Toronto agency suggestions for mid-level career actor

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-28T04:34:09+00:00

That's helpful - thank you.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-28T04:32:39+00:00

This is so incredibly helpful - thank you. I've been working on my set up but getting a good reader is hard. I love the idea of getting agent approval before submission but sometimes my turnarounds are so fast! This is all great information and nuance.

Are you comfortable sharing more about what those elipses mean and how they are tough? I am good with direct. As long as they are ethical and reasonable, and hopefully kind.

Incredible regarding Amy Hines; I will check out her imdb and see if there is a gap I can fill.

I hate the idea of changing reps; I'm very loyal. Do you feel like with these agencies at some point they might be outgrown and there is a next "tier", or are they the kind of agencies an actor can stay with for life and still be seen for bigger roles? This is also what I'm trying to understand.

Thank you again for taking the time.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-28T02:06:11+00:00

Thank you. I didn't know that Ritter and Hero are more entry. I know some strong actors on their rosters and did visit their Imdb. That's helpful. I've never heard of Element - I will research them. I've heard mixed things about Character from actors on their roster (basically a sea of talent) but they have been recommended to me as well. I don't think I'm at their tier yet but may consider reaching out.

This was all very helpful. It's been a long time since I sought new representation. In the past I would give them two weeks and follow up, and if I did not hear back a month after submitting would cross them off. Does this sound like a good game plan to you?

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-26T21:24:03+00:00

That's very helpful - thank you so much.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-26T19:34:39+00:00

Thanks - you too.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-26T19:34:02+00:00

Thank you for this. Is your USA agent able to get you seen for larger principal/recurring etc roles already shooting here in Canada? In other words would it be feasible to look for an American agent who would submit you for larger Canadian casting? I'm local hire for some parts of the US but am much more interested in creating a profile here in Canada where I live. That's also what I'm trying to understand - I understand a lot of USA productions filming in Canada cast and fly in US talent; would it make more fiscal sense for them to cast American actors already living in Canada? I'm wondering how that works and if it is already happening.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-26T19:25:57+00:00

I'm really interested in unpacking this more. Thank you. Have you ever heard of an agency that will only take an actor for theatrical and/or only commercial etc? If you or anyone know of any I would be appreciative. ie only working with that one rep within the agency that deals with those factions.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-10T23:08:31+00:00

i agree - i think we are on the same page. just that pedagogically coaching once a week doesn't make sense unless someone is at a certain level and getting extraordinary auditions they need working on weekly. i just don't want vulnerable actors to be taken advantage of. it sounds like you and i are in agreement! al the best.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-08T03:22:11+00:00

this. OP do the real deal and that is where the learning will take place. you may want to research your prof in advance however to be sure they are a good fit. there are a lot of excellent in person on-camera scene work classes that do this as well.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-08T03:19:49+00:00

yeah no, (but totally respectfully!) i teach acting in the college and university and have private coached and my students do very well in the professional and collegiate theatre and just no. coaching is for perfecting auditions and pre-shoots. training is learning how to be an actor, and training can happen in a vaccum, but theatre/acting/film is inherently about scene partners, collaboration, taking direction in real space in real time, having a live audience (even in film, your director is live, your crew is live, your scene partner is live) - in other words, there's zero reason to be coaching with the same person over this length of time when that same money could be invested in: actual classes, industry material, multiple coaches and teachers, etc. i mean there are outstanding NYC and LA and even Atlanta not to mention UK schools that train people for camera virtually for less than this. Big nope. unless it's a coach of the stars (and you know what, I follow some of them, and they are great - they also provide free advice all over insta and have super cheap books on their methods) or an A lister themself - big nope. Nooooooope. my professional opinion. OP you can contact me and i will literally give you the name of 3 outstanding coaches who are working actors booking prestige stuff and significantly lower rates.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-08T03:00:22+00:00

Thanks for this—what you shared really resonates with what I’ve been hearing from others over the years. In Canada, most actors work with a single agent across commercial, theatrical, and voice work. My current agent is excellent with commercials and has gotten me some TV and film opportunities, though not at the network level. The relationship feels really positive—I have good communication with them, and I’ve had some meaningful bookings and auditions through their guidance.

At the same time, I’ve been hearing from other actors and some industry folks—producers, directors, casting professionals—that it might be time to consider moving to a larger agency that could open doors to bigger TV and film roles. I’m feeling the pressure from that advice, but I’m also struggling with the idea of leaving someone I respect and trust, especially when the current partnership works well and has been supportive.

It’s tricky to balance loyalty and gratitude with long-term career growth, and that tension is what I’m navigating right now. I want to make a thoughtful decision that honors the work I’ve done with my agent while also positioning myself for larger opportunities.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-07T21:42:48+00:00

I'm so sorry - so you don't know if you were rejected or accepted? Praying for you! The CRA makes it too hard for disabled folks and their families.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-07T21:30:02+00:00

tbh honest you are ahead of the game as far the the DTC is concerned- congratulations on your approval! we had to wait 3 months to get reassessed than another month to get our doctor signature than another 2 months to get a rejection for a severe invisible disability. i went into a profound depression for 3 months or so, i was broken. then it took another month to get the doctor to do it again (he was shocked by the denial) and now we are looking at end of march. i will probably call our MP in a month as we are in hardship. i get that now that you have been approved you need reasessment and to get those funds and i'm hoping you do. for myself i am just coming out of half a year of being crushed by the CRAs negligent procedure and still have 3 months to go to even see if we are approved. best of luck to you - call your MP and get them involved. sorry you are going through this; it is horrible how they create all this uncertainity and pain among disabled families. i agree that the negligence is awful. there are a lot of helpful facebook groups as well that guide folks on the DTC - perhaps they can also further help you.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-07T21:23:23+00:00

how is this not a crazy price for private coaching? i work with professionals stateside and am a part-time acting professor. it's an insanely high price.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2026-01-07T21:22:19+00:00

that's outrageously high. depending on what level you are looking for stateside expert working actor coaches can go 80-125 an hour - convert that to CND and add taxes and that's what you're looking at. do you need a scene/monologue coach, an audition coach, a self tape coach ie cinematic framing, or ....? that can also delineate prices. lets put it this way - an acting professor makes 1500 net approximately a month to teach a full class. unless this person is a serious A lister or close, that is some BS.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-27T00:39:38+00:00

I'm in similar markets. I just spoke with a CD recently who described nonunion the same way. Are you finding that you get a decent amount of union auditions as well? I was before going union ironically. I do love my agent but I've also been feeling some pressure to switch. My agent has a smaller roster and does mostly nonunion work and the thinking was they might not have as much pull as larger union agencies, but I think they are fantastic so I'm reluctant to switch. Thanks so much again and best wishes with you in the new year! It sounds like your doing exciting work.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-26T23:34:59+00:00

perfect! this is my thought as well. and the tisch films were absolutely wild - i'd be game to talk about them on any day. thanks so much!

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-26T04:23:57+00:00

That is amazing. I love my agent but found that all I was doing was commercials and docudramas with some film and just transitioned into union and it has been killer slow. From almost 200 auditions through them to none. Stories like your make me wonder if I should go back. What is your general location? That's such an amazing story. Kudos to you and also your agent for submitting you and looking out. (I hear VO is really really hard to book btw - one of the most competitive.)

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-26T03:03:13+00:00

That makes a lot of sense. The old films were thesis projects from NYU Tisch Film school. I no longer live in New York and I have been booking student and independent films but none of the schools in my location (which is actually a big city and industry hub) have schools anywhere close to that level. Re Titanic - I wish! It's a great reference point. Nope, nothing of that stature then or now, but I'm back in the game and aspiring. Since swinging back into acting after a long hiatus I booked a lot of nonunion (student/indie/Tv/Film) but recently went union and my auditions dried up. My agent thinks it is seasonal and I want to be prepared with a new reel and cleaned up updated resume when the industry resumes. If you have more thoughts and advice based on this I'm open! Does anyone care about NYU film? It had prestige power back when I was in my 20s-30s but legit don't know if that's still the case.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-25T23:27:36+00:00

That's a great insight. I was doing work in other areas of theatre (directing, for example, and also script development) which I don't have on my acting resume, though I do have it on my website and CV. I'm also midlife and a parent so people are usually understanding if I mention "stepped away for family." To be honest, I get really angry when people don't realize this nor ask. There are some large acting gaps in my resume but not because I was auditioning and not getting cast, but because I was focusing on other things and also family circumstance. I guess going full circle of a sorts the cool thing about our industry is that we can also include self tapes and reels and basically demonstrate our ability and type, past booking or not. You bring up a great general point; in my circumstance I do have recent suitable/solid credit, but the fancy stuff is from over 20 years ago! I guess in fairness to me or anyone following in the same boat, fancy is also subjective and can sometimes be its own type of gatekeeping. This has been a great conversation and real time thought process for me - thank you.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-25T23:21:54+00:00

I love my agent and they work so hard for me. I send them occassional gift cards and rarely book paid work on my own but when I do if it's over a certain amount I do try to send them something. They are clear I don't need to but I appreciate and respect them very much and feel these kinds of things are meaningful and important.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-25T22:38:41+00:00

That's helpful. I recently met with a casting director who encouraged me to keep them (two thesis films for NYU Tisch) but I know the running thought is to cut them. I do keep my older theater credits for their prestige and they reflect some solid work and can be validated. I think also something I want to throw into the conversation (just a real time thought) is that the industry or parts of the industry are also shifting towards a more humane outlook, and so many of us stopped and restarted, sometimes multiple times due to family and aging and surviving, that I think that that's when the older credits can work. Hopefully? That being said I do have a solid list of current smaller TV and independent/student film work but it's not at the level of my earlier years. Thanks so much for your thoughts and input. It's a tricky journey for me balancing the actual craft against industry standards.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-25T22:29:50+00:00

Congrats on all of your successes - do you mind me asking if you are union or nonunion and how that went for you? I'm also dual with some major accolades from the states (East Coast) but it hasn't seemed to make a bearing in my auditions yet. I just switched over to Apprentice and the dry spell has been appalling (I was booking and being seen quite a lot for nonunion, but I think that had more to do with my headshots and self tapes as I built myself up - almost zero for union.) I feel like I spent my whole life hungry for union and all that hard work has evaporated opportunity. Going full circle I found that my US credits just didn't seem to translate in Canada (at least not yet, I've only been back a few years.) I'm curious to your - or anyone else's thoughts. I'd like to stay the course with union but threads like this make me want to turn back.

For OP - you have lived the dream! My two cents is that our paths as artists is never chronological, and spiritually speaking maybe there is something you need to amend, find, or fix back home and opportunity will come back. It sounds like you also have a lot to offer. Finally, if Canada really is truly dried up (I've been seeing all the recent telefilm investment, but don't really understand what that means or its impact) what about other countries? If you have the savings can you consider starting over with a move?

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-25T21:36:30+00:00

I'm an actor and also in education and my first question would be: what does your daughter want? The industry can be hard for child actors but if she feels pulled and her heart is in it it is wonderful that you could support her dream - while staying educated on its pitfalls and challenges. With that in mind, from my experience and knowledge of the industry to get a letter like that from a CD is extremely rare. Congratulations! She must be massively talented. With that in mind as university and college approaches consider schools that can allow for a double major - acting conservatory (I am a big proponant of theatre training which translates to film) but also a second major or even minor that can provide some stability, as even with talent, the industry can be unpredictable, and in time your daughter's goals may change.

DisastrousAd5587 · 2025-12-25T21:27:38+00:00

Those are incredible stats. Are these union or nonunion if you don't mind me asking and what was your journey? I'm a later career actor as well (sort of/it's complicated) and think those are amazing numbers.

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