The Actor's Guide to Everything

Do I need a REEL for film & television?

Can a MANAGER negotiate my contracts?

Can I have more than 1 REPRESENTATIVE?

How or should I FOLLOW UP after an interview/audition?

How can have a successful INTERVIEW?

Is it better to FREELANCE than to sign with a representative?

Can I just drop by any REPRESENTATIVE or CASTING office?

How can I NETWORK effectively?

When do I need a PUBLICIST?

What is TAX DEDUCTIBLE?

How do I find a THERAPIST?

What should I put on a REEL?

When should I join the UNIONS?

What's the difference between an AGENT and a MANAGER?

Do I need a special ACCOUNTANT to do my taxes?

How do I get REPRESENTATION?

How much does it cost to join SAG, AFTRA and/or AEA?

WHAT can I be doing when I am not AUDITIONING?

How do I stay in touch with my AGENT and/or MANAGER?

How do I get paid when I have a REPRESENTATIVE?

Isn't NETWORKING just going to parties?

What is FREELANCING?

What is a PUBLICIST?

What are the BREAKDOWNS?

ACT I - GETTING HERE
ACT II - GETTING STARTED
ACT III - GETTING AHEAD
TO BE OR NOT TO BE: UNION VS. NON-UNION
REPRESENTATION
ARE YOU READY?
AGENTS/MANAGERS
AGENTS
MANAGERS
THE BREAKDOWNS
FREELANCING
LEGIT (NON-COMMERCIAL) FREELANCING
WHEN TO HAVE BOTH AGENT & MANAGER
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN REPRESENTATIVES
GETTING PAID
HOW TO LEAVE YOUR REPRESENTATION
OTHER REPRESENTATIVES
COVER LETTERS
INTERVIEWING
NETWORKING
MARKETING
TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF
EARNING A LIVING BETWEEN ACTING JOBS
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS?

THE BREAKDOWNS

What Backstage is to an unrepresented actor, Breakdowns are to a represented actor. The Breakdowns are put out by Breakdown Services, a subscription-based service - available ONLY TO REPRESENTATIVES - with information on nearly EVERY union (and some non-union) Film, TV and Theatre production being cast in the US. It takes a project (a film, for example) and gives us information on the producers, the director, the casting director and others involved in this film. Most importantly, it gives a "breakdown" of every character in the script that needs to be cast (age range, male or female, ethnicity and in-depth descriptions of the characters, each pertaining to his/her "look" and behavior). Representatives scroll through each project (sometimes a hundred in one day) and submit clients according to the character descriptions in the Breakdowns, and send their submission to the address on the Breakdown. Then hopefully a call comes from the casting director to set up appointments to meet some or all of those clients that were submitted. Or, sometimes, a representative has to call a casting director and discuss his/her client personally.

These Breakdowns keep us representatives informed of all the happenings in the entertainment industry and they are how many of our clients obtain work.