When we started the process of putting together the table reading for Fat Guy, Hot Wife, “Seth” indicated that he wanted to involve only actors with significant TV credits. I created a wish list of people I felt had the right look and background, and he indicated that he had a connection here or there to get to some of the people I mentioned.

For one of the roles, however, an early twenties Asian woman with great comedic skill, Seth told me he had no ideas. Finding that actor, we decided, would be my problem. So while Seth was going to dig through his rolodex of people from acting classes and TV shows he had worked on in the past to arrange most of our cast, I began the attempt to find the perfect person for our reading with nothing more than an internet connection and my charming phone voice.

I succeeded. But it was definitely a learning experience, so I thought I’d share with you (and record for my own future reference) how this process of getting an actor on board one’s project worked for me.

First of all, SAG has a service called Actors Locate, through which you can call and request the contact information for anyone who is in that union, which pretty much includes anyone you’ve ever seen on TV. Each time you call their hotline, you may request information for three people. You can then call back and do three more, but will have to wait on hold again. Typically the information you get will be the name and phone number of the agency where that person is represented. Sometimes the manager. Every once in a while, I’m told, you’ll get the direct number for the talent, but I did not experience this. My feeling is that it is better to work with a person’s manager than agent, if you get information for both. The agent is the person who signs contracts and arranges auditions. A manager, however, attempts to guide an actor’s career. S/he might be a bit more receptive to why the talent should volunteer time for your reading, knowing that it could lead to something bigger down the road.

(NOTE: After I used SAG’s phone line the first time, I found better ways. SAG’s site implies that you could get info there. I could not figure out how to sign up for that service, because you need a producer ID number, and I couldn’t see anywhere to get such a number. However, IMDb Pro proved to be a good alternative. Look up the name of the actor, and under many listings will be a “representation” link you can click on to get all the contact information, including perhaps the name of the exact agent with whom you need to speak. Helpful.)

Once you have the phone number, how do you make the call? Personally, I’ve never been horrible on the phone, but then again neither am I the world’s slickest. I decided to play to my strengths. I’m a writer. Why not write out what I planned to say? I created mini-scripts for myself. Thus armed, it was time to make the call.

You want to realize that you’re probably going to get a receptionist at an agency or management company of any size. This person wants to direct your call, not hear your pitch, and frankly you don’t want to give it to him/her if you don’t have to. For this person I had the following:

If this person is a receptionist, you’ll get transferred. If you’re talking to an assistant, you may need to give your spiel right now. Be ready for that. Then again, at UTA I repeated, “Hi, my name is Screenwriterguy and I’m producing a sitcom pilot. I’m trying to reach representation for Famous Actor.” to three different receptionists before speaking to an agent. You don’t know which person is going to be the one you need to tell your story.

Once you reach someone who doesn’t pass you on, probably an assistant, it’s time to pitch your project.  You want to have it in the back of your mind that the assistant’s job is to protect the boss from having to talk to people like you. They want to find a way to say no to you. Answer any questions they ask you, but don’t let this person lead the conversation for too long. At some point, you’d best jump into a paragraph about what you want and why you deserve it. This was more or less my pitch:

That’s pretty much all you need to do. From here you can let the assistant ask questions, so that you don’t sound like you’re reading a prepared statement, even though you are. You’ve said enough juicy pieces of info to prove that you’re for real and that you are offering a real opportunity to the actor, even though you’re not planning to pay.  Maybe have another selling point or two written down to work into your answers to any questions you’re asked.

At this stage, the assistant probably requests that you put together an e-mail with all the details, so s/he can pass the information to the boss. Great. You’ve got what you wanted. Get off the phone and do what you were asked. (Without forgetting to get the assistant’s name and direct number!  You’re going to need it in the future, and you want to be this person’s friend.) Send the e-mail. Send the script if you were asked to do so. You’re likely to get a call back from the actual agent or manager within a day. You may need to repeat your entire pitch. That’s OK. You’re doing the same thing you did before; you want this person to see that you are for real and that this is a good opportunity for his/her client. That’s what will get them to let you have access to the performer.

It took a lot of calls and pushed me a bit outside my comfort zone, but I managed. And, in the end, I was able to get my script to several of the top people on my wish list. What more can I ask for but to get read?

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