FAQs

Is there an age requirement to be represented by Mint Casting?

We currently take on aged 16+ and you must have left school. If you are looking for a Childrens agency, you need to google ‘Childrens agencies’ in Manchester to find reputable agencies who can cater for your age bracket.

Do I need to have a DBS check to be with Mint Casting?

The answer to this is YES.

The current cost of a DBS certificate is £18.00 (correct as of 02/11/2023). If you already have a DBS or enhanced CRB with another employment, we can use this as long as you can provide a physical copy of it. Enhanced CRBs need renewing after 3 years, basic DBS checks do not have a physical expiry date, though TV companies ask that they are renewed every 18 months.

We do not ask that you get this before we have offered you a place with the agency, though for people who choose to obtain this prior to joining, this would speed up the process should we decide to offer you a place on the books afterwards.

To apply for a DBS click herehttps://www.gov.uk/request-copy-criminal-record

I want to be an extra - How much work will I get and what should I expect to earn?

If you are interested to become a talent on our books it is important that you are aware of a few things.

It is important that your expectations are realistic. This kind of work is CASUAL work, and you will work as and when. Naturally some artists work more than others – and as an agency we often don’t get to choose who we book on the majority of jobs – we are here to suggest you to our clients – the choice is usually down to them 90% of the time.

Some artistes can naturally work more than others, but it can depend on a host of other reasons for a particular brief, along with availability.

We would not recommend that you rely on us to pay your mortgage or rent – this kind of work is purely aimed at those who have flexibility and maybe have other working commitments, and just want to top up their earnings.

Are there any joining fees?

We do not have joining fees as such, though there is a website entry fee of £35 plus VAT as a one off fee to be entered onto our website. This is NOT paid up front, this is deducted from your first job with us. Returning artistes are charged at £17.50 plus VAT.

We also require that you have your professional photographs taken, at some point soon after joining, at a cost of £50.00 plus VAT. We do not allow artistes to use their own photographs to keep the website uniform.

All artistes will be required to get a DBS check at a cost of £18.00 (correct as on 13/02/2024). https://www.gov.uk/request-copy-criminal-record or scan the QR code on our home page.

Can I use my own photos as I have had a portfolio done?

Unfortunately we are unable to use images that are not taken by our designated photographer, Sarah Jones. We don’t want out website to look untidy – we like to keep the site uniform. Our website image sessions are very reasonable and often cheaper than doing them yourself in any case.

How much is the pay on a days TV background work & when do I get paid?

Payment varies depending on what production you are on and on what you are asked to do on the day. As a rough guide, an average day rate is £100-£120 (before commission has been taken off) – though this rate can be more in most cases.

Our payment procedure is on a link at the bottom of our website, but it is also work noting that it may take anything between 2-8 weeks to be paid for the majority of jobs so it is not a ‘quick fix for cash’ kind of job.

You are to be classes as ‘self employed’ with agency work and so are responsible for paying your own income tax and national insurance contributions.

Will you recruit me if I live in London or Newcastle?

We would not be able to take you on if you lived in these areas. We have a catchment area of approximately 50 miles radius of Manchester, though on occasion we maybe be able to bend the rules SLIGHTLY dependant on circumstances. The reasoning for this is mainly due to the likelyhood of call times changing on the morning of a shoot, making it impossible for artistes who are more than an hour away from Manchester being able to get to the shoot on time. The productions that we work with ask that we book artistes who are ‘local’ to the area for this reason.

Can I be registered with other acting / casting / model agencies if I'm with Mint ?

Unfortunately not. We are a ‘Sole Representation’ agency where you cannot have representation with any other agencies, and this includes database agencies such as POP, Casting Collective, Mad Dog, Universal Extras, Star Now. We are happy for you to have a London agent as long as they do not provide work above the Midlands.

These rules are not invented by us as the agent, but are enforced by the clients we work with, as they do not like to book clients who are represented by numerous agencies, mainly for continuity reasons.

What does 'sole representation' mean and why are you 'sole representation' / why can't I work for other agencies?

Sole representation means that you cannot be registered  or accept TV work through ANY other agency in the North of England – and this also includes the database agencies such as POP, Casting Collective, Mad Dog, Universal Extras to name a few….

There are several reasons that we ask for Sole Representation and they are:

We have, arguably, the most knowledge of the industry above ANY other Northern Casting Agency – it would be unfair of us to give you the benefit of that knowledge for you to be represented elsewhere. We invest a lot of time getting you up and running on our system. Why should we do this for you to then not be available for us, especially if you start taking work on our productions with other agencies – it means we then cannot use you on that particular production, making if difficult for us to book you.

The 3 main soaps do not use ‘database agencies’ as some artistes try to ‘cheat’ the system by undertaking 2 bookings too close together through different agencies. This can affect continuity on their bookings, and so the main soaps tend to steer clear of using such agencies – where they don’t ‘know’ their artistes and have purely taken them onto their database without meeting them.

We are ULTRA strict on this rule and often browse other agencies’ websites so please be warned – if you are spotted on someone else’s books while you are with us, we will remove you from our list.

So to anyone asking us this question why they can’t accept work with other agencies, this is the reason why.

How long is a filming day?

Filming days can be up to 12 hours and sometimes beyond. Overtime is paid after a certain hour but this depends on what rate / agreement you are working under on that particular job. When you undertake a job you must make sure that you do NOT have any evening commitments that day, and that you are free for the whole day from 7am to midnight.

I am in between jobs, can I join for a month ?

We would not take someone who would knowingly only be available for less than a 6 month period as there would be no point in the time it takes to process the paperwork and it could take this long to get you up and running with professional photos and onto our website.