Best tips for casting Directors right now from GlobalTalentNetwork: Seamless Applicant Sourcing and Tracking! We treat your candidates like your customers. Our applicant tracking system is seamless for you and your candidates. See Tracking and Selection Features. Get a branded, mobile-optimized career job board. We’ll broadcast your jobs to top job sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, Simply Hired, and others. Integrated Assessments: Our screening tools help you rank applicants and our selection tools help you choose between the top candidates. Take advantage of built-in validated assessments. See more details recruitment management software.
GlobalTalentNetwork guides for talent companies : The local media is always looking for a buzz-worthy story, which you can create. If your talent agency is new, create a press release for the local news outlets that describes your agency, your experience, the type of talent you seek and your contact information. To ensure your press release gets in the right hands, call the newspaper or news source to find out the appropriate person’s name and email address or fax number. If you are hosting a special event, like a charity dinner, let the editors or producers at local news agencies know about this event to see whether a reporter would like to write a story about the event and your talent agency.
Referrals can help. Grossman Jack Agent Jess Jones shares “As an agent and as an agency, we take talent referrals very seriously. If you are working with an actor (someone you like and trust and respect), and if they are working with an agency you also like and respect, a referral of you to their agent would probably go a long way.” Remember, this is a business and even though agents are usually friendly folk, it doesn’t mean they are your friend, so don’t act too familiar or over share when you first meet a potential agent. Think “business casual” behavior in which professionalism, timeliness, and preparedness are key. Read extra info https://globaltalentnetwork.com/.
Narrow down your list. The size and status of the office you should realistically approach is determined by how far along you are in your career. When starting out, you’ll find that the small- and medium-sized offices are often more receptive to meeting new talent—but if you do have an “in” at a major agency, go for it. If your timing, talent, and type are right, you could get lucky. (Check out our lists of agencies for early- and mid-career actors in New York City and Los Angeles for ideas.) Start with a list of about 15-20 first-choice agencies; you can also put together a similar list of second-choice options. Prepare and submit your materials. Now that you’ve identified the reputable agencies you plan to pursue, you’ll need to submit four things.
One key to getting auditions is to remember that actors should see themselves as a small business, so “think about what look you are selling,” advises acting coach and Backstage Expert Matt Newton. One of his tips for figuring this out? “Write down three shows you could see yourself on. Series regular, guest star, co-star, whatever…. Watch [these shows], learn from them, observe what kind of actors they are casting. Take notes. Look up the casting director and the actors. If you are right for that show, and are trained, and they cast your type over and over, then by all means sign up for a casting director workshop to meet them in person. If you are over 50 and play ‘extraterrestrial’ roles all the time, probably don’t sign up for a soap opera casting workshop. Again, it’s all about being smart and knowing yourself.”
Samuel L. Jackson describes the role of a manager as the following: “Managers have relationships that agents don’t have—relationships that allow you to meet writers, producers, and other people that aren’t just based in a specific project. These are people who are planning to do things, who could put you in their plans. They can connect you with writers who can write specifically for you. And they do put pressure on agents to produce and bring you more work. Or they’ll help you find an agent who can do that.”
Let it shine through. Don’t give one-word answers when having a conversation with the casting director. Ask questions! The industry is looking for smart, curious actors. Connect with your reader: Make one with the reader. Memorize the material or be familiar enough with it to maintain eye contact. Knowing the dialogue is important, but making a connection with the reader is what will make the scene natural and believable. Play opposites: Yelling isn’t the only way to show hatred or anger. Sometimes being quiet as you make your point is a powerful display of emotion. Playing opposites is a much more interesting choice than the obvious.
Invest in a tripod. The shakes are unpleasant, says Backstage Expert Jessica R. Grosman. She also suggests talking to your reader beforehand to make sure they’re not too loud during the taping. It can be shot on your iPhone or your laptop, but be sure you’ve ticked all these boxes. (Pro tip: Place your reader right next to the camera. This will give you a direct eyeline without having to stare straight down the barrel.) Be sure to follow all directions from casting, including content requests (monologue, dance, or song) file naming, introduction, and media format. To handle a bad reader in auditions, the actor must be self-sufficient. You can also try to incorporate it into your performance. Either way, the show must go on.
So you want to become an actor? Well as we pointed out in our guide to how to become an actor, you must find yourself a talent agent. Here is our guide to finding a talent agency. The best way to find an agent is to contact the Actor’s Union such as SAG-AFTRA and ask for their list of franchised agents. It is in your best interest to work with a franchised talent agency because non-franchised agents are more likely to be a con artist than a legitimate agent. That said, we have a list of talent agencies across major cities that you should know. Check out the list of agencies below.