Demystifying the Agent Actor Relationship: A Conversation with Agents Thom Milam and Jennifer Hummel of People Store

To be able to sit down with my film and TV agents for an entire hour and pick their brains was a gift. I was able to ask all the questions that have been going through my head since I signed with them. In this first part of the conversation, we talked about the steps it takes to get representation, how to keep representation, and the difference between a manager and an agent.

Thom Milam is Co-Head of the Film and TV Department at People Store. He got his degree in Theater in Mississippi and went on to work as an agent in New York for many years. In 2015 he moved to Atlanta and started his position at People Store. He loves his career as an agent and describes himself as a professional cheerleader for actors. When asked what actors need to do to get an agent, he says training is the first thing he looks at. Communication is also key for him. If actors are “ghosting” and don’t respond to emails or phone calls that is a problem. He states, “if I care more about your career than you do, then it’s time for me to let you go.” Having said that he also wants actors to have a fulfilling life outside of acting. It helps keep you grounded.

Jennifer Hummel is an agent in the Film and TV Department at People Store and this is her first job out of college. Although she went to SCAD for Performance Studies, she knew early on that she was more interested in being an agent. She started in 2016 and has never looked back. For her, the first thing actors need to do before submitting to an agency is to get their materials in order and up to date. Communication is also key, as well as following suggestions that they, as agents, might give you. If they give you suggestions, she says, “it’s important to us that you follow our directions and that you’re doing everything that you can be doing, as an actor, to make you more marketable.”
But the very first test for all actors is following directions to submit to any agency. If you don’t do what they ask you to do from the very beginning, as Jennifer says, “it’s not inspiring.”

Find out more about People Store and their agents: https://peoplestore.net/

Follow People Store: IG @peoplestoreagency and on Twitter @People_Store

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