Big Fish NW
A Pacific Northwest talent agency with 25+ years and dual offices in Seattle and Spokane representing actors, background talent, and voiceover artists
Overview
Big Fish NW has served the Pacific Northwest talent representation market for more than 25 years, establishing itself as one of the region's most geographically comprehensive agencies with offices in both Seattle and Spokane, allowing them to serve talent and production needs across Washington State, Idaho, and Oregon. The dual-office structure is a distinctive operational advantage in a region where production activity occurs not just in Seattle but throughout the broader Pacific Northwest, and having physical presence in both Western and Eastern Washington positions the agency to respond to casting needs wherever they arise. The agency represents principal actors, background talent, and voiceover artists across all age groups, creating a full-service operation that can fulfill diverse casting requirements from featured roles to atmosphere players to voice sessions. Their quarter-century of continuous operation demonstrates sustained value delivery to both the talent they represent and the production companies they serve, as the competitive nature of the agency business means operations without genuine effectiveness simply do not survive for 25-plus years.
In the current Pacific Northwest production landscape, Big Fish NW operates as a comprehensive talent resource representing actors for principal roles, background and atmosphere work, and voiceover projects across film, television, commercials, digital content, and corporate productions. The agency's representation of background talent alongside principal actors is a strategic service offering that provides production companies with a single-source solution for their casting needs, from lead and supporting roles down through the day-players and background atmosphere that populate scenes. The geographic coverage spanning Washington, Idaho, and Oregon means the agency can serve productions shooting anywhere in the broader Pacific Northwest region, whether that's a major studio feature filming in Seattle, a commercial campaign shooting in Spokane, an independent production in Portland, or a corporate video in Boise. The voiceover division serves the growing demand for voice talent in commercials, animation, gaming, corporate narration, and digital content, providing represented artists with revenue opportunities beyond on-camera work. The multi-state territory positions the agency as a genuinely regional operation rather than a single-city agency.
How It Works
Actors seeking representation with Big Fish NW can submit materials through the agency's established submission channels, with professional headshots and a detailed resume that highlights training, credits, and any special skills or characteristics that enhance your marketability across the principal, background, or voiceover categories. The agency represents talent at various experience levels across their different divisions, recognizing that background work provides entry points for newer performers while principal representation serves more established actors with significant training and credits. Geographic location within the Pacific Northwest multi-state territory should be clearly indicated in your submission, as proximity to filming locations is a significant factor in background casting and can affect your booking frequency for principal work as well. For voiceover consideration, include professional voice demos that showcase your range, character work, and commercial read capability. The agency evaluates submissions based on marketability, professionalism, and how well prospective clients fill gaps in the existing roster's demographic and type coverage across the multi-state territory.
Once represented by Big Fish NW, talent experience submission activity across the full range of production categories available in the Pacific Northwest, with the agency's dual-office structure and multi-state coverage providing access to casting opportunities throughout Washington, Idaho, and Oregon rather than limiting opportunities to a single city. Principal actors are submitted for featured roles, day-player parts, and supporting characters in film, television, commercials, and digital content, while the background division provides consistent atmosphere work that generates regular income and valuable on-set experience. The voiceover division handles submissions for commercial campaigns, animation projects, gaming sessions, corporate narration, and other voice work that the Pacific Northwest market produces. The agency's 25-plus years of accumulated relationships with casting directors, production companies, and content creators throughout the multi-state region provide submission credibility and access that newer operations cannot match. The geographic breadth means represented talent may be submitted for projects across a wide area, and willingness to travel within the territory can significantly increase your booking frequency.
Who Uses It
Big Fish NW's roster reflects the full demographic diversity of the Pacific Northwest population, representing talent of all ages from children through seniors and across all ethnicities and types to serve the authentic casting needs that modern productions require. The principal actor roster includes both experienced performers with substantial credits and emerging talent building their professional resumes through film, television, and commercial work. The background division draws from a large pool of reliable atmosphere talent who understand the specific demands of background work — punctuality, the ability to follow direction without over-performing, and the professionalism to maintain energy and focus through long shooting days. The voiceover roster includes character voice actors, commercial announcers, narrators, and voiceover generalists working across the full range of voice applications. The geographic distribution across Western and Eastern Washington, Idaho, and Oregon means the agency can provide local talent wherever productions choose to shoot throughout the region, reducing the travel costs that productions would incur by bringing in out-of-market talent.
Pricing & Plans
Big Fish NW operates on a commission-based model with no upfront fees for representation, consistent with professional talent agency practices and industry ethical standards. Commission rates follow regional and industry norms, typically 10 percent for principal union work and up to 20 percent for commercial, background, and non-union projects, with specific terms outlined in the representation agreement for each booking category. The agency earns exclusively through commissions on booked work, aligning their financial incentives directly with getting their clients hired. Principal work in the Pacific Northwest pays according to SAG-AFTRA union rates for union productions and negotiated rates for non-union projects, with day rates varying based on role size and production budget. Background work provides lower day rates than principal roles but offers more frequent booking opportunities, and professional background performers who work consistently can build substantial annual income through volume. Voiceover session fees for commercial and corporate work can be quite lucrative, particularly for national campaigns and major brand projects. There are no mandatory expenses tied to maintaining your representation.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Big Fish NW's dual-office structure in Seattle and Spokane provides geographic coverage that no other Pacific Northwest agency can match, allowing them to serve production needs throughout Western and Eastern Washington and the broader multi-state region. The 25-plus years of continuous operation provide a depth of industry relationships and casting director credibility that translate directly into submission access and booking opportunities for represented talent. The full-service offering covering principal actors, background talent, and voiceover artists means the agency can fulfill complete casting needs for production companies, which often translates into stronger overall relationships and more frequent casting calls. The background division provides entry points for newer performers to gain on-set experience and build toward principal work, creating a development pathway within a single agency relationship. The multi-state coverage across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon dramatically expands the geographic range of available opportunities compared to agencies that serve only a single metropolitan area.
What Could Be Better
The Pacific Northwest market, while active and growing, still offers significantly fewer total production opportunities than major hubs like Los Angeles, Atlanta, or New York, which limits the volume of work available to even the best-represented regional talent. The agency's representation of background talent alongside principal actors, while providing comprehensive service to productions, can create perception issues for principal actors who may prefer representation from agencies focused exclusively on featured roles. The multi-state geographic territory means that not all opportunities are accessible to all represented talent, as a production shooting in Spokane may not be practical for Seattle-based actors and vice versa, particularly for background work where travel costs are not typically covered. The dual-office structure requires coordination between locations that can occasionally result in communication gaps or inconsistencies in service delivery. Actors focused exclusively on major theatrical roles and national-level projects may find that the agency's background division and regional market focus do not align with their career ambitions.
Our Recommendation
Big Fish NW is an excellent choice for Pacific Northwest actors seeking comprehensive representation from an established agency with unique geographic coverage across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, particularly performers who are willing to travel within the region for booking opportunities. The agency is especially well-suited for actors building their careers through background work toward principal roles, as the internal pathway allows you to gain experience and prove your professionalism within a single agency relationship. If you are focused exclusively on high-level theatrical work and want boutique representation with a small roster and highly personalized attention, the agency's full-service structure covering principal, background, and voiceover may represent a broader operation than what you seek. Voiceover artists and actors with developed voice skills will find value in the agency's active voice division. For performers throughout the broader Pacific Northwest who want representation that can access opportunities across the entire multi-state region rather than being limited to a single city, Big Fish NW's dual-office structure delivers geographic coverage that is genuinely unique in the market.
Pro Tips
Clearly indicate your geographic location and travel flexibility when working with Big Fish NW, as the multi-state territory means booking opportunities may arise anywhere from Seattle to Spokane to locations throughout Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, and your willingness to travel directly impacts how frequently you can be submitted. If you are building your career through background work, treat every booking with the professionalism of a principal role — arriving early, following direction precisely, and maintaining focus throughout long days — as your reputation in the background division can open doors to principal submissions as you develop your skills and credits. Develop voiceover capabilities and invest in a home studio setup if possible, as the agency's voice division provides an additional revenue stream that can supplement on-camera income and provide work during slower on-camera booking periods. Maintain current headshots that accurately represent your look across seasons, as the Pacific Northwest's seasonal variation in daylight and weather means productions may be seeking different aesthetics depending on time of year. Build relationships with both the Seattle and Spokane offices if you have flexibility to work in both markets, as being known to agents in both locations can maximize your submission frequency across the full range of opportunities the agency accesses throughout the region.