Front and Center: Anne Mitchell has an eye for the talent

Talk about occupational hazards.

Anne Mitchell once got a 3 a.m. text that read, “I don’t think I’m called back tomorrow. I was prematurely eaten by a dragon.”

Mitchell owns the Spokane Valley-based talent agency MAM.

The texter was what Mitchell refers to as “talent” – someone she helped land a role in the 2013 film “Knights of Badassdom” opposite “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage.

MAM has a stable of 600 actors, models and voice-over artists who pay Mitchell a commission when her agency finds them work on films (such as “The Big Bang”), television (“Grimm,” “Portlandia,” “Z Nation”), music videos (Macklemore’s “Downtown”), commercials and magazine covers.

During a recent interview, Mitchell discussed gravestones, growing her business, and “Gossip Girl.”

S-R: Where were you raised?

Mitchell: Monterey, California. I was what they call a “green room baby.” My mom was a music director in professional theater. I’m the youngest of five kids, and as soon as I arrived, my mom headed back to the theater with me in tow.

S-R: What were your interests growing up?

Mitchell: I was super shy – I wouldn’t answer the phone or talk in school until junior high. But I loved theater and dance.

S-R: What was your first job?

Mitchell: When I was 13, I started writing for our local newspaper, along with some other teenagers. I remember writing about a teacher I admired after he died suddenly. A snippet of my article made it onto his gravestone.

S-R: When did you start acting?

Mitchell: My first role was in the chorus of one of my mom’s shows when I was 3 or 4. When I reached college, my academic counselor suggested I take drama appreciation and beginning acting to fulfill my arts requirement. I got the lead in “Pirates of Penzance,” and realized I was good at this.

S-R: That’s a challenging role.

Mitchell: And I had never sung those notes before. So halfway through the rehearsal process I was replaced by an opera singer. But I stayed in the show, and it’s still my favorite.

S-R: Then what?

Mitchell: After earning a degree in acting, directing and technical theater at Monterey Peninsula College, I spent two years at PCPA’s Pacific Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria, California, then returned to MPC and worked as a jack of all trades in the college’s theater department.

S-R: Was that full time?

Mitchell: It was full-time hours, but not full-time pay.

S-R: What brought you north?

Mitchell: My parents moved here when I was in my late 20s and newly married. When my husband, Lance, and I came up for a visit in 2005, he said, “I think we should start a new life in Coeur d’Alene.”

S-R: How long before you were involved with the arts here?

Mitchell: That first winter, I told Lance, “I need to find my people.” I went down to Lake City Playhouse and got the role of the prostitute in “Biloxi Blues.” After that, they offered me “Steel Magnolias” to direct.

S-R: What led to the talent agency?

Mitchell: My friend Laura Little launched the business in 2008 when production companies started phoning local theaters looking for actors. I joined her about two weeks later. In 2009, Laura left to produce on Broadway, and in 2010 I purchased the business and changed the name from LLL – her initials – to MAM for Mitchell Actors Models.

S-R: What’s a talent agent’s role?

Mitchell: We’re matchmakers. Casting comes to us with ideas of what they’re looking for. Our job is show them talent that fits that, and options outside those parameters that are worth looking at. We’re paid by the talent, but only when they get work. Our commission is 10 to 20 percent.

S-R: How much does the talent earn?

Mitchell: Extras typically make $75 to $85 a day, plus lunch. The best gigs are national commercials, which start at around $5,000 and pay more if the ad is renewed.

S-R: Are people honest – either with themselves or you – about their talent?

Mitchell: Sometimes. They might say, “I’m always the leading man,” and they’re not a leading man. Part of our job is helping people understand where they fit into the puzzle.

S-R: What are most clients looking for?

Mitchell: The No. 1 request we get is for 30- and 40-year-old women. The No. 1 applications we get are from 12-year-old girls. But it’s their moms we want to portray – they purchase products.

S-R: Which roles are hardest to fill?

Mitchell: We need more seniors, because advertising for the baby boomer generation has increased so much.

S-R: Have you seen people and thought, “I could get you acting jobs in a minute”?

Mitchell: Oh, yeah. I stopped someone at a Coeur d’Alene art gallery once – good-looking, strong jaw line, not too pretty – the rugged 40-something guy everyone wants to be. He went on to do campaigns for North Face, Toyota, Cobalt Boats.

S-R: When new talent walks into your office, what’s the screening process?

Mitchell: First of all, we ask if they’re even available. These shoots typically take place during the day, and you don’t get much notice. We talk about the market, and where they might fit. We want people who are polite, have great questions, and are ready to work.

S-R: Are there other talent agents here?

Mitchell: There’s Becky Reilly at Big Fish. She was my agent when I first moved to Spokane, and she’s awesome. We use each other as sounding boards sometimes, because no one else understands what we do. And when you get stuck, it helps to have a great relationship with your competition, so you can serve the client.

S-R: How long did it take your business to gain traction?

Mitchell: We were booking from the start, but it was about three years before we were making a living. Since 2010, we’ve averaged 15 to 20 percent annual growth, and so far this year we’re up 34 percent. We figure MAM currently is worth around $2 million.

S-R: Besides growth, how has the business evolved since 2008?

Mitchell: We used to work primarily with extras, which meant finding random people on the street. When I rebranded as MAM, we broke off our extras into a separate company – Flannel Background. My husband runs that, and I work exclusively with principal actors.

S-R: Did you have a mentor?

Mitchell: My dad, Jim Hoffman. He’s not artistic-minded, but he taught me to always work hard, live below my means, and don’t be afraid to try things that other people think are impossible.

S-R: What’s your busiest time of year?

Mitchell: Summer, because we have more hours available to shoot. Sometimes we work from 5 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m.

S-R: Are you on set?

Mitchell: No. We have too many projects. Our role is to be on call. Early on, we had a lot of no-shows, and my job was to find a replacement in 20 minutes.

S-R: What do you like most about your job?

Mitchell: The reaction when I tell an actor we booked him into a series, which is the biggest thing that ever happened to him.

S-R: What do you like least?

Mitchell: Paperwork.

S-R: What has been your favorite project?

Mitchell: “Knights of Badassdom.”

S-R: Does the fact that it didn’t get great reviews diminish the experience?

Mitchell: I’d love to do a blockbuster film, so when people ask me what I do, I can tell them I worked on something they’ve heard of. But if we did those $100 million films, they wouldn’t hire local people.

S-R: What’s been the biggest surprise?

Mitchell: I loved acting and working in the arts, but I didn’t believe there was an opportunity to make a full-time living at it until I moved to the Northwest.

S-R: Could you do this in Monterey?

Mitchell: We’re going to try. We’ve applied for a license. I have a cousin down there with a background in arts administration, so I’m going to teach her how to do what we do, and travel back and forth, like I do with our Seattle office.

S-R: What’s your business philosophy?

Mitchell: “Say yes, and figure it out later.”

S-R: Who’s best suited to be a talent agent?

Mitchell: You’ve got to be a little crazy, because there’s too much coming at you at once. You just do the best you can.

S-R: What’s the career outlook?

Mitchell: Spokane is a thriving market. We do a lot of regional commercials, and we have some really hungry marketing companies going after national ads.

S-R: What advice would you offer someone interested in this career?

Mitchell: Work as a production assistant, and see if you like it.

S-R: What’s the typical reaction when someone discovers what you do?

Mitchell: They show me pictures of their children.

S-R: What is your secret talent?

Mitchell: I have a really freaky memory. I can tell you something about every person on our roster, sometimes down to what they wore to an interview four years ago.

S-R: How do you relax?

Mitchell: It’s embarrassing. I watch trashy television on my iPad.

S-R: What’s your favorite show?

Mitchell: I love “Gossip Girl” because, even if they’re talking about nothing, I’ll study the set designs. I used to be an avid reader, but I found I can’t shut my brain down fast enough now when I’m reading.

This interview has been condensed. If you’d like to suggest a business or community leader to be profiled, contact Michael Guilfoil at mguilfoil@comcast.net