Mark Jermin agency faces questions over paid acting classes
Deadline reports legal experts say emails from Mark Jermin Management raise questions about whether the agency complied with UK rules on upfront fees.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
4 min read
Mark Jermin Management, the British children’s acting agency linked to young performers in franchises including Harry Potter and Wednesday, is facing questions over whether it may have breached UK agency rules by steering would-be clients toward paid classes, Deadline reported.
According to Deadline, emails and messages it reviewed show MJM staff, including founder Mark Jermin, told young actors or their parents that the agency preferred to find new clients through lessons run by the connected Mark Jermin Stage School.
UK rules generally bar entertainment agencies from charging upfront fees for representation. Agencies are allowed to earn commission from paid work their clients book, Deadline reported, but Regulation 5 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prohibits making work-finding services conditional on buying other services.
Jermin’s spokesperson strongly denied that representation by MJM has “ever been contingent upon the purchase of training services,” according to Deadline. The spokesperson also denied allegations of deliberate wrongdoing, unlawful conduct or systemic misconduct.
Emails raised legal questions
Deadline said it reviewed messages dating from January 2021 to October 2025. In some, MJM allegedly told families that it “scouts” from classes. In one 2023 email cited by Deadline, an MJM representative allegedly said the agency only represented young actors who regularly trained in its classes. In a 2022 WhatsApp message, Jermin allegedly said actors needed to attend a course to be considered for a new voice division.
Deadline also reported that a dozen current and former students or parents said they believed paid lessons were necessary to be considered for representation. One person alleged there was no chance of being signed without attending classes.
Paul Maynard, an employment law partner at Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors, told Deadline that, based on the evidence he saw, he believed the agency was in breach of the regulations. Seth Roe, a partner at Wiggin, told Deadline an agency should not say or imply that it will only help someone find work if they buy an extra service from the agency or a connected company.
Dugald Johnson, agents’ official at Equity, told Deadline that performers should only be charged commission from earnings, not upfront fees for classes or other services. Adrian Marlowe, a Lawspeed lawyer who contributed to government thinking when the rules were drafted, told Deadline the connection between MJM and MJSS meant Regulation 5 was engaged.
The Fair Work Agency, which enforces the rules, declined to comment on MJM, Deadline reported, but said it would look at relevant complaints.
Jermin rejects the allegations
Jermin declined to respond to specific examples, Deadline reported. His lawyer said it was impossible to address the allegations because Deadline had not provided unedited copies of the original emails, which Deadline said it withheld to protect sources.
Jermin’s lawyer previously told Deadline that MJM has never charged anyone to be managed or represented. The lawyer also said students at the stage school had never been told they might later be represented by MJM if they kept paying for classes.
Deadline reported that Jermin has hired an outside consultant to review processes at MJM and MJSS. His lawyer declined to identify the consultant or its remit.
Self-tape concerns also reported
The agency is also facing renewed scrutiny over self-tape auditions. Deadline previously reported in May that MJM sent an actress self-tape requests for Bridgerton and Coronation Street, but she was later told she had not been called to audition and that casting teams had not received her tapes. Jermin said those issues were caused by an administrative error that had been corrected.
Deadline has now reported two further examples. In one January case, a disabled actor, identified by the pseudonym Casey, was asked to tape for The Secret Garden at The Egg, part of Theatre Royal Bath, and to post a social media video thanking MJM. Theatre Royal Bath later told Casey he had not been called to audition and that its casting team had not received the tape, according to Deadline.
Through his lawyer, Jermin said Casey’s case was a miscommunication and an unfortunate error he regretted. Deadline reported that Jermin later accepted that evidence he had claimed to have proving the tape was sent did not exist.
In another case from January 2023, Deadline said an actor was sent a self-tape request for a Rice Krispies advert but was later told by the casting team that he likely received it in error. Jermin’s lawyer said he could not find a record of that audition without the relevant emails.
Jermin’s spokesperson told Deadline the company regrets distress where mistakes occurred and remains committed to improving its processes, while saying individual disputes should be seen in context.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.