How to approach a rep

I am amazed at how hard it seems to be to strike the right tone in soliciting an artist rep. I get a lot of email from photographers and illustrators, a few most every day, and sometimes the work is not right, but most if the time something in the way the email is written just lets me know not to bother to go to a website. If you can't spell celebrity correctly it is a huge tip off.

Here is the best "cold" email I have gotten:

"I am a Swedish illustrator looking for a rep. I have looked a lot a lot of websites and I find them all very boring.
Your website is like drinking a tall glass of water after 10 martinis.
Would you like to work with me?"

Amazingly, I did. I said yes on the spot, not only because I loved the work, but also because it summed up how I feel about most illustration out there. I don't know, maybe it was just flattery, but it worked.

Here is another great email - it helped that the work was great.

"Dear Kristina

My name is XXX and I am a Swedish born photographer working in XXX and currently relocating to New York.
I am only looking into seeing a select few Agencies for representation and would appreciate 15-20 minutes of your time to show my work.

Your roster is impressive, and I see you have quite a few Swedish artists some of whom I met many years ago.
My work could hopefully add to that mix."

This photographer told me he had an art director from New York help him formulate this email. Most importantly, he did his research. He spelled my name correctly and went to my website and had a look. We did not end up working together in the end, but we became good friends.

Yes, I know, the examples are both from Swedish artists, but that is a coincidence.

Here are a few tips on getting in the door.

1. Sit down with a source book like LeBook or even Workbook and go to every single reps website, weed out the ones that do not have work in your vein, and the ones that you don't like. If you shoot fashion, approach the reps that clearly have fashion clients and photographers that shoot fashion. 10 strong leads are better then 50 weak ones.

2. Be realistic, don't fish. If you are a photographer mid-career living in Italy or India, chances are a New York rep will not be remotely interested in you. Reps are interested in talent living abroad only if you have a strong advertising or editorial career that can warrant a similar career in the US. Sure, it costs nothing to send an email to see what happens, but it is probably a waste of your time.

3. Craft a polite email, addressing the rep by first name. Point out your achievements like books published, recent campaigns and personal projects. Include a link to your site.

4. If you do get in the door, and you do get seen, realize that we may always look but we don't always buy. That does not mean that a spot opens up later, the rep may not have space in the roster or may feel that you need to work on your book a bit. Ask if it's OK to keep in touch with sporadic emailed images, a friendly hello now and then. Then remember to follow up if you are interested.

5. Be prepared to take criticism. It is human to hope that you have enormous undiscovered talent waiting to be mined, but chances are you can be better with a bit of work. Reps often have the commercial perspective that you don't.

Comments

[Roger]

Thanks for some really good advice!

[Thomas Nilsson]

I would have liked it better if someone said it was like drinking a martini after ten glasses of water :-)

Interesting info about approaching a rep.
I will try to remember it when/if I need to contact one.

[David Bean]

Thanks for the info. It can be so hard sometimes to show your personality through an email.

It's almost like speaking to a Frechman after 1 year of taking high school French. You think you're telling him his suit is nice and you end up insulting his mother.

[Kristina]

Mainly is it just about using common sense and doing research. An interesting email is not everything, is is hitting the right person up with that email also.

I just got got an email from a fashion photographer, and I sent him the link to the blog and I got a very pissy email in return. So he will waste a lot of time...

[Dano Pendygrasse]

I found this post to be really encouraging. I've almost outgrown my market and at some point in the near future need to start making these contacts. It's nice to hear perspective from someone on the other side of the email.

d.

[Hampus Ericstam]

Haha nice! I said that to you with the water and martinis. I think it was actually pina coladas....

[chris kargotis]

My big lesson was, what you should do before you approach a rep.

[Josh Cole]

What a great blog entry. So often I have heard that finding a rep is really all about how much you bill in a year (in addition, of course, to one's work being good). It's nice to hear that there are other factors that play into it. It's also great to hear a rep actually talk about "the approach" openly. Thanks for sharing.

[sue barr]

Thanks...I so needed this Reality Check.. I spent today looking through source books and websites for a new agent and somehow ended up on your blog... As I tweak my new website and approach Reps I will do so with a new perspective...again Thanks

[Kristina]

Hi Sue,
Thanks for your kind note!
I am currently writing a post called A Good Book, soon to be followed by a post on Having an Agent - or Not?
I am glad I was able to inspire and encourage you to take action, it is really all so simple.
Good luck!
K