Borra Garson

I’m good looking, and a great cook. How do I get an agent interested?

Posted by Borra Garson on 17 Jan 2012 | Tagged as: Chefs, Television

Whenever I meet new people and tell them what I do for a living, I am most often asked how do I judge if a new person is worth signing up? Or how do I find prospective new clients? After doing this for almost 20 years, happily I get plenty of referrals from within the industry and tip offs as to who might be the next big thing. I’d be a fool to ignore an experienced producer or publisher who advises me to meet so and so, and I’ll always take the time to check out a new person who has somehow created a buzz. In the world of TV chefs, the market is now so crowded, that a stand out talent really doesn’t wait long before they are snapped up by me or one of my competitors! It may not surprise you (and it’s always a disappointment for people not in the know) to hear that actual cookery talent has very little to do with a chef’s ability or potential for TV stardom. What we look out for are the big characters with something different to offer. We all like the crazy ones – they make good TV…. I mean, do you watch Gordon because he knows how to make a nice leg of lamb, or are you waiting for him to kick off and go nuts?

But how do you get the attention of an agent if you don’t know anyone in television, publishing, PR or any media…?

Well for starters you’ll have to have a small PR profile either through a committed blog, a successful restaurant, a healthy twitter following, a magazine column (even a local freebie mag), or a TV appearance or two under your belt. So often we get chefs wanting a media profile and we have to say it’s too early for them to have an agent. I need to see proof that this is what you want, and that you have the stamina to get to first base. It sounds hard to get a PR profile going without an agent, but the opportunities are out there, and plenty of unagented chefs are chipping away at some or all of these goals. Or, if you have the money, a solid PR company can also help you achieve some of this, but for a monthly retainer. Once a PR’s client has reached a certain level of media exposure, the good ones will often write to us so we can take that media experience to the next level.

It’s not easy, and annoyingly, there are Cinderella stories out there. Sometimes with those types, they get a huge break, then don’t understand the level of work it takes to stay up there. If they suffer a failure (series not recommissioned, column cancelled) they haven’t got what it takes to stay at the top which is a lot of hard work and a very thick skin. I suppose it’s a lot like the music industry, and the musicians who have the longest lasting careers are the ones who have played in every dump up and down the country, written their own music and made their own luck.

I’ll say it again – it’s not easy.

And when you do get the meeting with the agent, be punctual. Wear something that is true to who you are, and be yourself. I always say your agent is your business partner, so initially you want to like them and feel you can trust them, and vice versa… Bring along your press cuttings, sample articles and some short clips of any TV appearance you have made. Be prepared. And yes, bring home made brownies. A simple gesture like that might make all the difference when they are deciding whether to sign you up or not!