its artists for their involvement in certain ventures. A legal talent agency is usually entitled for a 10 to 20 percent commission on the earnings of its talents, depending on the project types. However it is unlawful for an agency to ask for upfront charges for representation.

Ideally, a talent agency should go beyond conventional recruiting. It should work hard and smart in identifying quality artists and developing their knacks not only for strategic targets but for them to grow into becoming great performers.

It is part of the job of a talent agency as well to provide their many talents with trainings, workshops, and exposure that will help them get better, long-term projects. A talent agency may possibly endorse photographers, along with acting, dance, and voice coaches to advance and update the skills of its group of artists.

An agency may also do the mentoring job, an effective way to assist its artists do great and become great. Providing the artists with performance pointers and encouraging advice can to a large extent, help the individuals accomplish impressive performances.

In the United States, a reliable talent agency must be accepted by the SAG or Screen Actors Guild.



Kelly

Dan Goldgeier asked:


For well over 100 years, one invention has propelled our world forward, literally and figuratively. And now many people want to eliminate it.

It’s the internal combustion engine. Cars have ‘em. Planes have ‘em. And ad agencies have ‘em, too.

 

It’s an ingenious idea. Take a high amount of energy, put it in a small enclosed space, and ignite it. You might get a lot of forward motion. You might also get nothing but noxious fumes. The same mechanics apply in the agency world: Depending on where your career fits into the corporate machine, you may be in for a wild, fun ride, or you might get run over.

In the engine that makes up an advertising agency, the parts don’t always work the way they’re designed to. Because we’re in the business of generating ideas—and generating money. And most ad executives can’t agree on the best ways to do one, the other, or both.

Nor do all the parts work together seamlessly with one main thrust. Most advertising agencies aren’t meritocracies. The best idea doesn’t always win. Rather, ideas and concepts are prejudged, judged and filtered in all sorts of ways, from the rank and demeanor of the person presenting the idea to the monetary and or emotional cost of doing (or not doing) an idea.

Sometimes, you can pinpoint those moments where you know the engine isn’t built to run smoothly. I once worked in an agency that simply never presented work internally. No “let’s put it all up on the wall and take a look.” I mean, if two creative teams were given the same assignment, never did they put campaigns side-by-side to compare. Until one day, when it finally happened. Everyone from the account director to the new business guru championed the idea me & my art director (the less experienced team) presented. The other team, consisting of 2 creative directors, got upstaged and knew it. But later on they insisted, “well, ours is a slam dunk.” Which left me & my partner thinking, “What meeting were you just in?”

 

The engine sputters because everyone in advertising is in the business of self-preservation—and career preservation. Particularly when you’re a creative it’s easy to feel threatened by the success of others around you. Because ultimately, you’re judged by your output—what you produce that the marketplace and the industry can see and value. So when it comes time to prove your talent and worth, you’re judged not as a part of a team or agency, just as an individual. Unless you have a stake, like a financial one, in the success of your agency, you’ll always have to look out for yourself.

 

As much as the parts of our agencies are interdependent, it only takes one malfunctioning part to bring it to a halt. A Creative Director that green lights everything without much comment looks weak, and a Creative Director that decides to rewrite and redesign everything is a megalomaniac. Account Executives try to please everyone, which often pleases no one. And the CEO often has no idea how well the engine’s running on a day-to-day basis.

It’d be nice all the parts of an agency work smoothly. Some parts need a little extra greasing. The fuel has to be the right mix. And the conditions outside have to be as optimal as possible. It’s hard to get an agency going if everything’s frozen over.

But, as we crank up the advertising engine every day, we need to keep some things in mind.

 

The agency will stall if it’s dominated by naysayers and devil’s advocates whose mantra is, “the client will never go for it.”

The agency will spin out of control if there’s always a last-minute scramble to change campaigns because someone important didn’t see them early enough.

 

The agency will grind to a halt if one part lacks the ability to effectively work with the other parts.

With every week comes a new conference or survey in which it’s said that the advertising industry and its professionals aren’t keeping up with the times. It may be time to face that an agency’s attempt to push new thinking or new marketing ideas are subject to old processes, posturing, and personal prejudices. Maybe that’s why, if you think you’re an integral part of your agency’s internal combustion engine, you never want to see it dismantled.

Can we eliminate the internal combustion engine? Maybe, but we’ll have replace it with something else. Something more efficient. Cleaner, maybe. New fuel. Less moving parts. Something that isn’t designed by the engineers who came up with the last version of the agency internal combustion engine.

 

It may take our work to new places we never thought we’d go.

 



Robin

Tim Brunelle asked:


hought I would work in advertising.

 

When I was 13, I spent one of those “career days” with Lee Lynch, founder of Carmichael Lynch. Advertising looked like fun, but not like a career. Of course, I was 13. Playing drums in a band like The Police looked like a career.

 

15 years, 11 agencies and lots of clients later, I’ve begun the end game.

 

Hello Viking, my own kind of advertising entity, is now one year old.

 

I say “end game” because I’m not sure where I’d go after this (and I don’t intend for this era of my career to be over any time soon). I’ve always thought of ownership as the last and hopefully longest chapter.

 

It’s definitely been the most educational. The past 12 months have taught me a lot about business and even more about advertising and marketing.

 

You need friends

When I first got into advertising, I imagined I’d easily own my own shop some day. Easily. Yeah, that was a dream.

 

As our first client and valued collaborator, David Wecal of Spring, told us early on—make friends and prepare for the slow times, because they will come. Hello Viking owes its success to friends like David who’ve kept us going.

 

It’s not just friends as clients, it’s friends as mentors, collaborators, cheerleaders and senders of emails that read, “Let me just say how proud I am to know you and to watch from afar as you really take off in this phase of your career. It’s impressive and inspirational.”

 

You also need friends who refer fantastic bookkeepers and tech support.

 

Thank you, friends and family. Without you, Hello Viking wouldn’t exist.

 

Everything is personal

When I worked for another agency—when I worked for someone else—it never really occurred to me that every document and email I wrote, every client meeting where I opened my mouth, every edit session I attended was, in some manner, a reflection on the ownership of the agency. And I’m not sure I would have realized any of it then.

 

When you’re responsible for everyone else’s payroll, work feels different. Almost every decision, every keystroke, has greater perceived impact. This is neither bad nor good. It simply is.

 

Location is nothing

We’ve employed 38 people and collaborated with 39 client contacts around the country this past year; using video chat, email, Basecamp from 37Signals for file and project management and most important—desire.

 

(We’ve earned a few thousand frequent flier miles along the way, too.)

 

I don’t think this approach would have been as successful even five years ago. The difference is, attitudes have changed. Talent and clients both are now much more eager to collaborate virtually. Travel costs have a lot to do with it. However, the desire to work on your own terms—and the realization you (and lots of other people like you) can—is what’s tipped everything.

 

Case in point: Women with kids. Hello Viking employs an incredible roster of producers. Almost all led big accounts for big agencies and big production shops before maternity. Now they can work for us, on their terms, and maintain quality of life.

 

You need an idea

If you’re lucky (and we were), you start your agency with a client already signed up. But that only forestalls the inevitable. At some point, your agency needs to stand for something—to have, at its core, a simple, distinct DNA. Ours is the digital base.

 

The digital base is what underscores any relationship today between any brand and its customers. It’s the data, technology and functionality that dictate corporate leadership, product design, manufacturing, pricing strategy, distribution and customer service are, by default, elements of marketing and advertising. It’s reassuringly analytical, yet stubbornly radical.

 

Everything we do at Hello Viking is grounded in the digital base. And while this approach might evolve or mutate—in fact, I hope it does—the point is to have philosophical guidance. How will we do what we do in a way that’s of value to clients yet distinct from what other agencies are offering?

 

The next chapter

We’ve just added our first fulltime partner. Alan Pafenbach has joined Hello Viking as Chief Creative Officer. If you’re unaware, Alan helped pitch, win then led the Volkswagen “Drivers wanted” campaign at Arnold Worldwide for 10 years. Most recently, Alan was the global creative lead on the Yahoo! business for Ogilvy.

 

It’s exciting. The stakes are getting higher, in all directions, as they should be. The energy, the risk and the emotions are palpable and vibrant. And that’s probably the best part of owning one’s own shop.

Bradley

pooranimator asked:


I was just wondering what kinda stuff does someone has to go through after they have scheduled an appointment with a talent agency. Its specially for acting. What should one do to prepare himself for the appointment?

Carl

Christa Kowalczyk asked:


The top employment agencies in U.S of America are given here.

Ranking of the best US employment agencies was based on revenue. The complete portfolio of each agency includes location and the services they offer.

Here are the top employment agencies in U.S of America:

Hudson Global Resources - A division of Hudson Highland Group, Inc. Their vision, “To be the world’s best at helping employers achieve success through people”. They have expertise in staffing and consulting services particularly permanent & contract professionals, outsourcing solutions and talent management.

Kforce Inc. - Located in Tampa, Florida and operates in 67 offices. Kforce Incorporated specializes in staffing services. They positioned highly skilled employees in firms that need them. Kforce serves FORTUNE 1000 corporations, even the small and midsize firms for over 40 years now. Furthermore, they have a web-based service that includes on-line resumes and job vacancies. They believe that great people add up to great results.

9008 Group Inc. - A private company that started in 1978 situated in Torrance, California. A company that does employment placement, administrative & general management, consulting services, management support services, business facilities oversight, business administration services, business intelligence consulting services, project management, industrial management and management advisory services.

Westaff, Inc. - Located in Walnut Creek, California, Westaff has been in the industry for over 60 years with more than 15,000 clients. They’re offering staffing services, professional recruiting, on-location staffing services, talent trak (in-depth behavioral and skills assessments) time trak (web-based workforce management program), payroll services, e-procurement and special projects. They operate in 209 offices throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Heidrick & Struggles International - Established in Chicago, Illinois, existed for more than 50 years catering to temporary placement, management assessment, and professional development services. They are the leader in executive search industry. Primarily, they provide incomparable service and expertise to bring effective leadership solutions for clients.

Driving Momentum Inc. - Centered in Dallas, Texas, the company started in 1996. A very supportive and receptive company, it works round the clock, 24/7 to meet the requirements of its customers. If in need of professional and best drivers anytime, Driving Momentum is the answer.

Vedior North America, Llc - started 1994, the headquarters is located in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Formerly known as New Boston Group of Companies, the group was bought in 1994 by the UK-located recruitment company Select Appointments (Holdings). Their services include a broad range of staffing services. A staffing solutions to Traditional, Light Industrial Administrative sectors and also Specialist sectors like Healthcare, Information Technology, Engineering, Accounting, and Education. Vedior believes in excellence and innovation in their recruiting practice.

Chg Healthcare Services, Inc - Started in 1979, CHG is one of the pioneer and largest source of healthcare staffing in the United States. They provide a comprehensive service that includes temporary and permanent placement of physicians, health professionals and nurses to hospitals and healthcare firms.

CoWorx Staffing Services, Llc - formerly known as Pomerantz Staffing Services, offers employment services, employee recruiting, temporary staffing solutions, temporary employment, human resources recruiting, on-line recruiting, direct hire/executive recruitment and payroll services since 1974. Their main office is located in Watchung, New Jersey. They credit their success to their unparalleled commitment to people, their clients and their employees.

Odyssey One Source Incorporated - situated in Euless, Texas; operations started since 1990. An individual outsourcing firm that offers answers pertaining to human resources, risk management, payroll, taxes, benefits and training.



Ronnie

zne21 asked:


My daughter has been asked to sign with a talent agency, what are some questions I should ask before signing her with them?
My daughter has been asked to sign with a talent agency, what are some questions I should ask before signing her with them? She’s only 3months.
She’s 3months old.

Brittany

Jeremy Daley asked:


Most TV commercials you see, radio commercials you hear, training films, and more use the voice of a professional announcer. In the media industry, these much sought after voice pros are called Voice Over Talent.

A fine voice over talent can give you a warm, friendly read that not only entices prospects to take an interest in you, but effectively urges them to buy. A good voice can accentuate just the right words, stress the right phrases, and literally create an emotion in the listener.

In the past, many producers both large and small avoided working with top voice over talents because (1) they were hard to contact, (2) took weeks to finish the job, and (3) were very expensive. The usual method was to contact an advertising or talent agency who set up a session with the voice over talent. Not only could this take days, weeks, or even months for some top talents — the fee could range from several hundred to thousands of dollars and more.

Today the old system in still in place, but other top voice over artists are making the experience MUCH easier, quicker, and affordable. As a busy voice over talent, I offer voice services from my web site and often have the client’s job finished in as little as one hour. Fees are low enough for even the solo web site owner to afford a professional voice for their site’s greeting or flash presentation.

Here are a few things to look for in a voice over talent:

(1) The voice should be friendly and personable. A warm, friendly voice immediately creates a warm feeling for most people. That warm feeling can quickly translate into sales, sign-ups, and higher customer satisfaction.

(2) You don’t need a “voice of god.” That’s the term a lot of people in the media industry use for those super deep voiced announcers you hear at the movies and sometimes on the radio. Studies show customers and prospects are more likely to connect with a voice that sounds more like a regular person.

(3) But unlike an everyday person, professional voices know how to accentuate a word, stress a phrase, and create a mental image for the listener. This ability is probably the number one thing you should look for. Listen closely how the talent reads a script. Is the reading flat or are they bringing the script to life?

(4) Don’t blow your budget on an overly expensive voice over talent. Getting the agency’s top voice may be impressive to your friends, but saving the money and using a high quality but affordable voice over artist will give you as good or better results. You can use the money you save to enhance other aspects of your project, giving you a better shot at success.

Finally, keep in mind most people act on their feelings, not necessarily their logic. Nothing stimulates emotions like a good voice. Using a professional voice over talent makes a lot of sense.



Craig

Cynthia Walker asked:


The following are five things that model agencies in Dubai or any other country will never ask you. These are vital to know when looking for a legitimate agency and finding a reputable one that has your best interests at heart.

They include:

• No money up front or even the suggestion of it - A reputable agent even in Dubai with take up to 15% only in a cut for your modeling earnings, never asking for handling, signing or any type of agency fees, not even a sign-up fee.

• No payments for test photos shots or building a modeling portfolio - A reputable agent even in Dubai will put their investment into you and regain their monetary investment back when they find you work. Your test photo shots will be arranged for you and your only obligation is to turn up on time and have a positive type of attitude. In fact, most of them will have pre-arranged contracts with their photographers and any make up artisans, whom they will pay themselves and fork out of their own budget to create your new portfolio. However, if the agent thinks you have real talent then would not even suggest monetary funding from you for your portfolio.

• No money up front for comp cards – Comp cards are like business cards for models, being the same size as a standard photo album photo and consist of about three to five good photos of you with varied looks, including a bio (hair color, eye color, weight, height, age, plus shoe size). You may wish to pay for this for yourself in advance, but this is only done if there are no offers of work available or in the foreseeable future. Your agent will wish to represent you and develop you as they see fit and so they will invest in this on your behalf. This may also include Internet tool promotions and web profiling.

• Modeling lessons should not cost you a penny – A good agency that see talent in you will invest in you, even for modeling lessons to develop you further. For them modeling is a big business and they understand fully the risks involved in investing in you. If they suggest classes to you for posing or runways then take up the offer, but never do it should you have to put money up front.

• No distasteful, suggestive or nude photos will be asked for or suggested – Quality agents will never ask such things of any model, even a new talent when they are signing up, but some models are specially trained for these type of shots and agents dealing in these should clearly identify the type of work they offer only experienced models. You, however, may have to take a bikini photo or wear lingerie. These will always be tasteful, innocent looking and never revealing or provocative in nature. If an agent asks for sexually explicit or sexually revealing shots then you are wise to walk out, whether in Dubai or not.



Ann

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Like in other states, Georgia has employment agencies that help in

matching workers to companies that have manpower vacancies to fill.

These employment agencies render are categorized according to

employment services such as temporary staffing, student employment,

executive recruitment and talent agencies.

These Georgia employment agencies facilitate in executive

recruitment through a third party. This may be through a recruiter or recruitment agency which

liaises between the client company and jobseekers. They also serve as experts when it comes to the relationships of clients like in sales or business development, or usually when it comes to screening and recruitment of candidates, or

human sourcing, like it is also sometimes called. In certain cases,

executive recruiters can also serve as an expert in terms of clients and as well as a recruiter.

On the other hand, temporary staffing firms or employment agencies in

Georgia, judging from the name implies, helps large-scale companies fill up

jobs for temporary employment. Usually, there is quite an overlap in

the workforce that the commendable transitory employees ultimately get

hired as regular employees by the company. These temporary agencies

usually help applicants fill vacancies for jobs in health care,

Page 8

accounting, janitorial and maintenance, secretarial, light industrial

and technical. These temporary agencies in Georgia are usually listed

in the local phone directories (under the “employment” or “temp

employment” categories) also they provided lists or websites in the

internet. Only personal applications are accepted in these agencies,

though.

Meanwhile, the student employment agencies is Georgia could be found located within

the state’s prominent academes like that of universities. These agencies offer

temporary work but also take into consideration the

students’ education and schedules.

Talent agencies specialize in finding projects or employment for

actors, musicians, models and other types of performers specifically

in the entertainment field. There are a lot of talent agencies that could be found in the

country and majority of them not to mention the talent agencies found in Georgir, are managed by artists unions and legal jurisdiction as suggested by the governing rules of the state.

However, unlike other agencies, the Georgia’s employment agencies are

regulated by GAPS or the Georgia Association of Personnel Services.

GAPS is a non-profit trade association which is composed of Personnel

Staffing Services Firms throughout the state of Georgia, and is

primarily addressing the needs of those institutions and other business entities for their demand when it comes to labor or manpower. As of 2005,

there were over 150 companies as well as branches that was accredited

with a seal of approval from GASP. These accredited companies enjoy

many priveliges like that of extensive networkinh.

Even though GAPS addresses employer needs, it also functions to provide protection and

advocate workers rights. GAPS’ Education Institute which offers

industry-related seminars, skills training for workers, and training

seminars for different level of consultants may they be highly experienced or not.

By 2006, there were a total of around these agencies in Georgir reached to 1, 500. Due to the soaring needs the work force are slowly paving the way

for the emergence of more agencies. Some have even evolved into skills

learning centers while there are others who have focused their attention providing employment

for health care workers such as hospital aids even skilled nurses.



Joe

Kyle R. asked:


Would a Talent Agency in Michigan be able to get me another agent in New York? I want to audition for Soaps.
I have a lot of experience doing indie student films and have been casted as the lead in the majority of them. I’m very confident and ready to take it to the next level. Michigan does not have much more to offer me. I would love to move to New York. I’ve been dreaming of moving there forever but realistically it is expensive unless I moved to a dangerous area. I could afford to fly to New York if there were auditions. Possibly fly back for another. Definitely fly there if they offered me a job.
Okay, I’ll narrow it down…could a Michigan talent agent get me an audition for a soap in New York? I just sent off my headshot/resume to the only 3 SAG franchised agencies in Michigan.

Carol