Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor DeThomas.
Taylor, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I was always one of those kids who felt a little lost. I never had any one thing I was passionate about. I enjoyed listening to music and finding the “next cool song” – I always thought I was legitimately the first Lady Gaga fan – but I wasn’t particularly talented at playing instruments or singing. I loved watching sports but wasn’t very fond of actually playing them. I loved watching TV shows (hour-long dramas especially) and films but never really wanted to be in the spotlight myself.
I attended the University of Georgia where I was always finding ways to surround myself with creative people but didn’t really know how to focus my love for artists and talent into a career. I had some awesome mentors, James Biddle and Melissa Jackson who both helped me figure out that I was heading in the right direction. The time came for graduation and I still wasn’t exactly sure which way I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted a career in the entertainment industry.
In 2014, I took a job as an intern at a local talent agency just as a way to dip my toe into the entertainment business. I really didn’t think that would be my long term career plan, but here I am nearly five years later – still agenting my butt off! I realized over time that it was the perfect way to be surrounded by passionate and talented people and I love that I get to be a small part of someone’s success. I started with the Alexander White Agency (AWA) in 2017, Alex brought me on board as the head of his commercial division, but I was most excited for the opportunity to learn how to be a theatrical agent as well. Since I started in 2017, Alex has taught me and helped me develop a small but mighty list of very talented actors who have been consistently working while I’ve been consistently learning how to be a better agent. I’ve had some pretty incredible mentors and friends who helped me get to this point and I truly feel like I’ve found my home here at AWA.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have definitely been some ups and downs along the way. I quit the business entirely for a brief four-month period because I was just so deflated and unsure if this was what I wanted to do with my life. I went to work for a healthcare consulting firm in Midtown thinking maybe I wanted something more corporate and more stable in terms of a steady 40 hour work week with PTO and a 401k. It didn’t last long, as I stayed friends with many of my former colleagues (actors and other agent friends) and they helped me see that being an agent was what I was supposed to do, even if it was uncertain and hard at times.
Things have been much smoother for me since I came on board with AWA. It’s been a breath of fresh air for me – having a boss who is young and excited and entrepreneurial and great at his job. Having someone believe in and trust me to do this job has been everything I needed to keep at it when things get tough. The actors are a huge part of what keeps me going too. I am so fortunate to represent not only extremely talented people but GOOD people too. I feel really lucky to be able to work with such quality humans and the fact that they trust me to help shape the course of their career is such an honor.
The Alexander White Agency – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
AWA is a talent agency specializing in tv/film/commercial/industrial representation. We represent actors and it’s our job to make sure they are exposed to the many opportunities in the television/film/commercial and industrial markets across the southeast, and even nationwide. I think what sets us apart is that we maintain a smaller roster than most other agencies in our market, which allows us to be able to really get to know and work hard for our actors to really help shape their careers as opposed to just getting a one-off booking here and there. Our approach is much more targeted and thought out and we are able to do it this way by keeping the agent to talent ratio smaller rather than larger.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, I think success is just getting to a place where you feel happy and satisfied with the work you’ve done and the relationships you’ve cultivated. I think people put so much pressure on themselves to fit into a certain box or reach a certain goal and sometimes that can hurt more than help. For me, success is about balance. It’s about waking up every day and trying to outwork my clients but then being able to turn it off and spend time with my loved ones or spend time self-reflecting. I feel successful because I wake up excited to do my job and I come home excited to see what my boyfriend cooked for dinner. I certainly still strive to grow in my career and my relationships each day, but overall I feel satisfied in knowing that the work-life balance I’ve created for myself allows me to continue to be successful and continue to grow. Recharging and taking time for me makes me an even better agent because I don’t end up with that burnt out feeling that I think so often comes with the entertainment industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://alexanderwhiteagency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_tbrooke/
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