Question to those who know anything about Acting Agents in NY

L

LDS

So I am most probably (90%) going to New York for 5 weeks in August, and I am interested in acting and would love to take this opportunity and apply to US acting agents (established) I do have a small agent in London but I want something bit bigger and in the US (why not try ;) )

I know this is film-makers forum but maybe somebody knows something :) Any suggestions? :D:cool:
 
If you're travelling on a tourist visa then you won't be able to work, so I don't think any agent would take you on with no commercial prospects...
 
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You want to establish contacts now. Send out query letters right
away. Ask your current agent to send out some letters and make
some phone calls to set up a few August meetings. And do it right
away.
 
As NickClapper says, without a working visa a US agent will not be interested. And agents typically would not be interested in someone just in the country for a few weeks or months - it's not worth their while.

Without a working visa, a production hiring you would be at legal and insurance risk. Hiring someone not legally allowed to work in the country would likely void their insurance.
 
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Ok.. So you dont really know how agents and production work then... You dont need working visa (well you do) but if the production is interested in you, they will organize that for "you" it is same if you find job online from Europe in the US, if the employer is interested in you, they will do the working visa, insurances and any other thing themselves. My flat mate (French) went to NY for 2 weeks over last Christmas (2012) after 2 weeks he got back to London with a job in NY, he had 3 weeks to prepare to leave and his NY emplyers were doing the visa permits etc for him.

A lot of European actors are working in the US doing films (and no I dont mean A Listers)
 
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LDS said:
Ok.. So you dont really know how agents and production work then... You dont need working visa (well you do) but if the production is interested in you, they will organize that for "you" it is same if you find job online from Europe in the US, if the employer is interested in you, they will do the working visa, insurances and any other thing themselves. My flat mate (French) went to NY for 2 weeks over last Christmas (2012) after 2 weeks he got back to London with a job in NY, he had 3 weeks to prepare to leave and his NY emplyers were doing the visa permits etc for him.

A lot of European actors are working in the US doing films (and no I dont mean A Listers)
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What kind of job did your French roommate get in NY? My understanding is that a US employer has to make clear that this job is going to a Non-US resident because NO US resident can fill that position, and the employer has to prove that.

Maybe in acting it's easier to say that somebody needs a French speaking guy with a certain type of tattoo or something, but in general, it's usually for high paying jobs that employers are willing to go to those lengths. When they like you and want you, they file all the necessary paperwork, but usually that means they are big enough to have a legal department that handles this kind of stuff.
 
LDS said:
Ok.. So you dont really know how agents and production work then...
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Actually I do.

LDS said:
You dont need working visa (well you do) but if the production is interested in you, they will organize that for "you" it is same if you find job online from Europe in the US, if the employer is interested in you, they will do the working visa, insurances and any other thing themselves.
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Which is why I suggested you contact agents now, before you land in NY.
Hiring an out of country actor means the producer has to jump through a
lot of legal hoops and spend a lot of money on the actors behalf. So that
actor needs to be someone who is unique to the production. In NY there are
already half a million English actors available who do not need the production
to jump through those hoops to get hired.

The harsh reality is you should have the NY agent long before August and they
should be setting auditions for the time you're in town.
 
LDS said:
Ok.. So you dont really know how agents and production work then... You dont need working visa (well you do) but if the production is interested in you, they will organize that for "you" it is same if you find job online from Europe in the US, if the employer is interested in you, they will do the working visa, insurances and any other thing themselves. My flat mate (French) went to NY for 2 weeks over last Christmas (2012) after 2 weeks he got back to London with a job in NY, he had 3 weeks to prepare to leave and his NY emplyers were doing the visa permits etc for him.

A lot of European actors are working in the US doing films (and no I dont mean A Listers)
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You do understand that there are hundreds of actors in NYC that can't get enough work. Is it a hassle for a production company to sponsor someone for a visa? Yes it is. Does it take time and cost $$$ (legal fees etc)? Yes it does. Do they do it? Sure, sometimes. Is it a frequent thing for people just in the country for a few weeks? No it is not.

Would an agent be interested in someone in the city (without a working visa) for only a few weeks looking for acting work whilst there are hundreds of other hopefuls (with no need for a visa) in the same city - many with more experience than you; most of whom are aggressively looking for work and many with contacts already? Honestly ask yourself that question.

Of course there are exceptions to the above but they are rare.

Anyway, feel free not to take our advice but don't slate us for giving it when you ask for it but don't like the answer...
 
Give the guy a break. Like he said, why not try? It's not like he said he expects to be treated like the Queen of England. It's good that he knows the odds are against him, according to the advice given here. But life is short. How much could it hurt for him to give it a try? Let's not let our inner negative nellies get the best of us. Maybe he'll get lucky like his friend did. I'd follow Directorik's advice and get on it, LDS.
 
Hey LDS, I wasn't trying to be negative. I just wanted to make sure you knew about the hurdles before you bought your ticket.

There are two ways to get work in the US:
1. You are in the US / Employer likes you / arranges work visa / you never have to leave the US.
2. You are in the US / Employer likes you / tells you to go back to home country and apply for work visa / you go back to home country / you arrange work visa by applying to US consulate

2nd way is usually easier for people from European countries. People from brown countries, like me, prefer the more difficult 1st method, because we don't want to go back and then be denied re-entry :). So yeah, now that I think about it, you can definitely come to visit. And if you find something, do like your roommate and go back and arrange work visa yourself. Europeans and Canadians have a special 6 month work visa thing with the US, that's not too difficult to arrange.

Nice job Richy. Way to be a cheerleader :)
 
trueindie said:
What kind of job did your French roommate get in NY? My understanding is that a US employer has to make clear that this job is going to a Non-US resident because NO US resident can fill that position, and the employer has to prove that.

Maybe in acting it's easier to say that somebody needs a French speaking guy with a certain type of tattoo or something, but in general, it's usually for high paying jobs that employers are willing to go to those lengths. When they like you and want you, they file all the necessary paperwork, but usually that means they are big enough to have a legal department that handles this kind of stuff.
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He is not an actor... He got a job in a gallery
 
directorik said:
Actually I do.


In NY there are
already half a million English actors available...
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I'm Polish! So.... Yeah... :cool:

American producers are more luckily to chose Polish to play Russians than hiring Russian actors (politics)...
Just because an agent is in the US that does not mean they ONLY cast in the US, I live in the UK and I worked in Italy, France, Spain, Czech Republic as an actor having UK agent, and also done an audition for American feature film, in front of American casting director (who also cast Brad Pitt, Antonio Bandersa, Salma Hayek to name few).

I was told once, I was born in a wrong country, and with what I have to offer I could already be somewhere out there... It's my first time in NY and will have 5 weeks, so your negative comments such as "you'll waste your time" do nothing to me, really.

I didn't ask for career advice or what I should or should not do, what I asked for was names of Agents.

Guess I asked wrong people.

^^^ this probably sounds rude and wrong, but these are typed words - it's a "kind" reply lol
 
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richy said:
Give the guy a break. Like he said, why not try? It's not like he said he expects to be treated like the Queen of England. It's good that he knows the odds are against him, according to the advice given here. But life is short. How much could it hurt for him to give it a try? Let's not let our inner negative nellies get the best of us. Maybe he'll get lucky like his friend did. I'd follow Directorik's advice and get on it, LDS.
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THANK YOU!
 
LDS said:
I didn't ask for career advice or what I should or should not do, what I asked for was names of Agents.
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Yes. I think I completely misunderstood your question. My apologies.

How did you get your agent in London? Can't you do something similar to look for an agent in NY?
 
trueindie said:
Hey LDS, I wasn't trying to be negative. I just wanted to make sure you knew about the hurdles before you bought your ticket.
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I go the NY for free with free 5 weeks stay and food etc... work so... yeah, that is why I have NOTHING to lose. :cool:
 
If you have IMDB Pro, go to the main page, click Companies, and select Talent Agencies.

The listing for each company will tell you where they have offices, and if you click the names, you can see who they represent.
 
LDS said:
It's my first time in NY and will have 5 weeks, so your negative comments such as "you'll waste your time" do nothing to me, really.
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I never said that. I offered real, honest, sincere advice on what you can
do.

LDS said:
I didn't ask for career advice or what I should or should not do, what I asked for was names of Agents.
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You didn't ask for names of agents in your first post.

I'm sorry I replied at all. It won't happen again.
 
Thanks for your concern, trueindie. I'm not getting emotional. I was accused of
saying something I never said. Something I would never say to anyone.

Continuing any discussion with him is not worth my time.
 
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