Getting started in the entertainment industry as an actor or model can be really daunting if you don’t know where to start in Tampa. The best thing you can start out with is working to understand how having an agent will be beneficial to you as you start out and how they submit their talent to local clients or even casting directors in the Tampa area for auditions. Though keep in mind as you start your search for a good agency to work with that there are agencies that just specialize in one thing like modeling and there are others that work with a very diverse talent pool as well. The best thing to do is look at all the agencies and then narrow your choices down in Tampa until you find an agent and agency that will be best suited for you as you start the career of your dreams.
Agencies have several ways that they will take and submit their talent, actors and models to their client base in Tampa. Clients will normally reach out to the agency first when they are looking to hire some talent for a production that they are working on at that moment or even for future work as well in Tampa. Casting directors will only work with agencies that they have already worked with before and those that are reputable in the entertainment business. When the client contacts the agency, the agency then sends out headshots to that client, sometimes coupled with the composites for that actor or model and the reels too.
You should also know that many agencies actually keep a database that their client base can search in Tampa that contains all the high quality photos or reels of actors or models that they are working with and are available for work in Tampa. The images that the client is looking for typically will be the images of the talent that display that talent's commercial appeal in high resolution photos or even well done reels. Reels in this industry are usually video compilations of the actor or models best work that they have done since the start of their career in Tampa or any other cities they have worked in.
The client is not just looking at your photos or other talent’s photos though when they are looking into casting someone or looking for a good model in Tampa. They also like to see if the actor or model understands what is expected of them when they are placed for a booking or audition in Tampa. Being a pretty face will only get you so far in the industry as they want to also see if you understand how to move and pose in front of a camera. Anyone going into acting or modeling should have the skills and talent to be confident in front of the camera otherwise this will make it harder for your agent to market you in Tampa.
You should have good runway skills as a beginning model even, and actors are expected to be able to execute any cold reading, commercial or improv that they are asked to do in front of possibly 50 people with skill and confidence in Tampa though you may have to audition in front of even more people if it is a huge casting call event. You just have to make sure you are fully prepared for that first audition in Tampa.
