I finally landed an acting agent.

It only took:

• 6 years of classes
• 4 headshot sessions
• 3 different demo reels
• 75 rejections
• and watching my vision video like 200 times

Not bad!

And you know what? 

I am glad that I didn't land an agent sooner. This would sound cliché to me any day before today, but now that I'm here, I can truly see it clearly:

I would not take a different path, because now I can see that I've got an agent who is right for me and who I'm excited to work with and learn from. The other ones would not have been the right fit, even though I certainly wished they would be—practically willed them to be—for years.

I wanted to share a bit of the story as PROOF that the RIGHT THING is coming for you when it is time, in ways that you probably can’t even imagine.

So, here's the story of how I finally landed an agent after 6 years and 75+ rejections.
 

I’ve been building my acting skills for 6 years—on top of creating music and full-time job, I’ve invested time and energy into a steady stream of scene study classes, standup comedy, improv classes, audition classes, screenwriting classes, and more. I built my “package” 3 different times—headshots, demo reel of acting scenes, resume, pitch.

Here's some visual proof, if you like. My headshot journey over the years:

A proper chameleon. And those are just a few. You name it, I've tried it. Quirky, smoldering, effervescent, goofy, familiar, concerned, tough, nerdy, cute, cunning. I've gone for all the hits. Some landed better than others (as evidenced above).

But it goes so far beyond headshots.

I am a dork and I record important career decisions and milestones in a spreadsheet. So I went to my spreadsheet, and I dug up a just a few of the many of activities I've undertaken along the way to finally, FINALLY, landing an agent:

• Oct 2018 - Recorded my first demo reel and got headshots.
• Oct 2018 - Submitted to 12 agents. All said no.
  Nov 2018 - Got referred to 3 agents. All said no.
• March 2019 - Submitted to 23 agents. All said no.
• June 2019 - New headshots with different photographer.
• June 2019 - Offered a series regular role on a show that was shortly thereafter cancelled due to COVID.
• Nov 2019 - New headshots with different photographer. Recorded a new demo reel.
• Sept 2020 - Got burnt out. Went a bit offline. Deleted social media. Felt great about that. Wrote my first complete song. Started getting into music.
• Dec 2020 - Pitched 1 agent who was personally referred to me. She said no after a couple of months of light followups.
• Feb 2021 - Decided to focus on music; met with a producer, made my first song.
• May 2022 - Filmed my first music video.
• Sept 2022 - Started doing a lot of reiki, energy work, breath work, visualizations, and meditations with a mentor/guide, focusing on setting a vision to get back on the horse with finding an agent.
• Jan 2023 - Recorded a new demo reel, new headshots with yet another photographer.
• Feb 2023 - Submitted to 30 agents. All said no.
• April 2023 - Began attending some business workshops for re-creating my acting package, branding, and pitch.
• Nov 2023 - Was personally referred to 6 agents, met with one. All said no.

And then, in February 2024, SIX YEARS after I set out to work with an agent…

In an act of magic, this email arrived in my inbox:

An acting coach who saw me perform at a workshop TWO YEARS ago emailed me saying that they’re starting an agency, they love my music, and would I like representation?

UM, YES.

The irony of this magical timing is not lost on me—I spent 6 years preparing, re-making, re-branding, upskilling, being rejected 75+ times, coming at it again and again and again, pitching and pitching…only to have someone from a workshop I took 2 years ago reach out TO ME.

Oh, the irony! The sweet, sweet irony:

I'd built my pitch package 3 times over—4 headshot sessions, 3 different demo reels, who knows how much time spent re-hashing my hits and my pitch, the business workshops, etc—only to be scouted by an agent who's never set eyes on ANY of it!

Instead, they saw me in a workshop, and liked my dorky banjo videos from social media. Geez.

What's more, this is exactly the agent I was envisioning. I'm not being melodramatic—I actually made a vision video that I would watch every single day, and in the video I describe the agent that I want, how they behave, how they see me, and what our relationship is like. 

Here are a few criteria, all of which this person satisfies:

• They feel like a friend (open, honest, energizing to be around)
• They cultivate loving relationships
• They're very connected and active in the film and music world
• They love me, my acting, and my overall artistic vision

And to be honest, even though at times, I really wanted some of those other agents to take me on over the years, none of them truly felt right. 

I'd be hard-pressed to admit it or even be fully aware of it at the time…but it always felt a little like I was striving. 

Like I needed to sacrifice my vision and show up as only part of myself, in order to fit into a narrower definition of what they were wanting me to be. 

Like I needed to prove that I was worthy of being on their roster (and this was kinda true, as most agents have a pretty full roster, it's kinda how they make a living). 

I started to realize that they were all lovely people and probably great agents, but just not the right fit for me. 

I finally, finally brought that realization into practice with the very last agent I spoke with. Now, this final agent is well-known and an amazing person. They represent very big talent and they do big development deals, and I was thrilled to even get a response from them. But alas, we met for an interview, and I never heard back after my followup.

I was holding onto the idea that maybe they'd reach out when they were “less busy”, maybe they were actually interested. 

So, I brought this up to girlfriend, who reminded me:

"Sarah, you want someone who's really excited to work with you, remember?"
“Oh. Yeah, I do.”
“Yeah, and this person is not super excited to work with you.”
“Probably not.”
“Right. So this isn't the right fit for you.”
“Oh. Yeah.”

Eureka!

In that simple conversation, I was reminded of what I desired (forever grateful to my girlfriend for the reinforcement). 

So, I released the attachment to this opportunity, which was in fact NOT an opportunity, because it was the wrong agent for me, no matter how highly recommended.

For the first time in 6 years…

I said no.

I took the option off the table.

And it took courage, because it felt like I was walking away from a great opportunity—I was just a text away from this world-class agent. How silly, to be so close, and to walk away now! I could've easily followed up and very likely could have weaseled my way in there with a little convincing. But weasel-ing…do I really want to be weasel-ing?

Release, and receive.

This applies to everything. All relationships. Clients, boyfriends, employees, mentors. 

You need to learn and practice the skills of saying “no” to the wrong opportunities, so that you clear space for the right opportunities to arrive. 

This is the hard work. 

Not the pitching, not the branding, not the courses, classes—not even being rejected. Being rejected didn't feel great, but it was not the important part. 

The key was NOT about growing tough skin and learning to deal with rejection 75 times. 

The key was to go through the learning that I needed in order to understand how to identify misalignment, to develop my discernment, and to deploy it. To release the misaligned opportunities, commitments, and attachments from my life. 

That's the process that I was really undertaking during those 6 years, and I'm sure I will keep undertaking it as life goes on.

Proof that you are a magnet—you can attract what’s in your highest interest. You don’t control the timeline. Take heart, have faith, keep going.

Release, and receive.