When it comes to breaking into professional sports, or enhancing one’s sports career, many athletes don’t consider how much help a talent agency, such as Creative Artists Agency, can be. This of course applies to Rugby as well. Having a talent agent on your side can lead to a variety of positive things such as increased salary, sponsorships, and having more power when negotiating.
The flip side to all of this is the fact that Creative Artists Agency isn’t free of course. Clients pay a fee for services rendered. On top of that, the CAA is a pretty well established organization, and does work for all sorts of high-profile non sports clients such as Hasbro, Paramount Pictures, and Nationwide Insurance. As far as representing a rugby player goes, one might even think that hiring the CAA is complete overkill.
With that said, let’s go over some of the reasons you may want to hire Creative Artists Agency as a rugby player, and some of the reasons you may not. This will help you to make an informed decision regarding this organization.
The CAA is Good at What They Do
There is a reason the CAA is at the top of the food chain when it comes to talent agencies. Formed in 1075 by several five former employees of the well-known William Morris agency, the Creative Artists Agency was created with big goals, but with very little initial funding. Despite having only about $55 thousand to work with in the beginning, the upstart agency managed to sell three shows, Rhyme and Reason, the Little Rich Show, and the Jackson 5ive. From this alone is was clear that the CAA would become one of the top talent agencies in the world.
So what does this mean for you? It means that no matter who you are or what you do, the Creative Artists Agency can represent you extremely well, and help you to accomplish your business goals. Since the agency is essentially a vehicle for marketing talent, helping you to accomplish your goals as a rugby player is well within their capabilities.
Doing Your Part to Be Successful
Of course, you have to do your part as well. Any talent agency can only work with what they’re given. If you are a sub-par rugby player it would probably be a good idea to work on your game before thinking about finding a talent agency to represent you. The better a player your are, the better a player the CAA can make you appear to be of course.
For example, if you received a scholarship, such as the Nancy Etz scholarship, then that could be a major selling point for the CAA to work with. If you’re unfamiliar with the Nancy Etz scholarship, it’s a scholarship that awards an amount to students enrolled in an undergrad or graduate program, or high school seniors who have been accepted into a college. Regardless of the scholarship you get, it is something that you would want to share with your talent agency.
Other things that can help you to increase your perceived value are doing charity work, making sure that you look your best, and staying out of trouble. Having to deal with scandals can cripple a talent agency’s ability to market you as a valuable asset as a rugby player as you can imagine.
Problems with the Creative Artists Agency
While they are a pretty big name in the talent industry, the CAA isn’t without issues of its own. With a staff of around 300 they handle nearly 3,500 clients. This means that they could be reluctant to take you on as a client if you don’t meet their criteria. Further more, the fact that rugby isn’t popular in the US could be an issue as well if you play there.
The CAA was also involved in a major controversy when they were accused of helping to cover up the shenanigans of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Even Uma Thurman and Taylor Swift had some criticisms for the CAA over this debacle.
Is the CAA Right for You?
There is no question that the Creative Artists Agency sits at the top of the mountain when it comes to talent agencies. However, this may not be to your favor depending on a variety of factors including how popular rugby is where you live, how much money you have to spend on a talent agency, and how good of a player you actually are. Of course, the recent scandal that the CAA has had with Harvey Weinstein doesn’t exactly cast them in a favorable light, but their ability as a talent/marketing agency is without question.
In the end there’s nothing wrong with attempting to get the Creative Artists Agency to represent you if you have the credentials and cash to make it happen. If you are a marketable rugby player, then the CAA will make sure the world knows about it, and you’ll be the one to reap the benefits of your newfound fame