Welcome to the first of our guides which we hope will prove useful.

If you are reading this then you are hopefully an act seeking representation with an entertainment agency. This article is designed to offer advice and explain the Do’s and Don’ts of how to get representation.

Do’s
1. Contact the agency with whom you wish to gain representaion either by phone or e-mail.
2. Ask if the agency is interested in the type of act you are offering, some agencies deal with multiple categories of acts, some specialise.
3. Ask if they would mind if you send them your promotional details, which should include depending on the act, your biography, your date sheet with your available dates, any photographs, demo cd and or video. If you have a website make sure you supply its URL.
4. Ask if the agency would like for you to audition or invite them to watch you perform.
5. Make sure the act you are proposing has a pedegree, top agencies will rarely, if ever, take on an inexperienced act.
6. Be curtious at all times.

Don’ts.
1. Do not send an agent unsolicited promotional material, agents recieve this all the time and many will just file it in the rubbish bin. Agents receive a lot of unsolicited mail and some will treat it just like a spam e-mail. All this achieves is to waste your time and the cost of the promotional material is wasted, only send to those who actually want it.
2. Do not send an agent links to your information on facebook or similar sites, send it directly to them so that it is always available and on file.
3. Don’t pester an agent into taking you on, if they want to they will, otherwise look for an alternative.

If an agency is interested ask how you can register with them, an agent cannot promote you legally unless you are registered with them.

When you register with an agent make sure that you ask if the representation is to be exclusive, if it is you cannot go on another agents books, so be careful.

Make sure you read any documents that you fill in, in regard to an agency representing you and check whether you can cancell the representaion agreement and what notice you need to give. The average notice period is 30 days.

Make sure that the registration document gives the agent permission to market you to clients, and that you understand everything before signing it. If you do not understand something ask. If you are completing an online application read everything carefully before you submit it.

You should also make sure that you read any Terms and Conditions an agent may have as well as their Commission Policy, if it is a sperate document, before you submit anything. Again if you do not understand something ask them.

I would like to wish you every success.

© Paul Sims 2008

CEE Worldwide Entertainment Agency