A ‘young’ director in search of representation.

I recently saw the following question on the WheresSpot LinkedIn Group, and thought I’d publish the Q and A here as well.

Question:
“I have been a TV/Film/Commercial editor for the past 20 years. I am currently bending my career, along with my brother, toward directing commercials. From what I have learned from the editors chair, commercial directors are repped by being on a roster at a production company, and can also be repped by a talent agency. What’s the best way for a new director to get representation?”

My answer:

“With so much talent chasing what’s out there these days, it’s Really Hard for a director with a ‘young reel’ to get who they want or want who they can get in the area of representation. Really hard.

In my opinion, the best way to get representation is to concentrate on Directing; find a way to build the most compelling reel you can, a focused body of work that makes reps and/or production companies sit up and say take notice. And with the DSLR’s out there…it’s easier than ever to do stuff, no? So I say don’t spend too energy on finding representation. Find ideas for stuff to direct and direct. Obviously ‘real jobs’ are best but spec work totally acceptable. But it better be great. If, for example, it’s a spec commercial, the idea and look must feel totally right for the ‘brand.’

When the stars are in alignment the reps and production companies will find you.

Finally – and this might seem unimportant – I’d recommend you put a lot of thought and energy into your web site. That’s a place some of us look to get a feel for anyone or anything on our radar. I’m looking for web sites on prospective dog walkers, dentists or plumbers. Seriously. For a director, I’m looking for a mighty tasty site that tells me a lot about the person and is also sweet in look and feel. And with platforms like carbonmade and about.me, and WordPress themes, that’s easier than ever. If you don’t know about this stuff, I say get to know. You can find help with this. Should not cost much at all. Look what others are doing for ideas. In my opinion, this is important.”

Hope this helps.