Managing the Slowdown
By Jamie Painter Young
Thursday, May 8 2003
Thursday, May 8 2003
Published on AllBusiness.com
"I think after casting as long as I've been casting?it's not that I'm burnt out, because I love doing it?but I feel [casting] is like waking up in the morning; I do it so naturally. I needed a little bit of a new challenge in my life," said Barbara Divisek, who earlier this month opened shop as a manager with her new business partner and longtime friend, former agent Susie Mains.
Together they launched Trilogy Talent, a management company servicing actors of all ages. In addition to managing, Divisek and Mains hope to offer classes?which Mains and Divisek emphasized will be completely separate from the management division. They also hope to cast theatrical projects in the near future. Divisek will continue to run her previous company, Divisek Casting, a commercial casting office that works with such recognizable feature filmmakers as the Coen Brothers and Reggie Hudlin, among other clients. Recent projects include TV spots for McDonald's, Sears, Mattel, Burger King, and Earthlink. Divisek is casting partners with her older sister, Karen, who gave Divisek her first casting job in 1975. According to Divisek, she's always enjoyed helping actors get to the next level in their careers and "gave a lot of people their first jobs," including Drew Barrymore and Michael J. Fox, both of whom she Taft-Hartleyed.
Mains arrives at her new management job with 18 years under her belt as an agent, first in New York where she worked for Schuller Talent, followed by many years in Los Angeles. She was a partner and commercial agent for Kelman/Arletta, then headed the theatrical department at DDK Talent Representatives. Most recently, she was vp and head of talent at Collaborative Artists. Mains has discovered and represented such now-well-known actors as Tobey McGuire, Brian Austin Green, Seth Green, and Tia and Tamera Mowry. Mains also represented both of Divisek's children, who in recent years left the acting business.
"We always had a mutual respect for each other and thought that sometime it would be nice to work together," said Mains. "Together we really have a lot of expertise, and we have a lot of connections and affiliations in the business."
Regrouping after the strike: Divisek and Mains have witnessed a profound change in their industries since the Screen Actors Guild's commercial strike three years ago. Where Divisek cast 200 to 300 commercials per year before the strike, she found that those numbers dropped substantially post-strike with so many productions now shooting in Canada, South America, and Australia. She said it's now more in the 100s annually.
As a result of the strike, Mains noticed a severe downsizing within agencies, particularly those with commercial departments. Some agencies had no choice but to close their doors. Others had to lay off agents and assistants. As a result,
Together they launched Trilogy Talent, a management company servicing actors of all ages. In addition to managing, Divisek and Mains hope to offer classes?which Mains and Divisek emphasized will be completely separate from the management division. They also hope to cast theatrical projects in the near future. Divisek will continue to run her previous company, Divisek Casting, a commercial casting office that works with such recognizable feature filmmakers as the Coen Brothers and Reggie Hudlin, among other clients. Recent projects include TV spots for McDonald's, Sears, Mattel, Burger King, and Earthlink. Divisek is casting partners with her older sister, Karen, who gave Divisek her first casting job in 1975. According to Divisek, she's always enjoyed helping actors get to the next level in their careers and "gave a lot of people their first jobs," including Drew Barrymore and Michael J. Fox, both of whom she Taft-Hartleyed.
Mains arrives at her new management job with 18 years under her belt as an agent, first in New York where she worked for Schuller Talent, followed by many years in Los Angeles. She was a partner and commercial agent for Kelman/Arletta, then headed the theatrical department at DDK Talent Representatives. Most recently, she was vp and head of talent at Collaborative Artists. Mains has discovered and represented such now-well-known actors as Tobey McGuire, Brian Austin Green, Seth Green, and Tia and Tamera Mowry. Mains also represented both of Divisek's children, who in recent years left the acting business.
"We always had a mutual respect for each other and thought that sometime it would be nice to work together," said Mains. "Together we really have a lot of expertise, and we have a lot of connections and affiliations in the business."
Regrouping after the strike: Divisek and Mains have witnessed a profound change in their industries since the Screen Actors Guild's commercial strike three years ago. Where Divisek cast 200 to 300 commercials per year before the strike, she found that those numbers dropped substantially post-strike with so many productions now shooting in Canada, South America, and Australia. She said it's now more in the 100s annually.
As a result of the strike, Mains noticed a severe downsizing within agencies, particularly those with commercial departments. Some agencies had no choice but to close their doors. Others had to lay off agents and assistants. As a result,