Behind The Spotlight Chapter 185
The two actors were trying their best to survive in Hollywood, and Unnatural might be their door to stardom. They listened to the director as much as possible, careful not to question his authority. They didn't want to lose this opportunity, not after coming this far. God knows how much sacrifice their agents had made just to secure the lead roles for their clients. It often involved humiliating compromises.
For Madison, her agent had to personally give a BJ to the casting director, a dirty but common secret in the industry… although her gay agent loved it and didn't even see it as a sacrifice.
Anyway, Madison wore a bitter smile because she couldn't help but feel jealous.
She glanced toward the corner of the filming set and saw Collin talking to another agent, his presence standing out. He was so damn attractive that some crew members even thought he was an actor.
Madison had once been Collin's client, yet she ended the contract before anything bloomed. She regretted that decision badly, almost every single day.
Now that all of Collin's clients were thriving in the industry, she felt left out, reduced to being a nobody. She sometimes thought about what might have happened if she had renewed her contract instead of leaving. Perhaps she would already be a superstar, standing on equal footing with Lawrence and Axel.
Even Jennifer Randon, the actress Collin signed in the same year as Madison, had a better career. Madison sighed, feeling a sharp sting of comparison.
Still, all she could do was face the present and work hard, since regrets couldn't change reality. Her agent wasn't bad to her and had protected her from many things, even if he lacked Collin's vision. She wanted to do her best and make sure this new show would succeed no matter the cost. She had to. Otherwise, she would disappear in Hollywood and fail to achieve her dreams, just like countless others before her.
"You didn't tell me that Madison got a role in your client's project," Collin said to Arnold.
"I didn't know either." This time, Arnold was being honest. "If I had known, I would've talked to Tom about not casting her."
"Never mind. She's not a bad person anyway, just a bit desperate," Collin waved his hand dismissively. He didn't hold a grudge against Madison, only disappointment. If she wanted to star in this show and become famous, then great. He genuinely wished her well.
"With Lawrence agreeing to make a cameo in the first episode, CBA Network approved the project and gave it the green light. Thank you, Collin," Arnold said. He knew how difficult it had been for Tom, his client, to get approval, especially for a horror series.
But because of Lawrence, everything went smoothly. No wonder Tom was grateful to the actor. Lawrence's name carried weight.
"You should thank Lawrence. When he read the first version of the script, he thought it was good. He wanted to try something different. This is his first time playing the bad guy. With that angelic face, who knows what will happen."
"Don't jinx it."
"My bad."
They both hoped that Unnatural would become successful for everyone's sake. If the show received good ratings and multiple seasons, it would elevate Arnold's status and give him more leverage in future negotiations.
They didn't want any issues to arise.
Having experience dealing with scandals, Collin knew how hard it was to find jobs for his clients. If one of them became involved in a scandal and couldn't find work, Collin could talk to Arnold and try to insert his client into Unnatural.
'If Tom had started Unnatural before Axel got into a scandal, maybe he could've helped,' the thought crossed Collin's mind briefly.
Anyway, more shows meant higher status within the company and greater bargaining power. In fact, many agents in ANT were begging Arnold to help their clients land roles in Unnatural.
Speaking of status…
"How's it going with Mikael?"
"It's going great. Mikael is interested in signing a contract with me. As for Pulse Static, they want to know Mikael better before making a decision."
"You're sure you want Mikael to work with Pulse Static?"
"I mean, I'm not like you, who can immediately discern people's character. I have to double-check and get to know them better to avoid future problems. After asking around, the band had a positive reputation. The bars they played at had no issues with them, no fights or scandals. Pulse Static has a strong chance of making it big, but their vocalist disappears before they become famous. At least, that's what I believe."
Arnold only had three clients so far, because he was different from Collin. He needed to research potential clients thoroughly before extending his hand. In fact, most agents in their company averaged three clients, because handling more was difficult. While it was possible to manage four or more, doing so without burning out was hard.
On top of that, agents didn't want to waste time on clients with no real future in Hollywood. Time was money for everyone.
But Collin was different. He could see his clients' potential and knew how to play the game better. He worked hard for all of them because they were worth it. None of them was useless.
Sometimes, other agents in the company were impressed by Collin's work ethic, and envious. He could provide opportunities for all his clients, and all of them delivered.
For most agents, even if they secured opportunities for their talents, there was a strong chance nothing would come of it. These outcomes often left them disappointed.
"If I take on a fourth client(a band), I'll have to work harder. Fortunately, Jolyne, Tom, and Brody all have steady careers now and don't need me as much anymore. They're free to hire managers if they want to."
At the end of the day, agents focused mainly on finding jobs and negotiating contracts. That was their core role. There were cases where a client would drop their agent and hire a manager instead, since managers were more hands-on and even handled daily affairs.
Sometimes, a client felt that their agent wasn't taking care of them anymore. When that happened, they would hire a manager to oversee most of their business, while still hiring agents for negotiations and project scouting. The difference was that managers were more involved and usually handled only one or two clients at a time.
So far, none of Arnold's or Collin's clients were looking for managers, especially since hiring one was expensive.
Unlike agents, who could only earn 10% of a client's income, managers could negotiate commissions as high as 20% to 30%, depending on the contract. They weren't bound by SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).
Of course, some managers worked on a base salary instead of profit sharing. In the end, everything came down to the contract.
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