What makes a great Agent's Assistant?
Alex is the Managing Director of major UK talent agency InterTalent. He represents his clients alongside overseeing the agency's creative strategy, day-to-day operations & acquisitions.
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At the back end of last year, I took part in the first-ever Build The Invisible Conference at the British Library. It was a really cool event to be part of, and I joined a panel with some really impressive people.
I told a story that I don’t often tell.
After I had finished my internship at Curtis Brown in 2009, which was an incredible education, I went looking for a permanent assistant role at other top acting agencies. It was difficult. Getting your first proper job is hard.
After a while of sending in CVs with minimal replies (none of them positive), I finally got my chance at ARG. One of the very best. My interview date was set, and I was counting down the days.
As luck would have it (or not), the day of my interview landed on one of those epic snow days. Schools closed, transport at a standstill, everyone sledging down their garden on a tray instead of being in school. One of those. Typical. I called the company in the morning and checked to see if they were still open. They were. I said it might take me hours to get there when usually it would take 45 minutes, but I’ll be there.
I then made the epic journey from Essex to London. It usually takes 45 mins down the Central Line, but on this day it took multiple trains, replacement buses and all sorts. Nearly 3 hours in total… but I really wanted the job. I finally got to Oxford Circus, knocked on the door, and… no answer. Nothing. I rang. I buzzed. I called. Nothing.
After a few minutes, it dawned on me. They had closed early due to the snow, and no one told me. Even after I called earlier to check and confirm I was going to make it, no matter what. I was disheartened, upset, angry and frustrated. I’m quite sensitive, and at that age, the cold (icy!) rejection really cut deep.
I went home that night and, with the help of my parents, wrote an angry email. I thought to myself that even though I was unemployed, this isn’t the type of company I’d want to work for or be associated with.
The next day, they emailed me apologising and asked if I would come back.
I really wanted to tell them to get lost. First impressions count, and I was deflated. But after I calmed down and reminded myself of why I wanted the job in the first place, I said yes. I put my pride aside, went back in, got the job (they said my email showed what I was about) and spent the next 3.5 years learning my trade from some of the very best agents in London.
I was taught how to be an incredible assistant.
Ever since the conference, I have had multiple people message me telling me how that story has stuck with them. How they have got in their own way too many times, taken something too personally and let an opportunity pass them by.
Assistants are incredibly important, and without them, we’d be lost. A lot of what I write here on Dealmakers is for them.
It’s for those who are keen to learn and grow into top agents.
I want to pass on my experiences and knowledge to the next generation (not that I think I’m that old, still clinging onto my 30’s, for now!).
So what did I learn?
What makes a great assistant?
Let’s get to it. ⬇️
I have had a fair few assistants in my career so far. Some have gone on to become major stars at other talent agencies, and I am very proud of them. I passed on some of what I was once taught, and they grabbed it with both hands.
Here are my Top 10 tips on how to be a great assistant… which I learnt from being an assistant to one of the most successful agents in London.
I hope you find this useful, and send it on to any current or hope-to-be assistants.
🧠 Common sense: I’ll start with something that may well be the most important trait of a great assistant. I’ve hired assistants before who are super smart, but they lacked common sense. It was a disaster. We are in a ‘common-sense industry’. You need strong judgment and instinct. You don’t have to be an A* student with a First Class degree to be a top agent. I spent most of my education getting B’s and I left university with a 2:1. Having decisiveness on what to do next is essential when it comes to working in a talent agency. It’s a skill that you can’t teach, but having an assistant without it makes an agent’s work day infinitely harder. You’re having to hold their hand (metaphorically!) at all times, and their ability to make the right move without asking at all times is nonexistent. You then fear that you have to watch over them constantly, which is a negative cycle neither person wants to get into.
🗂️ Organisation: This is obvious, but key. When you represent several clients, all of whom could be very busy, there are hundreds of emails flying around every day. Keeping track of what’s happening when is super important. We all live and die by an up-to-date schedule. It doesn’t take a lot for a big mistake to happen. Being able to handle multiple conversations, dozens of half-finished emails and key information all at the same time while ensuring your boss is where they need to be is a skill that can’t be trained. It takes focus, calm and a real eye for detail. I also ban Post-it notes. I was told early on that the easiest way to lose key information is to write it on a Post-it note. Someone (probably the cleaner) will accidentally bin it. They always disappear. I’ve never used them, and I ban anyone near me from using them. Nothing worries an agent more than an assistant who can’t multi-task efficiently or loses information.
🎯 Doing what’s asked, then doing what isn’t: For me, this is a major indicator of whether someone has a real future. Doing what your boss asks of you is just the basics. A great assistant will always go above and beyond and second-guess what’s coming next. After a while of working closely with an agent, you will know how they work and what the next step will be in any given process. To get to the point where you can trust your judgment to do the next task before you’re even asked is worth its weight in gold. Be smarter than your boss. You’ll become their second brain, with eyes and ears everywhere, fighting off bullets before they even reach your boss’s desk. Solving problems before the agent even finds out is a ninja skill that sets you apart. They won’t be able to live without you. So many assistants are diligent, do what’s required, but never think to do more. Be 10 steps ahead of your boss. Always think about the pitfalls of any given situation before they happen. Stay ahead of the game at all times and know the questions they’ll ask before they ask them. If you know what’s coming, then you’re always in control. Don’t wait. That’s standard. Just do it.
✅ Follow through & Follow up: Your boss will have this incredibly annoying habit of asking if you have done a certain task they asked you to do 2 months prior, and then never mentioning it again. You thought they’d forgotten. They hadn’t. You had decided not to follow through because it was never discussed again, and now you’re getting told off. So annoying. It teaches you a big lesson, though. Always follow up and follow through. If people don’t respond, nudge and chase. Keep going until you have something to report back. Mention it even if your boss doesn’t. They will love the fact that you didn’t forget, even if they obviously did (agents will never admit I forgot, btw). Don’t just give up because you assumed it wasn’t important. One day, it’ll come back up in conversation and bite you on the butt. Practice the art of consistently following through and following up. Make it a non-negotiable. If it’s not completed, it should still be on the ‘to do’ list, it shouldn’t just disappear. In my early years, I once struggled to get an answer on something I thought was a bit meaningless. I asked my boss if I needed to chase. She said yes. I asked if it was important. She said everything is important.
🎬 Be Interested: It’s important to consume as much as you can so that you can have an opinion and start developing your own taste. Watch everything, read the trades/newspapers, know what’s happening where, when and how. If you work in the acting industry, then go to a lot of shows and watch all of the best films. If you’re in TV, watch TV. Etc.It will amaze you how little self-educating assistants do, or even watch the work the clients are involved in. You don’t want to be caught out by a client or your boss asking your thoughts on something you should have watched. I was always told that if you know a little about a lot of topics, then you can join any conversation, no matter who it’s with. I’ve always been someone who dips into everything from news to politics to sports to tech etc. I met someone the other day who plays Lacrosse (random) and just so happened to have read two lines in a blog a few weeks earlier about the Premier Lacrosse League. Totally random, but the very small information I knew was enough to get the other person’s attention and respect, and suddenly, with a few strategic questions back at him, I was in a really interesting conversation about their favourite hobby. Now they want to do business with me. Showing that you know a bit about what’s going on in the world, and that you care about your work is important. So many assistants are involved in jobs (scheduling etc.) but actually care very little about the project itself. Don’t be like that. Interested people are the most interesting people.
🤝 Replicate the style: You’re a team, and you need to be united with the agent you work for in many ways. One of them is replicating their style of communication, emails, and processes. If you do things completely differently, suddenly the team becomes chaotic and messy. Your boss will teach you their style (either directly or by you reading and learning), and you should mirror that style. It shows unity, and your clients can see that no matter who sends the email, it’s sent by the team not by the individual. This is the best way to show you are a united front.
🙌 Owning up: We all make mistakes. We’re human. Mistakes will happen, no matter how amazing you are. And probably more than once. Just own up, don’t cover it up, and work out what to do together. The buck stops with the agent. The agent is responsible for the work of their assistant, and it’s important to know when a ball has been dropped. I’ve had assistants go to great lengths to cover up errors, and it doesn’t do anyone any good. The cover-up is always worse than the error.
🔒 Discretion: You need to be trusted that you can handle confidential and sensitive information about clients and the agent you work for. Never let that guard slip, as it’s near impossible to rebuild that trust if you do. This includes gossiping in the office about confidential information. One slip in the pub, one overshare in the work kitchen area, and you’re done. This industry runs on trust and reputation; guard yours fiercely. Operate like you work for MI5 and have a 24/7 NDA.
😌 Unflappability: I’m not sure that’s a real word, but I’m sticking with it. There will be many occasions when something unexpected happens. An old-fashioned crisis. Your boss has been sent to the wrong location. The clients haven’t turned up. Someone is screaming down the phone demanding an answer within 10 seconds. Whatever it is, don’t flap. I was once told by a more experienced assistant at my first agency, ‘Alex, you never need to panic until you need to panic, and you never need to panic.’ It’s a bit of a weird saying now I think of it, but it’s stuck with me for years. It’s only entertainment. We’ll work it out. There is always a solution. Don’t flap, stay calm, breathe, and know that there is always a way out. Your energy sets the tone for everyone around you.
💪 Resilience: Working in a talent agency is far from easy. It’s early starts, late nights, hundreds of emails, complex clients, maybe a complex boss too, colleagues and a thousand things flying around every day all needing to be actioned before 4pm. It’s not a job for someone who wants an easy life. It takes real work ethic and commitment to make it in this world. You’ll have days where you question everything you’re doing, but if you’ve got the resilience to push through long days and difficult people, you’ll come out the other side stronger.
📥 I would love to hear from you. Any ideas, thoughts and feedback via alex@intertalentgroup.com are always most welcome.
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See you next time.
Alex
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