The First 90 Days With a New Agent: What Happens After You Sign

You got the contract. You signed it. You officially have representation.

Congratulations—and welcome to the reality check.

Having an agent doesn't mean you're suddenly booking series regular roles. It doesn't mean you can quit your day job next month. It doesn't mean your career is now on autopilot while someone else does the work.

What it means is: you now have a business partner who can get you in rooms you couldn't access yourself. Whether that partnership succeeds depends entirely on how the next 90 days go.

Let me tell you what actually happens after you sign—and what separates clients I keep from clients I drop.

What The First 90 Days Look Like

Weeks 1-2: Onboarding

This is the setup phase:

Contracts and paperwork - Getting everything legally in place
Materials review - We might need headshot updates or resume adjustments
Online profile optimization - Getting you set up on all casting platforms
Discussion of your type and realistic booking goals
My explanation of my submission process - How I work, what to expect

This phase feels exciting. You're official. You have an agent. Everything feels possible.

Weeks 3-8: Initial Submissions

Now the real work begins:

I start submitting you for appropriate roles
You'll probably get 3-8 auditions in this period (if you're right for what's casting)
We establish communication patterns - How fast you respond, how I give feedback
You get familiar with how I work
I get familiar with how you respond and audition

This phase is where reality hits. You're not getting 20 auditions a week. You're getting a handful. And you're probably not booking them yet.

This is normal.

Month 3: Reality Check

By the end of 90 days, we're both asking:

Have you booked anything?
Are you showing up prepared to auditions?
Are you responsive to opportunities?
Is this working for both of us?

If yes to all of those, we're building something good. If no to multiple ones, we have a problem.

The Honest Timeline

Most actors don't book in their first 3-6 months with a new agent. That's normal. Casting directors need to see you multiple times before they trust you enough to book you.

But you should be getting consistent auditions (if you're available and right for what's casting). You should be improving at auditioning. You should be building relationships in audition rooms.

If after 6 months you haven't booked anything and aren't getting callbacks, we need to figure out why. Maybe we're submitting you for the wrong types. Maybe your audition technique needs work. Maybe the market is just slow.

But if after 6 months I'm getting feedback that you're consistently unprepared, unreliable, or difficult—we're probably not going to continue working together.

How to Be The Client Agents Keep

I've represented some actors for 10+ years. Others for less than a year. The difference?

Respond Fast

Under 1 hour when possible. Under 2 hours always.

When I submit you for something, casting is making decisions quickly. If you take 6 hours to respond 'yes, I can make that audition,' they've already brought in the actors who responded in 30 minutes.

Speed matters. Keep notifications on. Check your email obsessively. This is the job.

Show Up Prepared

Every audition. Every time.

Lines memorized. Sides analyzed. Character choices made. Professional appearance. On time or early.

The clients I love are the ones I never worry about. I know they'll show up ready. I know they'll represent me well in that room.

Take Feedback Without Defensiveness

When I tell you casting thought you were too big in the audition, that's information you need to calibrate. When I say you need new headshots because yours are outdated, that's a business requirement.

The clients I can't work with are the ones who have an explanation or defense for everything. Who can't hear feedback without getting hurt or argumentative.

This is a business. Feedback makes you better. Take it professionally.

Understand Dry Periods Are Normal

There will be months when you don't get many auditions. Pilot season is busy, then summer is slow. Holidays are quiet. Some months there just isn't much casting for your type.

The clients who last don't panic during slow periods. They use the time to train, update materials, do theater, work on self-tapes. They trust that busy periods will come again.

Keep Investing in Your Career

The actors who work continuously are the ones who never stop training, never let their materials get outdated, never stop learning about the business.

Every booking should fund your next headshot update. Every year should include some new training. Your career should always be moving forward, even incrementally.

The Partnership Nobody Tells You About

Here's what this relationship actually is:

You're a small business (You, Inc.). I'm a small business (My Agency). We're forming a strategic partnership where we both profit when you book work.

Your Responsibilities:

Professional materials
Training and skill development
Fast responses to opportunities
Prepared, professional auditions
Career investment and growth

My Responsibilities:

Pitching you to casting directors
Getting you auditions
Negotiating your contracts
Career guidance and strategy
Industry relationships

Neither of Us is Responsible For:

Guaranteeing you book work
Managing your entire life
Solving problems unrelated to acting
Being available 24/7 for emotional support

That last one is important: I care about my clients. I want you to succeed. I'll celebrate your wins and help navigate your challenges. But I'm your agent, not your therapist, not your parent, not your best friend.

Professional boundaries make successful partnerships.

What Success Actually Looks Like

Let me tell you about a client I signed four years ago.

She came in with minimal credits, decent training, professional materials, and a clear understanding of her type. She worked a flexible day job. She could respond to auditions within 30 minutes. She was pleasant, professional, and eager to work.

Year 1: 47 auditions, 3 bookings (co-star roles)

Year 2: 56 auditions, 7 bookings (co-star and guest star mix)

Year 3: 61 auditions, 12 bookings (moving to bigger roles)

Year 4: 43 auditions, 9 bookings (quality over quantity, bigger roles, series recurring)

That's what success looks like. Not overnight stardom. Not booking every audition. Gradual, consistent growth over years.

She's now earning enough from acting that she could quit her day job (though she hasn't yet—smart financial planning). Casting directors request her by name sometimes. Other agents have tried to poach her.

Why does she work so much? Talent is part of it. But mostly: she's reliable, professional, prepared, responsive, and easy to work with. Productions love working with her. Casting directors trust her. I never worry when I submit her.

That's bookable.

The Bottom Line

You signed the contract. Now the real work begins.

For the next 90 days, I'm watching:

Response time to opportunities
Preparation level at auditions
Professional behavior with casting directors
How you handle feedback
Whether you're actually bookable

You should be watching:

Am I getting consistent auditions?
Is my agent responsive and professional?
Am I improving at auditioning?
Is this partnership working for both of us?

If after 90 days we're both happy—you're getting opportunities, I'm seeing professional behavior, the communication works—we're building something good.

If after 90 days it's not working, we'll have an honest conversation about why.

But if you show up prepared, respond fast, take direction well, and treat this like the business partnership it is? We'll be working together for years.

That's how representation actually works.