Questions to Ask a Talent Agent
Questions to ask a talent agent at a first meeting and before you sign, whether that is an acting agent or one for commercials, voice or presenting: who is on the roster, how they see you, how they submit and pitch, commission and fees, exclusivity and the way out. The last group has questions to ask an agent you are already signed with, when you want to know what you are being sent for and whether it is still working. Every question has a note on what to listen for, and the guide below lists what the agent is likely to ask you.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Ask first
What kinds of clients do you represent?
Why ask it
You are checking whether you would be a natural fit for the roster or an experiment. An agent whose list is mostly commercial actors will mostly have commercial contacts, whatever is said about theatre in the meeting. Look at the roster page afterwards and see whether people like you are on it.
How many clients do you have, and how many are close to my type?
Why ask it
Ask for the number per agent, since forty clients on one desk is a different workload from forty shared across three. Then ask how many sit in your age range and casting type. One or two is to be expected, and a long list of them means your photo goes out next to theirs on most roles.
How do you see me, and what kinds of roles would you send me out for?
Why ask it
This asks them to do a small piece of the job in front of you. A good answer names an age range, a type and two or three kinds of part, and it should sound like the person in your headshot. If their picture of you is far from yours, talk about it now, because theirs is the one casting will hear.
What is your commission, and what does it apply to?
Why ask it
Rates vary by market, by union agreement and by type of work, so ask whether one percentage covers theatre, screen, commercials and voice. Then pin down two details: whether it comes off the gross fee or off what is left after deductions, and whether they commission jobs you found yourself.
How long is the first contract, and how can either of us end it?
Why ask it
Ask before you are enthusiastic. You want the length of the term, the notice period, whether it renews by itself, and whether you can leave early if no work comes in for a set stretch. Those four answers decide how expensive a bad match would be.
Are there any fees or costs I would pay besides commission?
Why ask it
In most markets a reputable agent earns only when you do, and in some places upfront fees are restricted by law, so ask the union or the regulator what applies to you. A signing fee, a monthly retainer or a charge for in-house photos and classes is the classic warning sign. If one comes up, get it in writing and show it to someone independent before you pay anything.
What made you want to meet me?
Why ask it
The answer shows what they noticed: a credit, a referral, a gap in their list, or one scene on your reel. That is probably what they will lead with when they pitch you, so it is worth knowing even if it is not what you would have chosen yourself.
The agency
How long have you been an agent, and what did you do before?
Why ask it
A newer agent may have more time for you, which can be worth more than a famous name where you would be the smallest client. Listen for the route in. Years in a casting office or as an assistant at a bigger agency usually come with relationships, and someone arriving from an unrelated field may still be building theirs.
Is the agency licensed, and is it franchised with the performers' union here?
Why ask it
Whether an agency needs a licence, and whether a union signs off on its contracts, depends on the state or country, so ask how it works where they operate. Then check the answer on the regulator's or the union's own listing. A quick, exact reply is what you are hoping for, and irritation at being asked is a reason to slow down.
Do you represent non-union performers, and how would you handle me joining the union?
Why ask it
Rules on who may work on which jobs differ a great deal between countries and unions, so ask how it works in this market. The timing of joining can open some doors and close others for a while. Look for an agent with a view on when it makes sense for you in particular.
Who on your roster is at a similar stage to me?
Why ask it
This gets a more specific answer than asking about clients in general. Two or three names you can look up make the comparison real. If the only name offered is their most successful client, you are hearing about the exception.
What have clients at my level booked in the last year?
Why ask it
Recent bookings for people like you are the closest thing to evidence you will get, and you can check them against public credits later. If the examples are all several years old, ask what has changed since. A slow year across the whole market is a fair answer, and a change of subject is not.
Which casting directors do you work with most often?
Why ask it
A specific answer comes with the names of offices and the kinds of project they cast, which you can compare with the work you want. 'We know everyone' is harder to weigh. Follow up by asking which office last rang them looking for a client.
Which departments does the agency have, and which would I be signed to?
Why ask it
Film and television, commercials, voiceover, print and presenting are often run by different agents with different contacts. You may be sitting with the television agent while the paperwork covers commercials as well. Find out who handles each area, and ask to meet them before you agree to be represented there.
Would I be your client or the whole agency's, and who covers when you are away?
Why ask it
At some agencies one person looks after you, and at others the team submits from a shared list. Either can work. What you need to know is whose inbox an audition request lands in during a holiday, and what happens to you if this agent moves to another company.
Do you work in other markets, or only this one?
Why ask it
This matters if you can work as a local hire in a second city or are thinking of moving. Some agencies submit nationwide, some pass you to a partner office, and some would prefer you found separate representation there. Where two agencies are involved, ask how the commission is shared between them.
Could I talk to one or two of your current clients?
Why ask it
Some agents will offer a name, and others will point you to the roster and leave you to reach out. Either way, ask that client how often they hear from the agent and how quickly they were paid after their last job. Ten minutes with someone on the books tells you things the meeting cannot.
Submissions
How do you submit clients, and how do you decide who goes forward for a role?
Why ask it
Find out whether submissions are made by the agent, by an assistant, or by a batch tool that pushes the whole roster at everything. Ask too whether you are told about each submission or only about auditions. Once you know that, a quiet month is something you can read.
When do you follow a submission with a call or an email?
Why ask it
An electronic submission puts you in a grid of thumbnails with everyone else. A direct pitch is how an agent lifts one client out of that grid, and nobody does it for every role. Ask which kinds of parts they would pick up the phone for on your behalf.
How do you handle it when two of your clients suit the same role?
Why ask it
Most agencies put forward more than one client for a role, so 'that never happens' is not a credible answer. Ask how they choose, and whether each client is told. Otherwise you find out from the other actor in the waiting room.
What would you want us to work on in the first six months?
Why ask it
A concrete list is a sign they have studied your materials: a reel that needs recutting, a headshot that no longer looks like you, an accent missing from your profile. Talk of building your brand, with no first task attached, suggests the plan is to submit you as you are and see what comes back.
Are my headshots and reel working, or would you want new ones before you send me out?
Why ask it
Expect an opinion, since these are the tools they sell you with. Useful feedback is specific: this shot reads too young, the reel takes forty seconds to reach you. If new photos are needed, a list of suggested photographers is fine, and a single required name is a reason to ask who is paid for the session.
Which casting sites should I be on, and who keeps the profiles up to date?
Why ask it
The platforms differ by country and by type of work, so ask which ones this office submits through. Some agencies manage your profiles, while others expect you to upload every new photo and clip yourself. The subscription fees are usually yours, so ask what they come to in a year.
Can I still submit myself for projects, and how do you want to hear about it?
Why ask it
Plenty of agents are happy for you to chase student films, fringe theatre and small independent work on your own. What they do not want is both of you submitting for the same role, or a booking they discover through a clash in your diary. Settle the rule now, including which platforms you leave to them.
How quickly do you need a self-tape back, and do you watch it before it goes to casting?
Why ask it
Turnarounds of a day or two are common, and some offices want the tape early enough to ask for a redo. An agent who watches can catch a bad frame or a misread tone. If tapes are forwarded unseen, you are your own quality control, which is workable as long as you know it.
Is there work you would not submit me for, or would tell me to turn down?
Why ask it
Background work, unpaid shorts, low-rate commercials with long usage terms: agents hold strong and differing opinions on all of them. Hearing theirs tells you how they think about your career beyond the next fee. It also saves an argument the first time you bring them a job they dislike.
Money and contract
Is the representation exclusive, and in which areas?
Why ask it
Contracts often separate acting, commercials, voice, modelling and presenting, and an agency may be strong in only one of them. Go through the areas one at a time and ask who at the agency works in each. Anything nobody there covers is worth asking to leave out, so that you can take that work elsewhere.
Do you ever start with a trial period before a full contract?
Why ask it
Some agencies try a new client for a few months on a handshake or a short agreement before offering full terms, and the name for this differs from city to city. Ask what would count as the trial going well, and whether commission and exclusivity apply during it. Without an end date or a measure, a trial can drift on for a year.
When a job pays, does the money come through you, and how soon would I get my share?
Why ask it
Often the production pays the agency, which takes its commission and sends on the rest. Ask how many days that takes and whether client money sits in an account separate from the agency's own. Rules on holding client money differ by place, so ask which ones they work under, and listen for slow payment when you speak to their other clients.
Do you take commission on residuals, repeat fees or renewals, and for how long after we part?
Why ask it
A commercial that renews or a show that repeats can keep paying for years. Whether the agent who booked it keeps a share once you have left is set by the contract, and in some places by union rules. Have them point to the clause instead of describing it.
Who negotiates my contracts, and when would you bring in a lawyer?
Why ask it
Agents negotiate fees and terms routinely, and a larger or unusual deal may need an entertainment lawyer as well, usually at your cost. Ask for an example of a deal they passed to one. Knowing where their competence stops is more useful than hearing that they handle everything.
May I take the agreement away and have someone read it before I sign?
Why ask it
Ask for a few days. A union office, a lawyer or an experienced actor can tell you which clauses are ordinary in your market and which are not. Watch how the request lands as much as what is said: an agent confident in the paperwork hands it over without fuss.
If I have a manager, or get one later, how would the two of you work together?
Why ask it
Some agents like a manager who shares the workload, and some find a second voice on every decision slows things down. Ask who talks to casting and who has the last word on an offer. Both take a percentage of the same fee, so work out what a typical job would leave you.
What do you do when a contract asks for a digital scan or AI use of my voice or likeness?
Why ask it
These clauses can turn up on anything from background work to voice jobs, and the protections depend on the union agreement and the country. The answer to hope for is that the agent reads for them, tells you before you sign, and has pushed back on one. 'It is all standard wording' tells you none of that.
What happens if a production pays late or not at all?
Why ask it
On union jobs there is usually a set route for chasing money, and on other work it can come down to how hard the agency pushes. Ask for the last time it happened and how it ended. A real story, including how long it took, is worth more than a promise that clients always get paid.
Working together
How do you prefer to communicate, and how often should I check in?
Why ask it
Ask for the actual pattern, not the ideal: email or phone, and how long a reply normally takes. Quiet weeks are normal when little is casting, so agree what counts as a reasonable gap. After that, a follow-up from you is the arrangement working and not you being a nuisance.
Do you pass on feedback after auditions, including the unflattering kind?
Why ask it
Casting feedback is often thin or nonexistent, so the honest answer is sometimes no. The useful signal is whether they will relay criticism when they have it, or whether they filter it to keep you happy, which leaves you repeating the same mistake.
What do you expect from me?
Why ask it
Typical answers are availability at short notice, a decent self-tape setup, keeping up classes and replying the same day. All of those are in your control, unlike who gets cast. Ask which one clients most often let slip, and you will know what this agent notices.
How do you want me to tell you when I am unavailable?
Why ask it
This is often called booking out, and it is a small piece of admin that goes wrong easily. If you are put forward for a shoot in a week you are abroad, the agent is the one who has to explain it to casting. Ask whether they want an email, a calendar entry or an update on the casting platform, and how much notice.
If something goes wrong on a job, who do I call, and at what hours?
Why ask it
Unsafe conditions, a change to what was agreed, a request you are not comfortable with: in those moments you need a person and not an office voicemail. Ask for the out-of-hours number and whether they expect you to use it. It is also fair to ask what they did the last time a client rang from a set.
How do you handle permits, hours and schooling for clients under 18?
Why ask it
Rules on work permits, working hours, tutoring and protected earnings for minors change from one state or country to the next, so ask what applies where the job shoots. An agency with young clients on its books will describe the steps without hesitating. If you are under 18, bring a parent or guardian to this meeting, since they will usually have to sign as well.
How much does my social media matter to you?
Why ask it
Some agents watch follower counts closely, and others think they have little to do with the work they get you. You can work with either view, but find out which it is before you sign, because one of them comes with unpaid hours of posting. Ask too whether they want a say in what you post.
Which classes, coaches or workshops would you want me doing?
Why ask it
A recommendation tied to a gap they have spotted, such as on-camera technique or comedy, is worth having. Be more careful when the suggestion is a class the agency runs or earns from. Paid workshops sold as a way to meet casting directors are restricted in some places, so ask how they are viewed locally.
If I bring you a lead from my own contacts, what do you do with it?
Why ask it
Directors you have worked with and casting people who already know you are part of what you bring to an agency. The answer you want is that they follow it up with a proper submission or a call the same week. An agent who treats your leads as interference is wasting contacts you spent years making.
What would we do if I went months without an audition?
Why ask it
Look for a described process: a conversation, new materials, a different kind of role to put you up for. 'That will not happen' is reassurance, not a plan. Ask when they would raise it with you, so that the first sign is a meeting and not a slow fade in the emails.
What questions do you have for me?
Why ask it
An agent who asks nothing about your goals, your availability, your other commitments or what you want to be doing in three years is treating you as inventory. The questions they choose also show you what they think matters about a client.
What happens next, and when should I expect to hear from you?
Why ask it
Some agents offer in the room, some need to talk to colleagues first, and some go quiet. A date gives you a fair point to follow up once, and lets you answer honestly if another agency asks where things stand. If the offer comes on the spot, thank them and still ask for time to read the paperwork.
Once signed
What have I been submitted for over the last few months?
Why ask it
Fair to ask two or three times a year, and some casting platforms let an agent pull a submission report. Read the range of roles as much as the count. If everything is one type and you thought you were being sent for another, that is the conversation to have.
Where am I getting close, and where am I not being seen at all?
Why ask it
Auditions without callbacks often point at the tape or the read, and submissions without auditions at the photos, the reel or the category you are filed under. A slow market can produce both. Your agent sees the whole pattern and you see only your half, so ask for their reading before you act on your own.
Before I book new headshots, which looks do you need from me?
Why ask it
Agents pitch with particular shots: a warm commercial smile, a harder dramatic look, whatever your usual parts call for. Asking first means the photographer shoots for the roles you are being sent for, and it spares you a session your agent never uses.
What is changing in the market that I should respond to?
Why ask it
Your agent reads breakdowns all day and sees shifts before you do, whether that is a change in how auditions are taped or a local production boom or slump. Ask what they would do in your position this year. It turns a status meeting into advice.
What could I be doing that would make me easier to sell?
Why ask it
Asked sincerely, this draws out the note they have been sitting on: a skill missing from your profile, a slow reply time, a clip that needs replacing, too many booked-out weekends. It also reminds a busy agent that you are putting in as much effort as you are asking of them.
Is this still working for both of us?
Why ask it
Hard to ask, and better than a year of silence on both sides. If the agent has lost interest you will usually hear it in a vague answer, and if they are still committed the question tends to produce a plan. Read your notice clause before the meeting so you know your options either way.
How to approach a meeting with an agent
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you go in
Look up the roster and the recent credits
Spend twenty minutes on the agency's client list before the meeting. Knowing who they represent and what those people have been doing lets you ask about named clients and recent jobs, and an agent can tell within a question or two that you have done the reading.
Check the licensing rules where you live
In many places talent agencies are licensed, and in some markets they are franchised by performer unions with limits on commission and contract terms. Look up what applies locally, on the regulator's or the union's own site, so you can tell a standard agreement from an unusual one.
Decide what you want from representation
Access to auditions you cannot self-submit for, negotiation on fees, or career guidance are different jobs. Being clear about which one you are hiring for stops you signing with someone who is good at a different thing.
Questions the agent is likely to ask you
- What you want to be doing in two or three years, and which kind of work matters most to you.
- Your training, your recent credits, and who you have worked with or auditioned for.
- Whether you are in the union, eligible to join, or neither.
- How available you are: your day job, how much notice you need, and whether you can travel or work as a local hire somewhere else.
- Whether you can tape at home, and how fast you can turn an audition around.
- Who else you are meeting, and whether you have had representation before and why it ended.
- Which of the skills on your resume you could do on the day without warning: accents, languages, sports, instruments, driving.
Warning signs
- Any fee to sign, to be listed, or to stay on the books.
- Pressure to use a specific in-house photographer, class or showreel service.
- Guarantees of work, or predictions about how quickly you will book.
- Reluctance to let you take the agreement away to read.
- No named contacts and no recent bookings for anyone comparable to you.
- A meeting that is mostly them talking about themselves and asking nothing about your goals.
Things people get wrong
Signing with the biggest name available
The smallest client at a large agency can get less attention than a priority client at a small one. Ask how many people the agent looks after and where you would sit among them before assuming the agency's reputation transfers to you.
Signing in the room
Take the agreement home, read the term, the commission scope and the exit provisions, and get advice if anything is unclear. An agent who needs a signature today is telling you something about how they work.
Not asking about exclusivity by category
People sign exclusive representation across every category with an agency that only submits for one of them, then find they cannot take voice or commercial work elsewhere. Ask category by category.
Afterwards
- Write down what they promised about submissions, communication and commission while you still remember the wording.
- Compare that against the written agreement, and ask about anything that appears in one and not the other.
- If you meet more than one agency, compare on named contacts and recent bookings rather than on how the meeting felt.
Once you are signed
Ask for a review, not reassurance
Two or three times a year is usually enough. Ask what you have been submitted for and where you are getting close, and bring something new to the meeting: a clip, a credit, a class. A meeting with a subject is easier to get than one that sounds like a complaint.
Keep your side tidy
Book out as soon as you know your dates, answer audition notices the same day, and keep your profiles current. These are the parts of the arrangement that are entirely in your hands, and an agent notices when they slip.