Understanding the Agency Game as a Hair or Makeup Artist Part One by Margina Dennis
(a campaign my current agency got for me photo: guzman)
Happy 2017! Many people look at the beginning of a new year to get focused and set new goals for the year. One of those goals for artists can be getting an agent. I get asked the agent question almost as often as I get asked how I got started in makeup. While having an agent can be something that can be very beneficial, you still have to work your tail off to get to the point to be considered by one. Yep, there's that four letter word again WORK. It’s a point that you work yourself up to. It’s not like being a model where you go somewhere and they develop you. Unfortunately those days at artist agencies have been gone for a long time. You as an artist have the burden of building yourself up to a point where they are interested in you.
I’m not saying that it is something that you have to do either. I’ve had several periods during my makeup caeer where I did not have an agent and I did just fine and also got big jobs during that time. Those jobs came about because of who I knew and also the type of work I was putting out.
1. Combo Commercial Modelling & Artist Agencies- you find these in smaller /small markets and they might not have any idea of how to book a job for you since you aren’t a model.That’s why it’s important for you to understand how the industry works.
2. Combo Photography and Artist Agencies - Sometimes these agencies are more focused on the photogpraher since they bring in more money. It’s important understand how they operate if you are considering one and if there are agents dedicated to just to makeup, hair and stylists. They will be fashion focused or commercial focused or a combination.
3. Mills - I call them this because they are like a factory and they are client focused. I also think they are an easier type of agency to get into because they are looking for bodies for their clients. Sometimes they have a roster full of artists who work looks painfully similar.
4. Makeup/Hair/Styling/Manicurist Agencies- that is their focus and it is also where all of their money comes from. Many times run by a single person.
(another campaign through my agency and my first time doing a print campaign for New Balance)
Benefits of having an agent:
1. An agency, if it is a good fit, can elevate you into a different category of artist. They can have access to certain clients that will only deal directly with agents or a step up from where you are currently. A good agent goal should be working on your behalf as a sales person to keep you busy and get you better money clients. If they are salary plus commision, the more money you are making, the more they are making.
2. They will take care of doing all of your invoicing and collecting of your monies. But they need to be paid something for doing that. This is why agencies take 15 to 20 percent from you and the client. They also need to do this to pay salaries, overhead, the cost of having you and maintaining you on their website, etc.
3. They are a buffer between you and the client. In order words, your agent is the bad guy and not you. They’re are the buffer when a tense money battle has happened when you have told them that you do not want to do that job for less than x amount. You get to show up and do your job and act like you knew nothing about what was happening behind the scenes and be the artist.
4. They should be able to negotiate more money for you than you are able to do so on your own, or might be better at negotiating. They should also have an idea of what the job is worth too. (You should also have an idea of what a job is worth so that you aren’t taken advantage of either).
In Part 2, I’ll discuss what are your responsibilities as an artist, things that agents look for, and the not so great things that can happen.
makeup website: www.marginadennis.com
coaching : www.beautybeautebeauti.com
