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[00:00:00] In today's episode, I'm going to be talking all about agency representation as a makeup artist. This is a topic I've had a lot of requests to talk about. Part of this episode is going to be me talking more about my experience with an agency. I'll talk about how an agency works, and I'm going to answer some of the questions that you sent to me that I collected through my newsletter subscribers Instagram stories.
So if you did ask a question, thank you so much. Hopefully I'll get to your answer in today's episode. My name is Angie. I'm a full time freelance makeup artist and I'm the host of the Artist to Artist podcast. So let's get this episode started. I'll give you a brief history about my experience being repped by an agency.
When I first quit my full time job, I left because I actually got connected to a makeup artist who was represented by a Toronto agency. This person was so helpful to me. She encouraged me to go to an open call at this agency. I showed my portfolio. I shared a little bit more about my experience. After that meeting, I started getting calls to assist some of the other [00:01:00] agency represented makeup artists.
I felt like I was picking up momentum and I knew that I had an opportunity to possibly do something with the agency in the future. So this is kind of what prompted me to quit my full time job. Once I started to get to know the agency, some of the artists at the agency. I started getting calls for my own jobs.
They were not the best jobs, but I took every opportunity that I could. And then I ended up getting signed as an emerging artist on their roster. Eventually I got signed as just a regular artist on their roster. And just to give you an idea of the time span of all this and my progression through the agency was.
fairly quick based on what I understand from other artists who I know that are agency represented. It was a five year situation, so probably, I think I said this in my first episode, it took me around a year just kind of assisting and getting to know everybody, maybe, maybe slightly longer, and then I got signed as an emerging artist, and I really can't remember how long it took.
It was not a short period of time, it was maybe one or two [00:02:00] years. And then I got kind of, I guess, promoted to being just a regular artist on their roster. And I was with them for a total of five years. So if that makes any sense to you, this is all very much a rough estimate. So we'll say one and a half years figuring everything out and then officially signed in some capacity for about four years.
And this is a good example of how it works with an agency. Once you get connected and there's kind of a mutual interest between you and the agency in terms of working together, they'll test you out, get a feel for what you can do, see how your work is, see if they can trust you. You'll likely assist, you'll continue building your book, you'll then take your own jobs, and then eventually down the road, if it's a good fit, you would be signed officially.
One of the questions I got asked is what do these agents actually do? What they do is they represent you to their clients or to anybody that comes looking to them for a makeup artist or a makeup artist and hairstylist. They will pitch you to these potential clients. They're going to negotiate your rates on your behalf.
They kind of become the middleman between you and your client. So they take all of that off your plate [00:03:00] and they collect payment. They'll also help you network with people. If there's someone specifically you want to get in. Run of, they can help with your marketing, they can give you some career direction.
Well, some of the agents can. Sometimes it doesn't work out quite like that. It really depends on your agency. What is important to know that when you get work through an agency is that you're paying for this representation. So the agency I was with, they take 20% of my rate. I've heard the norm. 20 to 30%.
And then they also charge your clients a fee on their end to provide the service of supplying them with a makeup artist. So my agency was 20 percent off my rate they would take and they would charge my clients an additional 20 percent in addition to the rate that they presented for the job. I hope that's clear and I hope that makes sense.
Here's what they don't do when you're signed. And this is your accounting that is. still on you. They also don't only represent you alone to clients. They offer up anybody who would be a good fit and the client will choose what works for them. They're not going to seek out or pay [00:04:00] for training and education for you.
If you're weak in certain areas, I did get asked about this from a few artists. Your training is always going to be your responsibility and agencies cannot guarantee work. So whether you're Signed by an agency, or you're just freelance. You could have slow periods, you could have periods of financial insecurity.
Just because you have an agent doesn't mean you're gonna have a regular stream of clients coming in. I do wanna be clear that I am really only speaking from what I know to be true, but working with an agency, I do have some friends that are with different agencies. There may be some agencies out there where things are a little bit.
different. This is just general stuff. I wanted you to be aware of in terms of what they do and what they don't do. I will sometimes get questions like Angie, I'm working with an agency. They're taking 35 percent off my rate. Is this normal? And the answer to that kind of question is I really don't know if I don't work in your market and I don't understand what's going on in your area of the industry.
This is where you need to rely on your community of artists. in your market to help you out with this kind of thing. And this is why it is so [00:05:00] important to have a community of artists around you that you can connect with and reach out to, because these are things that you're going to want to talk about with each other in terms of sharing knowledge so that no one gets screwed over.
What I want you to know about working with an agency or getting signed by an agency is that you have to think about it like a a marriage where both parties have to put in the work in order for the marriage to work. I think one big misconception about being repped is that once you are, you can just kick your feet back, grab your iced coffee.
The clients will come in, the money will come in, you're going to have access to all these amazing opportunities. And that is really not the truth of the matter. This is not how it goes. I thought it was going to be like this and it definitely wasn't. Yes, there is an advantage to being signed by a reputable agency.
And I do want to emphasize. I'm going to emphasize the word reputable because, uh, before we get into this, you do have to do your research about the agencies you're interested in. Thankfully, we have social media to help us out with this. You should be stalking all the artists that are signed with the agency you're interested in so you can see exactly the [00:06:00] type of work that they're doing.
You can get a better understanding of the caliber of the agency that you might be interested in signing with. There are a lot of kind of these startup agencies popping up that just won't have established relationships with good clients. So you do want to make sure if there's an agency that you're interested in, it is established.
They have a roster of very strong, talented artists who are currently working with good clients. Being signed with an agency, it does give you a different type of access. Now that I am freelance myself, this does limit some of the clients. I'm going to have access to, because certain clients really only want to go through an agency because they see the agency as providing insurance that they're going to be hiring a professional and not just someone off the street.
Clients see agency represented artists as a higher caliber of artists sometimes because they get special access to bigger clients. celebrities, that type of thing. So clients can see artists rep by agencies as people who are responsible, qualified, professional, trustworthy. And that can [00:07:00] be some people's general impression.
Artists who are not represented like myself, we have to work much harder at proving ourselves sometimes. But on the other side of that, there are clients that don't want to deal with agency represented artists. They don't want to pay any extra. fees. They don't want to go through another person to hire a makeup artist.
They want to talk to the makeup artist directly, or they may want to have the makeup artist involved in more of the creative process or the planning process. So that's something else to think about. And quite honestly, sometimes agents can be very hard to deal with. So you have to consider that. During the time that I was agency represented, I had a couple agents that were very difficult to deal with.
So difficult, in fact, that my clients just kind of gave up on it and they didn't want to work with me any longer because they didn't want to deal with my agents. So I wanted to make sure you get the full story here, and this can be true sometimes when it comes to agency representation. Let's get back to this concept of signing with an agency as a marriage, where [00:08:00] both parties have to put in the work in order for the marriage to be successful.
So when I got signed, I really thought that I had made it. I thought that I was just going to be easy sailing. I, um, obviously learned the hard way that this was not true. So when you start working with an agency or when you're officially signed with an agency, what's important to remember is that yes, you're kind of getting.
filtered out of the general population of artists, that doesn't mean your competition is completely eliminated. When clients approach agencies to hire a makeup artist, the agency will look at their roster and they'll present the most qualified people for the role because obviously they want to get the job.
So that means You're gonna go up against your agency family, so to speak So if you're not doing things like keeping up your portfolio posting on social media doing creatives tfps Whatever you need to do to stay current or showing what you're capable of and who you're connected to even though. Yes You're represented by an agency.
You may not get the job because another artist at your agency may be doing more of that than you. They may be doing a better job [00:09:00] of that than you. You still have to continue to work on all of the elements of your business that are going to make you successful. And we talked about this last week. You have the help of an agent, but they're not going to be able to do everything for you.
Another important point that I want to bring up before I answer some of the questions that you had for me, when you're looking at an agency to sign with, your first course of action is going to be to look at the agency as a whole. You're going to review the caliber of artists on their roster, which will show you the type of clients they're working with.
But when it gets to the point where you're meeting with individual agents who work for the agency, your relationship with the agents who are at the agency is one of the most important things in this process. Sometimes your agent is more important than what the agency represents as a whole because that's the person that's.
going to be the make or break for you. What I found extremely difficult when I was signed with an agency and one of the reasons that I left my agency was because I was with an agency where I probably had five different bookers in a very short time span and it felt like people were just coming and going from [00:10:00] the agency.
It made me feel like they didn't know who Who I was they didn't know what I had to offer and it just felt like I was being passed off from agent to agent and no one was really investing in me and what I wanted out of my career because it felt like there was a new person every few months that was just learning the business and not necessarily there to have enough time and energy to just focus on me and my career.
You may find yourself in a situation where you're looking at three or four different agencies. And once you get inside the agency ecosystem, if you fast forward to sometime in the future where you're actually signed by an agency, remember you're going to be talking to this agent or group of agents.
almost every single day. So it really is like a marriage and you need to feel good about the people that are going to be helping you in your career. They're essentially your business partners. That's really important to think about. Yes, who the agency is, what they represent, the artists they have on their roster.
This is important, but what's also important is the relationship you have with the individual [00:11:00] booking agents because they play a big part in how much you're going to be able to achieve and accomplish while you're signed. Let's talk a little bit about how you get your foot in the door with an agency, everyone is going to have a slightly different story that they will tell once you start talking to other makeup artists.
For me, I was lucky enough to get connected to an artist who was agency represented. That artist was nice enough to encourage me to approach the agency with my portfolio the way it was. And that agency also happened to be doing open calls, which is not the case with every agency. And it was just the timing for everything was really right.
for me. You also have to keep in mind that I was older, so I'm going to come in with a different confidence, a different skill set. I also had preexisting paying clients, which is of course very valuable to the agency because once we start working together, they get my clients. I can't just keep those rates to myself.
I definitely needed some work and development, but I was in a good position and I brought something to the table for them. And this is why my path through this agency, why things [00:12:00] happen so fast. And this is not going to be the case for everybody. If there is an agency you're interested in, it'll be important for you to get to know who the artists are that are repped by that agency, who their assistants are, because your way in is to connect and network with these people and assist them.
That's how you get your foot in the door. You'll also want to pay attention to newer photographers and other people in the industry who may be working with any of these people. So you just kind of have to get familiar with who this agency is working with and go from there. I do want you to be careful and cautious about how you approach your networking because the goal of networking is really to make connections.
It's not to get something immediately from the other person. And this is really good to keep top of mind. People can tell when you're trying to get. something from them. When you approach another artist or when someone approaches me, I can tell if there's someone who's just trying to make a genuine connection with me versus trying to get access to my clients or to get information about a photographer or whatever it [00:13:00] is.
So I think it's best if you're approaching another artist to approach with the intention of, I'd love to help you out. I admire what you do. I can see what you've built. It's just that you have a. for what they do and you're here to help. That's how you need to approach people or makeup artists that you're gonna be networking with and wanna work with.
Don't think about the networking as I need to be signed with the agency, I wanna be doing what you're doing, so help me. That's not gonna work. We will definitely talk more about networking on a future episode, I just wanted to give you a heads up on that today. Once you start networking with agency represented artists, from that point, once you kinda get your foot in the door, it's then gonna be all about Who you are, what your energy is, what you bring to the table, your work ethic, of course, what your portfolio and social media look like.
And I think now we can just say social media and portfolio are pretty much one in the same. I think you can get the idea from the stories that I've shared with you already that you do have to prove yourself and work up the ranks. And when it comes to. to getting signed by an [00:14:00] agency. They need to see that you're trustworthy, that you're professional, that you have the skills that they need you to have in order to be able to service their clients.
This is hard to hear, but there is a pecking order within this ecosystem, and you have to respect that pecking order and know where you kind of I want to get to some of the questions that you asked me specifically about agency representation and signing with an agency. And I'm hoping now by this point in the episode, you kind of have a good general understanding of how everything works.
One question I received was what is needed before reaching out to an agency? So what do you have to have together as a makeup artist before you reach out? I think it will be important to really study, the social media accounts and portfolios of the artists who are already represented by the agency that you're interested in.
You want to look at the agency website. Of course, you do have to look at the work that they're producing, like what it actually looks like. You're not going to be able to achieve that right away, but that's the direction you need to work towards. You should also be looking at each [00:15:00] individual artist's portfolio to get an idea of the type clients that they're working with and what's in their book.
This will help you put two and two together. If there's a certain type of client that you want to attract or there's a certain area of the industry that you want to work in, what an artist who is already doing this type of work has in their portfolio is what you should aim to have your portfolio look like one day.
So it's a good source of inspiration as well. In your own portfolio and social media, you need to show that you can do this job and that you can do work that clients are paying for in your market. So. Some of this is going to be market dependent for sure. So for example, in Toronto, it's a very commercial market.
If you were interested in signing with an agency in Toronto, you would need some of your work in your portfolio to look more commercial. You'd need to show a variety of skin tones. Your social media would have to have a combination of work by professional photographers. first, and of course, some of your own photos of your makeup applications from your phone or taken with your phone.
And this goes for anybody who's interested in approaching [00:16:00] an agency. It's just proof that you can do the job you say you can do. The question of whether or not you have to have a website in addition to your social media is kind of up for discussion. I think these days there was a period of time where no one would take you seriously unless you had a proper website.
But I know some great artists. that don't have websites that work all the time, some that have. So you kind of have to feel it out. You can always look at what other agency represented artists are doing in your market and do the same. That's a really quick and easy thing to find out. You will also want to find out if you need to be proficient in hairstyling as well.
That's something you can just look up. on an agency website. They'll have their artists listed as hair and makeup or makeup and hair. That's something you're going to have to show in your portfolio if it's required. One question I did get a few times was, how do I know when I'm ready to approach an agency?
The answer to this, I think it's not always going to be clear. I think once you do your research, you'll instinctively know if you're ready or not. You'll be able to figure feel how much experience you have, how much you need, you'll be able to kind of [00:17:00] look at other artists in your market and maybe even talk to some other MUAs in your market to get a feel for where you're at.
There is also going to be just some uncertainty and you'll only know if you're ready for this after you start the process of reaching out to the agency directly, reaching out to MUAs who are repped by the agency. As you go through this process, it will inform you about what you need to work on. If you do get some assisting opportunities, if you do get to speak to the normal part of this industry.
But in order to get where you want to go, which is if You know, that is being signed by an agency. You definitely have to dive in headfirst and you need to make those big leaps. And if an agency says, no, we're not interested, it's truly not going to really change anything for you in the immediate future.
Because regardless of if they say [00:18:00] yes or no, we're interested, we're not interested. So, the same amount of work is still going to be required on your part to get your career to the next level. And an agent can't do that work for you. So, don't let the fear of being rejected hold you back. That know that you receive from an artist or from an agency could be the thing that's The catalyst.
For getting you to the next level. Another question that popped up a couple of times was do you choose the jobs or does the agency choose the jobs for you? Basically, what happens is requests for artists come into the agency for paid bookings for creatives. What the agency does is they look at the roster.
They see who they. think is going to be the best fit for the job or for the client or the shoot or whatever it is. And then they'll reach out to you and ask you if you're interested in taking the job. They'll give you some details about it and you can decide whether or not you want to be put forward for the job.
When an agent calls you about a job, it doesn't mean automatically you have it. It just means they want to see if you're interested, feel things out. They'll take. Who's interested back to the client and the client will make the [00:19:00] best choice for them. When you're newer to an agency or a relationship with an agency, you do want to limit how often you're saying no because there's going to be five artists behind you who will say yes and you really never know where one job is going If you are in this situation, I know it can be intimidating.
I know you can be scared. Don't let these things hold you back from saying yes. And it is important to put your best foot forward to show that you're interested in working with the agency. And these opportunities are just opportunities for you to prove yourself to the agency. So you don't want to be turning them down very often.
I think this last question is a great question to end this podcast on. And it was something that. So many of you wanted to know. And the question you asked was, did I feel like being with an agency was worth it for me? And at this point in my life, I've been freelance for longer than I was ever rep by an agency.
And it was totally worth it. I learned so much about the business. I became a better artist because I was around people very often who were much more experienced. than I was who were doing the type of work that I wanted [00:20:00] to be doing. I met some amazing clients that I still have today. I made friends with some amazing people, and I met one of my best friends who's another makeup artist from my time at the agency.
But I do have to say that working in an agency can be an extremely competitive environment. It's not for everyone. Some people just don't have what it takes. And there are some of you probably listening who may not enjoy being in that environment. You may feel like You might just be better off on your own.
And for me, eventually at the end of my time there, I felt like I had done everything that I could. I felt like I did everything that they wanted me to do. And my career was just not progressing any further. And I felt strongly that it was time for me to move on and really do my own thing. Something I also wanted to mention is that getting signed by an agency or getting represented by an agency, it can be a very long process.
It can take years in the making. So I know. There's some people that see signing with an agency as a shortcut. But as you know, there's very, very few shortcuts in this [00:21:00] industry. I would say close to zero. And signing with an agency is definitely not a shortcut. I have spoken with a lot of MUAs who feel stuck in their career and who feel like this is going to be the thing that gets them to where they want to go.
But sometimes when you're stuck or when you feel like your career is not progressing the way you want it to, it could mean that you're just not putting in the work that you need to. And I talked about this on last week's episode. Whether you're represented by an agency or not, there's still work that needs to be put in.
It's the same type of work. It's the same things that you have to work on to grow your business. I know that we sometimes see agency representation as this thing that's going to completely change your life. If it's. This thing that you look at, like, if I can just get there, I know things are gonna happen for me, my career is gonna take off, I'm gonna make so much money.
And that is really not necessarily the case. It's not necessarily true for everyone. To do this job, it just requires a ton of work. It's a business like any other business. Agency representation, that's not [00:22:00] always the key to success. It was a great experience for me, it set me up for success in a lot of ways, but getting signed with an agency did not completely change my life.
I had the same struggles as any other artist that is starting their career. I did not make a lot of money. I was struggling financially for the first little while, even with agency representation. There were people that even though I was repped would still not work with me. I would reach out to people. I would still get ghosted.
I would still get turned down. The other funny thing about being agency represented is that you kind of know who is getting put up for jobs. In addition to you and if you don't get a job you can see who exactly got the job from your agency So that's constantly in your face all the time You see who you lose out to which you kind of see that on social media anyways But when you are signed with an agency, you kind of all know each other and yes you're happy that people are getting work that you know, but Sometimes deep down you're just like, oh, why didn't I get that job?
Oh, that was perfect for me Oh, I really wanted this job and you know, my friend got it [00:23:00] instead So there's that little element of it too but what I just wanted to be clear about today is that there are A lot of things to know about trying to sign with an agency or getting repped by an agency and it doesn't take away How hard this job really is and how much work and effort you put into it And um, I hope that today's podcast was helpful.
I hope I gave you some good information about agencies what to consider if you want to be agency rep, there's still a lot more to cover on this topic. I didn't want to overwhelm you with information on this. I just wanted to take some of the most common questions that I got from you and answer them in this episode.
But if you have more questions about agency representation, you can always DM me on the artist to artist Instagram, or you can hit reply if you are a newsletter subscriber and send me any. follow up questions you have. I am happy to do just like a straight Q& A episode on signing with an agency. Happy to do that for you.
Thank you so much for tuning in this week. Don't forget to follow artist to artist on Instagram. If you are enjoying listening to me every week, don't forget to subscribe, leave some [00:24:00] reviews. That always helps. And I guess I will talk to you next week. Bye.
