Call my agent: the power behind the stars
Agents stand in the shadows of a celebrity’s success – but there’s no doubt they helped build that fame. They are a star’s confidantes and managers … and sometimes even a shoulder to cry on.
AGENT Lucy Mills CLIENT Adam Goodes
Being named Australian of the Year in 2014 was an extraordinary honour and a defining moment in the life of champion AFL player Adam Goodes. Not only was he the toast of the nation, with a platform to give voice to Indigenous issues, but suddenly he was cast into a celebrity stratosphere that went far beyond the fame he’d earned on the footy field.
In the heady days after his award, everyone wanted a piece of Adam and never more so did he rely on his longtime agent and friend, Lucy Mills.
“That was such a difficult time,” says Adam. “We found out very quickly how hard that year was going to be in the first few weeks, when we had 80 to 100 requests coming in and I was still playing full-time footy. It was overwhelming.
“Lucy was amazing, helping me navigate through it all. She organised strategy meetings, took care of every request and streamlined the whole process for me so that I could focus on doing what mattered – campaigning for the Recognise movement, White Ribbon and Racism. It Stops With Me.”
Lucy and Adam’s long and loyal partnership has been carved over
15 years and it is clear when you see them together that there is a unique camaraderie. She is his go-to girl for handling the huge number of requests for interviews and appearances at events he receives, along with advising and negotiating partnerships with sponsors such as Qantas and David Jones. Yet their relationship is so much more.
“Lucy has an ability to get the very best out of me,” Adam says, “and she’s really helped me navigate the direction I was taking off the footy field.”
“For a couple of years, we could see that Adam’s AFL career was coming to an end,” Lucy says. “I’ve always thought that, despite what he achieved on the field, his greatest achievements were and are still ahead of him.”
AGENT Chris Giannopoulos CLIENTS Shaynna Blaze and Scott Cam
Chris Giannopoulos is lovingly described as Australia’s very own Jerry Maguire and it’s not far from the truth. Although he goes about business a little more discreetly, the Managing Director of Bravo Management is a formidable agent known for taking talent from seed to star, with a reputation bigger than some of his star clients.
The Block’s Shaynna Blaze and Scott Cam are just two of an impressive stable of famous TV and radio identities that Chris manages. “I’ve been representing Scott for 15 years and Shaynna for the past five. I look after all of their media and commercial a airs, which means everything from securing, negotiating and servicing their media and commercial partnerships to handling publicity requests, managing their busy schedules and providing career advice,” Chris says.
“Both Shaynna and Scott have significant profiles, so there are a lot of requests for their time. My role is to help them balance their busy media lives with quality time with family and friends. It’s easier said than done, with all these two have on their plates, but they’re both very grounded people with great ethics and we always talk about things with a holistic outlook in mind.”
After 20 years in the business, Chris says the key to a successful agent/star partnership is building trust, longlasting relationships and also having the ability to say no.
“I take a very no-nonsense approach,” he says. “Talent need to trust that the person representing them has their best interests at heart and will always be honest with them. This sometimes means di cult conversations.”
Shaynna says that she would never have had such a successful career without Chris’ straightforward guidance. “When it was time to get a manager, it was Chris’ honesty and his no-bull factor that made me sure he was someone I could trust.
“Chris was able to work out a way for me to do both The Block and Selling Houses Australia when it was almost unheard of in terms of being on two channels at the same time. Then it rolled on from there, with book deals, an ambassadorial role and design collaborations. Chris never ‘tells’ you what you should do, but gives you advice and encourages you to make decisions that sit well with you because it’s not always about the money.”
Scott also appreciates his agent’s honest attitude. “Chris doesn’t sugarcoat anything and that’s exactly what I was looking for,” he says. “He is a ‘steady as he goes’ sort of bloke, which is what you need negotiating in the media world.”
The highly respected showbiz kingpin says the key trait for success in the cut-throat world of entertainment is having an eye for detail, while being able to see the overall big picture, and “a dose of commonsense!”
AGENT Adam Worling CLIENTS Alexandra and Genevieve Smart
Adam Worling is the go-to guy who helps many of the country’s top fashion designers shape the image of their brands. “It’s just not about a dress, it’s actually about who the designer is as a person and how they want to be seen by the people who buy what they make,” says Adam, who handles Sydney’s Alexandra and Genevieve Smart, the sisters behind fashion label Ginger & Smart.
“We have to think about how the decisions we make today will look in one, two, six, even 18 months. I’ve always believed people want to know who designed it, how they design it, why they design it. You work for your brand – Alex and Genevieve work for Ginger & Smart – so you have to be the brand.”
The most important part of the relationship between Adam and his clients is trust. “He helps us grow our brand,” says Alexandra Smart. “It works because we all have a great relationship with each other. We have known each other since we started the business, so he’s been there all the way through. Adam is very loyal. He’s got a very big heart.”
AGENT Ursula Hufnagl CLIENT Samantha Harris
Talking to famed model agent Ursula Hufnagl about her clients is a little like talking to a den mother. Not only does she manage her young charges’ careers, but often she advises them on how to conduct their lives under the all-too revealing glare of the public spotlight.
Samantha Harrison started modelling at 10 and came under Ursula’s wing in 2004, aged 13, when she was a finalist in a model competition. “That’s when I met Sam and she was such a baby,” recalls Ursula, 68, who started Sydney’s Chic Management 23 years ago after modelling in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. “She is an Indigenous girl and was so shy she could barely look at you.”
As Samantha’s family remained in Tweed Heads, where she was born, the young model moved in with Ursula and her family in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“It was to help me feel comfortable and it was such an open-hearted thing to do,” says Samantha, now 25. “It was like having a second family to look after me. She has always been very protective and still is.
“When you start modelling at such a young age, you don’t want to make wrong choices or be overwhelmed, or do things that are outside your comfort zone, so having Ursula at my side was wonderful.”