It’s an adage from my industry: “There are good agents and there are old agents, but there aren’t any good old agents.” That adage never really bothered me before, but now that I’m staring down the barrel of middle-aged burnout, it kind of pisses me off!
But alas, there is some truth to it.
When you’re trying to land younger clients — or engage a younger demographic while pitching younger journalists — it’s helpful to be a similar age as your targets. It enhances your relatability, making it easier to find common ground. Clients (and outlets) make decisions based on their gut: if they “vibe” with you, they’ll sign with you.
So more often than not, it’s a young man’s game.
But there are exceptions, especially when it comes to executive-level decision-making. What we Old Farts lack in endurance we make up for in experience.
Think of it like baseball: An old agent might not be able to adjust his bat like he could in his twenties, but he usually doesn’t have to — because he’s been swinging at pitches for decades by now, and can tell if it’s a fastball, curve or changeup before the ball ever leaves the pitcher’s hand. There’s no need to adjust your swing when you can read the pitcher like a book.
Additionally, we can leverage our rolodex in ways younger agents cannot.
The media universe just isn’t that big. Eventually, you get to know the people on the inside. They’re no longer names on a spreadsheet; they’re the dudes and dudettes you’ve gotten drunk with — or consoled after a bad breakup — or gotten drunk with BECAUSE they had a bad breakup.
And if you treat people right, the low-level folks you met on your way up will still remember you when they reach the top. That fresh-out-of-college intern or wet-behind-the-ears assistant could be named executive producer before you know it! It’s why personal relationships matter.
Life is a relationship-driven enterprise.
Which helps explains why a Fox News executive producer reached out to me in 2022. I hadn’t actively pitched him for about half a year, so it was a bit out of the blue. But he knew I lived in Tampa Bay and wanted “Fox and Friends” to shoot at a Tampa-area diner that would have a hot morning crowd: Tom Brady had just retired from the Bucs and he wanted to gauge the local reaction.
Did I have any recommendations?
As an agent, your first thought is always to reward a paying client. But I wasn’t working with any diners or restaurants. Next, I thought about potential clients. But I didn’t really have any potential diners on my radar, either. So I went with option #3: I called a colleague and went with his recommendation, which was a cool spot called “Mom’s Place.” It’s a cozy-yet-popular diner right outside Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play.
It ended up being win-win-win: My colleague won because he got to reward a relationship with TV exposure; I won because he now owed me a favor; and Fox News won because it was an awesome venue with an energetic, MAGA-friendly crowd.
The best business deals are the ones where everyone wins.
All I wanted from Fox News in return was to be interviewed on TV while wearing a hat with a client’s branding, so their logo would be seen nationally. But beyond that, I was perfectly content to lounge in the diner for a few hours, chug my coffee, and hang out with my buddy. TV shoots are fun! (Plus, you get to build relationships with all the other folks who are gonna be there, too.)
And that day, Pete Hegseth was the man doing the interviews.
Scheduling segments with an outlet such as Fox News is fraught with peril, particularly when your story isn’t especially newsworthy. You’re always in danger of being bumped for a hotter, better story. It’s not just Fox News; all the live news networks are able to pivot. It makes you nervous.
Until the moment the cameras roll and the red light goes on, you never really know for sure.
Pete Hegseth was warm and friendly. (Plus, he complemented my shirt on-camera!) I wish I could tell you that we chatted about foreign policy and military readiness, but that would be a lie: we mostly talked about the weather, local fun spots, and football. On the air and off, he stayed the same.
Honestly, it never occurred to me that Hegseth would be nominated for secretary of defense.
But I remember thinking how smooth he was when he worked through the crowd — that he was less like a journalist and more like a politician. There’s a presence about him that’s readily apparent to everyone in the room, which is probably why he rose through the journalistic ranks so quickly. At least on the surface level, there’s a warmth and affability that’s instantly likable: he’s a good-looking, charming guy with an easy smile.
When you meet him, you want him to be your friend. It’s that kind of vibe.
I’m on at the 2:39 mark. (Okay, I lied about being a Bucs fan. Go Cowboys!)
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we make the sausage in the TV biz.
