By Kevin E. West
Let’s get something straight right out of the gate: pursuing an agent is just like dating.
Whether you’re currently repped and trying to figure out if it’s actually working, or you’re out pounding the pavement trying to land a meeting, you have to know how to grade the relationship.
Back in 1991, when I founded The Actors Network, I started building the curriculum that universities simply refuse to teach. Decades later, the fundamentals of how this business operates haven’t changed. If you want to stop guessing and start treating your career like a business, here is how you vet an agency from day one.
1. The Legitimacy Baseline (The Legal Floor)
In the United States, how do you know an agency is legitimate?
At the top tier, you look for two governing credentials:
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A SAG-AFTRA franchise
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Membership in the ATA (Association of Talent Agencies)
Now, does that mean an unfranchised shop is automatically a scam? Not necessarily. I grew up in Nashville and started my career in Atlanta—in smaller, regional marketplaces, great boutique agencies operate outside those two franchises all the time.
The bare minimum rule: They must have a valid state business license clearly posted on the wall, and they must comply with your state’s talent agency registration laws. If they don’t have basic legal compliance, you have zero protections. Walk away.
2. The Meeting: Don’t Guess—Ask Ahead of Time
The number one question actors ask me about representation meetings is: “What are they going to expect from me?”
My answer is always the same: Did you bother to ask them?
Whether your meeting is theatrical, commercial, or over a Zoom link, you should never walk in blind:
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Are they expecting a contemporary monologue?
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Are they pairing you with a reader for a scene?
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Are they handing you cold commercial copy?
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Or is it strictly a business consultation across a desk?
Ask the assistant or the rep before you show up. Showing up prepared for the exact format of the room immediately proves you understand how professional workflow works.
3. Strategy Over Luck
I don’t care if you just stepped off the bus or if you’ve been grinding in this town for fifteen years—most actors have no strategy for an agent meeting. They sit in the chair, smile, and hope someone likes them.
An agent meeting is not an audition; it’s an operational consult. You are deciding if you want to partner with this person to run a business together. You must enter that room with clear questions, defined boundaries, and a solid strategy for how communication and pitching will actually be handled before you sign your name to anything.