Why Actors Need Websites – 6 Money Saving Tips
July 19, 2010 by Erin Cronican
Filed under Columns
Imagine this: You are in your car (or walking to the subway) and you suddenly get a call from a casting director. They are interested in submitting you for an upcoming project, but need to forward your headshot & resume to the director within the next 30 minutes. You’re not at your computer, so you cannot email your materials to them. And you’re nowhere near their office, so you cannot just drop by with a physical copy of your headshot/resume. What can you do?
Or, imagine this: You are networking at an event (like the Tribeca Film Festival) and you have met so many people that you have handed out your last copy of your reel. You run into an agent who has seen you on stage, but comments that he would like to see your film work. He asks if you have a reel to give him. Sadly, you don’t, and it will be at least a week until you can get more duplicates made. What now?
If you are a business-minded actor, you would have a website and neither case would have been a problem! You could simply tell the casting director, “Drop by my website, where you can download a copy of my headshot and resume, both formatted for printing.” And for the agent, you would be able to say, “Here’s my website. Not only do I have my reel posted, but I also have clips from a few of the other projects I have done, including some singing and a few commercials.”
Having a website is one of the most important promotional tools an actor can have, second only to a good headshot. A website allows you to provide interested parties with a more full look at your body of work, your personality, and the way you run your business. And it allows them to do it in their own time, at their pace and leisure, which is vitally important in the larger, more competitive markets. The easier you can make it for a CD/agent to get to know you, the better chance you have of making an impact with them.
Top 11 Reputable Casting Websites
June 29, 2010 by Erin Cronican
Filed under Columns
One of the things that can get me incensed as a career coach is when casting websites pop up promising to give actors access to stardom. Some sites make it sounds like an actor’s big break is just around the corner, and all they need to do is pay a fee and they’re in! But most actors know that success comes with good training, strong relationship building, and the ability & wherewithal to seize an opportunity when it presents itself (also known as tenacity.) The trouble is, even the smartest actor has heard at least one rags-to-riches story, and the allure of a quick win sometimes overshadows common sense.
So, to combat the many unscrupulous characters baiting actors with empty promises, below you’ll find are 11 of my favorite reputable websites where casting notices can be found.
Actors Access
Backstage
Actors Equity Casting Call
Playbill
SAG Indie
Now Casting
Casting Networks/LACasting.com
Casting Networks/NYCasting.com
NYCastings.com
Mandy.com
Craigslist
Any of the others not listed here typically have the same notices that are on the above sites. If you are in LA or NY, I would caution you if paying to use any website other than these listed- it probably wouldn’t be worth the money. Of course, there are exceptions and I am sure a new website will come along and blow away the competition. But as of now, the above sites are the most reputable for those in the major markets.
Actors Roundtable: Comedic Actresses
June 11, 2010 by Lance Carter
Filed under Performing Arts News, Videos
Sophia Vergara, Jane Lynch, Courteney Cox, Felicity Huffman, Wanda Sykes and Patricia Heaton talk about who’s the funniest female comic, do you have to have confidence when you’re doing comedy and more.
My favorite was video 3 where Jane Lynch talks about trying to memorize lines.
Actors Roundtable: Comedic Actors
June 9, 2010 by Lance Carter
Filed under Performing Arts News
Comic actors Aziz Ansari, Ted Danson, Neil Patrick Harris, Ed Helms, Ty Burell and Jim Parsons got together for a roundtable interview where they talked about what its like to be funny at 6 in the morning, what depresses Ted Danson when he watches himself and more.
Check out video 2 where Jim Parsons talks about confidence!
A Motivating Kick in the Pants
June 1, 2010 by Erin Cronican
Filed under Columns
Just a few words of wisdom (stolen from a well known marketing campaign) … Just Do It. Put away the excuses. Put away the what-ifs. Put away the “when the weather is nicer and I have more energy.” The time is now. There will never be the perfect time, or the easy time, or the time when all of the pieces will line up exactly the way we want them to. So…
Just Do It.
So, I thought I would help address some of the common excuses we actors tell ourselves so I can help break that cycle:
“It’s too expensive to do a mailing right now.”
I think it is more expensive to let your headshots gather dust on your bookshelf. Someone once asked me how much I spent on headshots, and how many were sitting on my desk. I answered him, and he said, “Wow. That’s an expensive paperweight.” Moral: Waiting costs money too.
“I am too nervous to audition.”
Nerves about auditioning cannot be addressed in class or working at home- they can only be addressed by practicing in the audition room! The good news? Unless you are rude or are TERRIBLE at your audition, you will probably slip under the radar and they won’t notice small flubs or missteps. Moral: Auditioning is the best medicine for nerves.
“I am too busy to market myself.”
There are two versions of this phrase- busy with acting work, or busy with everything else. I’ll address both. Acting Work: Great news! You’re reaching goals and making it happen! But too busy? You cannot afford to lose the momentum you have worked so hard to achieve. Marketing is just as important in good times as in bad. Everything else: If your day job, social life or hobbies get in the way of your acting career, it’s time to take a step back and ask yourself why. If you really want to reach a goal (in this case, being a working actor) you have to find a place for it in your daily life. Moral: There’s no place for “too busy” in this business (busy-ness?)
