Reality of Doing

Who are you talking to?

Posted on 28. Jan, 2010 by sethcaskey.

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Are you meeting the CD, Associate or Assistant

Making the most of your workshop experience involves doing some research before you go in to the room.

As defined by CSA (Casting Society of America): CASTING DIRECTOR – The producer’s representative responsible for choosing performers for consideration by the producer or director.

So, does it really matter who you are meeting?

• Each office is different, and responsibilities will vary (we’ll talk about how to find out this info next week)
• Meeting more than one person in an office is a great way for actors to create some name recognition. Then no matter who answers the phone when your representation calls to pitch, chances are that the person on the other end already knows your work
• Assistants & Associates want to find new talent to bring to the CD (it makes them look good)
• In some offices, the Associate is the point person for the smaller co-star roles
• Assistants and Associates are the CDs of tomorrow

What are they working on RIGHT NOW?

Most casting professionals work freelance. Research what projects they are currently casting

• Casting About
• IMDBPro
• Showfax
• Breakdowns (I’m going to leave this one alone)

Do your due diligence.

CD workshop businesses are first and foremost businesses. They are around to make their owners money. The more appealing a workshop sounds, the more likely an actor will sign up. While some workshops are more reputable and ethical than others, the responsibility falls to the actor to do some research before spending his/her money with a particular company.

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Do your homework

Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by sethcaskey.

Where to go?

Following is a partial list of places where you can take casting director workshops. There are dozens of workshop locations in Los Angeles. Each has their own unique format and membership requirements.

• The Actor’s Key (in the interest of full-disclosure – I work here)
• AIA Studios
• Act Now!
• Actor’s Co-Op Group
• One on One Productions
• Talent To Go
• SAG Foundation Casting Access Project (free to SAG members! Frequency restrictions do apply, so check out their site for more info. I work here too.)

Talk with your friends about where they go

• Check with people in class, on set or online
• Showfax discussion board
• Hollywood Happy Hour

Find out about fees

• Prices can range from $35 – 50+ per workshop
• See if there is a discount for purchasing multiple workshops at once
• Ask about any membership fees

Ask about an audit

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Vlog 2.26.09

Posted on 27. Feb, 2009 by sethcaskey.

With a special sneak peek at End Result (Summer 2009)

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Homework

Posted on 26. Feb, 2009 by sethcaskey.

To be honest – this social media stuff is exhausting (and I often provide my own commentary as I write).

I’m struggling right now to find some kind of balance to integrate it into my everyday life. When I set out on this “journey” I was only aware of the tip, of the tip, of the tip, of the iceberg that this is.

It’s its own culture.

And when I say culture, I really mean that. There is an entire generation (what am I 90?) and personality type that are naturally, instinctually, effortlessly drawn to this.

I recognized very early on that I needed some help and I’ve been talking a lot with @lkr. (To find out who this is, you’ll have to join Twitter. Just kidding – partly)

@lkr is Laura Roeder and she’s a social media consultant in Venice, Ca. We connected through Twitter, and have established an offline friendship. (Which I may loose after this post) We sat down before my trip to Vegas and I asked her what were some things that I should be doing to step it up the social media world. So she gave me homework (How I love homework). Let’s see how I would grade myself today.

• “We need to get you posting more” – I get that. If I’m going to have a blog and I want people to read it, then I need to be writing on a regular basis. So I did. I had three posts go live during my trip to Vegas. But, I was trying WAY too hard. Seriously, do I need to be teaching anyone about Twitter at this point? No. What I need to be doing is sharing the resources that have taught me what I have learned. Last week was good, but it’s already Wednesday and this my first post of the week: B- (for inconsistency)

• “You need to be commenting on the blogs you read.” – Social media is all about interacting, connecting, community. I can’t build those things if all I do is consume. I can read a bunch of differnt blogs, and twitter posts – but until I start entering into the conversation then I am just an observer. I have made an effort to comment on at least 1 blog per day, and start using the @ replies on Twitter more often. (Still takes me a while to get through all the ones that I want to read though): C (for average quantity)

• “Make use of Twitter between posts” – If you are on Twitter and you follow me – then you know that I love to tweet. However, with my new job, I don’t have great Internet access during the day, and I also got an email from @lkr earlier this week reminding me to tweet more. (FTL) This morning I had an interesting conversation with @epeureka about how I am using my tweets. So today, I made an effort to really look at what is going out to the ENTIRE feed, and what are @replies. (I did find it interesting that Twitter will update my FB status with any tweet that is not an @ reply, even a RT or DM): C+ (average quantity, quality was lacking)

• “Set aside 20 min. a day for dedicated writing time.” - FAIL. I have not done this at all. And I think this is where the balance comes in. For example, (here come the excuses) I sat down to write this post, but wanted to check Twitter first….45 minutes later…I am finally writing. I’m working several jobs right now, have a family and am pursuing acting everyday. My schedule is packed so tight that I feel every minute spent. (done?) But I recognize that it can’t be an excuse. If I’m serious about doing this then I will find the time to do it. (Grade for today): F (for being annoying with all the excuses)

However, given all the grades – I would say that my performance during the last couple of weeks has been FINE. I’ve learned some stuff and have at least made some progress.

But, to borrow from one of the best-written shows on television, Grey’s Anatomy:

Fine? Fine? I am [Seth Caskey], I am better than fine.

I see what needs improvement and how I can take it up an notch. And as any student during the early 80s knows – “Where There’s A Will, There’s An A!”

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