Yourcinemafilms.com | Super agent Nina Malone (IAG Talent) goes deep into her early beginnings in the industry as a model, the things she was exposed to and how difficult it can be for actors to say no when the bag is huge!
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Are you ready for the truth?
’Welcome to Your Cinema'
Follow us on socials:
Tiktok: @yourcinemafilms
Instagram: @yourcinemafilms
Twitter: @yourcinemafilms
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FunTranscript
00:00Now everyone's making it in film and TV, but we don't really know how.
00:06Here we uncover the truth.
00:08Welcome to the Your Cinema Podcast.
00:12Welcome to the Your Cinema Podcast.
00:15This is the place where we explore the truth about the industry
00:20across film, TV and theatre and hear it directly from the best,
00:25people who are smashing it in their areas.
00:27Today, our guest is no exception.
00:30She's definitely one of the best in the industry.
00:33She is a super agent, a super creative.
00:38I would also say, she would have to confirm this,
00:41but I would say someone who's a producer, is well-versed in production
00:48and as she has also said, she has lived a life.
00:53She's also been very helpful for me in terms of just advising
00:59on certain things that we're doing moving forward.
01:02And yes, I introduce to you guys super, super, super agent Nina Malone.
01:07What's going on?
01:09Look, thank you for that generous intro.
01:11Thanks for having me. Great to be here.
01:14Amazing, amazing. Thank you for your time.
01:17It's great to have you here too.
01:19So, right, this idea to have you on the pod,
01:26which should have come earlier, but it came out of...
01:29I know you're giving me the tie-dye.
01:31It came out of an amazing conversation we were having last week, right?
01:36And what I've realised is you have had a career in this industry
01:44past being an agent, and it's probably what makes you such a good agent,
01:49if I'm completely honest, but I really wanted to uncover that
01:52because I was like, I didn't realise any of that, really.
01:57So, yeah, what were you doing in the early parts of your career, Nina?
02:02Yeah, so, yes, definitely lived a life.
02:06I went to stage school, so I studied musical theatre
02:10and professional dance.
02:13So, yeah, did GCSEs, A-levels.
02:15Actually, took a year out and island hopped the West Indian Islands.
02:20Are you serious?
02:21Yeah, and I was a blue coat, the blue coat type person,
02:26like sandals and they're all like the inclusive, like entertainment stuff.
02:31So that's how I made my money, and then we just bought the flights
02:34and did all of that.
02:36So did that in my year out, basically, instead of the route
02:39of where everyone went to Thailand, I went to Jamaica and the Highlands.
02:43And so did all of that and then came back and went to stage school
02:47in Cambridge, where I did professional dance, musical theatre
02:51for three years, then moved to London to work, mainly as a model,
03:02then a bit of dancing, a bit of acting and backing vocals
03:08and did that for a good 13 years.
03:13Yeah.
03:14Okay.
03:15Obviously, I'm 25 now, so like...
03:20And then, alongside that, I did do bits of production,
03:28which kind of came...
03:29I was freelancing and I was hustling, so doing a bit of everything
03:34and then had children.
03:36And I do have a lot of clients who are working parents,
03:42so now I do everything I possibly can to help them work
03:47alongside being a parent.
03:49But when I was working and touched with the height,
03:55the level that I was working at with modelling,
03:57I couldn't see how to do it.
03:59I couldn't see how to do both.
04:02To the level I wanted to.
04:03Yeah.
04:04And I was travelling a lot, which I'm really, really grateful for.
04:07Yeah.
04:08But also, you know, for me, I was thinking the kids need a stability.
04:13You need to be able to know when you can be home on time.
04:16That sort of stuff.
04:17With freelancing, as you know, it can be so last minute.
04:21Yeah.
04:22You can be flying one day and all that sort of stuff.
04:24I just didn't know how to do that.
04:25And that's also, at the time, not how I wanted to mother.
04:28Yeah.
04:30So when I decided to have children, I gave up the life.
04:35Wow.
04:36And in that sense, I gave up being a parent like that
04:40and taught some yoga and joined IAG.
04:45So that was nearly eight years ago.
04:48Wow.
04:49Yeah.
04:50All right.
04:51So you said a lot more than I even anticipated or knew, right?
04:57Yeah.
04:58Google, please.
05:00I don't know what you're going to find.
05:02Yeah.
05:03I wanted to know, right, so taking it back to, like,
05:07when you were, like, talent, let's say, full time, right?
05:11Yeah.
05:12What was...
05:14I'm trying to even, like...
05:16Okay.
05:18Okay.
05:20What was modelling like?
05:22Oh, this is in the time where I was a size 10,
05:29maybe 11 at the biggest, and I was plus size.
05:33So I was always the biggest person on set.
05:36I was that diversity higher, so me being a mixed race black woman.
05:39It would be me, a blonde, and maybe a redhead.
05:42That would be as kind of diverse as it was getting.
05:45And then I would be the curvy one at a size 10, 11.
05:50So I'm a 14 now.
05:53So it was a different time.
05:55That was a time of kind of size zero, size four, the cocaine.
05:59The Kate Moss.
06:01That vibe, yeah.
06:02Yeah.
06:03So it really was...
06:05It wasn't inclusive.
06:07It was all the stuff that we do as an agency now to protect our talent.
06:11It was doing your makeup in the toilet,
06:13knowing and really understanding your hair care,
06:15like it being touch and go when you go on set,
06:17like do you get what's happening here?
06:20Am I going to be presented like the other models?
06:26Am I going to be as looked after?
06:29So, yeah, a complete different time.
06:31And I take all of that seriously for our talent that I look after now.
06:36Obviously, we all do.
06:38But, yeah, yeah, different, really, really different time.
06:44Which sounds like it must have been really...
06:47Okay, so what you've said is terrible, is a shame,
06:54and seems quite difficult, but you also seem,
07:01and I don't mean this in the Black woman stereotype,
07:05you seem very, like, strong and rough and ready.
07:09Do you know what?
07:12I was exposed to really adult themes and adult experiences very, very young.
07:21And, you know, you're seeing wild things happening on the set,
07:27all the things that you can imagine,
07:29plus the dynamics of the director back then, definitely more male,
07:39the God complex, the power dynamic, all of that sort of stuff.
07:43And you're very, very young, and there are a lot of things going down.
07:47So you did have to...
07:53You're absorbing all of that, you know?
07:55And then you are usually the only person of colour on the set.
08:01And you can imagine all the things that are getting said,
08:06sexism, racism, everything just coming at you, plus just young.
08:11I'm like the youngest person there with all this chat going down,
08:15not quite understanding, you know, what the references are.
08:18And I've always been tall. I'm 5'10", but I've always been tall.
08:22So even 12, I was tall.
08:24So it's always been a bad kind of adult language being used around me.
08:31At an early age, everyone always thought I was older than I was,
08:35just because I was taller.
08:38So, yeah, I think that stays with you.
08:42And then also as a model, you are literally just rocking up to a set,
08:46which could be a location house, on your own.
08:49So you're just there.
08:51So you are very isolated.
08:53It's very...
08:55It's solo.
08:57You know, you're doing it on your own.
08:59So you kind of do just have to...
09:02Well, back then, get my A to Z and just find the location, just go.
09:08And, you know, you're getting there.
09:10Or like, you know, walking around London,
09:12finding different casting studios, finding different photography studios.
09:16But you're always alone.
09:18So you do have to have your wits about you.
09:22You do have to have...
09:24You've got to have that understanding, emotional intelligence,
09:27sense the tone, sense the room, sense danger.
09:30You've got to be able to tape all that in.
09:32Yeah.
09:33So it is...
09:34Some of the stuff you don't even know you're learning, obviously.
09:36You just know this energy doesn't feel right.
09:38But, yeah, you felt like prey quite a lot.
09:43Like you are there.
09:45It is an isolating situation.
09:48Yeah.
09:49And as a young female.
09:50Yeah.
09:52So that is...
09:55Wow.
09:58There's a lot more regulations in place now.
10:00You know, there's a lot more things in place now.
10:03It's not as wild west as it used to be.
10:07But still, there is still that isolation.
10:09You are still by yourself.
10:12You know, it is still quite...
10:14It can be quite lonely.
10:16So who was helping you at that time?
10:18Like to even navigate that?
10:20Yeah, yeah.
10:22Well, your agent is there with you.
10:25Okay, yeah.
10:26And then friends.
10:28But it can be tricky for friends outside of the industry.
10:31Because it's a weird thing to talk about.
10:34And also it's a weird thing to say, oh, like I'm having tricky, troubled times being a model.
10:39You know, everyone thinks it's the life, right?
10:41So it's a hard conversation to have.
10:44Even saying you're a model out loud is quite a hard thing to say.
10:47You know, because people have certain perceptions of it.
10:51And whatever they think you're doing every day, it isn't that.
10:56Whatever they think of, you know, what they think of it, it's not kind of what the reality is.
11:02It is a job.
11:03It is a craft.
11:05And it is one of the biggest industries in the world.
11:08So, you know, it does serve a market.
11:11And therefore, it does hold a certain weight.
11:14So it is quite a difficult thing to talk about with people who are not in the industry.
11:20Because of the perception, I think, that people may have.
11:23So there are some people you can talk to.
11:26And there's your agent you can talk to.
11:28And there are obviously friends and family.
11:30Just some people, like all creative roles, sometimes your family just don't get what you're doing day to day.
11:36Like why don't you go and get a trade?
11:38What are you doing with this creative stuff?
11:40How are you going to make a living?
11:42Where's the stability?
11:43It's those conversations as well.
11:45So in that sense, it's also isolating.
11:47Because no one quite gets what you do every day.
11:50No one quite gets also why you're finding it tricky or why it's isolating or why the stakes are so high.
11:55Because they're like, well, you're just on set, aren't you?
11:58Like you're just standing there and people taking the image, right?
12:02That's easy, right?
12:03So, yeah, it is a really, it's a weird one.
12:09It's a layered one.
12:10Yeah.
12:12Wow.
12:14Yeah.
12:15You just covered a lot of layers.
12:18And it's funny what you said, right?
12:20We did a workshop with Demi Ladipo the other day, right?
12:26And something he said, which was quite interesting, he was saying that like he really, before like,
12:34because he actually trained at Identity as well, right?
12:37He was like, before like going to acting groups or training or anything like that, he was like,
12:43it was so difficult to like, kind of like what you said, like, say, oh, I'm an actor.
12:51Because the first thing everyone would say is, oh, so what have you been in?
12:55Yeah, totally.
12:56Totally.
12:57Totally.
12:58It's really, really hard.
12:59And also just for yourself to know that you've done your training.
13:03And look, getting a self-tape, you're still a working actor.
13:07You are an actor, right?
13:09But to be able to say that aloud is also just a bit of confidence.
13:13And also, all of us, especially creatives, think that maybe I just need that one more course.
13:18Maybe I just need to get that, get that accent.
13:20You know, it's hard.
13:21It's hard to say, I'm still a work in progress, but I'm going to call myself professional.
13:25That's difficult.
13:26Other industries, you get your master's, then you can have your letters by your name.
13:30You're like, right.
13:31Or you'd work as an assistant, then work up to manager, then CEO.
13:36And it's a very clear, linear career path.
13:39But this, you can book a series regular one day and then not work for a year.
13:43So to sit there and say, I am a professional actor, or I'm a professional creative,
13:49if you haven't worked in a while, is a really tricky thing to say out loud.
13:54And then, of course, you're going to get the, yeah, what have you been in,
13:57anything that I know, all that sort of stuff.
14:00It's a hard thing to say.
14:01Most people, I think, want you just to reel off your CV like that, you know, which is hard.
14:08And obviously, you are more than acting.
14:11There is life outside of this.
14:12We are not saving lives.
14:16You know, this is entertainment, so it is good.
14:18You do have to have life outside.
14:20So it is a really difficult thing when someone says, what do you do, to answer that question honestly.
14:26And it also depends on how you're feeling.
14:28Like, if you've just had a bad day or a bad, you know, you don't want to kind of say it
14:31because you know you're going to have to get into all of that, reel off your CV and like,
14:34okay, well, I haven't done this for a while, you know, all that sort of stuff.
14:37It's emotional, isn't it?
14:38It's hard.
14:40You really understand.
14:43I do.
14:44I do.
14:45I do.
14:46I have lived it.
14:47Obviously, I've never, IAG is my first job.
14:52So like, PYE.
14:55So this is all I've done from like 16, 15.
14:59So, you know, I'm being 25 now, 10 years in.
15:04So it's, yeah, it's your life, isn't it?
15:10It's your life's work.
15:12Wow.
15:13So, you know, right, so given that modelling and being a creative was such a, not even
15:22a key part, it was the bulk of your life, right?
15:26Yeah, yeah.
15:27What made you transition out of it or was it just simply the decision to have children
15:33or were there any other?
15:35Okay, yeah.
15:36No, that's a good question.
15:37So I was never the best model on all the metrics you can think of.
15:44I was never the prettiest, the slimmest.
15:46I was never any of that.
15:48I was just determined and I hustled.
15:51That was it.
15:52And I enjoyed the creative side of it.
15:56But essentially, at a working model level, you are a hanger.
16:05You know, there's not much creative control.
16:07There's not much creative input.
16:09You are, give yourself to the job and the image and the show or the campaign.
16:16But you don't have creative sign-off as a working model.
16:20Top model, completely different.
16:22But same as a working actor, you know, you're not, you can give your essence to the role.
16:28But essentially, you're working in the parameters of the character bio or the scene, right?
16:35Yeah.
16:36So at some point, having done it for a while, just like, you know, there's no creative input
16:44and there wasn't much else I could do in it.
16:54Until you get to someone like Kate Moss, who's now a brand.
16:59So you're not booking Kate Moss the model so much.
17:03You're booking her as a brand.
17:04She's coming in with her thoughts and creative direction and, you know,
17:07and everything that she stands for and everything that she wants to put into whatever it is.
17:13So, yeah, I just got a bit, a bit, just wanted a bit more on top of having kids,
17:19on top of thinking what's next?
17:21Like, am I just going to keep on running around the world and just do this?
17:25And, you know, I, again, touch wood, had a great time.
17:29I did everything you can imagine.
17:32All the parties, travelled everywhere, shot with everybody.
17:36You know, I got to do some amazing things and travel to some amazing places.
17:42And do all of that.
17:45And then I was like, okay, now what?
17:47What are we going to do?
17:49You know, I also, at some point, there is a, it is an image-based industry.
17:53So age does come into it.
17:56At some point I did realize, oh, I may not get those big campaigns anymore.
18:01You know, at some point it will stop and it will change.
18:04And yes, the role changes and the kind of types of roles can change.
18:09But some of that stuff is age-dependent as a working model.
18:14If you're a top, again, you have more creative control
18:17and you can bring your ideas to it.
18:19But some of it just is image-based.
18:21It just is a young game.
18:23So all of those things plus wanting to have children, creative control,
18:31yeah, I was just like this, let's see what else we can do.
18:36Yeah.
18:38So given your vast experience up to your current age of 25,
18:45would you say there's an appreciation for talent in front of the camera?
18:52Yeah.
18:53Yeah, massively.
18:54So I think it's a really bold, vulnerable thing to put yourself there.
19:01And obviously for screen work, once you've done it, it lives forever.
19:07So deciding to do that and make those choices and then it's just there
19:11in the world, you're offering for the role.
19:15I think that's a really vulnerable position to put yourself in.
19:19So, yeah, massive appreciation for what everyone does
19:24and understand all that goes in with it.
19:28The angst, the not being able to watch yourself,
19:30the, oh, could I have done this?
19:32The rethinking, did I make the right choice?
19:34All that sort of stuff that goes in with it.
19:37Yeah, I use that, obviously, in the day job,
19:39but also get how it plays on you and how it pushes
19:46into every inch of your life.
19:51It is how you, it can affect everything.
19:54So, yeah, massive appreciation.
19:58Yeah, I think it's really brave to do that.
20:02But would you say that other people, let's say like production,
20:09everyone behind the camera, there's like an appreciation
20:13for talent in front of the camera.
20:16Is there that understanding of like some of those things
20:19that you touched on or is it kind of like,
20:23all right, cool, like almost like you're a prop kind of thing?
20:27I think some people definitely think that.
20:30Yeah, I think some people definitely think that.
20:32And I think some roles in each production will think
20:40that it's not possible without them, obviously,
20:44but it takes everybody to make a film.
20:48But I think, you know, there's, you know this,
20:52there's massive ego, massive ego issues in the whole industry.
20:59So I think, yeah, I think that affects everybody.
21:01I think an emotionally intelligent creative will know it takes everybody.
21:10Even from the grip, it takes every single person on a production
21:14to make a production what it is.
21:17Yeah, from all roles, you know, from all roles.
21:23Yeah, I think it takes everything.
21:26Girl complex, egos, you know, it's always going to be there
21:32just by the nature of what the industry tells you, you know,
21:38where you are on the call sheet, you know, how big your name is.
21:42And if it's in bold, all that sort of stuff,
21:45everyone reads into it and it causes massive anxiety.
21:51But yeah, really, it takes everybody on the call sheet
21:56to make it what it is.
21:58Yeah, it makes sense. Makes sense.
22:00So we were having a discussion about dealing with actors
22:06and like intimacy coordinators came up.
22:10And what I loved is just you helping me to understand,
22:18like, the wider spectrum of what they're needed for.
22:23Because I guess when I hear intimacy coordinators,
22:26I'm thinking, oh, yeah, cool, if you're filming a sex scene.
22:28But like, could you just, could you elaborate
22:32on what intimacy coordinator is and why they're needed?
22:36Yeah, I think there historically have been some really tricky,
22:45scary, abusive situations that talent have been in.
22:51And actually the whole production I've been in.
22:53So even somebody behind the camera witnessing it
22:57is still part of the trauma, isn't it?
23:00So intimacy coordinators are put in place to try and prevent
23:08anything like that happening and to preempt anyone on set
23:13feeling uncomfortable and to choreograph any intimacy on set.
23:20And it's not just what we traditionally may think of intimacy.
23:25It's every intimate moment that they need to be present for,
23:29which needs to be talked through. It needs to be choreographed.
23:32It needs to be okayed with everybody involved.
23:36That's what they should be doing.
23:39And it's relatively new within the industry.
23:42So hopefully, obviously now it's here to stay
23:45and it should be in place and all set.
23:48But yeah, it's still pretty new.
23:51So a lot of people kind of getting used to working with them
23:54and a bit of pushback because you might not have had,
23:58some haven't got the freedom that they used to have to be able to,
24:03and haven't got the power that they used to be able to.
24:05You can't just do what you want anymore,
24:08which is obviously where all the issues used to arise.
24:10So now it's meant to put these protocols and steps in place
24:15to protect everybody, all talent, but also the production,
24:19the network, everything.
24:21So that we're all working from the same dance.
24:28And you know, okay, before I go to my next bit,
24:31I think your mic is rubbing up against your jump.
24:39Yeah, you can do, yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:41That's fine, that's fine.
24:43So yeah, like, and I think what was really interesting about that is,
24:51I think you broke down really well, the reasons behind it, i.e.,
24:59like, you know what, if someone has to kiss someone
25:03or someone has to hug someone or whatever,
25:06there's, given a person's personal experience,
25:11there may be certain things that are traumatic for them.
25:15So I wanted to know, I guess, if one of your actors has to do,
25:19like, an intimate scene, and I'll leave that open for interpretation,
25:25right, because it's going to vary per person.
25:28What are some of those things that, like,
25:30how would an intimacy coordinator approach that situation?
25:34Yeah, so even at the start, before you've gotten to set,
25:39before, when the role comes out,
25:42casting directors are listing every moment of intimacy.
25:47So then it's down to the agent, the actor,
25:49if this is something they want to even tape for.
25:52And then for my talent, I'm asking them at every single stage,
25:57how are you feeling?
25:58Because it's quite a long process to booking a job.
26:01So I ask before I speak to the casting,
26:06does this role sound of interest to you?
26:09Please note these intimate scenes or the intimacy that's requested,
26:14the nudity that might be involved.
26:16Then speak to the casting director, we get the self-tape,
26:19and then they tape, and I ask again, how are you feeling?
26:22And then say, if you get a recall or chemistry test,
26:24I ask at every stage because you may think you feel OK.
26:28And the second you're getting closer and closer,
26:30it then starts to feel real, and you're getting closer,
26:33like this actually might be turning to reality,
26:38and then things change.
26:41Sometimes things change.
26:43And again, I kind of say at every stage, it is OK,
26:45but we need to talk through how you're feeling
26:48and if you want to stop in this process or not, basically,
26:53because you may think you can do it.
26:55And again, this is going to live on screen forever.
26:58So is this something you want to do?
27:01So I'm doing all of that until we get the actual offer.
27:05And then there is a nudity writer that goes with the contract
27:10that is talking through every single moment of intimacy,
27:15and it should talk through how every shot is going to look,
27:19so you can see how it's going to pass,
27:21which also needs to be choreographed,
27:23talking through any intimacy garments that are being used.
27:26So for us, coming from majority non-white talent,
27:31we also want those intimacy garments to match our skin tones.
27:36So you see intimacy garments, right?
27:39Because a lot of people do not know what is an intimacy garment.
27:43So there are various different types,
27:48but essentially it's different guards and different skins
27:53that you can wear so it's not body-on-body contact,
28:00but it will look like that, obviously, on the final shot
28:04and how it's framed.
28:07Various different types.
28:09And there are also prosthetics that are used as well.
28:12There are merkins that are used, lots of different things,
28:16and it's down to the production of what they want,
28:20what story, what picture they're making,
28:23and again, what the talent feel comfortable with,
28:27and then what type of talent you are.
28:32I suppose you can kind of talk through what intimacy garments you require.
28:36There are some talents that you've heard of body doubles.
28:39There are some talents that just don't do this at all,
28:43but you will see intimacy scenes with that name talent.
28:47So lots of different things that kind of go into it,
28:50but essentially it is protecting everybody's body parts in those moments.
29:00So I love that because this opens a new dynamic for people
29:07that may not feel comfortable with just going in and doing, I don't know,
29:15certain scenes without those tools, accessories,
29:20those things that are needed, right?
29:25I guess, so how would, like, let's say there's a new actor,
29:32there's this big show, this is like, oh my days,
29:35this doesn't happen for people this early in their career,
29:38but it's a huge, huge opportunity, and there's maybe one or two sex scenes,
29:43let's say it's a series, right?
29:45And they're not sure.
29:48They're kind of like, yeah.
29:50So before, when I take people on and when we have our catch-ups,
29:55I ask them, what are your no-no's?
29:58What is it for you?
30:00Because when that project, that unicorn, that dangling carrot comes,
30:04I want to know before so that nothing sways you, the network, the picture,
30:09the star, the money doesn't sway you.
30:12So what are your, what morally are you against?
30:18What do you stand for?
30:21And just what are your no-no's?
30:23What do you want and what don't you want?
30:25Because we need to know that before we go into any conversations,
30:28so that in case the dream role comes up and there is nudity,
30:31then it's not the dream role, if that's not what you want to do.
30:35So I think it's good to have those conversations before,
30:38because it can dazzle you, can't it?
30:43And if it's not right, it's not right.
30:45And if it's not right at the start, it's still okay for it to not be right,
30:49even if it feels like it's the biggest opportunity in your life,
30:54it won't be if you're not feeling comfortable on set.
30:58And there's no point in going into something that you're going to,
31:03doesn't sit right with you.
31:05You know, if it's going to, if it's going to,
31:08it's going to break your integrity.
31:10Yes.
31:12Because then you will live with that.
31:14Absolutely.
31:15And you wouldn't do that in any other walk of your life.
31:18So you're not going to do that here.
31:20And we shouldn't be asking you to do that.
31:23So I need to know those sort of things before,
31:26what I usually, you talk through it before,
31:28so that hopefully you're not in that position.
31:31You're not having to think, oh, but you know,
31:34this doesn't come up.
31:36Love that.
31:37So given your experience, right.
31:39And your background and even just, you know,
31:42even the stuff you're just saying on this, this episode, right.
31:46You seem quite caring about talent.
31:50It doesn't seem to be like, look, let's just get the big jobs.
31:55And you know, that, that, that's what it's all about.
31:57It seems like there's a huge focus on, are you okay?
32:00Are you okay?
32:02Do you know what,
32:03because I've been in those positions where you basically are not okay.
32:08And it's a horrible, horrible place to be.
32:14And I wouldn't want anybody to,
32:17to be in that situation or be in, be in that position.
32:20So yeah, that, that can't be the goal.
32:25That can't be the drive for all it has to be.
32:28Is this something you want to do?
32:30It has to be, can you see yourself doing this role?
32:32Is it something you want to explore?
32:34And then we can go from there.
32:35It can't, it can't be I'm doing this for me as in the agency,
32:39or I want to, don't want to turn down a tape because it, it,
32:42that can't be, that can't be the focus.
32:45Cause these, like I was saying earlier,
32:47these things live with you and it will feed into every other part of your
32:51life.
32:52And it will just seep in, seep into your relationships.
32:59In every way.
33:01So you have to be, you have to be,
33:04you have to be committed to your integrity and,
33:10and, you know, truly know it's what you want to do.
33:13Making sure,
33:14basically making sure you're making the right choice for you and no other,
33:18no other, no one else, no other outside forces.
33:22Yeah.
33:23I love that.
33:24I love that.
33:25I love that.
33:26So summary, right?
33:29Nina, what do you think makes a good agent?
33:32I think emotional intelligence helps.
33:36Yeah.
33:37I think communication helps.
33:40Patience is a long game.
33:42It's a long game.
33:44None of this happens overnight.
33:47Most definitely a marathon.
33:49Yeah.
33:52Yeah.
33:53I think a love of the art, of the craft, of the industry,
33:59because again, it's a long game.
34:03And, and you've still got,
34:07you've still got to nurture that stuff for yourself.
34:11I like, you know, I'm out there to all the time I'm watching, you know,
34:16stuff that I have nothing to do with,
34:18but I want to see it on myself of why I do this so that I can help others do
34:23it because it's hard.
34:25It's really, really hard.
34:27It's a, it's a really hard industry to, to,
34:30to live in and thrive in and operate healthily in.
34:34So I think we, we all have to check ourselves, you know,
34:39to make sure we're doing it for our reasons.
34:41Cause it's the stakes are too high, aren't they?
34:45I'm not sure if you saw my, my Instagram account got hacked,
34:49got impersonated.
34:51Okay.
34:52Right. So someone copied all my posts and I had a very similar,
34:56had a very similar handle.
35:01So it looks like me and it sounds like me and then messaged a lot of actors and
35:06models requesting tapes.
35:10And that just shows how,
35:14how passionate people are about this industry and what,
35:18what you will do and for the people that responded back to the impersonator me
35:23of, of what it means to everybody.
35:25So in that sense, it's like, it's heartbreaking, isn't it?
35:29It's a really tough industry to, to,
35:34to live in day to day.
35:39That's so deep because you are,
35:44you're going to be regarded as someone who is like a,
35:50a resource of hope.
35:53Totally.
35:54I've had messages all weekend and this week are text messages,
35:59emails, WhatsApps, DMS, like,
36:01it's making people sick the messages from this account and,
36:06and the videos and the images people have sent the impersonator. It's,
36:10it's horrible. It's horrible,
36:12but I get why you want to believe and I get why you do it and I've been scanned
36:16myself. So I totally get it. I totally get it. But it just shows,
36:22you know, where the stakes are at for everybody. That's,
36:25that's how much we want it. And I get it.
36:28But that's also our responsibility to take it all
36:34seriously.
36:36So, you know what, right?
36:38Given that people are so hopeful and are in various positions,
36:44right in life, but they so desperately want to become
36:50working actors. Right. What,
36:54what advice would you give or like, what,
36:58what advice would you give to someone in terms of getting an agent,
37:03like without a show reel?
37:06I think a great headshot that,
37:09that shows you and all of your you-ness.
37:15What's a you-ness?
37:16Like, like your, your you, the essence of you.
37:20Oh, okay. Yes.
37:21And a great self tape that,
37:25that shows real acting chops.
37:30And obviously all the killer stuff, no filler.
37:33We just need to see that you can, that you can act.
37:36So that's what you can do. Yeah. Accents help,
37:41but essentially it is down to the acting and again,
37:45agents and casting directors and,
37:47and the industry gatekeepers and making those decisions in probably 10
37:51seconds, even, even less than that.
37:53So it really is all the killer stuff at the front.
37:58You don't have to make it even, you don't have to bother with any fluff,
38:02just give it to them.
38:06Wow. And, and what, what is, you know, you said the killer stuff, right?
38:11What does, what, what, what is that?
38:13It's those moments that we all feel when you watch something that,
38:16that make you connect, that, that take your breath away,
38:18that make you think, that make you feel emotional,
38:21that can ignite tears, laughter. It's all of that.
38:24The moments that make your hair stand up on edge,
38:26the moments that make your stomach turn, the moments that make you react.
38:29It's that.
38:31Okay.
38:33Which is powerful, isn't it?
38:34Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I love that. I love that.
38:37You are dropping so many jewels right now.
38:42Your DMs will probably increase as well.
38:46But I wanted, I guess another thing, right. On the flip side,
38:51what are like some key reasons that you won't sign someone?
39:00I think they have to be ready to have an agent.
39:05So it's, it is a,
39:07it is a big step in your career taking on an agent and it is like any
39:12relationship in your life, right?
39:15So you have to be open to a partnership.
39:18You have to be open to working together and communication and us both doing
39:23our roles. And you have to be ready for that.
39:26So, so I was with IAG, right.
39:29And when I was modeling it at, at a good, at a good place.
39:35But I just wasn't ready to leave the life. I was just like, I can't,
39:40I can't cancel the shoot. I can't, you know,
39:42and you have to make space for it. So in that sense,
39:44I think you have to be, you have to be ready.
39:46You have to be ready. You have to be able to prioritize.
39:48You have to be able to be it for it to be for you,
39:54for you to be proactive, which needs space.
39:57You need to be able to look up from life, take a moment, right.
40:02As opposed to being reactive. If you're making acting your priority,
40:08you need to have space to be proactive,
40:10which may mean you need to have a look at your lifestyle and have like,
40:13how am I going to, how am I going to fit this in?
40:18So that you can tell, and it's not so much about age.
40:22It's more just a mindset of, are you ready for this?
40:25Because it's a, it's a big thing taking on talent, right.
40:29We're all, we're, we're putting the agencies,
40:32putting their name out there and we personally are putting our name against
40:36the talent saying we vouch in this person. So if you miss, you know,
40:42if you, if we're not holding up your end of the deal,
40:45it falls badly on us and the agency.
40:49All the phones and the emails saying they can do this and then you don't.
40:54Right. So you can see just if they have that level of professionalism,
40:59even if they are just a graduate and have never worked before,
41:01you can see that in the kind of grit and the gumption of somebody.
41:06I think, I think that,
41:09that is definitely needed, a want to be able to do this and,
41:14and to that, and to that level. And to take it seriously, obviously,
41:20I'm grateful that we're working on the sort of projects we're working on,
41:23but this is not a joke. We're working on international global projects.
41:27It's like everybody wants to, to tape for these moments.
41:31So if we go and get you a tape for these glossy things, then, you know,
41:35you've got to bring your A game and it's,
41:37and it's just knowing that you're ready for that. Not everybody is. And it,
41:42it just is, you know? So, yeah,
41:45I think that along with talent is the sort of things that we're looking for,
41:49but doesn't necessarily like that could be any age. I've got some,
41:54I've got some amazing professional 18 year olds that I,
41:58that I work with who are just there, you know,
42:01they're hungry and they are professional and they are ready and open and
42:07just ready to work.
42:09Oh man. I, you know what? I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that.
42:15It's good to,
42:17to have people like you in the industry with like passion,
42:22understanding and genuine care.
42:25Yeah. And it seems like the rest is taking care of itself.
42:29We're getting there. There's still like a long way to go, but it is changing.
42:33It really is changing. And it, and it has changed since,
42:37since my day and it still is going in the right direction. It all takes time.
42:42Industry change, but it is, yeah, it is definitely,
42:45definitely slowly happening, moving in the right direction. Yeah.
42:49Amazing. Amazing. Well, thank you, Nina.
42:52You are welcome.