Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Trumbo.
Taylor, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Well, I’m originally from a little suburb outside of Dallas, Texas called Flower Mound. My life outside of school was competitive dance and cheerleading so I knew pretty early on that once I graduated, I wanted to make the move to Los Angeles where the entertainment industry lived!
I ended up attending California State Long Beach as a dance major, eventually switching and graduating with a B.A. in Communication Studies. While dance for me ended up on the back burner to my studies and sorority life during those few years in Long Beach, I had the desire again to be in the thick of the industry so in 2011, I made the move to West Hollywood. Entertainment industry resources like we have readily available now didn’t really exist so I was definitely winging it when it came to how I’d break in. I began taking dance classes daily and auditioned for some dance agencies to obtain representation – not long after, I signed with the dance department at DDO Artists Agency. I also felt the pressure obviously to find a job stat that would be beneficial and advance my career so I took an unpaid three month internship at the agency as well 🙂 Luckily once the three months was up, I was asked to stay on as a part-time assistant (paid – woohoo!) and continued to audition while working at the agency a few times a week. I booked some really fun jobs but at the end of the day, it wasn’t fulfilling me mentally or financially anymore, so I decided to move on from the audition life and focus my energy on working my way up at the agency.
After about four years of booking dancers and cheerleaders in commercials, music videos, print campaigns, films and tv shows, I got an offer to run the commercial dept. at Bella Agency which I accepted. I grew that division while also starting up the youth and theatrical divisions. I’m so thankful for the relationships I made and the time I spent working there. During my four years at Bella, I adopted the best dog ever, Buster, got married in Palm Springs and ended up buying a house and moving to Santa Clarita, CA! Life shifted for me and it was time I put my energy into something I’ve had the desire to do for a while – own my own company!
My mom is an entrepreneur and after seeing her leave her steady corporate job of over 15 years to start a business that she was passionate about (and do it fearlessly) is what gave me the courage to quiet any doubts I had and just do it. So in February of 2019, I launched Evolve Artists Agency representing kids and adults for commercials and print! Oh, and I had a baby on April 14th!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve definitely had some high highs and low lows – all of which led me to exactly where I am right now! I was always pretty envious of other people who graduated from college to land a great job with a stable income. That was not the case for me at all…something that was REALLY tough for me was the inconsistency of making money when it came to auditioning and booking jobs as an entertainer and even working as an agent. You only make money when your talent does so being totally dependent on the artists you represent can be amazing when you rep the right people but very hard when those artists maybe aren’t as invested in their career as you are. I take so much pride in WHO is on my roster and I’ve learned to let people go who make little to no effort. I’ve always been somewhat of a people pleaser so balancing that desire to not hurt feelings but also stay true to my work ethic and need to provide for my family while maintaining a business has been a learning process!
Another struggle that many agents deal with is truly having to be available 24/7 – it honestly is an around the clock job. If a project comes out at 11pm Wednesday night for a Thursday morning audition, the agents that submit their talent get audition times therefore allowing for a possible booking to come through. When I first started Evolve, I was working solo for about eight months meaning I had to be fully available at all hours for my talent, casting directors, production companies when bookings came out and to send out call sheets, etc. The endless hours us agents put in just comes with the territory, but I am so happy to have help now. Haley Nelson started in November 2019 and has been assisting me while also taking over the youth division at Evolve!
Please tell us about Evolve Artists Agency.
Evolve Artists Agency is a boutique commercial and print agency representing youth and adult actors, models, families, athletes and singers. Proud doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about the company – I’m honored to represent and work with the talent I work with every day. I’m grateful that I have the relationships I do with each and every one of my actors and models – they’re my second family! I think what sets us apart is our managerial approach. I strive to maintain an environment where both talent and agent operate as a solid 50/50 team with mutual respect and understanding.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Ohh tough! I had an awesome childhood, so many memories come to mind but something I do miss a TON is being in dance class every night with my best friends and competing and traveling on the weekends. I spent so much time with my dance family and dance was the driving force behind my career choice!
Contact Info:
- Address: 3900 W. Alameda Ave. Suite 1200
Burbank, CA 91505 - Website: www.evolveartistsagency.com
- Phone: 818-293-5715
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/evolveartistsagency
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