Long story short, I'm just not getting out enough. And auditions are the name of the game - I've confident that, if you get me out often enough, I'll book.
But I've gotta get out Pure and simple.
And Brett, my Manager, was still securing more auditions for me than Vicki L./Direct Talent (My Agent).
The goal is to find an agent that gets me out so much I don't need Brett, who's functioned more as a quasi-agent, submitting me for things, than an actual manager (Which begs the question - Why am I paying him 15% for doing the work of an agent who would get 10%?).
(What makes that last bit - the desire to kick Brett to the curb - a little "awkward", is that the meeting with this new agency - Actors LA - came about as a result of the "Manager-Palooza" thing Brett attended a couple weeks ago; they looked over his "stable", and I was one of the people they wanted to call in.)
Anyway, I had the meeting Wednesday afternoon, in North Hollywood.
They liked me, I liked them, and most importantly, they seemed very confident they'd be able to get me out (Did I mention earlier how that's "the name of the game"?).
They wanted me to sign "across the board" (Meaning commercially and theatrically), but I've had a fair amount of success with JS (My commercial agent), so I wasn't up for that (Which seemed to give them pause, but they didn't argue the point too hard).
They also debated with themselves about signing me when they've got "Frank", an actor who's apparently like-me-but-not-exactly-like-me, before determining that they've been a little disappointed with old Frank anyway (Apparently, he's not booking as much as they'd hoped).
They'd already seen my reel, but I guess to make sure they weren't buying a pig-in-a-poke, they asked if I had a monologue I could show them (I did part of the opening bit from The Good Doctor, and they were satisfied).
I actually signed a one-year contract with them, which is a new thing for me - I don't have written contracts with anyone else on my "team" - but I'm okay with that; they're SAG-Franchised, so it's a standard contract, and it has a four-month "out clause" (Which I assume goes both ways) in case things don't work out.
Anyway, I feel hopeful about it.
And right now, hope is "the name of the game".
A short time ago, I was recharging my cell, and when I finished, I saw I had a couple voicemails.
There's mild trouble in John Cleese Informercial Land.
Basically, I need to sign up with AFTRA, to be signed up with AFTRA, before the shoot on Tuesday.
My understanding - backed up by Brett - is that typically you can do the AFTRA paperwork on the set; you fill it out along with the normal W-2 stuff (Which is why Brett told me I could just go, fill out my paperwork, and just not fill out the form signing over my paycheck to AFTRA).
But apparently this production company is new or new-ish, hasn't had a lot of dealing with AFTRA, and doesn't know the drill.
So now I'm going to have to go down to AFTRA and sign up with them directly.
I talked to Brett, and he told me not to pay them anything when I do, but I don't know how I'll proceed if they tell me I have to, or they won't let me do the gig.
In a word? Fuck...!
(But let us assume we are all reasonable people here, and that there'll will be a way things can work out to satisfy all parties. Yes, let us assume that.)
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