The Following is an excerpt from Judy Kain's book I Booked It:
Finding an agent.
Do your homework. This is where the business part of acting comes into play for you. Obtain a book on the various agencies in town and find out which ones to target. Ask your friends who reps them. Go on IMDB and search the client list yourself; ascertain what types of actors the agencies represent and where you might best fit in. Before you start submitting or doing workshops, get your act together, literally.
Headshot. The headshot should look like you, on a good day but not on your best day. The chapter on head-shots goes into more detail; review it before you spend your money. Your headshots need to be professionally shot and professionally printed. Argentum Photo Lab or Pixels Digital Imaging both do a good job; their prints are always clear and the color is natural.
Résumé. Sample résumés are in the back of the book. Include both your phone and email and your Representation, if you have one.
Market yourself. Know how you will be cast in commercials. Are you a nice Midwest mom, a character type, or perhaps a hipster? Watch commercials and find yourself in them. A one-day seminar or private coaching will be helpful in the discovery process. Accept and adopt your new castable self before meeting an agent so you can truly market yourself.
Dress for your type. If you’re a character type—an uptight librarian, for example—don’t meet your potential agent while wearing skinny jeans and a tank top. Dress to suggest you know who you are in commercials. If you don’t know who you are, how will they know how to submit you?
Take a class. This suggestion is not only smart but necessary for the actor to present themselves in a good light. It shows you are eager, willing, and ready to be on the team. It is a great conversation starter to say, “Hey, I just finished taking classes at Keep It Real Acting and feel so ready to apply all that I learned and start booking.” Agents respond well to actors who are ready to go out on auditions or who have a proven track record of booking.
Judy Kain has been a professional actress now for 37 years, showcasing her skills and talents in over 350 commercials and in over 80 roles for film and television.
Some of her more well-known credits include a Television Series Regular on The Jackie Thomas Show and a Recurring role on the Emmy-winning show Mad Men, a role which won her a SAG Award. Her other favorite recurring credits include The Odd Couple, Married with Children, For Your Love, Grosse Pointe, and Manhattan, AZ with Chad Everett. She has done numerous guest appearances on the hit shows Modern Family, The Middle, Bones, Castle, Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, ER, Seinfeld, The District, The West Wing, NYPD Blue, Friends, and The Drew Carey Show just to name a few.
Judy opened Keep It Real Acting Studios in 2012. In 2016, she was voted "Favorite Audition Teacher" and "Favorite On-Camera Teacher" In the Backstage Reader's Choice Awards. Judy teaches The Business of Acting Advanced Callback, Commercial A to Z and Commercial Wednesday Workouts.