BTA
British Talent Agency®
Big Agency Clout, Boutique Agency Care™
“one of London’s leading talent agencies” – Broadway World
As well as serving the UK, our clients also benefit from our close relationships
with studios, agents and casting directors around the world;
especially in Los Angeles, New York and across Europe.
THE BTA® DIFFERENCE
Artists First
An agency that artists can genuinely talk to and have a closer relationship with. At BTA®, we understand and empathise with the artists’ precarious journey. We therefore place the artist first and foremost in our thoughts – from appropriate and plentiful submissions, to forthright negotiation on their behalf over castings, contracts and renewals.
We combine our artistic empathy and experience with business/legal savvy and expertise, to represent our clients with care, understanding and balance. All we ask for in return is your respect, and your loyalty.
Mastery of Law
When you consider that the primary job of an agent is to review, negotiate, enforce and sometimes sign contracts on a client’s behalf, actually studying Law – and especially Contract Law – could be seen as an obvious and essential prerequisite to becoming an agent. Yet, oddly, almost all agents and managers in the entertainment industry have had no legal training whatsoever. And we mean NO legal training – nothing, zero, nada, zip – and these are the people negotiating your contracts and advising you legally! 😳 🤔
Conversely, BTA’s Founder & Senior Agent, Ryan J-W Smith, has a master’s degree in Law (awarded with distinction). During the course of his master’s, Smith received many distinctions in examinations. Most notably, in respect of negotiating your future employment contracts, he received distinctions in Contract Law; Equity & Trust Law, and EU Law.
Global Partners
Unlike some London agencies who fear losing their clients to America and American agents, we actively encourage our local talent to think internationally from day one. We are proud to share clients with some of the biggest and most respected U.S. agencies, such as Abrams Artists Agency, Innovative Artists, Momentum, TalentWorks, and NTA, to name just a few.
Global Clients
We represent a growing body of established American, European and international actors who recognise the importance of having a strong U.K. rep to cover the increasing number of U.S. productions (and others) choosing to shoot in the U.K./E.U. under PACT/Equity, rather than in the U.S. under SAG-AFTRA.
International by Nature
It often surprises people to learn that Ryan started the British Talent Agency® whilst living and working in Los Angeles. As such, his first clients were American and his main contacts were casting directors in Los Angeles and New York. Obviously since then BTA® has rooted itself in London, which continues to be our main HQ. However, just before Brexit, Smith extended the company physically into Europe with an office in sunny Spain.
Through this natural growth and extension, we are now grateful to be exceptionally busy via the three most important cultural hubs for our industry: the UK; the USA and the EU. This is reflected in the international feel of many of our clients who, even if they have local agents in other cities, wish to have one ‘go-to’ agent for all their international job opportunities.
Our Award-Winning Founder
Ryan J-W Smith, MA Law (Dist)
Smith won the Hollywood Fringe International Award two years running in 2015 & 2016
Smith was nominated for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award in 2008.
An Agent trained in Law – Case Study
So, being trained in law, just how good is Ryan at negotiating contracts and defending his clients’ interests? How much of a difference can it make?
Here’s just one example:
A company wanted to renew a contract for a commercial buyout that featured, among many others, 2 of our clients. While we can’t discuss the details, we can say that at the last moment the company tried to offer a much lower deal that had been negotiated. While every other agent rolled over and accepted the new low deal, Ryan simply used his law school training to argue that the negotiated deal must be honoured. Faced with his legal prowess, the company gave in – only to Ryan – and our clients, in this case, received over six times more £$ than they would have if any other agent had been representing them. Welcome to BTA®! 😉
One of our clients was so delighted she bought Ryan a £100 Amazon voucher to say thank you! ☺️🙏 And countless other clients join in singing Ryan’s praises in respect of his contract negotiations and legal expertise.
ARTISTS - YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR PASSION
We secure work for our clients in a vast range of mediums, including but not limited to: film, TV, video games, documentary, commercials, all forms of theatre, all forms of musical theatre, dance, cruises, resorts, voice over, presenting, modelling, events, corporate, webisodes; apps and new media, etc.
Here is just a tiny sample of some recent bookings →
MASSIVE EMPLOYABILITY BENCHMARKS
As another example, we recently* measured and found we had a massive 33% of all of our London clients working in theatre.
Considering a recent study by Queen Mary University (London) found that only 2% of all actors earn a living from the profession, this is a remarkable figure.
Congrats to all the BTA® family! 🙂
(*measured on October 19th, 2022)
%
33% of all BTA's London clients are currently working in theatre!
PROFILE TALENT & RISING STARS
Meet just a few members of our wonderful tribe
Among others, we represent…
ACTORS
WRITERS
SINGERS
DIRECTORS
DANCERS
PRESENTERS
MODELS
PRODUCERS
COMEDIANS
MUSICIANS
COMPANIES
ROGUE SHAKESPEARE®
We represent the multi award-winning and internationally acclaimed theatre company, Rogue Shakespeare®.
INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS
NICHOLLE TOM
Nicholle Tom has been a profile name in Hollywood since the 90's when she was propelled to fame with her role as Ryce Newton in Beethoven (1992, Universal Pictures) and Beethoven's 2nd (1993, Universal Pictures). Nicholle then became known for her role as Maggie Sheffield on the hit CBS TV series, The Nanny (1993-1999), for which she was nominated for 5 acting awards.
Further credits include notable roles in feature films such as Panic (2000, Artisan Entertainment) starring William H. Macy and Donald Sutherland, The Princess Diaries (2001, Walt Disney Pictures), starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, along with numerous roles in high profile TV shows such as Masters of Sex, About A Boy, Gotham, Survivor's Remorse and Hollywood Darlings. Nicholle is also known for voicing Supergirl in the DC Animated Universe.
A seasoned expert in both comedy and drama, Nicholle is revered for her gritty realism and selfless commitment to her roles.
AARON STIELSTRA
As soon as we signed Aaron we quickly got him several bookings, including filming a sizable role on the now infamous unreleased DC movie ‘BATGIRL’, starring Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser and Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons.
A TV a film veteran, previous credits include: Saturday Night Live; Jerry Maguire with Tom Cruise; The Mona Lisa Myth narrated by Morgan Freeman; Catch-22 starring George Clooney, Kyle Chandler and Hugh Laurie; and American Night with John Rhys Meyers and Emile Hirsch. Along with They Talk with Rocio Morales, and 3 seasons of the Disney TV show Penny on MARS.
"Ryan and the team at BTA® offer a very high number of auditions. And the quality and spectrum of the projects is vast. Never have I encountered so many interesting - and BIG - opportunities in so little time. And Ryan handles everything fast, friendly and efficient. It's been a very exciting ride! Grazie!"
ALEXANDER KING
Premiered at the BFI Flare Festival, BTA’s Alexander King plays the joint lead opposite Alexander Lincoln (Emmerdale) in one of the hottest forthcoming independent British feature films to date, In From The Side. Ever popular with casting, Alex is as humble, charming and generous as he is talented – pure BTA 🙂
DANIELE MONTEROSI
BTA'S Daniele Monterosi is an Italian actor known for film and TV productions such as House of Gucci, Gomorrah III, Il Grande Sogno.
We also recently booked Daniele as a major character in a forthcoming high-profile video game - unfortunately we are not allowed to mention the game by name - arrrggggghhh! We've also booked him as a major role in the forthcoming TV series Ride Out, which is currently filming in the EU.
Daniele graduated in the National School of Cinema in Rome and has worked with directors such as Paolo Genovese, Carlo Verdone, Michele Placido, Ridley Scott, Oliver Hirschbiegel and Robert Dornhelm. He acts in Italian, English and Spanish.
MARK SCHARDAN
Hailing from St. Louis, and growing up in Connecticut, and later Atlanta, Mark is a seasoned American actor who has made his home in Barcelona for over two decades. With an impressive portfolio of international productions, he has showcased his remarkable versatility by seamlessly transitioning between dramatic and comedic roles.
Some of Mark’s notable film and television credits include appearances in “Marlowe,” “Física o Química,” “Megan Leavey,” “El Corredor de la Muerte,” and the recently premiered Apple TV+ series “Now and Then,” where he shared the screen with the talented Rosie Perez. His career has also afforded him the privilege of collaborating with acclaimed figures such as Sean Penn, Kate Mara, and Jean Reno, as well as, visionary directors such as Gideon Raff, Neil Jordan, Alberto Rodriguez, and Isabel Coixet.
Beyond his remarkable acting skills, Mark boasts bilingual fluency in Spanish, proficiency in guitar playing, a successful career as a portrait photographer, and a wealth of experience as a seasoned voice-over artist.
CLIFTON DUNCAN
After completing his training at NYU, Duncan spent a decade building an extraordinarily diverse body of theatrical work Off-Broadway and at many of the top theaters in the United States, until making his Broadway debut as Robert Grove in the replacement cast of the beloved British farce, The Play that Goes Wrong.
During the run of The Play that Goes Wrong, Duncan appeared in City Center Encores' revue Hey, Look Me Over!, where his rendition of the Frank Loesser ballad Never Will I Marry (first made famous by Anthony Perkins) firmly established him among the first rank of New York City's singing actors.
BTA® is delighted to be Clifton's sole agency, representing him worldwide.
Clifton Duncan as Robert Grove in Broadway's 'The Play that Goes Wrong' (Lyceum Theatre, New York)
KRISTIAN NEKRASOV
A TV, Film and theatre veteran of many years. Among other notable credits, we booked Kristian on the new Kingsman prequel, The King's Man (2021) - starring Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans and Matthew Goode - in which Kristian plays General Ludenforff.
ISABELLE GEORGES
We proudly represent the internationally renown French singing star, Isabelle Georges. Isabelle has released no fewer than 10 albums. She's performed all over the world including her most recent performance at the famous Theatre des Champs-Elysees in her native Paris.
Spoil yourself - take a listen to the sound of absolute class.
SEAN MICHAEL GUESS
Launching his acting career on the silver screen with a supporting role in Paramount Pictures iconic Wayne’s World 2 (playing opposite Mike Myers, Dana Carvey and Chris Farley), Sean continued his stellar comedy improv rise in Hollywood being cast in Universal Pictures Land Of The Lost (playing opposite Will Ferrell and Danny McBride) for which he endured five hours of prosthetic attachments in the make up chair every day to transform into the Elder Pakuni.
Strong dramatic versatility landed him parts as the baddie on TV in the critically acclaimed shows True Blood (HBO), J.J. Abraham’s Felicity (WB), and The Young & The Restless (CBS). More high profile credits include Grounded For Life (Fox), Awake (NBC), Savannah (WB) and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (Fox).
Working prolifically, Sean also stars in the cult-classic Almost Sharkproof (playing opposite John Lovitz), appears in music videos for The Smashing Pumpkins, Rob Zombie, Britney Spheres, and plays the lead in numerous national U.S. adverts, most notably in Sprints Super Bowl commercial as Sketchy Jeff which led to #sketchyjeff trending on Twitter.
His multi-instrumental/singing talent transcends into the music industry under the stage name Y, where he’s been the solo acoustic opening act on U.S./European tours for Joseph Arthur (Real World Records) and The Magic Numbers (Heavenly Records).
Born in the USA, Sean is primarily based in Los Angeles and occasionally in London.
JESSICA MORRIS
Known for her portrayal of series regular Jennifer Rappaport on ABC's One Life to Live, Jessica has cultivated her career as the leading lady in various television shows and independent films. Also making a memorable appearance in Universal's theatrical success Role Models.
Jessica has recently been the star of Lifetime TV's hit movie The Wrong Student and has also had strong guest starring roles on popular primetime shows, including Fox's Rosewood and TNT's Perception.
Jessica stands out as an actress who conveys honesty and depth through all of the characters she plays and has also discovered her passion for screenwriting.
MICHAEL PAUL
Actor, Comedian, Puppeteer, Ventriloquist, Director, Writer... Michael has toured with Lewis Black, Joan Rivers, Lisa Lampanelli, Margaret Cho, Jeff Foxworthy, Rita Rudner, Phyllis Diller, Drew Carey, Wynonna Judd, James Brown, The Pointer Sisters, and more. His credits include: The Tonight Show, The Grammy Awards, Sex and the City, America’s Got Talent, Sesame Street, The Ten co-starring with Paul Rudd & Winona Ryder, 27 Dresses opposite Katherine Heigl and with Kevin Spacey in The Ventriloquist. Voicing and puppeteering for Jim Henson Productions, Saturday Night Live, Dick Clark, MTV, Walt Disney Productions, and numerous national commercial campaigns.
After an audience with Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II he garnered Atlantic City Magazine’s “Act of the Year” and in recent years has written or directed for Robert DeNiro, Sheri Polo, John Travolta, “Real Time with Bill Maher,” “The Friar’s Roasts,” coverage writing for numerous stage and television productions along with editorials for The Huffington Post, USA Today, LaughSpin and his critically acclaimed book, Breaking Out of Show Business (Post Hill Publishing).
DOUG HALEY
Bouncing between LA and London, Doug is known for his riveting performances in films and TV shows such as Code Black, The Babysitter and The Spectacular Now, among many others.
Dr Lori Beth Bisbey
Dr. Bisbey is an Accredited Advanced GSRD (gender, sex, relationship diversity) Therapist (Pink Therapy), sex & intimacy coach, and registered psychologist. UK viewers may have recently seen Dr. Lori in the Channel 4 show 'Open House', in which Dr. Lori featured prominently in every episode as the resident Specialist Relationship Therapist.
SARAH NAVRATIL
German-born Sarah Navratil has had great success since moving to Los Angeles, and can currently be seen as a series regular on MGM's new series, Stargate Origins. You can also catch her in Starz new show, Counterpart and CW's Pretty Little Liars. Sarah has also found success on the silver screen with indie darlings like Cloudy with a Chance of Sunshine, Nothing Like the Sun and Barbie’s Kenny.
Favourite theater credits include the premier of The Death and Life of Mary Jo Kopechne, Frankenstein, Some Girl(s), the West Coast premiere of Key Change and award winning fringe show Disrupted.
DAVID ARANOVICH
David Aranovich is an American character actor who is especially known for his comedic prowess. Also fluent in Russian, David has been privileged to act alongside the likes of Bradley Cooper, Daniel Radcliffe, Anne Hathaway and many more in TV, Film and Commercials in projects such as, Imperium, Four Christmases, Get Smart and top US TV shows such as, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Bones, The Mentalist and many more. Also a Voice-Over artist, David’s voice can be heard on major video games (Call of Duty, etc), A-List films (Mission Impossible, etc), top audiobooks and more.
NATALIA MAGNI
Born in Rome, Ms Magni graduated from the renowned Acting School of the Teatro Stabile di Genova in 1993. She immediately began touring Italy, switching between comedic and dramatic roles, from classical to contemporary plays. In 1999, soon after working with Katie Mitchell in Milan on Crimp’s Attempts on her Life, she moved to the US, acquiring an excellent pronunciation and proficiency in English (IELTS 8 overall score), as well as SAG and AFTRA membership. During her US years, she was a Best Actress Nominee at the MethodFest in Los Angeles and became the main female Italian voice of E! Entertainment Italia.
Back in Italy, she began a parallel solo career, staging her own plays. Recently, she was the Nanny in Romeo and Juliet;Melissa in Pinter’s Party Time and among the leads in Così è (o mi pare), directed by and starring the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals Best Actor Elio Germano.
She also performs on television (Il Paradiso delle Signore, L’Allieva, Il Cacciatore, Storia di Laura, Carabinieri, Colpi di sole, Beautiful) and in movies, both Italian (Io sono Babbo Natale, L’Ordine delle Cose, Giulia non esce la sera) and international (The International, Heaven, My little family, The Old Guard 2).
As a VO artist, Natalia has dubbed several documentaries, commercials and audiobooks. Natalia is also a playwright, winner of a Special Mention at the Mario Fratti Award 2020 in New York. Her plays have been staged in many Italian theaters.
CAROL ANNE WATTS
Carol Anne is managed worldwide by BTA®. An award-winning Hollywood-based actress, her performance in the feature film Redneck Roots won her two international film festival awards for Best Supporting Actress along with a further nomination for Best Actress.
Notable television credits include: A Way Back Home, Killer Women, Red Band Society, and Vice Principals. She has appeared in numerous feature films including Traded and Ant-Man, and plays the leading roles in the forthcoming action features Aim and Final Imprint.
Carol Anne has trained in hand-to-hand combat for over 9 years.
NATASHA ROSE MILLS
British actor Natasha Rose Mills was born in Oxfordshire. She is known for her role as Jess in Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey which hit #3 at the US Box Office on its release 15th of February and was featured in CNN, Variety, IGN, and the Independent.
Natasha wrote a hard-hitting charity short film Colourblind which she stars in, alongside Jill Halfpenny supported by Safe Lives. Notable achievements include being the best screenwriter for the Colourblind Robnox film. Other credits include Return Of Krampus, The Code, and Just One Drop.
Away from acting Natasha is a qualified Hatha Yoga Teacher, IMC Mindfulness Compassion Teacher, Certified Life Coach for Actors and a member of the CCA, and published children’s author of Mr Broccoli and Creating Joy anthology book.
BRUNO MATAY
Bruno is a Portuguese actor with African heritage based in London. He moved to London in 2011.
His stage credits during training include The Crucible (John Proctor) The Importance of Being Ernest (Ernest) King Richard The Third (King Richard), Dancing at Lughnasa (Michael Evans), Master Harold…and The Boys (Sam Semela). Professionally he worked with Joao Salaviza, winner of Palme d´or, Jose Fonseca e Costa who worked as an assistant to Michelangelo Antonioni before becoming one of the leaders of Portugal's 'Young Cinema' in the 1960s and Tiago Guedes whose film The Domain was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Most recently he performed as Berlin/Shanghai for the Money Heist Experience in London and can soon be seen in The Witcher (Netflix) and FBI International (CBS). Bruno speaks Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, English and Spanish fluently.
Bruno was born in Portugal and has UK settled status - he lives in London.
ANNA GULDKULA
Anna Guldkula was born in Sweden 1993 – she has a Swedish passport and is a UK resident. Anna’s professional career began in 2002, when she was just nine years old, as a professional background dancer on Swedish television. In 2012, she moved to New York and trained in acting at New York Film Academy. Later on that year she had an internship at Dolphin Academy in Curacao.
Anna was born in Sweden and has UK settled status - she lives in London.
RIB HILLIS
Rib has since found success as an actor in Hollywood with credits including the ABC soap opera, Port Charles and prime-time appearances in dozens of television shows, including, Ugly Betty, Two and a Half Men, CSI, Melissa and Joey, Bull, Eve, Angel and Modern Family.
Rib has also found success on the silver screen, playing roles in films such as, Grooms Cake, Birthday Cake, Taos, Propiedad Ajena, Life's a Beach, etc. His latest credits in films released on Netflix & Amazon include Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs, Doggone Christmas, Timber The Treasure Dog & Shockwave.
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SEE OUR EXPANDED CLIENT ROSTER ON
Talent seeking representation
Pro bono publico
BTA® has supported the national charity, Crisis, since 2019. In this industry, we can all too easily get caught up in ambition and forget just how lucky we are - people living on the streets is completely unacceptable in a society that considers itself civil.
THE ART & SCIENCE OF SUBMISSIONS
Success in this industry is weighted by combining a scientific and artistic approach to submissions. Nothing works better than taking and using hard data (the science) and combining that with decades of wisdom and experience (the art) to increase and strategise talent submissions.
Thus, every couple of months we encourage our clients to request their Spotlight submission report from us. The responce is always the same - sheer amazement at the qualitative and quantitative data. You're welcome 😉
- BTA® due diligence 100%
%
BTA® submission happiness
"Thank you so much for sending that over. It's fantastic how many things I am being put forward for, and I really appreciate your hard work...
FREDDY PARKINGTON
Mr. Parkington is a remarkably talented young actor with credits in wide-ranging mediums: he performed as Tom Holland's Stand-in for Marvel Studio's 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'; and starred in a lucrative Nintendo commercial etc. Further to this Freddy is well-trained in stunts, parkour and mo cap.
Casting loves Freddy! 🙂
The BTA® Family
our clients say it best
There's only one BTA®
Lots of lovely BTA clients, staff and Ryan joined together to celebrate Ryan's law school graduation ceremony in London.
Isabelle is well-known as a stage performer in France. Recently we booked her on her first feature film - and she was more than a little happy about doing it. Have a listen to her VM here 😊🙏
Danielle is a well-known Italian film and TV actor - in 2022 we booked him on several projects including the massive TV project, Ride Out, that he continues to film through-out 2023.
"Hi Ryan & team,
Saying thank you is easy, what I would like to say is that apart from being our agent, you’re also our godfather, as well as our confidant, and we frequently feel your support. I hope you know we also care for you.
Thank you all for being amazing, for believing in us and for giving us the chance of a better future.
Sending in an enormous hug!"
“Ryan and the team at BTA® offer a very high number of auditions. And the quality and spectrum of the projects is vast. Never have I encountered so many interesting – and BIG – opportunities in so little time. And Ryan handles everything fast, friendly and efficient. It’s been a very exciting ride! Grazie!”
Hi Ryan,
I just finished submitting the tapes for the Marvel Studios casting. Thank you!
"Hi Ryan, I just wanted to say again how grateful I am for your guidance. I really appreciate your support. Alice :)"
"Thank you for everything this year Ryan and for giving me a chance! I am so lucky to have met you and so grateful for the chance you gave me. I hope your holidays are relaxing and fun and your new year filled with successes. Also congrats on your graduation!
Thank you for everything
Farooq"
"...my O2 commercial has just starting showing on tv!! Saw it for the first time today. Thank you so much, I’m thrilled!"
Hi Ryan,
Thank you for this and I just want to say a massive thank you to you and the team for all of your hard work this year and for helping me secure the Money Heist job, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a very happy new year!
Here’s to 2022!
Best wishes,
Sarah xx
"Ryan has been incredibly supportive since day 1. He’s professional, approachable and friendly. Always on call when needed and has provided me constant support, encouragement and guidance.
Very fortunate to have such a kind, hardworking and knowledgeable agent, that I can also have a great laugh with and call my friend.
Thank you for generating such wonderful opportunities for me and your continued support, guidance and friendship."
Hey Ryan,
"Hi Ryan,
just letting you know that I have just sent the casting tapes off to Huawei,
I also just wanted to say a massive thank you for all of your support and effort, during quarantine and continuously!
it is great to know that you believe in me and I am so grateful for your encouragement and advice!
I feel privileged to be a part of BTA!
Thanks Again! 🙂 x"
the industry concurs
"You are the best. So hard working."
"During the course of booking one of his clients for one of our productions, Ryan gently pointed out that there was a simple, but rather important, error in our contract. Ryan was absolutely right - the error was obvious once you saw it. I'd been using that contract and sending it to countless other agents for about 8 years and not one of them had spotted it! We amended the contract and booked his client. With his evident and almost effortless knowledge of contract law, Ryan's pretty unique in this industry."
"Legend! 😊 ...thank you Ryan, you’ve sent in some ace groups ❤ ... thanks so much for these fab tapes so quickly xx... ...You da best! X"
"Great - you are the only agent who invoiced correctly"
GETTING OUR CLIENTS 'IN THE ROOM'
Film, TV, Theatre, Musical Theatre, VO, Video Games, Commercials - we excel in all areas.
As such, BTA® clients get life-changing opportunities - here's a small taste of our extensive reach:
WITH LEADING PRODUCTION COMPANIES AND DIRECTORS INCLUDING:
WITH LEADING CASTING DIRECTORS INCLUDING:
FOR MAJOR PRODUCTIONS INCLUDING:
FOR THEATRE INCLUDING:
FOR MUSICAL THEATRE INCLUDING:
