Phone Tag Is Not A Professional Sport.

There is a new agent at one of the offices are rarely work with.  Actually, I booked my first commercial through them years ago, and the agent actually said in the message, "We should send you out more often!!!"  And then - no joke - I didn't hear from then again for a year and a half.  (And, yes, I kept in touch.)  Anyway, there is a new agent in that office who seems to have discovered my file and has called a couple times. 

And its sort of painfully obvious he's new.  He called the other day at about 6:30PM and left a voicemail saying he had an audition for me the next day... but left no details; just asked me to call him back.  Fine.  I waited until I was home in a quiet environment and sitting down with paper and a working pen in front of me and called him back.  I got his voicemail.  I specifically said that when he returns the call - if I don't answer (because I never answer my phone) - to please leave the details in the message or to send an email.

Twenty minutes later he calls but leaves no message.  Ten minutes after that he calls again and leaves a message asking me to call him back.  WTF.  By now it's 10:30PM.  FINE.  I call him back and he sounds a bit like a used car salesman: "I submit your photo for an audition... and they want to see you!" 

Yeah.  I know.  That's generally how it works. 

Then last night I get a call from him after 7PM, saying - again - that he has an audition, and to please call him for the details.  No, dude - leave the details on my voicemail and I will call you back with a yea or a nay.  Oy.  So, since I was hanging out with a friend, drinking wine at a bar at the time, it totally slipped my mind to call him back until I was on my way home at 11:45PM.  And he wants to give me the details while I'm walking in the rain, carrying an umbrella in one hand and a phone in the other. 

And, actually, its weird enough that he answered a call that late.

I don't know.  I'm glad he's enthusiastic and is calling me - but would I be out of line in explaining to him how the process generally works? 

Anyway - to round out this story - turns out I can't make today's audition, after all.  Which is a bummer.  But I hope there will be more...

--Susan Atwood

Comments

[Stacey Jackson]

This sounds like a former agency of mine...same sort of deal every time I heard from them. I swear, I tried to instill some sort of professionalism in my dealings with them, but it never worked. And then I began to wonder if that was also how the agency was perceived by casting and other industry people etc. I think it is great that they are calling and maybe the "agent" is actually an intern? Hang in there, work is work is work...just be sure that they are selling you in the most professional of ways.

[Susan Atwood]

I believe he is an intern. For brevity's sake I didn't mention that, but you're right - it makes a difference. You'd think by now, though, he'd have figured out the best way to organize things...