![\"spunk-brophy-21\"](\"https:\/\/drewbrophy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/spunk-brophy-21-99x150.jpg\" "\\"spunk-brophy-21\\"")
A commonly asked question I get from artists is:\u00a0 “Will you represent me?”\u00a0 Or, “How do I find an agent to represent me?”<\/p>\nA commonly asked question I get from artists is:\u00a0 “Will you represent me?”\u00a0 Or, “How do I find an agent to represent me?”<\/p>\n
My quick answer is this:\u00a0 Consider representing yourself.\u00a0 It’s tricky to find someone GOOD\u00a0to represent your work.\u00a0 Any agent\u00a0willing to\u00a0represent you\u00a0without requiring\u00a0money from you up front is inexperienced.\u00a0 You are better off representing yourself until you can afford to pay someone to manage your business.<\/p>\n
Here’s how it works with agents:\u00a0 A good representative will be responsible to help you get sales, put the sale together, deal with the contracts (in some cases), and do the follow up, make sure payments are made, and\u00a0help with marketing your name and art.<\/p>\n
Agents Pay:\u00a0 Agents keep anywhere from 25% – 50% (depending on your deal with them).\u00a0\u00a0 However, to get a sale, it could take the agent up to\u00a0100 hours of prospecting and phone calling and footwork.\u00a0 So, many agents will charge money up front\u00a0(anywhere from $1,000 – $5,000 per month) so that they aren’t working for free, in the event that your art doesn’t sell.\u00a0 In this case, unless the agent is super-connected, you may be better off paying a salary to a\u00a0manager.<\/p>\n
Warning:\u00a0 Agents that charge up front can be a risk.\u00a0 Be sure to get references and confirm that they are connected to possible clients and they are experienced and straight up.\u00a0 Otherwise, you could be throwing your money away.\u00a0 There are some great agents out there, but there are some hustlers, too.\u00a0 Do your “vetting” before giving your money away!<\/p>\n
My personal experience as an artist’s agent has been humbling, as I learned, after about 3 years, that I couldn’t make a good living representing other artists without monies up front (and most artists aren’t willing to pay up front).<\/p>\n
I started out representing Drew Brophy almost 10 years ago.\u00a0 Since then, Drew has become known as the top licensed surf artist in history, he has over 30 licensees that pay him to use his art on their products, and he is well respected in the art world.\u00a0 Now, being Drew’s wife and CEO of our company, Son of the Sea, we retain 100% of his earnings (and then we both get paid out of that).<\/p>\n
We were so successful with Drew, that when other artists started asking me to represent them, I said, “why not”?\u00a0 So about 6 years ago I started representing other artists, charging only 30% of the earnings from what I sold.\u00a0 This didn’t work out as a good deal for me, as I’ll explain below.<\/p>\n
Right now, I’m not taking on any new artists, and I’m cutting back on the work I do for the current artists that I work with.<\/p>\n
And here’s why:\u00a0 I don’t like working for free!\u00a0 Now, don’t get me wrong, I do make some money off of SOME of the artists I work with, when I get them a deal that’s over $10,000.\u00a0 However, most deals are $1,000 or so, which means I get $300 or so, which means after all the hours that I put in\u00a0to put it together, I’ve earned about $15.00 an hour.\u00a0 Not good pay for someone highly educated and talented and knowledgable, like myself.\u00a0 So I’ve cut back and I’m focusing entirely on Drew Brophy, where my company keeps 100% rather than 30%!<\/p>\n
My advice to any artist looking for representation:\u00a0\u00a0 First put in the time and represent yourself.\u00a0 Get better educated on sales, on how galleries work, on the business of art.\u00a0 Read good blogs and websites for artists, like www.artbizcoach.com<\/a>, and don’t be afraid to spend money on art consultants, which is actually a lot cheaper than paying an agent or manager.<\/p>\n Consultants charge by the hour.\u00a0 They are great to use for specific questions or problems, as well as to help you plan your marketing and sales strategies.\u00a0 I highly recommend Alyson Stanfield<\/a>, a consultant that I’ve hired in the past to help us with tricky deals.\u00a0 She’s great and extremely knowledgable on galleries, museums, most aspects of the\u00a0business of art (except licensing).\u00a0 \u00a0Consultants typically charge anywhere from $100 on up per hour, and are usually worth every penny\u00a0 –\u00a0 you’ll save yourself years of research using consultants.<\/p>\n So go on,\u00a0represent yourself! You can, just take baby steps and keep learning by reading books and blogs and articles and using consultants.\u00a0 Once you get to the point where you can afford a manager, hire one.<\/p>\n I want you to be successful!\u00a0 Keep reading these posts, and let me know what you think.
\nSpunk Brophy<\/p>\n