How to get an agent
How do you get an agent? Like, how the HELL do you get an agent??
That’s the question I kept asking myself a few years ago. I’d Google it and some vague stuff would come up about knowing the right people and winning competitions. I really wished at the time that I could reach out to someone for down-to-earth advice…but as a writer with few industry connections, working a day job five days a week, worried about paying the rent, I didn’t know who to turn to.
Fast forward a few years and I’m now repped by Curtis Brown, having finished 4Screenwriting and BBC London Voices, with various TV and film projects in development. These days I get contacted almost every week by emerging writers asking how to get repped and if I can help them. So I thought I’d write this article to help anyone out there who’s feeling a bit lost, and give them that practical, no-nonsense advice I desperately wished someone gave me a few years back.
Let your work speak for you
We’re doing real talk, yeah? No-nonsense advice. Okay, cool. It might be you.
That’s what every writer doesn’t want to hear, but bear with me. Generally speaking I’ve come across two main types of writers – The Talkers and The Hermits. The Talkers are amazing networkers, they seemingly know this person and that person…they’ve got endless spreadsheets for every agent and industry member they’ve emailed their script to. But when it comes to actually reading their work it’s just…like, not that good?
Then you’ve got the Hermits, writers who have excellent scripts tucked away in the drawer that could be award-winning, but they’re so shy and insecure that only their Mums read them.
Ideally you want to be a bit of both…but if I had to choose, I’d lean toward the Hermit. Why?
It seems obvious but – as a writer, you’re judged on your writing. So you kinda want to make sure that your writing speaks for you, not the other way around. Agents are famously time-poor. So you sort of have one shot at sharing your work, and you want to make it count by ensuring it’s your damnedest best work.
Good writing will make itself known. I totally get that competition readers can be biased, great works of art fall through the cracks, etc. But eventually if the writing is good enough it will rise like a cork floating to the top of a jar of water. Sooner or later it’ll be flagged by a reader or win a competition or someone will speak to someone about it, and before long the industry will start talking about you.
And you want people talking about you. Because finding an agent is a bit like dating, ideally…
You want to be chased, not the other way around
This industry is famously risk-averse, especially now. We’ve had budget cuts. Redundancies. The Writers’ Strike and the Actors’ Strike. Over in Hollywood, the catchphrase ‘Survive Till 2025’ is doing the rounds. Agents have let go of some of their clients and are being incredibly selective about who (if any) they take on.
In this tough climate, you have to stand out from the crowd in order to even be considered for representation. So how do you stand out?
Becoming the hot stuff
Writing competitions are great because they provide a platform to champion up-and-coming talent. And because the industry knows how hard it is to get into these schemes, they will view your writing with a newfound respect which will go a long way to helping you secure representation.
That said, there are also a lot of time-wasting, money-making schemes out there that prey on desperate emerging writers. These are competitions (often American tbh) that are run by entrepreneurs pretending to be industry gurus, out to make a quick buck. Be selective about what schemes you trust and personally I’d stick to the big ones – BBC Writers, 4Screenwriting, BAFTA Rocliffe, Nicholl Fellowship, etc.
If you’re not getting into these schemes, get a feedback loop going so you understand why your work is being rejected. And by feedback loop I don’t mean your mate or your parents. Find another writer at a similar level who you can swap notes with for free. Or ask a script reader to give you notes. Or take a writing course. The key is to get a variety of unbiased reactions to your work that will allow you to stand back and truly analyse what’s working and what isn’t working.
During 4Screenwriting we talked a lot about authenticity, unashamed self-expression and vulnerability. Don’t force yourself to become a horror writer if you hate horror…don’t chase industry trends. By the time you’ve written that thing everyone’s looking for, they probably won’t be looking for it anymore. Write the damn story only you can write. You can be quiet and private in person but be loud and colourful on the page.
The other way to become the hot stuff is if you’ve got a production company offering to develop your work. Having a deal on the table is an excellent time to approach an agent. If you’re at a point in your career where you’ve switched your thinking from ‘I desperately need an agent’ to ‘Hang on, do I even need an agent?’ That’s probably a good time to get an agent.
Be targeted & take your time
Don’t send out a blanket email to everyone at an agency addressed to “dear sirs,” it comes across lazy and will go straight to the bin. Be targeted about who you want to represent you. Do some research. Who’s got a client list you vibe with? What defines their tastes and does it align with yours? Why are you specifically targeting that agent?
When approaching agents, my personal strategy was to be cheerful and evidence-based. I listed out the competitions I’d won in clear bullet points, the schemes I’d got on…I basically let my work speak for me. I’m sure there’s no formula but personally I’d steer towards being concise and to-the-point rather than waffly.
Don’t be afraid to take your time and be picky when finding the right agent for you. Remember, you have immense value as a writer, so you want to find a business partner who can match and complement you. Not all agents are created equal (I heard a writer the other day describe their agent as a ‘long lost Father figure.’) When you’re meeting agents over coffee, get a vibe for who you like, who you don’t like, and above all listen to your gut.
Some agents love giving loads of notes on new work. Others don’t. Some are great networkers. Others aren’t. Some excel on the legal side, others might miss stuff. Find the personality and skill set that matches yours, and don’t be afraid to take your time to find the right fit for you.
Larger agencies vs smaller agencies
Big agencies are great because your agent will have loads of connections. However if you go for an agent that’s super established, you might get lost in the crowd because their attention may be taken up by more senior, famous (and profitable) clients. Equally if you go for a smaller agency you might get better one-on-one attention, but your agent might know fewer people in the industry.
To be honest there’s no perfect formula and there are excellent agents at both big and little agencies…a lot of it comes down to the individual agent. A good piece of advice I once got was to try and go for a younger, up-and-coming agent at a bigger agency because that allows you to grow with them, and that way you get the best of both worlds.
Once you’ve been signed…
Congratulations! You’re repped. What now?
You’re probably going to have a huge number of general meetings at once. So you want to be prepared with at least a handful of good ideas for original TV shows/films and two or three excellent spec scripts.
Have a spreadsheet ready with who you’ve met, when, what they were looking for (your future self will thank you when the generals start blurring into one in your head).
Also pretty obvious but don’t be a dick! Be nice. Keep your ego at the door. Not just because people talk, but also because genuinely it’s the right thing to do. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
And remember – this is when the work really starts. All the hustling you demonstrated to get an agent are the skills you’ll need to leverage moving forwards when you meet production companies, go to industry events, get into development, and turn concepts into fully fledged TV series & films on screen.
I hope this helps and I truly wish you the best of luck.
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A massive THANK YOU to Jenny for her generosity in taking the time and trouble to share her invaluable insights.
The next newsletter will be on Friday October 18th.
Best wishes
Phil
PHILIP SHELLEY
Twitter: @PhilipShelley1
Friday October 4th 2024
