How to Market Yourself to a Talent Manager

Acting is such a tough profession. Facing rejection, navigating the Hollywood system, understanding the rules and politics of it all—it’s all hard enough in general, but even harder when you have to go at it alone. That’s why it can make all the difference to have a talent manager. Good talent managers can drastically transform your career as an actor. They have the connections that can get you into rooms and auditions you weren’t privy to before, they can help you prepare for roles and auditions, and they’ll give you the expertise to support you in navigating your own career and finding success long-term. Talent managers are great, but finding one in the first place can be a challenge. Just like with everything else, this comes down to marketing yourself.

There are a lot of actors out there looking for representation, and it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. To find a good representative, it’s critical that you stand out. Displaying talent as an actor certainly comes into the equation, but so does marketing yourself correctly and creatively to better pop when a potential manager is looking through potential clients. To do this, it’s important to understand what a talent manager does, how they think, and how they operate. There are ways to get talent managers interested and excited about representing you. Sometimes it just comes down to learning the language.

Joe Lorenzo started working in talent management 15 years ago and has since transitioned to Los Angeles, running his talent management and producing firm, Society Entertainment. He currently has working talent on a variety of networks including ABC, FOX, CBS, Showtime and more, streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon and a variety of independent films. With his background as a casting director, Joe has been able to get name talent, name directors, and recognized writers on to projects he is producing. Joe packaged 4 films in 2005, including the feature film GIRLS CLUB with Jaime King, and the Television Movie of the Week, CHRISTMAS AT WATERS EDGE with Keisha Knight Pulliam. In 2006, Joe produced ROCKER, a low-budget indie with his client as the writer and the star. In recent years he produced the feature films NEXT OF KIN in Los Angeles, BOSTON GIRLS in Boston Mass, and THE NO SIT LIST aka BABYSITTERS BEWARE, in Los Angeles. Joe has been managing actors for a very long time and intimately knows what it takes for an actor to land representation.

Joe will give an in-depth rundown of how to attract and work with talent managers, from a talent manager’s perspective. He’ll begin by discussing the best ways to get a talent manager’s attention, including the importance of headshots, how to write your resume, tips for a great acting tape, and how to get the right people to give you referrals. Then he will discuss what managers generally look for in clients. Next, he will go over what talent managers expect from the clients they sign, including how best to communicate and the power of honesty. Joe will delve into how managers approach both developmental clients as well as clients that are already currently working with credits. He will speak to the ever-present question of the differences between agents and managers, the different ways each can help you, and how an attorney can also come into play. He will then talk about the different major markets in the industry and how an actor can find success even if they do not live in any of these cities, including mastering the self tape audition and how to ace a live Skype audition. Joe will give you four specific ways to edge out to the competition in the room or on tape and will delve into ways actors can stay current on their own, including creating their own content and being proactive on social media. Finally Joe will give you an idea of how new clients generally start their relationship with their manager, including paperwork you should expect and how to approach initial conversations. You will leave this webinar with a strong understanding of how talent managers operate and more confidence in how better to approach and work with them to bolster your own acting career.

Praise for Joe's Stage 32 Webinar:

I loved how straightforward and upfront Joe was about everything. I’m excited to use this to step up my own game!

-Leticia G.

This was so helpful. It’s great to hear about managers directly from a manager himself—especially one as giving and honest as Joe.

-Jeremy H.

This was great! I learned so much.

-Henry V.

I’m so glad I saw this. It really helped me wrap my head around acting representation, which always felt so unwelcoming and enigmatic until I heard it from Joe.

-Ashley W.