Casting Director Strategy for Actors

I have to tell you, hands down, the question I am asked more than any other question from actors is, "How can I get more auditions?" What's interesting to me about this question is that I rarely get asked, "How can I book more jobs?" My question for you is, "Do you really want auditions? Or do you want offers?"

The trick to longevity in an acting career is to stop focusing on auditions and instead start focusing on building relationships, so that you can get offers. Some of the best people to build relationships with are, of course, casting directors. These are the people directly responsible for calling you in on roles that you're right for.

One of my favorite ways to truly become known by casting directors is through workshops, seminars and classes. Now, I know there is a lot of controversy around whether or not actors should invest money in meeting casting directors, but the truth is that in every industry, there are programs build for a business owner to invest a little bit of money in order to build lasting relationships. I myself am a member of two networking organizations where I pay money to attend events. Casting Director Workshops are truly no different.

I'm going to use the word workshop as an umbrella term to speak about seminars, classes, and intensives. As an actor, if you really want to become known by casting directors, stop trying to see as many of them as you can and instead concentrate on the select few you want to build a relationship with. I recommend coming up with a list of nine or fewer casting directors and attending workshops with them on a consistent basis, so that they can really begin to know your work and remember you when roles come up.

In general, I recommend that you attend workshops once every other month with everyone on your casting director target list until you've seen them seven times. Unfortunately, this is not a magic pill; this is an investment of a little bit of money and consistent work shopping over the course of about twelve to fourteen months. However, if you stick with this strategy, you will find very quickly that casting directors won't just recognize your face; they will remember your name and begin to call you in for jobs that you're right for.

 

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