How to Give Good Meeting: Talent Rep Edition

You wrote a blazing hot screenplay and now talent reps want to meet with you. Congrats! Having even one agent or manager interested in working with you is a moment worth celebrating. 

But after that fancy cocktail or ten-dollar ice cream cone, start thinking about how you want to represent yourself in that all important ‘interview meeting’. Are you ready to talk about yourself and your writing with confidence? What questions do you want to ask? What career goals do you want them to help you achieve? 

Remember, these meetings aren’t just about convincing them to work with you, just as importantly, it’s about whether you feel it’s a good fit. 

Here are 6 tips to give good ‘Talent Rep’ meeting (including a few red flags to watch out for):

1. First impressions never get a second chance.

Regardless of how you got in the room - through a friend-of-a-friend, a professional referral, contest win, or  a recent career success – just know this meeting is, in the eyes of the rep, a job interview. The purpose of a talent rep calling you in for a meeting is to determine whether you’re someone they feel is worth investing their time in. So, with that in mind - dress to impress. For a few “rules” on Hollywood style - check out tip #5 in this post.

2. Arrive early. 

Always arrive to this (and every) meeting early. Even though the person you’re meeting with will most likely be running 20 minutes to a half hour late. This is not a ‘slight’ to you, it’s very common (Remember, you want them to be BUSY. No point in signing with an agency that’s barely working).

3. Before you get down to business…

Once the meeting finally starts, there will be a “getting to know you” conversation before you get down to business. This conversation will most likely start with: 1. Something the manager/agent read of yours that they like. 2. Someone or something you have in common. 3. A current movie or TV show. A lot of writers go into these meetings so focused on talking about their work and the industry, that this ‘opening chit chat’ can really throw them. So, do your research beforehand: Do you and this potential agent or manager have anything or anyone in common? Can social media help you identify if they’re into a specific show or movie you love? Expressing genuine interest in who they are can go a long way towards starting to forge the sort of relationship that really matters. Also, if you can find out who they are as a person, you’ll get a better idea of whether this is someone you want working for you and representing you in the marketplace.

4. So, tell me about yourself!

One very smart writer I know says, “Your first story is your own, so tell it well.” A potential rep is not just evaluating your work, they’re also evaluating your social skills. They need to know they can feel confident putting you in the room with executives, showrunners and producers. So when the inevitable, “Tell me about yourself!” happens, make sure you’re prepared. Before the meeting create a killer personal pitch, be able to communicate your career goals, your strengths as a writer, the other projects you have ready to go, and what you’re working on now… this might sound like a lot (and by no means should you unload all of this info onto them out of the gate), but over the course of the conversation these are the usual topics that will come up.

5. Ask smart questions.

Before your meeting, come up with a list of insightful questions that will help you get to know the rep and their working style. You’re interviewing them to help you run your business (you’re the CEO of your screenwriting career). Who are people they plan on sending you to meet with, both immediately and long term? If you are meeting with a manager, when do they envision bringing an agent onto the team? Are they proponents of general meetings and staffing or, if this is a manager, is their specialty purely development? What is a recent client success story? (This last question can tell you a lot about their values and taste). Smart questions can help you identify whether their vision for your career matches your own. And keep in mind - no matter how big and fancy a talent rep might seem - this is going to be someone you’ll be in contact with often. You want to be sure your personalities mesh and that they “get” you as a person and your work.

5. Don’t lie. 

Whether it’s a “fabrication” about your own career achievements, relationships, or what other reps are interested in you - don’t do it (this is a small town, chances are that lie will bite you in the butt eventually). 

6. A few red flags to watch out for. 

-They don’t seem to “get” you or your material - make sure their values for your work and career are in line with your own.

-They have conflicts of interest - For example, let’s say you’re a 20-something woman who writes feminist comedy, and they have 2 other clients who are also female, feminist comedy writers. This could definitely lead to problems. 

-They badmouth past clients - Be wary of reps who talk poorly about past clients. That could be you one day.

-Commission is 10% - Never trust someone who asks for upfront payment, a “reading fee”, or who asks for more than 10% commission. 

Ultimately, whether an agent or manager wants to sign you or not is out of your hands. What is in your control is how you show up in the meeting itself. So arrive early, dress to impress, come prepared, and do your best to represent yourself in the most authentic-but-confident way possible. And before you make a decision, do a gut check to decide if this is the right person to represent you.

What are your best practices when meeting a talent rep? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!

For more industry info and tips check out these additional resources:

For the ultimate guide to pitching a TV show that sells, check out my e-book, The Ultimate Guide to a Killer Pitch

To learn how to create your “personal logline” read my free e-book, Tell Your Story in 60 Seconds.

For my in-depth video course on breaking into the business go to: Carole Kirschner’s Hollywood Boot Camp.

And you can find my book, Hollywood Game Plan on Amazon or at Michael Wiese Productions (MWP).