

Secret Agent Man
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
There is one part of their true being that actors never, ever reveal. They guard this truth with all their might. Not even Jack Bauer could get them to confess it. Yes, I'm talking about an actor's age. More »

Stuck in the In-Between
Actors spend the majority of their time preparing for the moment when they can perform or auditioning for those who can grant them that moment. More »

L.A. Noir
It's 10:29 a.m. The city is Beverly Hills. I'm your narrator, Secret Agent Man. Those who know me say I'm a good man in a bad town. Those who don't wish they did. These are my stories. More »

Adios, Amigo
Every agency I know evaluates its list at least twice a year to see who can stay and who should go. These aren't fun meetings, but they're absolutely necessary. More »

And the Winner Should Be…
The Oscars are still six weeks away, but I'm already thinking about all the talented actors who aren't going to get nominated. More »

Becoming Pilot-Worthy
It amazes me how actors with few credits and no representation think they have a chance of booking the holy grail of acting jobs during this frantic time of year. More »

A Fresh Start
Now that 2010 has finally arrived, I'm sure you're eager to make some positive changes in your life, the kind of changes that will help move your acting career forward. More »

Happy New Year!
As yet another year fades into memory, I can't help but think about all the ways I could make the new year a better one, full of hope and wonder, with less anger and violent behavior. More »

Santa Claus Ain't Coming to Town. You Are!
This is the time of year when agents start a betting pool to see which actors will remember to give us a little something as a thank-you for all the hard work we do. More »

Happy Thanksgiving!
As we enter the holiday season, I'd like to urge all of you to give thanks to those who have helped make your path a little bit easier. More »

Don't Be a Stranger!
A lot of actors think that once they find representation, they can just sit back and wait for the auditions to start pouring in. Nothing could be further from the truth. More »

The Almighty Assistant
Most agents in this business started on someone's desk. That means they worked as an assistant to an established agent. Think Lloyd on "Entourage." More »

Submission Boo-Boos
If you're an actor looking for representation, there are a lot of ways to go about it. More »

Waiting and Waiting and…
Waiting is a basic component of this business, and that applies to all of us, including yours truly. But it would be a major mistake if you didn't offset all that waiting with a little forward. More »

Hit the Road, Jack
Sometimes I wonder if actors are born with a genetic mutation that forces them to get in their own way. It's the only possible explanation for all the self-destructive behavior. More »

R.I.P.
Society is divided by class, and the world of acting is no different. At one end of the spectrum we have the rich: name talent who command top dollar. More »

Everybody's Talking at Me…
Pop quiz: Assuming that talent is a given, what's the biggest obstacle in an actor's career? More »

Welcome to Hollywood!
I have some fantastic news for any actor who's thinking about moving to Los Angeles. Thanks to a grant from Gov. Schwarzenegger, the city has just established its very first halfway home for actors who are in the process of relocating. More »

Ye Olde Mail Bag
We received an interesting letter this week at Secret Agent Man headquarters. It came from a New York actor, and I'd like to start off this column by sharing it with you. More »

You're Fired!
Each event was destructive in its own way, but we had to face all three in a very short period of time. It's a miracle we're still standing. More »

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
I'm constantly meeting actors who spend every free moment they have seeking representation but never find any. They're regulars at casting workshops but never get called in. Why is that? More »

Submissions vs. Referrals
There are people in this world who like to chase an inside straight. These are the same people who bet on horses that are 60-to-1. They call themselves risk takers. I call them broke. More »

Let's Put on a Show
"What are the chances of me getting some agents to show up?" I responded, "Slim to none, and slim just left town." More »

Think Like an Agent
This week's column is going to teach you how to think like an agent. To do this, you have to understand that the word agent can be used as a noun or a verb. More »


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