Thread: to agent or not to agent

Originally Posted by clio gayton

My Agent is great. She 100% genuine and is really helping me raise my profile.

It really is a personal choice, but I do that it is definitely worth your while to have someone else on your side professionally.


xxx

Thanks Clio for your thoughts, its a tough one this! xxx

Originally Posted by Emerald_Ace

I remember a while ago a fairly successful performer (I can't remember who off the top of my head) was talking about hiring a girl to answer her emails, organise her schedule, deal with bookings and stuff and do a bit of stage maiding for her and in return this performer would introduce her to the scene and help her get her with act creation and getting a first footing as a performer in her own right.

Whatever you do, don't fall into this trap!

Don't ever stoop to being a dogsbody for someone who offers this kind of thing. Totally one-sided arrangements like this never work and pretty much always end up in animosity and bitter recriminations.

I've never been able to understand why the top performers have no problems with their emails, scheduling and booking but some performers - who will never get beyond the club circuit themselves and are thus not in any position to mentor others - feel the need for an assistant?

In cases like these, it's more about massaging a performers ego than them being genuinely too busy to handle everything. If performers like this were so busy with bookings then they would be able to afford to pay someone properly. Performers like this do nothing but take advantage of people's good will and should be ashamed of themselves.

As for being a maid/soubrette - the vast majority of shows will have their own people who pick up clothes after the acts. Bringing someone into the dressing-room as a maid/soubrette/assistant does nothing more than take up vital backstage space.

Thanks James for this advice, I've got a lot to think about that's for sure.