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they even make agencies for kids to get into the spotlight

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Choosing an agent for your child is a personal experience, but understanding the agency they come from is strictly business. Below are five agencies who are doing big things in the realm of child representation. But if these five don't seem to fit the bill for what you and your child are looking for, keep digging for something and someone who does!

Child actors Brighton Sharbino ("The Walking Dead," "Miracles From Heaven"), Mia Allan ("The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe"), and Ian Chen ("Fresh Off the Boat") are counted as clients at OTA. The agency is often praised for having an in-house publicity team and has developed many notable young faces in film and TV. Also known for its advertising influence, the Los Angeles-based agency's commercial youth division did so well, it prompted an adult-focused undertaking for the "competitive commercial market," according to the OTA website.

Agents Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty came together and found the Cunningham-Escott-Slevin-Doherty Talent Agency over a decade ago after beginning in Hollywood under Cunningham & Associates. The two agents, the latter specializing in voiceover content, have 35 agents in their two L.A. and New York offices, and they work with commercial, film, dance, voiceover, print, and theatrical performers. Their website offers a glimpse at their voiceover talent, in addition to giving a deeper look at the agency's history. Clients include "Sinister 2" star Dartanian Sloan and Marsai Martin of "Black-ish."

William Morris Endeavor
As one of the world's largest talent agencies, WME represents child actors including Ty Simpkins ("Jurassic World") and Levi Miller ("Pan"), as well as former kid actors Chloë Grace Moretz, Selena Gomez, and Dylan and Cole Sprouse. Founded in 2009, after the merger of the William Morris Agency and the Endeavor Agency, they now have offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Miami, and Sydney, Australia. WME works in film, television, theater, publishing, and digital content.
READ: "The Scoop on 'Jurassic World' "
UTA represents artists who work across the content-making process, from theater, film, TV, and live entertainment performers, to film financing, branding, and production talent. Clients include "Room" star Jacob Tremblay. The global organization has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Nashville, Miami, Toronto, and Malmö, Sweden.

Founded by Harry Abrams in 1977, AAA is one of the go-to agencies for child actors in New York and Los Angeles. In addition to their film, television, and theater departments, AAA also represents commercial and voiceover youth performers. As Abrams told Backstage in 2015, the agency takes pride in developing its artists.
READ: "What Your Agent Does Post Audition"
"We look for people who have been classically trained and have worked in the theater with credentials on Broadway, Off-Broadway, or Off-Off-Broadway, as well as actors working in the theater in L.A.," he said. "We look for talented individuals who are marketable commodities and who are translatable from film to TV in either character roles or leads."
Want to land your child a gig? Check out our film audition listings, which you can sort by age!
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auditions | casting calls | open casting calls | casting call | open casting call

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Choosing an agent for your child is a personal experience, but understanding the agency they come from is strictly business. Below are five agencies who are doing big things in the realm of child representation. But if these five don't seem to fit the bill for what you and your child are looking for, keep digging for something and someone who does!

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The benefit of a agency is that they ushually are able to find bigger and better jobs

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How to get your own agent

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Getting an agent can seem like an impossible task, but it's not as difficult as you might think. Agents are an important part of your potential success in the creative realm, but they aren't the end all be all. That said, how do you go about getting one?

Depending on whether you are an actor, writer or director, the process of getting an agent is a bit different for each vocation. But no matter what you wish to be, the trick to getting an agent, however, is that you usually need to make most of the effort.

How to Get a Talent Agent: Actors

For actors, the type of agent you need is called a talent agent. That might seem obvious, but there are a number of different types of talent agents depending on what type of work you're looking for.

You want to start by finding someone who specializes in the area that you're hoping to break into. A talent agent that specializes in the film is very different from the one who specializes in commercials. So, begin by determining which direction is best suited to you.

Talent agents usually find their clients in one of three ways: 1) they are referrals from other people; 2) they are people they sought out (most often established actors that were "stolen" from other agencies); or 3) by "discovering" them through a talent showcase, student film or other completed work.

Does this mean that you won't ever be discovered by working as a waitress at a Hollywood industry hangout?

No, but your chances are markedly decreased if this is the only effort you make.

Too many actors think that an agent will choose to represent them, simply because they have an amazing headshot. True, a good headshot might give you the slightest edge toward getting a meeting, but more often than not, it ends up in the circular file (the trash).

One quick note about headshots: you want to be sure that no matter what, you look as close to your headshot as possible. If you've gained or lost weight, changed your hairstyle, or simply aged a few years, nothing will turn off a casting agent faster than an inaccurate photo representation of you. Pay the extra money and update them as you need to.

The trick to getting a good talent agent is to be sure that you put yourself in a place to get discovered. That means, find work on your own. That could mean anything from doing talent showcases to student films to whatever else you can find. If you live in Los Angeles or New York (and even if you don't), you should subscribe to Back Stage West (either the magazine or the website), as this is an excellent resource for aspiring actors to find student and low-budget movies that are casting and are more likely to consider "green" actors.

You should also check out Craigslist.com. It's surprising how many low budget films advertise there looking for casting potentials. Be careful choosing this route, however, as a lot of low-life posts seemingly legitimate ads only to reveal later that their only objective is to get you to take off your clothes.

Be aware of anyone who wants to charge you money for their "representation" services. Agents rep their clients for free and only get paid when they get their clients work. Stay as far away from these types as you can.

How to Get a Literary Agent: Writers

With writing, again it's very important that you first determine what type of writing you wish to do. Are you planning on becoming a feature writer (movies), television writer or a novelist? (If you are in fact planning on becoming a novelist, know that much of what follows will not apply to you. This section will focus on film and TV writers.)

Once you've decided what type of writing you wish to specialize in, now you can start the process of getting an agent.

The first thing you need to have is some sort of written material. After all, you can't really call yourself a writer if you don't have a body of work that represents what you're capable of.

So, be sure to have either a spec script (or two) if you wish to be a TV writer or a feature spec if you wish to write for film.

Once you have these materials in hand, you can't just blindly submit them to agencies and then hope that they'll read your script. This is when your networking skills become key.

You will want to be sure to let all of your friends and co-workers know that you hope to break into Hollywood as a writer and that you're in the market for an agent. Chances are someone will know someone who will know someone who will know someone that can get your material in front of an agent.

Literary agents are, for the most part, pretty intelligent people who are always looking for good material written by good writers. After all, they all want to take credit for finding the next David E. Kelly or Aaron Sorkin -- and who's to say that's not you? If they read your stuff and like it, chances are they'll seek you out. The hard part is getting your material in front of these people. So, that means you have to network, network, network, and network some more.

One thing you need to be aware of however is that you will likely just have ONE chance to make an impression on an agent. They are very busy people who aren't likely to give writers a couple of chances to impress them. So, only submit your material when it's at its very best. That means everything from making sure you dialogue, story structure, and characters are top notch, to making sure you have proofread your script for typos (as they can get quite annoying. See what I mean?)

Another thing -- don't spend a lot of time on your cover. Your material should look like a script. Plain, white, three-hole paper bound with brass script brands. Don't bind it, put a fancy cover on it, and never put any other information on it other than the title, author (hopefully you), and your contact information. Anything else and people reading it will know you're an amateur.

How to Get an Agent: Directors

For potential directors, getting an agent is actually not all that difficult (if you're talented). If you're a legitimate director (meaning, you've actually directed something that you can send out as material), many agents will be willing to add you to their roster to see whether or not your work sparks with the executives they deal with.

Agents that represent directors learn the type of genre and tone that their existing directors are capable of directing and will usually seek out those projects that suit those needs. So, the trick here is to become a part of that list.

You need to start this process by first compiling a Directors Reel. Your reel should have snippets of everything you've directed to date so that anyone watching it will see that you have the following qualifications:

Talent: Talent with regard to directing means you need to showcase your abilities to find certain types of shots, get the most out of your actors and the ability to put your own visual spin (or "voice") on whatever the subject matter might be.

Technical Skills: You need to show that you have the ability to get the shot coverage you need to effectively tell a story as well as the ability to direct the editing process to achieve complete and well-rounded scenes.

Proper Tone: If you're putting yourself out there as a comedy director, but you can't visually relate a scripted joke, then you might not be well suited for your job of choice. Your reel needs to showcase both the type of work you're capable of as well as the voice you use to show it.

One important thing to remember when making your directors reel is to be sure that you don't overload it. Simply add those pieces of material that best showcase your directing talents -- and keep the entire reel under 5 minutes if possible. If you wish to include full episodes or movies, be sure to do so AFTER your initial five-minute sample. Anything longer and chances are good there will be few if any executives and producers who will watch the entire thing and not get to the parts you want them to see.

Keep in mind that getting an agent is not the impossible task it can often seem to be. You need to have extreme patience during this process, but that doesn't mean that you sit around waiting for an agent to suddenly discover you and your talents. Get out there and show off what you do and let the agents come and find you.

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Here Are Tips How to Get an Agent for a Career in Film and Television

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Getting an agent can seem like an impossible task, but it's not as difficult as you might think. Agents are an important part of your potential success in the creative realm, but they aren't the end all be all. That said, how do you go about getting one?

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The answer is no but it certainly helps because a talent agent is someone that seeks out the talent and finds jobs for the said talent

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This is a talent agency where talent agents would work as a “group”

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Paradigm Talent Agency provides global representation to a diverse and dynamic roster of artists and content creators.

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“Sometimes it's good to be the smartest rat in the sewer.”
― Michael Houbrick,
It’s showing you sometimes you have to be sly to be in this buissiness

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You need to be good at multitasking

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Success story

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The youngest of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx was the handsomest sibling, but often underappreciated as the straight man and young romantic lead. He left the famous comedic team to become a millionaire inventor.

Synopsis

The youngest and handsomest of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx played the role of straight man and young romantic figure, so his comedic talents often went underappreciated. He left the famous comedic troupe after only six films, but went on to hold a wide variety of jobs. His skills and talent as an inventor and engineer made him a multimillionaire. The last of the Marx Brothers to pass away, Zeppo died in California in 1979.

Early Life

The youngest of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx was born Herbert Manfred Marx on February 25, 1901, in New York City. Like his brothers, he was a first-generation American, born to Sam "Frenchie" and Minnie (Schoenberg) Marx, of French and German Jewish extraction, who both came from Europe but met in New York. The first of their six sons, Manfred, died in infancy; Zeppo's middle name honored him.

The origin of his nickname varies depending on the source: Both Groucho and Zeppo's second ex-wife said it was derived from the zeppelins of the time. One story is simply that their father called him "Zep" when he came home one day, and the moniker stuck. Another is that the name was adapted from Mr. Zippo, a trained chimpanzee, according to brother Harpo's autobiography. According to the book, Herbie's athletic prowess and acrobatics echoed the chimp's act, but his objection morphed the nickname into Zeppo.

Minnie Marx, a former dance teacher, was a fervent stage mother, getting the boys on the vaudeville circuit to make money. She added Herbie, who had a tendency toward pugilism, to the brother act in an effort to keep him from fighting. The Marx patriarch "was a very bad tailor," according to Zeppo, "but he found some people who were so stupid that they would buy his clothes, and so he'd make a few dollars that way for food."

Comedic Career

Being the youngest, and by all account the most handsome, Zeppo was always cast in the role of straight man and romantic lead. He was reportedly frustrated that he couldn't be funny, even though comedy rarely works without a good foil. The brothers apparently agreed that he was the funniest, but Groucho has been noted for both saying that the team was funnier without him, and that he felt threatened by Zeppo when he understudied him in the play Animal Crackers. Groucho was unable to perform in the production because he was having surgery to remove his appendix at the time, and some said that Zeppo was better than Groucho.

Though Zeppo only had a few moments to shine, including the dictation-taking scene in Animal Crackers, he left the brother act after just five films, which also included Duck Soup and Monkey Business, to join Gummo, the other non-performing Marx brother, in running a talent agency.

Business Career

Zeppo's other talents included an extraordinary grasp of mechanics and engineering, and he has been credited with keeping the family car running when they were touring in the early days. He also held various jobs, including as a commercial fisherman and citrus farmer.

Zeppo founded Marman Products in 1941, which made clamping devices that were used in WWII to secure the atomic bombs transported on the Enola Gay. He also held three patents, two of which pertained to his invention of a watch that monitored the pulse of heart patients. It was this business that helped make Zeppo a multimillionaire.

Personal Life and Legacy

Zeppo married twice, first to Marion Benda, with whom he had two adopted sons, Timothy and Thomas. Five years after their divorce in 1954, Zeppo marred Barbara Blakeley, whose son Bobby took his surname, though he was never officially adopted. Barbara married Frank Sinatra after the couple divorced in 1973.

The last of the Marx Brothers to pass away, Zeppo Marx died of lung cancer on November 30, 1979, in Rancho Mirage, California. His ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

Critics still argue about whether Zeppo Marx was instinctively funny.

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The youngest of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx was the handsomest sibling, but often underappreciated as the straight man and young romantic lead. He left the famous comedic team to become a millionaire inventor. The youngest and handsomest of the Marx Brothers, Zeppo Marx played the role of straight man and young romantic figure, so his comedic talents often went underappreciated.

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How to

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Kim Dorr shows you what it's like to be a Talent Agent, why she loves her job and what steps you need to take if you would like to be a Talent Agent too!

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Salary and requirements
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Working as a talent agent often requires long hours and many responsibilities. Many talent agents choose to represent only one type of artists, such as actors or singers.

In general, a talent agent acts as a middleman between talented creative types and those that are looking to hire them. While many other businesses look for ways to "cut out the middleman", they really are necessary in many creative fields, particularly because talent agents have a large circle of network contacts.

Many talent agents start building their network before they even start their careers, and they keep adding contacts throughout their careers. They keep a list of these contacts handy for whenever their clients are searching for work.

Talent agents might "discover" talent in a variety of places. Many creative types seek out talent agents on their own and may be required to audition, or otherwise prove their talents. For instance, authors might send a completed manuscript to an agent, while musicians may send a demo CD. Talent agents can then screen these individuals based on their talents, working with the most promising ones. A talent agent might also go in search of new talent as well. For example, he might go to theater productions in search of actors, or he might attend small concerts in search of talented musicians.

A talent agent will then go through the process of trying to find each of his clients jobs. In order to do this, he may send audition tapes or other examples of his clients' work to production studios, record labels, publishing houses, or galleries. He will also apply to jobs on behalf of his clients.

After his clients are hired, a talent agent's job doesn't end there. He must then help each of his clients work out the terms of their contracts. A contract may include basic information such as how long the job is and the pay rate, along with other information like what is expected of the artist as well as the hiring entity. A talent agent will also help work out any disputes between the creative talent and the employers, should they arise.

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Talent Agent | Careers | Salary | TheArtCareerProject.com

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Working as a talent agent often requires long hours and many responsibilities. Many talent agents choose to represent only one type of artists, such as actors or singers. In general, a talent agent acts as a middleman between talented creative types and those that are looking to hire them.