It took me 2 or so months of the most repetitive and tedious tasks to get an agent. I was also lucky that I wasn't scammed but that's part of the game. First rule, never pay your agent. If they ask for a payment, it's a scam, it is as simple as that. It's like the universal rule, but I bet tonnes of people fall to these scams because you're just desperately looking for the golden ticket. Needless to say, getting an agent is not the golden ticket, but it does help alot.
So what's the trick to bagging an agent? First of all, you're not the fisherman(woman), and they're not the fish. You are the fish in this situation and there are tonnes of fish just like you, wanting what you want. The only way to be picked up is to make yourself attractive to them or be lucky enough to fit a demographic they lack. I'd say it was a mix of both for me, or it could be entirely the demographic part, it doesn't matter to be honest. A mentor of mine told me that I fit an under occupied demographic in the UK acting scene and maybe that played to my advantage. The one thing I didn't do though, is approach an agent with nothing under my belt. No agent will take you seriously if you're not in training or have a few credits to your name. Even unpaid. My first two roles were unpaid and till now, my only paid work is still a website video. You have to start somewhere. I didn't get paid for my first roles, but I got credits, I can say I'm on Spotify and it made me an official actor. An actor is someone who acts, no matter the medium. You got to start somewhere.
So with all the boring stuff out the way, on to the even more boring stuff. Emailing! Send as many emails as you can to every agent in your country. Search and target. Write one very good email and send it to them all. I have heard others say to do research and personalise it, but that's not what I did so I can't speak for that. You will be sending over 50 emails, you'll probably lose count if you're doing it right. I doubt you'll have time to personalise each email, just focus on spreading the word and put your eggs in as many baskets as possible. If it doesn't work, don't despair, give it a few months of adding more credits to your name and undertaking training, then email them again, but this time actually do some research. I applied to somewhere around a 100 agencies and I only got two positive replies, one was in Wales so that didn't work for me. That's the sort of luck I'm talking about. Luckily for me, the agency I reached out to is legit and has good connections. Remember, agents don't book you roles, they just give you access to opportunities, you probably have to work even harder with an agent. Goodluck soldier!
