How Do Talent Agencies Showcase Their Talent?

Showcases

Agencies often put together performance events that feature a number of acts. These showcases commonly expose spectators to a small array of entertainers that fit a particular need. A wedding showcase specializing in jazz bands may include a few ensembles with a "big band" and standard repertoire, while a theatrical agency showcase will present a set of actors, all of whom might have common characteristics. The crowd at a showcase varies from possible clients to industry folk who can offer future projects.

Avoid for-profit talent conventions that require high fees to enter. One should never pay to be in a talent showcase. Showcases are free events that the agency uses to get paying work for everyone involved. Never pay to perform.

The Internet

These days, the Internet is a popular means of exposing new talent. With improvements to multimedia happening rapidly, it's now possible to easily craft a website that includes sample song clips, videos, or photography portfolios. Agencies may also create websites for client artists. This is particularly big in the modeling world, where most modern agencies keep an online portfolio collection. Legitimate agencies often lock much of these online portfolios behind passwords and access codes. Internet sites work best for clients who have a list of names they're interested in, since most don't wish to waste time wading through a sea of people.

Some companies are completely on the Internet, offering representation through an email application process. These, however, are often scams with upfront payment, so be sure to check for reviews. The same rule of non-payment applies here: Never pay for website representation from an agency---since they're supposed to find paying work that will more than cover a model's photography and portfolio costs.

Press Kits

Agencies put together press kits that contain information about an act for perspective clients. A music act kit, for instance, might have a sample CD, a list of repertoire, and some pictures, along with a short bio outlining the band's background. These kits may be sent to nightclubs to line up possible gigs, or sent to the press for possible inclusion in a news story. Printed press kits have waned in popularity since the rise of digital format kits, but are still useful if sent to the right people at the right time. Press kits often get lost in the shuffle of a multitude of similar offerings, but agencies still create them in the hopes that their act will stick out from the rest.

References

• The High Prarie Times: Talent Showcases not a True Scouting Environment - But Money Making Scheme