can't believe you were in the industry and never saw that movie... one of my favorites.

That is so f*cking awesome. I have always wanted to ask a assistant if agents were really like Ari Gold. I read that Ari Gold was based on Ari Emanuel but I never really thought you know. My question is what degree of education do assistants usually have (college major) ?
Thanks

Are you still in the agenting world? I am - I'm an agent for a boutique agency in Hollywood representing B/C level actors. I'd like to ask a few questions and talk a little bit about working at a bigger agency.

I really enjoyed this thread and am looking forward to speaking. Let me know if you would be open to exchanging email addresses.

Thanks.

Hey Riverman,

I contacted WME and CAA the other day to work at their London offices. I have a bunch of questions and would love to pick your brain for ways to better my chances of getting their attention. Would you be open to Skype or email?

-HG

Just found this thread. its fantastic. riverman, thanks for the super helpful read.

I spent 3 days reading this thread. Impressive.

Hopefully you are well and still active here Riverman. I have a few questions with regards to booking artistes for series of festivals. I tried emailing WME because they have half the artists that I intend to book, no response. My questions are:

1. Is it better to book the artistes through WME or establish contacts with artistes' management / friends?
2. How do I get referred to WME?Because WME clearly state that "we operate exclusively by referral and do not accept unsolicited materials or solicitations of any kind. Any unsolicited materials received will be returned, unread or destroyed at our discretion."

Thank you.

Artistes as in arteest?

I forgot if Riverman liked or hated his time at WME. But it's safe to say they are either the most successful agency in the world or completely in shambles now.

It's the former, they are taking over the world.

So you hated it then, obviously.

As a TV editor - i can confirm a couple of things stated :

1. Its true that the majority of scripts are between terrible to average; some writers know it, some don't. I really can't state this enough - the majority of stuff wrote/filmed, in reality TV and Fiction - is bad to average. In fact the grand majority is average - just average. If you have major talent, you will break through. Networking and Self-promoting helps, but talent will get you further. The people who say otherwise simply are not talented enough - they are in the business simply because of their networking.

2. Also can confirm - there's a surprising number of celebs that are not in a good financial shape. Wouldn't say a majority, but a good number. That explains why you see some actors do less the glamourous jobs.

After 5+ years and several bumps, this is what we get.

Just cuz they are taking over the world, doesn't mean you necessarily want a career working there.

Riverman curse bro

thank you so much for sharing @Riverman. I just moved to los angeles like good seven months ago - I'm from germany. I work for a boutique talent agency. The plan was to get the agency experience on my resume before I aply for WME. My boss now reached out to one of his connections at WME and now I'm hoping to get the call for an interview. Are you still in touch with the WME people?

I just have one question that I don't believe has been asked yet.

Hey Bode-ist, thanks for starting this thread. I am currently an unpaid intern at Universal Attractions Agency, and studied Music Business Management at Berklee. A few days ago, I got an email from an assistant at WME saying they received my resume and wanted me to come in for an interview. Thing is, I never sent them an application or any of my documents, so I'm surprised they got a hold of my resume. Of course I said yes to the interview, even though they didnt specify what I am interviewing for (I'm assuming its an assistant position, hoping that its not another internship).

Anyways, just wanted to see if I can get some advice on how to prepare for this and what to expect during the interview? I'd definitely like to transition from UAA to a larger agency, so I want to be as prepared for this as possible!

Thanks,
Brian L.

Love the **** about Brendan Fraser in this thread. It appears he has turned it around.