Today we’d like to introduce you to Vilma Llaguno.
Hi Vilma, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am the Agency Director & Owner of Dream Team Talent Agency in Los Angeles and Chicago. I started my Chicago branch in July of 2018 and then opened up our LA branch in September of 2021. I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for 22 years.
Over the course of the 18 years before I opened my first agency, I had tons of experience being at auditions, on sets, etc. I wore many hats in the entertainment field. Working as a talent manager, talent scout, photographer assistant, casting, producing, creative director, and more. All of the experiences taught me so much about the behind the scenes of the industry. I also did background work on TV shows & Films in Chicago & eventually signed with an agent and did some acting myself. I learned while doing the work in front of the camera that I much prefer working behind the scenes in the industry and on the business side of things. So I decided to stop working all of the side jobs and start my own agency.
I reached out to everyone that would ask me questions on how to get in the industry, guided them with the tools they needed and signed them. I put a few posts on social media scouting talent and announcing my plan and once I had 100 talent signed, I started reaching out to industry professionals. Within a month of our launch, we had talent getting booked on commercials. That led to more commercials, industrials, print work, short films, and eventually TV and Feature Films. We started as a Non-Union agency for the first two years and gained credibility with the work we were doing. We had a few open calls, signed more talent, and kept growing and working ever since. We became a SAG AFTRA agency in Chicago over a year ago and then opened our LA agency as a SAG AFTRA agency from day one.
My story kind of happened like the quote they say, if you build it they will come. And my niche was guiding & developing talent that had no idea where to start. We had a lot of people coming to us with a dream of being an actor and we were happy to help them work towards their dreams. We now have talent of all ages and all levels and we are having a great time working and growing together. We’ve reached many milestones together already and have many more goals we are working towards.
I can honestly say that I built both of my agencies through social media and word of mouth. That is how our talent finds us and we’ve gained clients that way, too. Networking is a huge part of this business and social media helps with that. There is tons of behind the scenes work that we do to build the rest of our foundation, but we truly couldn’t do it without all of our talent showing up and putting in the work. We truly believe teamwork makes the dream work and are living proof of that with both of our agencies.
Alright, 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?
Trying to break into the entertainment industry with no connections, no mentors, and not knowing anyone that worked in this industry definitely made it a difficult road. I had to start from scratch and figure everything out on my own. I started over 22 years ago, which means I did not have internet yet, google to search, or social media to help me out. I had to figure it out by doing the footwork and it was not easy. The entertainment industry was something that I was interested and passionate about since I was a little girl, so I was determined to do whatever it took to figure it out.
I have so many stories that I can share about struggle on this path. Stories of rejection, being dismissed, disrespected, doors closing on me or not opening for me, constantly having to prove myself, things I had to defend myself for, things I had to fight for… but I stayed consistent & persistent in my plan and the hard work paid off. The outcome of every struggle I went through always led to unlocking a level on this path. You can not go to school and get a degree to open a Talent Agency or become a Talent Agent. So the hands-on training, networking, and experiences I had to go through along the way to learn it all made me wiser, stronger, and fully prepared to work in this fun yet, tough competitive industry.
One of the struggles I experienced more than once and I think it is something every entrepreneur has experienced was having others question or like test you in disbelief when you tell them what you are planning to do. There were plenty of people asking me things like… “Who do you think you are?” “What are your credentials?” “You never worked at an agency before, how will you open one on your own?” One industry professional even asked me “what experience and degree in the arts do you have that makes you think you are qualified to choose who has talent or not?” My answer to all of those questions… “I’m an entrepreneur at heart with unshakeable self-belief, a ton of passion, and a purpose to help others live their dreams and work in this industry and I won’t stop until it happens. I’ll figure it all out along the way, you’ll see.” And guess what, they see it now! Especially because some of the people with these questions work with me now. Ha! & by the way, I don’t have a degree in the arts or in anything, and I still made it! Woot!
Shared that story to remind you not to let anyone discourage you, devalue you, throw you off or change your plans. Keep reaching out to people you need help from until you find the right ones that will help you and believe in you. I promise they are out there. And use the naysayers’ words as fuel. I promise they’ll have a change of heart when they see you followed through with your plans. I assure you, their questions will be a lot different then.
Although I wish everything would have been easy, I can honestly say the tough things I had to go through had to happen to teach me something for the next level and in order to grow. The struggles are part of the process and I continue to learn lessons every day. The tests, the lessons, the struggles, the learning, and work is nonstop, my friends. Keep your head up and stay in it!
As you know, we’re big fans of Dream Team Talent Agency. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Dream Team Talent is a SAG AFTRA Agency with a diverse roster of talent. Our Chicago branch is in our fourth year of business and represents talent of all ages. Last year, we expanded to Los Angeles and represent talent ages 16 and up at our LA branch.
Dream Team Talent actors can be seen on TV shows like Chicago PD, The Big Leap, Chicago Fire, The 4400, Chicago Med, 61st Street, Feature Films, Commercials, Ad campaigns, and so much more.
The thing that sets us apart from others is that we are an agency willing to give talent of all skill levels a chance at pursuing their dream. We take the time to guide and develop actors with a dream to work in this industry but don’t know where to start. If we see actors putting in the work and do what is necessary to prepare themselves to meet industry standards, then we are willing to give them a chance while learning more about the industry and their craft hands on.
We are so proud of so many things that we were able to achieve in the short amount of time that we have been in business. We are so thankful for everyone that has helped us in any way on this journey, it takes a village. We are happy to work with so many wonderful actors that make up our Dream Team. We couldn’t achieve our goals without their talent and hard work. We are beyond grateful for the many opportunities that continue to come our way and industry professionals that give us and our actors a chance.
One of the highlights that we continue to talk about and celebrate is what we accomplished last year. When the world opened back up after the lockdown, we were prepared and ready to get back to work and it showed. We got hundreds of bookings in 2021 and were thrilled that in 7 months, 43 of them were Episodic bookings!. Which means, 43 of our actors booked speaking roles on TV shows! But what made this even more incredible is that 36 of the 43 bookings were all to first-time bookers. Meaning it was their first time ever booking a speaking role on a TV show!!! Woot! We are so thrilled and grateful that we were able to help so many actors achieve one of their dreams and we continue to work on doing that every day.
At Dream Team Talent we believe that connection is everything. We really come together and root each other on. I am so proud of that being our brand. Everyone that signs with us instantly feels it and knows that they are part of a team. We celebrate each other, work with each other, and help each other out from getting self-tapes done, train with each other and more. We encourage and truly live by the statement “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!” and that is what sets us apart from the others.
Submissions are always accepted per instructions on our JOIN US page on our website www.dreamteamtalent.com.
How do you think about happiness?
This is such a broad question! So many things make me happy! In general, my family, my friends, our new puppy Hunny, the Universe and all of its beautiful magic, coffee, selfies, storytelling, connection, all things creative, music, and boy bands, to name a few.
On the work side of things & in business, being an entrepreneur makes me happy. Being able to live my dream helping others live their dreams is a dream come true for me. I have so many goals and ideas to bring to life, even outside of my talent agencies. Being a multi-passionate entrepreneur who knows and believes there is a way to do it all makes me happy and excited for all that I am working on. I am happy knowing that we are just getting started and that there are so many dreams in my heart that I will bring to life for myself and others for years to come.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.dreamteamtalent.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamteamtalentla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamteamtalentla/
Image Credits
Molly Pan Photography – first intro picture with my yellow blazer on Caroline White Photography – picture of me on phone with laptop
