Maxine wrote:
I've been looking for an agency recently, and one of the reps from the Carson agency of NYC expressed his interest. I've checked them out in so far as they are licensed, and they are SAG/AFTRA approved. This may be all I need, but if possible I would like to be able to verify that they actually do get models work. Anyone here heard anything about them? Any suggestions as to where I might go to find out that info?

Much appreciated,

Maxine

I am confused here, you have an agent in NYC that is both licensed and SAG/AFTRA franchised and you are trying to find out if they get models work?  Interesting question.

Well, they are getting someone work or they wouldn't be SAG franchised.  If they were playing games, the unions would be all over them.  I hate it when a union rep calls me for something as a producer, but trust me, on every production I have done, they found somethng to get annoyed about.

So you know they are legitimate.  The quetion is that the unions are for acting and you are a model.  I guess you have to find out how strong they are in the modeling field, versus the acting field.  That is really the issue.

My gut reaction though is if they are planning on signing you non-exclusively and if you are not already signed with an agent that would conflict because they have overlapping markets, why wouldn't you want to sign with them?  If they get you work, fine, if they don't, you should always be searching for a bigger agency anyhow (unless your current agent is already making you rich).

Unless you have agents beating your doors down, there is no downside to signing with a licensed/franchised agent non-exclusively.  The only cost you may have is to get comp cards printed with their name on it and they may even have stickers.

spyro2122 wrote:
if it is sag registered then it should be legit.

OK, I am gonna make a comment and it is going to seem petty, please don't get offended.  I just want to make sure people understand a concept.

An agency is not SAG "Registered" they have to be SAG "Franchised."

It isn't possible to just say that you want to book actors for union jobs.  They have areas of the country that are known as "Studio Zones."  They are the larger markets like NYC, Chicago and LA.  There are other markets, such as Boston and Detroit which are also studio zones.

In a studio zone, you have to apply to SAG, meet certain qualifications and if they accept you, they will "franchise" you to book actors for union projects on their behalf.

A producer (or studio) on the other hand is not "Franchiosed" they are a "Signatory" to a SAG or "AFTRA" agreement.  There are a variety of variations on the agreement signed.  For example, a studio may sign a blanket agreement that covers all productions in their studio.  On the other hand, a smaller producer may sign an agreement on a production by production basis.  Each production then would have to be approved by the union before an agreement could be exectued.

Anyhow, sorry, I just wanted to explain the terminology since many models don't understand the relationship.  If an agency is booking union actors in a studio zone, it applies for and hopefully is becomes a "Franchised" agency.  A producer or studio that does a union production is said to be a "Signatory" to a union contract.

OK, back to your answer to her, I agree.

Maxine wrote:
I've been looking for an agency recently, and one of the reps from the Carson agency of NYC expressed his interest. I've checked them out in so far as they are licensed, and they are SAG/AFTRA approved. This may be all I need, but if possible I would like to be able to verify that they actually do get models work. Anyone here heard anything about them? Any suggestions as to where I might go to find out that info?

Much appreciated,

Maxine

Quick question,  How did you obtain the agency?  And did they provide you with references?  You can check and see if they're registered with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.com.  And it's great that the agency is SAG/AFTRA franchised but I understand your concern about getting models work, since SAG and AFTRA are affiliated with acting and not modeling. lol Hmm..I guess just ask for references of their clients who are models.  They should have no problem handing those over if they are legit.  Hope that helps!!

~Ani

xrhapsodiex wrote:
You can check and see if they're registered with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.com.

While it's fairly safe to assume that a business is not worth dealing with if it has negative feedback with the BBB, the BBB is NOT a reliable source determining if a company is good, bad, or even legally operating.

The BBB is NOT a gov't or law enforcement agency and typically will not display negative reports about fake (unlicensed or unregistered) businesses.  The BBB is known for refraining to display any negative information about it's own members.  Many scammers actually become members of the BBB simply to make people feel like the business is legitimate.

If a complaint is made about a business to the BBB, negative information typically isn't displayed for at least 6 months.  If the business simply say's "we're trying to come to an amicable decision which will benefit both ourselves and the complaintant" the negative information will be prevented from being displayed indefinately.

The best way to find out the legitimacy of any business is through state records which deal with business licensing (usually the secretary of state, or the dept of consumer affairs).  State and city labor boards may also require special licensing and also would have such information on record.  In this case, SAG would also have a listing for such agencies.

Attached are a few such websites:

New York State division of State (STATE RECORDS, AND UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE) http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corp/corpwww.html

California Division of Labor (Licensed Talent Agency Database) http://www.dir.ca.gov/databases/dlselr/Talag.html

Florida Licensing Portal https://www.myfloridalicense.com/licensing/wl14.jsp

SAG approved agency database (franchised and non-franchised) http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/applicatio … nformation


Finally, make sure that the agency that you're contacting is not a "copycat" agency, which is usually a fake agency using the name or similar name of a legitimately operating agency. 

Just like the cheap "Rolek" watches, "Gutchi" handbags, "Armanny" suits that you can buy at many open air flea markets, some fakers will use the name of a real agency in order to try to sell their services.