Free Essay Sample on Nonunion Talent Agencies

1.0 Introduction

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A talent agent or agency is a person or a corporation that finds and books jobs for various artists in the art industry (Sellars, 2015). The agency is responsible for safeguarding and promoting the interests of its clients. For an artist, one can decide whether to be affiliated with a union or to work as a nonunion. Most actors prefer unions because they are guaranteed more income that way. That does not mean that one cannot make money when not in a union because if the quality of work is high, payment can be guaranteed. In nonunion jobs, talent is the only factor and the producers often get a chance to discover new amazing talents that union actors may not see. Even some of the union performers opt for nonunion performances to try to find greener pastures. The union agencies themselves have ventured into nonunion productions to increase their income margins (Sellars, 2015). For instance, consider the movie daughter of the lake written by Ozlem Alingoz. The movie is about a group of young friends who go out for adventure only to cross ways with a deadly demon. The film features only six characters. The paper is trying to discuss the six nonunion agencies that the characters of the movie work with.

1.1 Mike

Mike is a strong middle-aged man with a controlling and authoritative nature. He is scary and talks with a wobbly voice. He is also a suspicious and cunning person. Mike works as a nonunion actor with the Backstage agency. Backstage is an entertainment industry brand name that is dedicated to offering casting job opportunities and career advice. Allen Zwerdling and Ira Eaker established the company in 1960 as a weekly newspaper (Backstage, 2007). It has since expanded its interests into film and video production and publications for commercial industries. The agency works with unions such as SAG-AFTRA, AGVA, AGMA but it also has a huge interest in talented nonunion performers with outstanding performances. As of 2016, the team has shown phenomenal improvements in casting processes for projects that range from major studio and network productions to student films. The agency is involved in event organization, and editorial works for various magazines (Backstage, 2007).

1.2 Roland

Roland is a tall, brown, and strong man at his early 20s. He has a sharp mind and he organized and calculative in his roles. He is a very courageous and encouraging man with exceptional leadership skills. He believes in himself and prefers to solve his problems. Because he comes from Los Angeles, he works as a nonunion actor with LA casting group.

LA casting is the biggest casting agency in Los Angeles. Casting Networks Inc. owns the agency since 2013 despite being a registered trademark with network solutions since 1999 (LA casting, 2016). The company has had several management changes and each time the managing team comes up with new strategies for increasing their profits. The company complies with unions such as SAG-AFTRA, but it also recognizes individual talent. They are willing to work with nonunion artists so long as there is talent.

1.3 Livia

Livia hails all the way from Chicago. She is a tall, white, and skinny girl at her late teenage years with a troubled and stressed look. She is a very cunning character, brave, and a true seeker of her interests. She discovered her acting talent from a very young age. She has been working in nonunion contracts with the Actors Talent Group.

Actors Talent Group is in SAG-AFTRA but is also a nonunion agency with a long-term relationship with outstanding producers and directors from Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. The group has a motto that goes "work twice as good, be twice as good, and be twice as nice." The group has raised its relationships with actors because of the founder, Maryann Ziesch, has been in the industry for a very long time earning her a huge reputation. She has worked with phenomenal people as casting director for Universal Television and many others (Actors talent group, 2016).

1.4 Elisa

Elisa is a short, beautiful teenage girl with long black hair and red lips. She is very courageous and brave, and her dream is to become a top model. She is very intelligent and respectful to elder people. Her talent was discovered by the gray talent group and she has been working in nonunion projects with the agency.

Gray talent group is a SAG-AFTRA affiliated, Equity and a nonunion talent agency based in Chicago but extends their services into Los Angeles and New York. Dawn Gray who is the current president of the agency founded the agency in 2008 (Gray talent group, 2016). Dawn Gray has worked as a talent agent for 12 years securing jobs for high-end television and film shows such as Star Trek and shameless. Their mission is to provide superb actors to outstanding directors and producers and advertising agencies in Chicago and other major markets. All their talents have been subjected to rigorous auditions to ensure quality and exclusivity of services.

1.5 Alex

Alex is a tall skinny teenager who looks dull all the time. However, he has an exceptional confidence and he minds the happiness of all those around him. He has been working with voiceover directory for a long time and that is where he was selected from to feature in daughter of the lake.

The voiceover is an international directory of the voice over industry, which provides instant jobs for voice talents from all over the world. The agency does not require any union membership card in their auditions. Pure talent is what is sought, and the agency has dominated in the voice industry since 2003 (Backstage, 2007). The agency is very effective regarding their auditioning since they have an online platform where artists can post their works to be analyzed by voice professionals before being selected. The agency also offers advanced marketing solutions for their talents to ensure the quality of services (Backstage, 2007).

1.6 Lucy

Lucy is a midsized, relatively tall, and beautiful girl at her early 20s.she is very sharp, hyperactive, and daring at the same time. She has a high esteem thus she believes in herself so much. She works on nonunion contracts with Bret Adams Ltd in New York.

Bret Adams Limited is a fulltime service agency that represents actors, writers, designers, and directors. The agency is in SAG-AFTRA, Equity and is a nonunion agency located in 448 West 44th street of New York. The agency does all types of representations except commercials and children casting. The mature manner of Lucys acting made her secure jobs in the agency despite her young age (Backstage, 2007).

Conclusion

It is argued that working with union artists is more profitable than nonunion ones, but this is not true. Some union projects backfire too. That is why most agencies are venturing into nonunion productions to increase their profits. Either way, the art industry depends on creativity and talent, if one has those coupled; chances of making it in the industry are very high.

References

Actors Talent Group. (2016). Chicago Actors | ACTORS TALENT GROUP the best boutique talent agency for Actors, represent union & non-union talents in Chicago, New York. Retrieved from http://www.actorstalentgroup.com

Backstage. (2007). NYC Area Talent Agencies | Backstage. Retrieved from http://www.backstage.com/news/nyc

Gray Talent Group. (2016). Gray Talent Group | Talent Agent Chicago | Talent Agencies Chicago. Retrieved from http://graytalentgroup.com

LA casting. (2016). Casting Networks Inc. -. Retrieved from http://home.lacasting.com/

Sellars, S. (2015, July 30). Union vs. Non-Union: Know What You're Getting into - Moviemaker Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/moviemaking