VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

audio'connell · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:18 pm Post subject: Hypothetically speaking….

Can one fire one’s agent if one’s agent hasn’t gotten one even a nibble of a job in say, oh about four months?

Or is like the sound a tree makes in a forest if no one is there to hear it?

Contract or not…and for the purposes of this scenario let’s assume there is a contract…what would be the point of one making a change when at the moment there doesn’t seem to be anyone to change to?

Speaking again in hypothetical terms only.
:wink:
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brianforrester · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:11 am Post subject:

Hypothetically speaking of course... contracts in this day and age are rarely worth the money that they take to fight in court... that being said, anybody with a good lawyer and money to burn can make your life very difficult if they want to (provided that the contract isn't written on piece of swiss cheese!)

Given this hypothetical situation, my advice from a purely professional and business stand point (I don't have a contract with an agent, but deal with a number of different contracts in my other life as an small business owner) is to get a lawyer friend to look the contract over and give you their professional opinion over a beer or coffee.

Dependant upon the terms of the contact and how tightly it is written, you can probably drop them on their butt... however you must be sure to weigh the consequences of their reputation and the weight of their word against yours!

My advice, recognizing that this is purely a hypothetical situation :wink: is to ask your agent to get together over coffee and hash the issue out... "I've noticed that the work isn't really flowing too freely right now... is there anything that you feel I should be doing to make myself more marketable to YOUR contact base?" The chances are, that if you are feeling a bit neglected, and provided that your agent doesn't have 1000 other v/o's on their roster, he/she is probably just as frustrated by the lack of cash flow being generated by having you on their roster... be professional and have a very candid conversation and keep in mind THEY WORK FOR YOU! Not the other way around!

Please keep in mind that I don't have a local agent, and have therefore never dealt with an official "agent contract" so I could be completely off base, but that's certainly what I'd do if one of my suppliers of clients suddenly stopped sending business my way!

Good luck and Happy Holidays.
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audio'connell · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 6:00 am Post subject:

I think the restrictions, terms etc of a contract would not be a huge issue in this imaginary scenario as it would seem inactions speak louder than words.

Maybe a secondary question for public debate would be who are the worthwhile agents who (wait for it)...are taking on male voice clients? Are there any? For once in business, I think a talented female VO has the upper hand over a male VO.
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Philip Banks · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:20 am Post subject:

Most agents will say that their books are full. If someone famous approached them, someone with a unique marketable sound or someone looking for an exclusive who already had a portfolio of clients to throw into the pot then the attitude may change.

With a few exceptions the voices I know have struggled to get an agent, been thrilled to be signed by one and then wondered why they made such a fuss.

A few years ago I was offered an exclusive deal with one agent which meant all work went through them and so everything was -15%. I did the calculations and saw that it would be cheaper to hire a PA. My present agents only get paid when they find me work.

Dave · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 8:13 am Post subject: Re: Hypothetically speaking….

audio'connell · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 1:58 pm Post subject: Re: Hypothetically speaking….

Dave · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject:

....what? Agents have to work. Well, we may have stumbled onto the core issue here :lol: To prarphrase Mae West... "a hard(working) agent is a good thing to sign (with)

If no one in particular, hypothetically speaking, were to have had a recent CTJM with an agent...and agreed to hang on a while longer as a client...and is getting work on their own with the same demo used by the aforementioned agent...then we are right back in the "firing" mode...hypothecailly of course.

Dave
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Drew · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:34 pm Post subject:

So, what you're saying Peter is that your agent's a lazy ass. Or is that just a hypothesis?
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audio'connell · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:25 pm Post subject:

Drew · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:20 am Post subject:

Heaven and Ohio should never be used in the same sentence. I lived in one of 'em for seven years. And I very much doubt I'll see the other. Go Blue!

So, your agent's a hypothetical lazy ass. Just wanted to be clear on that.
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