Part 2: Briefs, Clients & No Guarantees
The opportunity to be a part of the entertainment industry can be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved. However, as any good and reputable child talent agency will tell you, we cannot guarantee work.
Yes, you read that correctly, we cannot promise anything. We will never know whether a child will get dozens of opportunities, or just one. In some cases, unfortunately we will have talent that will not come across any work during their representation.
This is because the role of a talent agency is to act as the middle man between the brand/client and the talent. We do not create the ‘work’, nor do we know which talent the client will prefer or select for their campaigns.
“We do not guarantee work simply because we are not the decision makers in this process.”
So here is how it works from our side. The client will let us know, through a brief, what kind of child they specifically need or want for their shoot. Which is why we can never predict when your child’s age, gender or ethnicity will come through in a brief from a client. Each brief will have a different requirement for the agency to meet, for example; ‘We are looking for a Size 2 girl with Brown Hair’ or ’10-12-year-old boys, who are strong swimmers’. Once we have these details, we scour through our talent and ensure we submit all children who are suitable. So if your child doesn’t meet the brief requirements, we cannot submit them for that particular role or campaign.
The client will make the final decision and we cannot predict nor change this eventual outcome, so remember to keep this in mind if your child is a part of the industry or you are considering entering the industry.
Our dedicated casting department undertake many tasks as the ‘middle man’ in this process. They build and maintain our impressive client base, established over the years to also include a regular client base; who consistently use our agency to search for talent for their upcoming projects. They also submit all of our wonderful talent to all briefs that come thorough.
Suitable briefs are always subject to the client’s needs and once again we aren’t able to foresee what work will come in over the 12 months of your child’s representation. The one thing we do guarantee is that your child will be submitted for all briefs the are suitable for throughout their time with us.
We are lastly the communication between yourself and the client to ensure everything runs smoothly and all legal guidelines are followed (Check out look at Part 1 of The Truth about the Child Talent Industry series to find out about the legal side of the Industry)
It is also important to remember that we will always provide you with as much information as possible, so if you are joining our agency, or any talent agency, be sure to thoroughly read all information provided to you. This can be an easy way to ensure that you understand everything and are prepared for anything the industry throws your way! Remember we are just as excited as you to watch your little star shine!
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