Agents—3

For the last two weeks, I’ve been talking about the process of finding an agent. And it IS a process. Ironically, you can take all the right steps, be as proactive as hell, and still not find an agent. Chances are, you’ll find that first agent through a personal contact you make in your search… just stay open to all alternatives.

Remember that an agent is most interested in you if you already have a writing gig. So even if you get hired under scale to write something, let an agent know that. That might show them you’re marketable and they’ll read your work. Or if you get offered a writing gig, THAT is the time to call agents and say “I have a writing assignment and need someone to negotiate the terms for me.” Because that’s easy money for them—they’ll get 10% of whatever they can negotiate for you. They didn’t have to lift a finger to find you the job, but knowing that someone has hired you makes you a hotter commodity and they’ll work to try and sell your other scripts—hopefully you have more than one!

But let’s say it happens—you write a script and, in fact, maybe it’s Christmas or something, but you get meetings with more than one agent. Whoa. How are you supposed to decide? And this is an important decision because you need an agent who isn’t just going to sit by the phone and wait for people to call who want to hire you, you need an agent who’s going to call their contacts at studios and production companies and extoll the virtues of their hot new client—you—and convince those companies to read your work.

If you have more than one agent after you, chances are you’ve done something that makes them want to win you to their agency rather than let you get picked up by their pal down the block. So they’re going to try and sell you on choosing them to be your agent. So how do you decide?

I have two criteria—persistence and humor. An agent who’s persistent in wooing you is probably going to be just as persistent in selling your work around town. And humor? Well, let me tell you a story.

Not too long ago my longtime agent died and I had to choose a new one. And for me it came down to that joviality, that sense of humor. And to prove that I chose right, here’s what happened a couple of weeks ago. I had a phone pitch meeting to adapt a book—I thought it went really well and got an email from one of the three agents I work with at the agency saying that the producer “…didn’t really love your ideas.” I was crushed—how could I have misread the meeting? Then about 3 seconds later one of the other agents on my team wrote back, as did the original email sender, “BIG TYPO—he did like your ideas. DID.”

ME: Ha ha.. you both corrected that so fast! But hey, when the time comes someone doesn't like my stuff, never hesitate to say so... only way I learn/grow and all that.

AGENT !: We kill anyone who doesn’t like your work… we’re full service!

How funny is that???

And that’s what you want, agents you can relate to on a human level, people who get you and can laugh about a mistake… you want a fully functioning, compassionate being with a great sense of humor.

Kind of like finding a mate, though… can be tough… so good luck out there!!

Copyright © Diane Lake

18Jun17

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com