@YoHoYoHo Your explanation makes it sound very easy–but trust me it is not. As a mother of a daughter who started into the entertainment field with starry eyes, I think it’s important to share the reality of the business so you and your D can be prepared for the pitfalls.
My D worked for a tippy top agency in their theatre department. (The are at the top in film, TV, sports, etc.) For starters, these very intelligent and well educated assistants are paid $30,000 a year. So good luck supporting yourself in NYC or LA. The only people who can remain in those positions are those living at home or those getting financial help from parents. (This agency and one other vie for “top” agency in entertainment.)
My D was lucky to enter into the company as an assistant to an assigned agent. Many others first start as unpaid interns, work in the mailroom, and then get floater positions. Floaters do not have assigned desks. Sometimes it can take people one to two years to even get a position as a permanent assistant to an agent.
Once an assistant, you can stay at that position for a very long time. In the 10 year period that the theatre department existed at this agency, only two people were promoted from assistant to agent. Yes, two. Some of D’s fellow assistants have been there for upward of 3 to 5 years without any movement. None of the other established agents were leaving, ever…they were making too much money and they were at the top of their field.
D’s close friend became the second promotion for the department about two years ago. Most other assistants get frustrated and just leave. Her friend had interned there for a year after college (Harvard) and worked as an assistant to an agent for over 3 years.
AS part of D’s friend’s promotion he had to go out to LA to attend the agent training program for 6 months or so. In that capacity he got to work a few months in the mailroom and rotate into other departments. So he was at the agency for a period of over 4 1/2 years never making more than $34,000 per year before he got the opportunity to be an agent. And he’s the success story.
He was also lucky that when he came back from LA that he was made an agent within a few months. Some people are recommended for the training program, attend it, and come back to the office to find that they are still an assistant.
Those people may have the option to get an agent position in another department, but generally it’s better to be an assistant in the department that you want to become an agent in. As for switching departments, yes it may be done, but not as easily as you make it sound. So some of the trainees are still playing the waiting game.
D was placed in theatre because she was a MT major. They saw her as an asset to that specific department. It may have been more difficult for her to get an assistant position in another department like marketing or tv.
In the end, my D left the agency to work in the marketing department of an entertainment law firm. After her friend was promoted–well deserved–D knew there would be nowhere for her to go. She stayed at the law firm for almost 2 years, and ended up going back to school for her MBA this fall. She attends NYU Stern full-time.
Ultimately she would love to swing back into entertainment. But only at a much higher level and for a much better salary. As an MBA student she has been offered (and will accept) a summer internship in brand marketing at a pharmaceutical company that pays her almost $2,000 a week. So it is the equivalent of earning about $100,000/ year. Most full time offers are in that range. That is more than 3 times her pay in the talent agency!
Unfortunately in many entertainment jobs, there is not a vertical platform that allows for many promotions. You are an assistant or you are an executive. She is hoping that her MBA and higher level experience will in time give her the opportunity to come back to entertainment at an executive level.
My D was lucky to get a full tuition scholarship through the Consortium to NYU Stern. It made going back to school an easy decision. I will say that as an MBA candidate with a unique background, her experience at the talent agency helped her application. And the agent who she worked for (who was the former head of the theatre department) wrote her a letter of recommendation that must have been quite excellent.
Things worked out–but it was not an easy (or well-paid) path. And btw, being a woman doesn’t help. Of the 2 promotions in the department in a 10 year period, one was a woman who was later fired. My D’s friend is male. Of 8 or so agents in the theatre department, only one is female. And her clients are directors and writers, not talent. There has been very little expansion of the department at all. But when it happens, they look to bring in agents who have a roster of clients.
Sorry for sounding so negative. Feel free to reach out to me if I can help.
Good luck to your D!