So you want to be a star?
EDUCATION, experience and expertise is Noel Kelly’s mantra to any aspiring TV presenter. He expects the people he represents to be the “best they can” and to always keep learning.
“I am attracted to people who work hard — to me that is the secret. People need to work hard and put the graft in. This is a tough business, there are always new presenters coming along, so I think you have to keep learning, broaden out. Be on TV, be on radio, write for a newspaper, write a book,” he explains.
Fifteen years ago Kelly, 49, established his agency NK Management. One of his first clients was Gerry Ryan, quickly followed by Ryan Turbridy. Now Kelly’s portfolio is like a ‘Who’s-Who’ of TV stars in Ireland.
“These people are like my family. You celebrate their success and you mind them when things aren’t going so well. I think it is important to understand that careers take time to build and to manage. To find the right show, the right programme and matching the right skills with the right production,” he explains.
Such is his success that Kelly admits he can pick and choose who he wants to represent. “People contact us all the time, but we only go after people that we want. We are always looking for new talent, with an eye on where we could bring them over the next two to five years.
“It is not a two minute deal. It is like an apprenticeship, learning your skills, learning your craft. It takes a long time,” he says.
Any client that does not put “the graft” in, is dismissed. No matter how big a celebrity they are. Kelly works long hours, up at 5.45am and working until 8-9pm every night, and some weekends, so he expects the same.
“This is a tough business, you are not guaranteed a job 365 days a year. So my advice to anyone starting out, is go to college, get a degree, and have something to fall back on. But also try to be the best you can be in your chosen field, that takes hard work and dedication,” he adds.
Despite these recessionary times, Derek Daniels admits he is constantly on the look out for new models, searching for the “next face” to be hailed by the fashion industry.
“The look changes, the style of the model required is dictated by the market, so you are always searching. You never know what people will be looking for. I could find someone just walking down Grafton Street, it does happen,” he explains.
“It could be someone who is plain and quirky, or extremely beautiful. It just has to be the right combination of the right look, at the right time, the right job and the right push.”
Over the last 22 years Assets Model agency in Dublin has represented all of Ireland’s top models, from Amanda and Natasha Byram, to Glenda Gilson and Yvonne Keating.
Daniels believes the secret to his success is — “persistence. I am like a dog with a bone, I don’t give up”, and he makes sure that all of his models know exactly what is expected from them and how hard they will have to work.
“It is a very difficult job to be a model, it is very insecure. You are ‘in’ one minute and ‘out’ the next. The girl has to be a worker and have a good business head. Anyone who makes it as a top model in fashion ain’t no bimbo, I can assure you,” he stresses.
Daniels will not tolerate any models with a bad attitude, and points out that he always gets to hear of any bad behaviour on a shoot.
“People will only book you if they like you. It doesn’t matter how good you look, a bad attitude does not work.
“The photographer, the client, the bookers are all very important. They can push the model in the right direction and if you don’t get on with them you are in trouble,” he says. To get into the industry, Daniels suggests would-be models should attend open days at leading Irish agencies, where they will be advised on photos, portfolios and whether they even have the potential to make it in the business.
“Do not spend any money until you have gone to a reputable agency and got advice. Definitely do not get involved in any website or online model agencies,” he stresses.
“I am constantly getting parents in who have paid for their kids to go to London and it is bullshit basically. It is just a money racket.”
And who is the latest Irish model to watch out for ? “Eve Connolly, she is 17 and from Celbridge. She is fast climbing the market,” he says, immediately.
We heard it here first.
OVER 30 years ago Teri Hayden was persuaded to establish The Agency, to represent actors, by her good friend, Gabriel Byrne. Today, she still gets the same thrill of excitement at discovering new stars.
“My son Karl is a co-director of The Agency and is brilliant at spotting new talent. It is exciting charting the progress of the younger actors from tentative beginners to confident and talented performers whether on stage, TV or film,” she explains.
Hayden expects all her actors, which include Ruth Negga, Gabriel Byrne and Brendan Gleeson, to have a “strong sense” and a professional approach to their career.
“Obviously acting talent is the first requirement,” she states. “But then we expect discipline, hard work, punctuality and efficiency. Having the right temperament is vital in dealing with the vicissitudes of an acting career.”
Despite the recession, Hayden believes it is now easier for an Irish actor to be discovered and work successfully abroad.
“The world has become a much smaller place. An actor’s audition can be put on tape in Dublin, emailed to LA or New York in minutes and this cuts out all the hassle and expense of flying to where ever to meet with directors.
“Actors are also more business savvy and generally speaking young actors today have a much clearer vision of where they want to be in the future,” she says.
Her advice to any would-be thespians is simple — keep hungry, and keep busy.
“Have a clear idea of what you want and have a hunger for achieving it,” she stresses. “So never sit around waiting for work to land on the doorstep. If an actor is not ‘in work’ then go and create it. Make a small film, write, keep busy. Create new challenges.”
EVERY year Marianne Gunn O’Connor receives around 1,500 manuscripts from hopeful Irish authors, convinced that they have written the next best-seller. Not surprisingly, most are rejected after reading just a couple of chapters.
“A lot of people can write, but there are not a lot of great books, so it is not as difficult as you think to whittle them down,” she explains, softly.
Marianne Gunn O’Connor, the ‘super’ literary agent behind best selling authors like Pat McCabe and Cecelia Ahern, says her ‘yardstick’ for selecting a manuscript is simple — she wants to be “blown away” by it, and to be moved.
“Something that makes my heart sing. Something that I am excited about. Something that I can say, in this deep recession: ‘This is worth buying. This is something I want to bring out into the world.’ Something that is utterly extraordinary. That is what I look for,” she reiterates.
Gunn O’Connor describes her role as being a “matchmaker”, ensuring that her authors are published by the right company so that “magic” can happen.
“I have rejected some best selling authors as I felt they would take up too much of my time. They were incredibly demanding — some would have very big egos and I felt they would take my time away from my other authors. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day,” she emphasises.
The recession and the internet have changed the literary business completely.
Fewer books are being published and advances for authors have been cut dramatically. But Gunn O’Connor believes it makes for exciting times as “nobody knows what is going to sell”, citing the successes of Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code and the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy.
So what tips can she offer aspiring authors? Gunn O’Connor believes writers are born, and advises people to “go deep”, and think about what they want to say and why.
“If they have an amazing idea, we can all get excited by amazing ideas and I would certainly listen to it. But there are no guarantees anymore. The rule today is that there are no rules because everything has been thrown out of the window,” she adds.
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