Get Your $hit Together

Posted on 22. Jan, 2010 by sethcaskey.

watch on your iPhone

Don’t forget the basics.

Getting to your workshop prepared, not only alleviate stress for you, but allows you to show a CD that you are an actor who is ready to work.

Following is a partial list of things to have ready to go before showing up to your next workshop.

1. Headshot
2. Resume (attached and paper trimmed)
3. Link to demo reel (most CDs prefer links to DVDs)
4. Contact information (representation & personal) *some agents and mangers may disagree with putting your personal contact information on a resume. I like to put mine, so that in the event a CD can’t reach my representation, they have a way to contact me directly. This is a personal choice, and you should talk to your representation to see how they feel about it.
5. Misc. marketing materials
6. Postcard of where a CD can see your upcoming work
7. Business cards
8. Pens/Pencils/Highlighter
9. Snacks/Bottled water

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Inside the Room (part 2)

Posted on 12. May, 2009 by sethcaskey.

**(The following posts come from my experience during the last few weeks working as an intern in a busy casting office. While some of the stories/observations will be based on the particulars of the office itself – I feel there are many, many, many take away points from which any actor can benefit.)

• General mailed submissions are a waste of money.
  

• If you are going to mail – plain envelopes are just fine. You don’t have to use expensive mailing supplies or services.

• Do your research, and submit to the appropriate office.

• Write the character name and episode number on the outside of the envelope to let whoever is opening the mail know that it is an actual submission.

• Use a post-it, or write the character name on the headshot itself.

• Consider organizing a drop-off co-op with some friends. Find out which friends live in different areas around town and exchange headshots.

• GET CREATIVE!

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Inside the Room (part 1)

Posted on 06. May, 2009 by sethcaskey.

**(The following posts come from my experience during the last few weeks working as an intern in a busy casting office. While some of the stories/observations will be based on the particulars of the office itself – I feel there are many, many, many take away points from which any actor can benefit.)

First up – Mailed Submission: RESUMES

FACT: Headshots are 8×10.
FACT: Standard size paper is 8.5×11.
FACT: These two items are not the same size.

You can fight it, think it’s unfair, refuse to succumb to the standardization of submissions and march to the beat of your own drummer; and I will be the first to applaud artistic individualism, but in this case – it’s KILLING YOU.

Just TRIM the paper. It doesn’t have to be expensive linen resume paper, fancy cardstock or PaperDirect’s finest - but it does have to fit on the back of your picture. That simple. If it doesn’t, it goes in the trash. (Seriously.)

Next: ATTACH the resume to your headshot. It doesn’t matter how you do it. Four staples, two staples, gluestick, double-sided tape, homemade paste. Whatever your pleasure. Just stick the two together! (paperclips don’t count)

In this particular office, any headshot to which the resume was not attached – IMMEDIATELY gets put in the trash. So think about it, you’ve spent however much on postage (a topic to be covered in a later post) only to have your picture pitched before it can even cross the Casting Directors path. What a waste.

There are so many things that actors do to take ourselves out of the running even before the door of opportunity cracks open. I know this may sound harsh, but there were a couple of pictures that came in the mail that I thought, “hey, this guy is so [show].” only to find the resume not attached to the headshot and then promptly filed in the circular file.

Of the hardcopy submissions that the office received last week, a MAJORITY of them were thrown out for this (or other reasons to be discussed later). By taking small, simple steps – you dramatically increase your chance of looking professional. (And if you’re going to ask a production to pay you almost $800 a day – show them that you are the professional that they need to hire.)

There are SO MANY aspects of the casting process that the actor has NO control over. Trimming and attaching your resume to your hardcopy submission is one that you can completely control. Do this. Please. I don’t want to throw out your picture next week.

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