Why are we always looking for fresh faces?
If you have signed your pet up for representation with a pet model and talent agency, or you are considering signing them up, then you may be wondering why they are always looking for more pets, if the agency already has your pet on their books?
The answer to this is both simple and complicated. Successful pet talent agents must have a healthy roster of talent and a variety of breeds on their books. This way they can best meet the demands of their clients and maximise the exposure of all the canine and feline talent they represent. This may seem counterintuitive as many pet parents assume fewer pets equals less ‘competition’ and ‘double’ their chances to ultimately get booked. This is not the case!
Much like real estate agents need different types of houses, or travel agents need many experiences and price points to choose from; pet talent agents need a variety of pets on their books so clients can reliably and repeatedly find suitable talent from that agent that fits their needs.
In the casting process, the agency is always the middleman, they are the connection between the talent (your pets) and the client (the brand or business). This is the reason why pet talent agencies can never guarantee work, they aren’t in charge of the selection process, they match suitable talent with the client’s description and then the client makes the final decision.
It can be a confusing concept at first, but to make sense of it, you need to understand the process.
The casting and booking process is much the same as it is with humans. First, the client releases their brief to agents. A ‘brief’ is a description of the type of pet model or talent they envisage for their planned marketing or advertising campaign, product labels or signage.
For humans, the brief will describe specifics such as gender, age and size range, personal colouring (e.g. blond/brunette); ’look’ (like ‘sporty’ or ‘corporate’) and skills (e.g. can play tennis or drive a forklift).
Animal talent is similar. Clients can ask agencies for specific breeds with specific skills, or the brief can be more general e.g. must be a small breed. The combinations are endless!
Think about it this way; if you have a golden retriever puppy, but the client wants a senior golden retriever or a completely different breed, then the agency needs to ensure that they have every option for the client because your dog doesn’t fit the brief. It can be a perplexing concept at first, as many pet owners think they have the cutest pet, so the client should always pick them.
However the client has the final say in who they feel best fits their ‘vision’, and this might not include your pet. A successful booking also depends on if you are available on the day of the shoot!
From an agency standpoint, once the client provides the pet talent agency with a brief the agency will submit all talent on their books that match the description of the brief best.
From there the client will look through them. They might then ask the agency for more details or check to confirm special skills before selecting the pets they want to book. The client then places the talent ‘on hold’ or formally confirms the booking at which point the agency confirms and locks in details with the pet parents.
A successful pet talent agency needs a range of almost every dog and cat breed, and a range of ages with various skills, for whatever the client needs. The agency that has more pets, will get more work because clients know they can count on that agency to give them what they want so they don’t have to ‘shop’ around between different agents. That is why agencies are always looking for more fresh faces, they need more pets rather than fewer.
At A-list Animals, we want the most pawfect pets on our books, and since we consistently have changing groups of pets or coming out of their representation cycles, we are always keen to meet more newcomers ready to get in on the act.
If your pet loves the camera or is a special character, reach out or JOIN our books today.
