WHAT AN AGENT DOES FOR YOU
By
MICHELE WALLERSTEIN
A screenplay & novel consultant


All writers know that they want an agent, but few writers know what to expect once they get one.

Agents, generally, are responsible for what’s known as the (3) three S’s of representation. They are: SIGNING, SERVICING and SELLING.
That’s it. It sounds simple, but it isn’t. First of all every Agency is different in its size, which means that the individual agents may have more, or less, personal responsibilities. You must change your expectations if you want to work the system well and in a productive manner.

Defining the 3 S’s is easy. The doing of them is complicated.

1. SIGNING requires a variety of efforts. The agent must research and find the writer he/she wishes to sign. Then they must launch an attack to lure the client. That means getting to them, taking them out to lunches, dinners, drinks, Hollywood parties, screenings and more. It requires a modicum of charm and deceit. The deceit lies in “stealing” a writer from another agency who may have been doing an excellent job. The new agent needs to assure the writer that they will be much better. Signing also requires knowing who all of the hot “newbie” writers are and trying to get them. That means going to screenings of independent film, film festivals, and new writer seminars. It means reading all of the new material that gets some heat. The charm lies in being able to sell a writer on signing a contract with an agency they may not need. As you can imagine, all of the above takes a great deal of time.

2. SERVICING means keeping your current clients happy. Wining and dining them is important. The agent must read all their new material. This includes going over new story ideas, treatments, spec scripts and pitches. Servicing often means listening to client’s personal problems, philosophies, interests etc. It may also include going to their weddings, their kid’s Bar Mitzvahs, confirmations and many other personal occasions. As you can imagine, all of the above takes a great deal of time.

3. SELLING means being able to get a huge amount of information as to what the town wants to buy at any particular moment. This requires great personal relationships with a large number of producers, studio executives, story editors, television show runners, assistants and development executives. Agents need to have good reputations with these people so that their material gets read quickly and with an open mind. Agents have to know how to close a deal, get the material to the right people, get buzz going around town about a new spec script and often they must have the ability to package a project with the right director, star and producer. Packaging in and of itself is very complex. As you can imagine, all of the above takes a great deal of time.


Once you understand the basic work of your agent you also need to know the differences between large and small agencies. Let’s start with the larger agencies. ICM, William Morris, APA, etc., are big and have many agents, employees, department heads, a legal department, an accounting department, various talent departments such as actors, music, literary, and more. All of this seems well and good until you realize that this means that your agent must go to endless meetings and be subject to the pressures of inside competition as well as outside competition. They are also under the pressure of doing what they are told by their department heads and the heads of the agency itself. However, they do have those helpful legal and accounting departments to work with them on negotiating deals and reviewing tedious contracts.

The smaller agencies sometimes don’t have the help of legal and accounting departments, but they do have a certain amount of freedom and time to better service their clients with more personally and with more thought. They are often people with more entrepreneurial spirits and creative bents.

Whereas in a large agency the client is more likely to speak to the assistants on a regular basis, in the smaller agencies you will be more apt to have a real relationship with your agent.

Certainly there are more differences within different agency structures, and I will deal with those in future articles. I hope this gives you the basics of what to expect and the knowledge of what your agent is doing when he/she is not on the phone with you.

Michele Wallerstein is a novel and screenplay “doctor” who was formerly an agent for writers, producers and directors in Hollywood. She was Executive Vice-President of Women In Film, is a member of the Academy Of Television Arts and Sciences, serves as a guest speaker at numerous seminars and Film Festivals and writes monthly articles on The Business Of Writing for various ezines.

For her consulting services and/or questions Michele can be reached at:
email: novelconsult@sbcglobal.net
Web site: Novelconsultant.com