My Open Letter to Casting Directors

I am writing to you all today, on behalf of myself and my fellow actors, to say first and foremost: Thank you for the opportunities you send our way. We actors understand that we are selected from large groups of submitted actors. Often thousands. We do not take that lightly. In fact, we strive to respect that by confirming our auditions immediately, purchasing new wardrobe, if necessary and learning the lines and the nuances of the lines before the audition. We even google the product to understand the client's perspective and shoot to arrive early to our given audition times, so as not to throw off your schedule. With all that being said, we are beyond excited when we are placed on Avail for a commercial! Our hard work may just pay off!

Enter confusion and an all too common scenario: The avail comes in mid-week and the fitting is scheduled for the beginning of the next week. We are told that the booking will happen over the weekend. We wait. We change plans. We cancel plans. We spend money to fly home early to honor the avail. We wait. Monday morning comes and there has been no booking OR release. Confusion! We have turned down auditions that are in the same category, out of respect. We are still waiting. Eventually, after calling our agents time and time again, and hearing them tell us, "We have emailed, called and left messages, but the casting director hasn't returned any of our calls", frustration sets in.

We are just wondering, is it too much to ask of you to email "release all holds", or return a call left by our agents? I did ask a casting associate of a well know Casting facility regarding the never-released avails, and he said, "Keri, I beg her to let actors know they have been released", and her response was, "They will figure it out".

We don't figure it out. We hope that the dates have shifted, that the clients have your dialing finger pinned down in a supreme thumb wrestling move. SOMETHING.

What can we do as a community to make this flow better? Suggestions are needed!

signed,

A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS....

Balancing Life and Auditions

By the time I am closing my eyes to rest at night, I already feel as if tomorrow has begun.

Why?  Because it is now standard practice to have very *short* notice before auditions and callbacks.  In my 30's....no problem....but now, fully entrenched with three children (all in the biz) and a L-I-F-E, I find myself having to consistently recommit to my commitment to this business.  Why don't I throw my hands up and walk away?  Why don't I choose a lifestyle that would allow me to plan my own afternoons for me?

ONE WORD:  CHALLENGE

I love the challenge.  I love that I may have an opportunity to work with one of my children.  I love the disproportionate amount of income bestowed upon actors.

I dislike the "wasted" time in waiting rooms.  I dislike the negative energy from some casting associates.  I dislike changing my schedule around for a potential booking and then not being released from that booking.  

ONE THOUGHT:    ENJOY MY SITUATION

I understand that I am lucky enough to make my living in this business. I am even luckier that my children are earning income for their future.  But it is a lottery, and I have to be OK with it.  We all do.  

Expect just a session fee and hope to be pleasantly surprised!

My 11 year old had a multi day booking last week!  At first blush, it was great...but as a seasoned commercial actress, I see just how the market has changed over the past few years.  I remember when a booking meant you would make money AND show up on the airwaves.  Now a days, a booking, fitting and days on set assure one thing:  A session fee ($600 per day).

I realized that I was still showing up to set believing that the clients, agency folks and director all had the same goal I had:  Create a great project that will make the everyone $$$.  I am NOT saying that this goal has gone away.  I AM saying that commercial folks are now more savvy.  They know how to utilize our voice, our body (sans head) and our abilities, all while keeping costs down....They know how to cut us out of commercials!

While sitting on set with 10 other parents, I also realized that I was the only one on set worried about her being cut from the spot because I had already counted on her having more income for herself (tax year 2010 was painful for her bank account).

What I remembered by day two was that the experience of just sitting back, enjoying the camaraderie of the other parents and seeing the kids having such a great time together was worth more than the outcome of the commercial.

Suffice it to say, every one of the children ended up working AND having a great time.

LESSON:  I cannot predict the outcome, so I might as well have fun and be in the moment.

When do you Need a Manager....?

As a mommy/actor/parent of actors, the topic of hiring managers kept popping up over the years.  I have a couple of simple guidelines that have always helped me answer the question...IS IT TIME FOR A MANAGER?

1.  Am I having a hard time getting in touch/communicating with the agent?
2.  Do I feel that I am not being submitted/sent out on enough castings?
3.  Am I new to this business and feel totally and utterly lost?
4.  Can I afford to give up 5-15% of income above the 10-20% agency fee for manager representation?
5.  Am I in a new niche of auditions, where a manager's connections would be invaluable (film and TV, for example)?

I ask myself these questions, and if I ever am able to answer yes to one of them, I do my best to resolve my concerns.....and if that doesn't work....I would consider interviewing managers.....


Just my humble opinion.

Staying Focused before Entering the Audition Room

Sooo important to get to your audition and do what you came to do...ROCK IT!  Now, as a parent, you witness all sorts of shenanigans in the waiting room:  Stressed out children, mini-reunions, long waits, parents talking LOUDLY of their children's success...It can be a bit much.

As a parent of children who have put time into preparing for an audition, it's important to help keep their personal space calm.  How did I do that today?

1.  I signed her in and immediately stepped out into the hallway with her.

2.  Sang a few bars of Black Eyed Peas new cut Just can't get enough with my daughter....The goal is always to stay loose.

3.  I asked her if she wanted to look over her "story" and we talked about the relationships...THEN she ran the lines once.....

4.  We stepped back into the room when she was on deck......and off into the room she went.

5.  Most Importantly...WE SENT GOOD VIBES to the other girls and moms in the room.  We moms had a good chat, and the three girls in the lobby all realized that they each speak two languages!  Very cool new experience!

Once she came out of the room, I always greet her with a big juicy smile and let her tell me about her experience in the room.  We laugh together at the blunders and high five over a new experience under out belt.

.....ON TO THE  NEXT ONE......

Casting doesn't really hate us actors, but......

It's hard not to think it sometimes!  I Had an audition earlier this week where I was paired with a gentleman.  We needed to be conversational, so it was imperative that we "vibed" outside of the audition room.  I approached him and said Hi....He grunted and looked the other way! Yikes...was he mad about being matched up with me??  My hair was combed, my wardrobe was clean, nice and understated and my breath was fresh...so what was it?  Well, he finally said in between fumes, "I got here earlier than my call time and they let other people go ahead of me, even though they arrived after me,  because their call time was BEFORE mine."  He went on to say..."They treat me like poop at this casting House!"  Worried that my audition was about to go in the toilet because of his bad mood, I regaled him with stories of how the Casting associate is ALWAYS mean to me..and I keep smiling.  I even told him of the time where they split my son and I up and had him go in with another mom!?!?  By now, my partner saw that it was not personal AND that it is important to stick to our given call times.  We had a great audition, and the vibe was fantastic between us!

Moral:  DON'T TAKE THIS STUFF SO SERIOUSLY....

Have compassion and do the job you came to do!

*my grumpy face*

What happens when you turn your head away from the camera?

Well....you get downgraded.  That is, you will only receive your session fee (for showing up and working) and a flat rate of about $450+ dollars to run the commercial unlimited times.
Just a little info for those who are interested.

And if you remain principal talent, you will receive residuals($$) based on the number of times it runs on TV nationwide, etc.  For the exact rule, check out www.sag.org

It pays to never look away!!!

Another family spot