Agent fees?
Scott
Is a 20% commission to an agent for non union commercial and narration
work reasonable? My agent says it is and I have no other experience
to compare it with.
Scott
William David Espin
Scott,
The standard in the industry is 10% commission for a talent agent. If your
agent is asking for twenty percent on non-union work, he or she must be a
very good agent.
David
Scott <brun...@televar.com> wrote in article <3521e588.0@concord>...
Wayne LeGette
No it's not. 10% is normal commission for all commercial, TV, film work
etc. Only Print work is higher (20% I believe). If your agent is not SAG
and AFTRA franchised, even if you are NOT a union member, find another
agent. Call SAG for a list of franchised agents. Their web site is
www.sag.com
Good luck.
Wayne
Scott wrote in message <3521e588.0@concord>...
Bill
William David Espin wrote:
>
> Scott,
> The standard in the industry is 10% commission for a talent agent. If your
> agent is asking for twenty percent on non-union work, he or she must be a
> very good agent.
> David
>
> > Is a 20% commission to an agent for non union commercial and narration
> > work reasonable? My agent says it is and I have no other experience
> > to compare it with.
> > Scott
Dear folks,
The 10% commission is an industry standard for SAG/AFTRA franchised
talent agencies, NOT for the industry as a whole.
Many marketplaces produce as much non-union work as union work. Since
non-union scales are "what the market will support".... and therefore
less than what the unions negotiate, non-union talent agencies
necessarily take a higher commission from the best fee they can
negotiate.
If my SAG agent helps me get a job that pays $1,000, at 10%, her
commision will be $100. If the same job were filmed non-union and the
best the non-union agent could negotiate was $500, the agent would have
to charge a 20% commission to collect $100.
(My agent is sharp, by the way, in that she tends to negotiate the
$1,000 fee, and then requires the producer to add her 10% on top of my
wages.)
I personally wish that all actors would sign with SAG/AFTRA Franchised
talent agents, but I'm a realist. There is in my marketplace one
non-union agent that does consistently good work (15 years) in the
non-union arena. No up-front fees, no school scams. And they charge
15%. Reasonable, imho.
Break a leg,
Bill
--
THE ACTING STUDIO
http://gvtg.com/theactingstudio
Erickson
Scott wrote in message <3521e588.0@concord>...
>Is a 20% commission to an agent for non union commercial and narration
>work reasonable? My agent says it is and I have no other experience
>to compare it with.
A fair agent will take %15 on non union. A really fair agent will take %10,
the same as Union. Unfortunately, non union isn't covered under law.
Eric
>
>
>Scott
mr. tony
This is correct. A non-union agent can charge 75% if they want. It is all
what the market will accept. It is always a good idea to shop around and
get up front pricing.
--
Midatlantic Talent
http://angritt.com/bac.htm
Wayne LeGette
In that case, why not shop around and find a Union franchised agent who
cannot by law charge more than 10%, will get the major film/TV castings, and
stop wasting your time with a non-Union one? Every franchised agent I've
ever freelanced with gets both Union and Non-Union breakdowns.
Wayne
mr. tony wrote in message <6g0dr3$l...@camel19.mindspring.com>...
Bill
Dear Wayne,
An actor does not "freelance" with an agent, an actor signs with an
agent. Some SAG/AFTRA franchised agencies do exactly what you suggest
-- represent union actors for union jobs; and also represent non-union
actors for either non-union projects, or for selected union jobs in
which the actor is deemed to be competitive.
And many SAG/AFTRA franchised agencies DO NOT bid for non-union work,
and DO NOT sign non-union actors.
ray.nor...@factory.com
on a free-lance basis bu agents.
http://www.buzznyc.com/actors/res.normandeau.raymond.html
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Wayne LeGette
Hi Bill,
I must agree with the last post and disagree with you. I don't know where
you are getting your information from but every agent I know, in New York or
in Florida, all freelance as well as sign actors. I have been represented
by agents for the last 12 years and I have never signed with one... just
haven't found the right one yet. Yet I've booked countless jobs with these
folks.
Yes, you are correct many franchised agents stay away from non-union work,
but more than half do.
Bill
ray.nor...@factory.com wrote:
Bill
> In New York City they do. My wife and I both have been submitted
> on a free-lance basis bu agents.
You're absolutely correct, Ray. In the largest marketplaces, NY and
LA, this is so. But in regional and smaller marketplaces, actors meet
resistance, not so much from state legislation, but from common
practice.
Most agents don't need "exclusive representation" laws to practice
it.... just the right marketplace conditions and collusion with other
agents to make it happen.
Bill
Wayne LeGette wrote:
>
> Hi Bill,
>
> I must agree with the last post and disagree with you. I don't know where
> you are getting your information from but every agent I know, in New York or
> in Florida, all freelance as well as sign actors. I have been represented
> by agents for the last 12 years and I have never signed with one... just
> haven't found the right one yet. Yet I've booked countless jobs with these
> folks.
Wayne,
I get my information from 35 years in the business, 20 years as a
member of SAG/AFTRA. And while I have spent many years working in
Colorado, I do my best to maintain an active network with friends and
colleagues in all parts of the country.
Florida is a right-to-work state (along with Texas, Arizona and a few
other states), and that alone changes the environment for actors and
agents. And if you while working in Flordia can "list" with many agents
without signing with one specific agent, and that serves your career,
then more power to you. But, the strongest actors I know in each of
those marketplaces sign with the strongest agent.
New York is a labor-law state, and while exclusivity of representation
is not enforced, it is generally practiced. It is common practice in NY
to have 3 or 4 agents.... a theatrical agent, a commercial agent, a film
agent a print modelling agent. And out of that, many actors "list" with
numerous agents within the basic common categories. The high-level
agents in NYC do require exclusive representation from their best
actors.
> Yes, you are correct many franchised agents stay away from non-union
work,
> but more than half do.
Of course, and that creates a window of opportunity for non-union
actors who need to add to their body of work, in order to become
competitive. And actors should be aware of those SAG/AFTRA franchised
agency that covers both union and non-union work. And they should also
be aware that the best agencies in the larger marketplaces don't waste
their time with non-union work.
And before this topic goes into over-fill, let me add this: all 50
states have different laws about representation.... study those laws.
SAG/AFTRA has locals in all those states.... talk to your local
SAG/AFTRA. What works in NYC, doesn't necessarily work in Miami, or
Podunk, Iowa.
Wayne LeGette
Bill,
Thanks for all the info. I defer to your many years of experience. I was
only trying to clear up the point that actors DO freelance with agents. Not
everybody signs. Even when I met with a legit agent at William Morris in
NYC we talked about freelancing at first and I freelanced with Hartig for a
while. These are not small agents to be sure.
Florida is a WHOLE different kettle of fish, you are correct. Agents down
here get breakdowns and send actors out. There isn't ONE agent that takes a
personal interest in furthering a particular actors' career so there is
nobody worth signing with. It's better to freelance with many since
everyone has a different view of your market appeal anyway. And down here
there's is ONLY one Equity franchised agency... they all concentrate on SAG
and AFTRA work... so they all get basically the same calls.
Regards,
Wayne LeGette
Bill
Wayne LeGette wrote:
>
> Bill,
>
> Thanks for all the info. I defer to your many years of experience. I was
> only trying to clear up the point that actors DO freelance with agents. Not
> everybody signs. Even when I met with a legit agent at William Morris in
> NYC we talked about freelancing at first and I freelanced with Hartig for a
> while. These are not small agents to be sure.
Points made and points taken, Wayne. And the point that also should be
made is that an actor's marketability AND the geography should determine
whether an actor signs an exclusive contract or freelances.
> Florida is a WHOLE different kettle of fish, you are correct. Agents down
> here get breakdowns and send actors out. There isn't ONE agent that takes a
> personal interest in furthering a particular actors' career so there is
> nobody worth signing with. It's better to freelance with many since
> everyone has a different view of your market appeal anyway. And down here
> there's is ONLY one Equity franchised agency... they all concentrate on SAG
> and AFTRA work... so they all get basically the same calls.
I know that's how things are done in Florida and other right-to-work
states. These kinds of conditions make it difficult for unions to
protect the rights of actors. But that's just my humble opinion.
terry-michael tyracy
Scott wrote:
> Is a 20% commission to an agent for non union commercial and narration
> work reasonable? My agent says it is and I have no other experience
> to compare it with.
>
> Scott
NO! NO! NO!
tubesteak2000