As a talent looking for a big break in the entertainment and creative industry, be it acting, commercial modeling or any promising media gig with good prospects, finding the right agency to represent you can be a hell of a mission.
The industry is full of one horrific story after the other; from agencies embezzling or withholding money received from clients on behalf of the artists they represent, to exorbitant licensing commission and lack of financial transparency on their part, you name it.
And it can get worse; years ago, dozens of models were left in limbo, waiting to be paid after one of the top local model agencies, Storm SA in Cape Town, was forced to close its doors by its head office in the UK due to tax irregularities. It’s never-ending tales of exploitation such as these that continue to cast a cloud over one of the most lucrative industries of our times. But on a more positive note, it what led to the birth of KOS Casting Agency, a boutique talent management company for actors, models, voiceovers, TV presenters, and models – that looks to put the interests of the talents it represents first and foremost.
“My biggest motivation has been the never-ending reports of exploitation that many artists still have to endure, and I for one, was once a victim of,” founder Tyra ‘Gogo Manzini’ Sindane tells NOWinSA, adding. “The thing is I want to bring something fresh. I want everybody in my books to be happy. And I need to make sure that I protect them, even on set. They should not be allowed to be exploited by anybody. No director is going to tell you that ‘if you give me that, I’m gonna make sure that you get so-and-so part,” she said in reference to the supposed casting couch phenomenon, where sexual favours are demanded by a powerful film producers and directors – even in South Africa.
Sindane is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring her clients are thoroughly respected and protected.
“I also feel that some of the dead dreams that many people have had to deal with is because they were not given an opportunity, or the right tools to make it, and were shut outside. So I do not want anyone on my book to have to experience that.”
So, what type of talent is KOS looking to sign?
“We’re looking for talent…the real deal, not numbers. It doesn’t matter how many followers you have, which the industry is now mainly based on,’ Sindane said, adding: So, as an agency, we’re moving away from that. We’re saying ‘let’s get someone who’s talent, fresh and is hungry to make it.”
Fir more info visit: https://koscastingagency.co.za/
