A conversation with CEO Valentina Segre By M. Jmnez
An actor doesn’t always have the time, business skills and connections needed to build a profitable network and spread his/her own name professionally. Therefore, as an actor, hiring a professional, such as a publicist or marketing consultant, to promote and sell your work, and then take care of the business side, can be definitively helpful. This means being able to dedicate more time to your projects and artistic creations.
Neapolitan actor Francesco Di Leva, who we are featuring in this issue, after having obtained the David di Donatello award as a supporting actor in the film Nostalgia, by Mario Martone, on his Facebook page he published a post which reads:
F.D.L.: “Every actor has an agent and every agent is almost always responsible for the artistic path of an actor. She is Valentina Segre and she is responsible for this David di Donatello 2023.”
Valentina Segre worked for many years at a well-known agency in Rome where she learned the basics of the trade. In recent years she built a series of connections, gaining the trust of the actors she has collaborated with. Once established in the professional field, Valentina decided to make her dream come true and founded her own cinema agency. In 2006, in the Flaminio district, about two miles from the historic center of Rome, Sudio Segre was born. It is an agency that successfully promotes actors, directors, screenwriters and authors as well, in Italy and, because of its collaborations with foreign agencies and casting directors, offers an international opening to its artists even abroad.
V.S.:“By always remaining faithful to my intent to make the service I offer unique, I have been able to build a relationship with some of them that goes beyond the professional aspect. Even today I must say that this fusion between work and life, which generates human relationships beautiful and synergistic, it is the aspect of my profession that gratifies me the most, because at the basis of everything there must be mutual human esteem”.
As soon as the agency was born, it joined L.A.R.A. (Free Association of Artists’ Representatives) and, since two years now, Valentina has been part of the board of directors. Valentina, as CEO of the agency, is very proud of her team of very capable agents who are Christian Montanelli and Margherita Verde and with whom she is in constant contact. Each agent has their own portfolio of actors, but everyone is aware of the choices made for each individual artist. Studio Segre currently represents 172 talents, of which 75% are actors and actresses, including minor ones, and the remaining part is made up of directors, screenwriters, directors of photography, composers and writers.
V.S: “After 17 years of activity I can say that I am satisfied with the results obtained. Over time various new sectors have been explored and then activated; we started with underage actors and then moved on to cinematographers and composers. These choices were basically driven by the curiosity to explore realities close to me but still unknown and to try something new every time. In fact, the beauty of my work is that every day is a surprise, and that you can create it in your image and likeness following your instincts and your passions. Finally, we are proud to know that Studio Segre is a recognized and respected reality on the Italian and in some cases European scene, that many talents are looking for us and that our interlocutors are pleased to work with us, acknowledging our seriousness, correctness and dynamism. This was my initial wish and it has not only come true but it works. And I couldn’t be happier with it.”
Six years ago Studio Segre optimized the digital sector by making use of a social media manager who would better enhance the agency’s talents and support them in new forms of communication.
Today Studio Segre Instagram page boasts 14K followers and has a very specific editorial line on which they have worked with dedication and attention from the beginning. All communication activity is directed by the new collaborator Rossella Maci, a valid point of reference also for Napulitanatamente magazine.
Since 2006 Studio Segre represents artists in Italy and abroad. What guided you to realize this dream ?
V.S.: ”The idea of opening my own agency was born when I decided to make this profession my own, giving it my personality.
I started thanks to the trust I had built over the years, thanks to actors who bet on me and on whom and with whom my professional adventure began.
Always remaining faithful to my intention of making the service I offered unique, I was able to build a relationship with some of them that goes beyond the professional aspect. Even today I have to say that this fusion of work and life, which generates beautiful human and synergistic relationships, is the aspect of my profession that gratifies me the most, because at the basis of everything there must be mutual human esteem.”
For some time now the Segre agency has also been involved in the publishing field. Can you tell us more about this?
V.S.:”Before becoming an agent, I dreamed of working in a publishing house, because literature has always been a great passion of mine and was also the subject of my university studies. This is why at a certain point I also wanted to represent the writers. This takes me back to my first love.”
What kind of projects does the agency usually work on?
V.S.:”We deal with everything that the Italian and foreign market offers, therefore cinema productions, TV series, advertising, theatre, events, dubbing and digital collaborations. But what we do is a careful selection of the projects we propose; first they have to please us and only then do we offer them to our clients.”
How should actors prepare for a meeting with an agent?
V.S.:”An actor or actress who wants to be represented by us must first study our agency, understand our tastes, what kind of actors we represent and if we are right for them. For example, if we already represent an actor who looks like him, or maybe if we already have a large category of actors of his same age or finally if we are the right agency at that moment in his career. And finally, there must be a fall in love between the agent and the artist, it is for that spark that I work.”
What should actors do to make themselves more marketable?
V.S.:”For some years now, observing the market trend, we have been forced to inform the actors to be more present on social networks and to increase their followers to make themselves more attractive for productions and brands. Naturally the actor is not an influencer so he must always do it with a certain taste and respect for his profession, without ever distorting his nature. But I can certainly say that today being on social media or not being there makes a certain difference, even in terms of earnings.”
“I have the best agent, manager, publicist, acting coach, and lawyer.
Without them, I wouldn’t have the opportunities that I’ve had.”
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