Each month, Screen Actors Guild’s national office designates from the thousands of SAG-franchised talent agents as its “Agent of the Month” and this month’s title goes to Bob Schroeder, the dedicated and respected director of Aria Talent.
The honor, says Schroeder, “is fantastic and the recognition is especially meaningful as it comes from talent.”
He was recommended to SAG by Aria actress Catherine Glynn, who described him as knowledgeable, protective of his talent and enthusiastic and caring about each of his actors’ careers.
“Actors who sign with Aria are, generally speaking, actors who will be with them for the rest of their careers in Chicago,” said Glynn in her nominating letter.
Schroeder has been with Aria Talent for eight years. He and agent Donna Simon Dunn, whom he calls “an amazing associate,” and “lots of interns” handle the careers of 160 TV, film and stage actors, who work regularly in downtown and regional theatres and in entertainment projects that shoot here.
“We only represent exclusive, non-multi-listed TV, film and stage actors, many from Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and the Annoyance and Improv Olympics,” he says.
“Probably 30% have been with us for a long time. We sign new people quite often and we don’t lose them unless the move to another coast. We try to keep the numbers around 150,” Schroeder notes.
According to Glynn, “[Schroeder] does: everything within his power to ensure that we actors are well provided and protected. He goes to bat for us time and time again. I consider his efforts to be tireless. And God knows, he has a tiring job.”
Aria takes pride in representing comedians, probably more so than other local agencies, Schroeder says, noting that “Saturday Night Live’s” Vanessa Bayer is an Aria client of many years, and one of the many “SNL” talents he has cast over the years.
There never a shortage of talent, he observes, as Chicago still rules as a talent center, Schroeder says. “More kids are choosing to come to Chicago to launch their careers rather than New York.
“Chicago offers more opportunity with a little less competition and it’s an easier place to live. Acting coaches stack up and there are a lot of great places to train here.”
Among Schroeder’s many qualities is a sense of humor. When asked what he’d do if he weren’t an agent, he says, “A therapist … oh, wait…”
Schroeder’s been a talent agent for 18 years
The national SAG Agent of the Month got his start in the talent game by accident 21 years ago. A college friend, who was interning at Jane Brody Casting at the time, asked him to come and “run the lobby” for an audition. “I worked the full day and never left,” he says.
He then became a casting director for four years with Jane Brody (one of the three “Janes” running talent companies at the time, Brody, Heitz and Alderman). He left in 1994 to join Suzanne’s A-Plus agency, which was purchased by Aria in 2001. Aria was sold to Ford Models, Inc. in 2003.
Ford wisely kept the established and respected Aria name separately for its non-modeling acting talent division and named Schroeder its director.
Aria shares space with Ford Models in offices at 311 W. Superior, where it moved last year from a floor shared with O’Connor Casting at 1017 W. Washington.
