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I have been so very fortunate to have spent the last several weeks working at “The Young and the Restless” and this time, my return to the show landed around the Daytime Emmys.  I was asked to attend the telecast, since I was the first actor to win an Emmy for the show in the 1980’s, and while there, I ran into several of the casting directors and casting associates I know from the Daytime scene.

To my surprise, each one of them had visited this website, and they were all very enthusiastic.  The most common comment was that they were happy to see a site that offered advice and education that was accurate and informed for the Los Angeles market, and specifically dealt with customs and common courtesies that they feel have been lost among most of the new actors they see.  Their favorite blog was “The Casting Assistant” which deals with being professional and courteous to ALL the casting staff you meet an any audition; be on time, appreciative, respectful to your fellow actors and support staff atthe audition, and follow up with thank you note or email.

That came as another surprise, that in their collective view, actors are not as courteous, not as professional in their manner as they used to be even ten years ago.  Interesting, and something to learn from.

I used the opportunity to invite several casting professionals to be a part of our new subscription/membership service in development right now.  We will be offering shortly the chance for you to sign up for a subscription to our site, which will include several perks and information packages available only to members.  This will include one of our educational lecture videos each month, as well as other special offerings sent to members only throughout each month.  We will be interviewing casting people, directors, and other industry professionals about their pet peeves, their advice for actors, their experiences and careers in show business, and other information we think you’d advantage from.  These interviews will be sent monthly as part of your subscription.

So…things to look forward to, but for now, review the blog “the Casting Assistant” and at your next audition, take your behavior seriously…it really does have impact on whether or not you are hired or called back.

Till next time,

I was recently on the set of “The Young and the Restleess” and I was chatting with several actors who were there for the day doing extra work.  One of them asked me what I thought of their taking non speaking roles as a way to get “real” acting work.

I had a couple of thoughts.  First of all, I think it depends a lot on the amount of experience you have as an actor on a TV or film set.  If you’ve done lots of plays, but have no on camera experience, what better way to get a feel for a working set?  To actually be there and watch and see how it all flows, what’s expected of actors and the crew, what are the rules and how to navigate the schedule on a set…all these things are necessary to know to be a professional.  If you want to learn in a relatively non threatening way, this is the ticket! 

I know that there is a lot of discussion in acting class and at theater group that you should never take extra work, but I would have to say not everyone books big roles right off the bat.  It’s something to consider that you can end up being a permanent professional extra (I think the proper term is atmosphere artist), but there is a lot to be said for learning on the job, and actually  being on a working set can not be taught, duplicated, or read about.  The choice is yours, of course.  But don’t be a snob and cheat yourself from being ready when your speaking part comes along.

Just do it.

Beth

It’s just amazing how much opportunity has opened up to actors as a result of the Internet in the form of chats, blogs, and Social Network type websites.  Not only can you list yourself on IMDB and Wikipedia, but you can also create a profile on My Space, Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc., etc.  And join like minded groups, market your interests and special skills while making a contact network of friends and peers that mutually support each other’s acting advancement.  I will not go into detail about each of these options.  But start clicking around to see what is available at these sites and others like them. And I have to state for the record that AuditionsLA.com does not endorse or advise that you participate in any of these websites without educating yourself in caution and responsibility.  But once you are aware of your own safety, privacy, and secure use of these sites, they can really open up outlets and resources for you to promote yourself and projects you’re working on like plays, commercials, episodes of TV shows and upcoming performances.

Likewise, you can create and expand on your picture and resume on websites or blog spots you create for yourself on free space provided by most Internet service providers like Earthlink and the like.  Many of these providers, as part of your service fee, give you several email boxes (profiles) as well as your own small web page that you can send as a link to interested parties, or post on your profile page on various social network sites.

For a small fee, you can use a template based webhosting company to create a little more sophisticated website for yourself and purchase your own domain name (your name.com) through these companies as well.  This can be simple, or more dimentional with several pictures posted and even your demo reel as a video file for visitors to view.  There are several actor friendly companies you can find by using Google or other search engines to locate the one that suits your needs.  You can also find a good one by searching for specific actors by name and see what companies they use (there will be a logo usually on the home landing page that says something like:  website sponsored by…, or website built by…).

Chat groups and blog spots are another amazing resource.  By posting comments and leaving contact info for others who visit these spots, you can set up a network of like minded community members who can offer advice, info, and encouragement.

To find out about more of these resources, click around on the sites listed above, and create space on the free sites if you haven’t already.  Ask your peers where they are listed, join actor groups when possible.  See what your friends recommend and go from there.  Please use caution and common sense, and do not reveal any dangerous or accessible information about yourself…for example, use a dedicated email address for contact from these website communications, not your personal one.  Never give out home or other personal contact information that can be viewed by strangers.  Get yourself a P.O. Box if some of your Internet activities include snail mail contact with others.

But take advantage of these amazing and mostly free places to promote yourself, while building up a supportive group of advocates and peers.

Let’s get clicking!!

Beth