How Do I Find Representation?

Today I'm answering a reader's question about navigating agents & managers.

Hi, I’m Ali and this is Little Things. My advice column is for paying subscribers only. You can upgrade your subscription at any time.

Hi Ali,

Thanks for your newsletter and particularly the advice part! I’m a comedy writer or ~aspiring~ you could say. My pilot was a quarterfinalist in Scriptapalooza, and I was a Writer’s PA for a Netflix show, which I was hoping would be my way to a staff writer job, but the show was canceled before even airing. Woohoo! Now I’m looking for a Writer’s Assistant job and I am feeling 100% stuck. The #1 thing I want right now is a manager who believes in me and my work and can help me get jobs. Even WA jobs feel… impossible?! I’ve reached out to some managers but haven’t had any luck. Is there a right way to go about trying to find representation? Any advice you have would be rad!

Thanks!
Natalie

Hi Natalie,

I’m sorry that you’re feeling this way! Entertainment careers have so many highs and lows that feeling stuck is inevitable. I’m sure one day you’ll achieve all your dreams and still find yourself feeling stuck for some new reason. Learning how to live in the “stuckness” will benefit you greatly. But that being said, I promise you that you won’t feel like this forever!

I wanted representation for years before I was finally signed. I was working at BuzzFeed, writing and starring in videos that got tens of millions of views, and could not for the life of me find representation. At some point, I decided I’d have to be my own agent. The same week my agent (me) got me my first TV job, I finally got signed by a real agency (not me).

I’m not sure if there’s a “right” way to go about finding representation, but here’s what I wish I knew then. Or, in some cases, here’s what I did know that you should know too!