Ask a Former Assistant (Ian Joselow, Gersh)
Digital Agent, Gersh ; Co-President - NY, JHRTS
Interviewed by: Matt Guernier, JHRTS Board Member / Stage Door Network
Hi Ian! I’m eager to chat about your new role at Gersh. But to start, you have a unique educational background coming from both Marketing & Public Health fields, along with a string of impressive roles spanning those spaces– could you share a little bit about your journey to finding the entertainment industry and what excited you about the Digital representation space?
Thanks so much for having me! Sure thing. So originally my mom wanted me to be a doctor and my dad wanted me to be a computer programmer or engineer, so I compromised on both dreams in school (sorry mom and dad!). I went to school in the South, away from the coasts with the major media companies in LA and NYC, so I really had to get creative with finding experiences where I was learning and growing, no matter what field I was in. I knew media always interested me, and ended up acquiring some internship experience in theatrical production, reality casting, PR, while also blending with other fields outside of media such as public health research and programming, working in alumni relations at school, and a variety of hodge-podge experiences. My main goal was that no matter what I was working on, I was learning some takeaway skill I can use for the next role.
Eventually I settled on wanting to be in entertainment in some capacity, but never really nailed-down what that was. COVID happened and most of my job prospects vanished and so I learned how to pivot super quickly. Eventually I found myself at an agency in their Digital department (one of the few types of creative work that was still working during COVID) and found that my previous experiences from public health on the more analytical side, with my appreciation of the creative process from my marketing experiences, all blended nicely into the role that led to where I am today! Essentially the TLDR, try everything and take pieces from all your experiences to discover what works for you!
The representation world is known for its culture of rigor and heavy time investment, especially when it comes to progressing in an organization. Prior to Gersh, you ascended the ranks of A3’s Digital division from an assistant to agent in just 2.5 years– how did you accomplish such an impressive rise in this short amount of time?
Transparently, I was in a rather unique situation, and no one has the exact same path! With COVID, the mailroom, as we know it, didn’t exist at most agencies, and so I applied directly to a desk and did not have any real training when I got there (my previous predecessor was respectfully no longer with the company by the time I waltzed along). With working remotely due to COVID and no training, it was a true trial-by-fire moment of, if I need to learn this, let’s just dive right in and get it right the first time! With being so hands-on with my learning experience, I eventually was blessed to be given a lot of responsibility from my boss, who put a lot of trust in me, and eventually had me learning and progressing a lot faster than otherwise for a typical assistant track, letting me shine and get noticed. Having that mutually-beneficial relationship with your boss is crucial, and I don’t think I would be here today without my amazing advocate.
The “Hollywood talent agent” career is one that is often depicted throughout much of our media and in our culture, however a “Digital agent” is much newer of a category and isn’t as familiar. What does being a Gersh Digital agent entail for you day-to-day and how does it differ from representing “traditional” talent like actors/writers?
I personally don’t believe that digital agents, as we understand them, are truly too different from other types of agents in the sense that you represent your clients and find them work! Especially in this day and age, Digital agents are essentially an evolutionary arm of what a “traditional” branding and endorsements department at any agency would work on, and many branding agents work on the same asks as digital agents, just with a different client roster in mind! In terms of my day-to-day, I would say a majority of my day is usually emails and Zooms (not very Entourage, I know!), focusing on connecting with brands around the world on PR and media campaigns for clients, while brainstorming and researching various ways to generate revenue for talent outside of just acting or writing! Outside of the typical office day-to-day, we usually as a team have events after work with PR companies, brands, and client-run projects, and those are usually where we get to have a little more fun and see some of our work come to life.
As the internet is filled with many distinct niches and interest pockets, how do you think about structuring your roster and how do you source and sign new clients? What excites you about prospective digitally-native talent?
I would say my approach is a little unconventional when it comes to who I sign! While many agents across departments have a niche (ex. I love fashion creators, I work with mothers, comedians, etc.), specifically for myself I want every client to represent a completely different vertical and form of creativity! Why would I want to put two of my clients up for the same job and have them compete against each other? In terms of what excites me, I love how the digital space allows more democracy in terms of discovery for all forms of creatives. No matter where you are in the world, there is a chance that someone can discover you and your work and be able to share it with the world.
While our lives have certainly shifted to a much more digital-heavy existence post-pandemic, your role as a rep is still intrinsically connected to people when it comes to interacting with your clients, pitching them to buyers, etc. Can you talk a little bit about how you go about relationship building, both within your firm (clients & coworkers), along with other industry colleagues?
Internally if you ask anyone, it’s baked goods! I love bringing treats in and luring people to my office to get to know them and have them leave with a little sweet treat. But intrinsically what this means is internally OR externally, you have to pound the pavement and put in the work of making sure people know who you are. Statistically, the majority of humans are not initiators and will not go out-of-their-way to introduce themselves or make connections, so you have to be the exception (and be exceptional!). I frequently always aim to have at least one lunch or coffee a week with someone I do not know well or haven’t connected with in a while, as well as at least one event per week after work that I can go and meet people in my field. It can get tiring at times, and everyone deserves a break, but if you don’t put yourself out there, no one will find you and foster those connections on your behalf.
Throughout and prior to your career representing digital creatives, are there any skill sets or tools that you acquired along the way, or perhaps initially brought to the table, that helped you get to where you are now?
I have three major skills I feel like are a huge help no matter what field you work in. Skill one is to be able to properly write creatively. Half of my job is pitching, and if I cannot generate a beautiful piece about a talent and get excited, why would anyone else get excited? Skill two is being able to analyze data. Being able to see the end-results of campaigns as well as being able to look at data across profiles and portfolios, you need to be able to have critical thinking to understand how to make educated decisions outside of just what the pretty words (that you wrote!) say. Lastly, I would say good manners. As much as people may think this is not a “skill,” you would be surprised how many people do not know how to have a proper human interaction. Kindness and politeness goes a long way, and people usually remember those that were pleasant to work with versus those they want to forget.
Post-pandemic and post-strike, there’s a lot of ground shifting within the representation world and industry writ-large. How would you advise a rising college senior or recent graduate if they’d like to get into the world of agenting?
A lot of people will say start in the mailroom. That is not bad advice if you really want to try different departments across representation. However, I find that coming in with other experiences outside of the agency world is a great way to stand out in the application process! So many individuals I interview say, “I want to work at an agency because I like entertainment and love movies.” With that response, I would say “Okay, great. Get in line!” If you come in with experience that is a little different from the average applicant, you can stand out. Share what you bring to the table that is outside the box and adds value, compared to the average person who just “likes movies.” Clearly explain why you are making an educated decision to pursue this career. This approach makes you a much stronger candidate to break into this space.
If managing a full roster of creatives on the daily while balancing a personal/social life in NYC wasn’t enough, you also serve as the Co-President of the New York chapter of the Junior Hollywood Radio & Television Society. Could you talk to us about what JHRTS is and how to get involved?
Of course! JHRTS stands for the Junior Hollywood Radio and Television Society! We are a professional organization of both the companies you know and love within the entertainment industry as well as individual members. With tiers at all levels of career, the junior chapter focuses on those just starting their entertainment industry journey at the assistant or coordinator level, and we focus on creating engaging programming for members across panels, seminars, happy hours, events, and everything in-between! To get involved as a member, you can either check with your company HR to see if they are currently a member and have a member slot you can sign up for (you would be surprised!) or you can apply directly as an individual at https://hrts.org/jhrts-membership/.
