Les agentes artistiques et les enjeux du placement des comédien·ne·s. Construire la valeur des artistes par les fictions télévisées

Abstract

This article analyses what is at stake when talent agents place actors in television dramas and series, the production and consumption of which have gained increased cultural legitimacy in France over the past ten years. I will examine the mechanisms of valorization used by agents to arrange these placements and to defend the interests of their clientele. Next, I will analyse the stakes and customs surrounding these placements in terms of professional socialization within the context of the industrial organization of work. Finally, I will look at how the competition created by movie actors’ entry into the space of television redistributes symbolic and material profits within the job market for television series. Drawing on interviews with agents, I will explain how the television series genre has gained increased status in the job market for actors over the past decade.