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It is tempting to dismiss the person you meet first in a casting experience, the casting assistant.  That is the hard working person who keeps the office running and can be responsible for answering your questions about a role you are auditioning for, as well as rescheduling an appointment if you call in and are running late.  The casting assistant is the back bone of the casting office as well as your direct link to the casting director or casting executive.

Also keep in mind that the casting assistant will likely be the casting director next year, so get to know them by name, be polite and appreciative, and don’t blow future auditions by miscalculating the value of the assistant and their access to the casting director on your behalf.  If you mistreat them, make no mistake, that information will get to the casting director, and no matter how well you auditioned, that will be considered in hiring you or calling you in for future roles. Read the rest of this entry »

Rudeness

It happened today on the way to a meeting.  A guy in a hurry cut me off in the parking lot, and skidded in to the parking place I had waited for as the previous inhabitant backed out…I even had my turn signal on.  The guy screeched into the spot, slammed his door and ran for it before I could say or do anything at all.  I am non confrontative by nature, but there are a few things like this that will insight my dark side.
I made another couple of loops around the lot, found a spot and parked and went in for my commercial voice over call, on time, but a little amped from my temper and the utter rudeness of humanity.

Guess who was pacing back and forth in the lobby.  I heard several scraps of lame excuses as he tried to apologize to the casting assistant for being late, and saw that he was in much worse shape than I was in terms of frustration and adrenaline.  There is no way that guy in that condition was going to give a good audition.  He was obviously a flake.  Bad timing, bad planning, disorganization, and traffic had ruined his chances to make a good impression, and perhaps ever be called back to this casting office again.  All those things could have been avoided.

Don’t let yourself be him!  Please be professional about choosing acting as your career.  Treat it as a respected profession and you will be treated as a respected professional, not a flakey creative type who can’t keep an appointment, and who can’t be trusted to be given a job.

And as you walk along your path as a creative professional, remember a little common courtesy and consideration for your fellows, and it will pay off.  People notice.  I could have been the casting director in that parking lot coming back from lunch.  Believe me, I wouldn’t have hired that guy on a bet.  Happy parking…

Beth