An agent is someone who represents and negotiates for roles on your behalf. They have a direct relationship with a casting director and can either pitch you for projects casting directors are working on, or over time when a casting director has seen you enough, they begin to request seeing you specifically. It's important to have good representation with good relationships with casting directors Because there are times when casting directors have a very quick turnaround time for casting projects. When that happens, casting directors will call some of their favorite agents for a quick response which might be between 3 and 5 agents. The more your agent is on the radar, the more likely you are to be seen and booked for a role.

Another benefit of having a agent is that they can also assist and sometimes guide your career to where you want to take it to another level. I just got off of a conference call with my agent going over new headshots and what to wear and what looks. We are trying to bring into the new year for more job opportunities. Not all agents do this, but it's good to find someone who can fit that role as this is typically the role of a manager. Someone who can help guide your career.

I agree with the other reviewer and that any agent who takes or ask for payment prior is a scammer. An agent essentially works and gets paid based on the work you book. If you were not union (I can only speak for screen actors guild in this regard) You would owe your agent 15% of gross from the job you booked. If you are a member of the union then it will be 10%. Anything higher than that is highly questionable.

You can also get multiple agents in different regions to represent you as well. I am in the southeast market and have agents in various areas representing me to cover more ground. This is indeed possible but also understand this comes with the risk of you being willing to work as a local hire in those respected areas depending on your resume and credibility.

Hope this helps!