You may have heard through the grapevine that Hollywood talent agencies are becoming increasingly interested in Emerson College. They see the value that our creative, driven, and, most of all, passionate students & alumni bring to the table that sets us apart from many other schools.
Starting your entertainment career in “the mailroom” then making it onto “the desk” as a Assistant is surefire way to jumpstart your Hollywood dreams.
As Career Services’ Associate Director of Employer Engagement, I’m focused on making connections with companies to help you get your foot in the door and start pursuing your career goals. I had the opportunity to speak with a recruiter at CAA who shared with me her top 5 tips for standing out amongst the crowd of applicants:
- Know what a talent agency does and the role they play in the entertainment business. It’s OK if you’re not an expert (we get it!) – it’s best to have at least base knowledge about their business. Extra credit if you’ve done research specific to their agency!
- Most talent agencies have business lines in: Marketing, Branding, Comedy, Sports, Motion Pictures, Television (and many others!). Be sure to know which line of business you’re most interested in and do some research on who they represent in that area
- Be sure your internship and other experiences (student orgs, classes, projects, etc.) show your interest in your desired business line. For example: You’re interested in comedy. How do you show this? Get involved in an improv group on campus, upload the funniest videos you take to an online portfolio, get a part time job or internship at a comedy club, anything that shows your interest goes beyond just writing it down on a piece of paper!
- If you don’t have the experience, and just have that piece of paper – don’t fret! Just be sure to backup your interest by demonstrating your knowledge and passion by writing a kickass cover letter and be able to articulate this in an interview – schedule a mock interview with Career Services first!
- Not 100% sure that you want to become a talent agent? No worries, you’re young and still figuring things out. The important thing is to come to the interview with an open mind about exploring this as a career option and reiterating your desire to work hard and bring value to their business.
Lastly, and I’m not just saying this because I think Career Services is awesome, but you really, really should make a talent agency exploration appointment with our office if you plan on applying for an internship or entry level role. In addition to helping get your application materials on the right track, it also allows us to get to know you a bit better so we can highlight your application when we send resume books with our applicant to the agencies.
