Monday, January 23, 2012
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Postage Rates Increased
Yesterday the US Postal Service raised prices for mailing things, including first class mail, which is what most actors use when sending dead-tree (paper) versions of their headshots and postcards.
Details can be read on their site and they have a postcard rate calculator, but I suggest using forever stamps. Most headshots will need 2. That way you never need to worry about the prices changing (and you save the difference every time they increase prices).
Labels: money, submissions
this posted by David August at 10:08 PM - 0 comments - 
Monday, January 09, 2012
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Finding Auditions During Pilot Season Without an Agent
This is a big topic and could cover more than one post. A friend asked about this, so I thought I'd share my preliminary ideas. Please leave a comment with yours.
Marketing directly to casting and producers is possible, but without a rep may lack the element of having someone casting trusts recommending you, and compensation for that lack is not always easy. Keep in mind also that Pilot Season is not as formal or big as it was in years past; many pilots shoot year round.
All that said, ideal methods without a rep often include things like being in a project that gets acclaim at acclaimed festivals (think Sundance and Cannes) in the weeks/months leading up to pilot season. Recent career developments can provide some marketing momentum and good footage that people may encounter organically or be open to viewing. Again, these can serve in part as the social proof that having a good rep would.
Knowing what casting problems one solves (who you are as an actor to the marketplace, not necessarily who you actually are as a human being or who you want to be as an actor), and finding a way to helpfully pitch for those moments is useful. Again, hard to cut through the noise of many many other people (reps, actors and others) vying for the casting director and producers' attention.
Knowing what the role breakdown for this season may look like is impossible before pilots get ordered and such, but last year's pilot season role breakdown can give some insight.
I posted before a partial list of where one may look for auditions oneself.
Labels: auditions, submissions
this posted by David August at 10:45 PM - 0 comments -
Thursday, June 16, 2011
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Good Datebooks and Calendars
Datebooks and calendars matter.
80% of life is showing up
(usually attributed to Woody Allen).
An actor who does not show up on time, or at all, is sabotaging themselves. A teacher in acting school said Early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable.
I have been late more often than I would like; my goal is to never be late, ever.
I suggest using what works for you, and refine or change it as it makes sense to change it. The logistics of ensuring you are where you need to be, when you need to be there, are not unique to acting. Tracking the results of marketing (submissions) and sales meetings (auditions) is not unique to acting either. Neither requires special acting-specific paper forms or software.
There are at least 2 companies offering actors career specific datebook/calendar/planner options. They are expensive, more expensive than a paper datebook from an office supply store, or drug store, and the software that is already built into your computer and cellphone. If the offerings of these companies work for someone, great. If they are worth the premium price to a specific actor, fantastic. I simply remain unconvinced they are actually providing value that reflects their cost.
The key is to have whatever system used to coordinate appointments, marketing and sales activity do the job and be worth the time, money and attention spent. I'll try to give a brief version of why actor-specific, maintained-by-a-non-software-company solutions are not ideal. In the wider world, tracking sales efforts and customer relations often falls under the area called customer relationship management or CRM. There are entire companies that make software and systems to consistently, efficiently and effectively keep track of how corporations are finding new customers and how they interact with the ones they already have.
I was comped admission to a convention of the biggest CRM software makers, including many of the largest software companies in the world. I asked their sales and marketing people if they had anything that would work for actors, and described my needs. As I've found in my own research as well, the answer was mainly "not really, you may want to try using one of the 'off-the-shelf' database or contact management programs already out there."
Any system you use to track your calendar and submissions/auditions must have these attributes of good computer software:
- Accessibility
- You must be able to get to the information when you need it. If it is down or out of reach, it is useless.
- Intergrity
- You must be able to rely on the information having not been changed, lost, or having errors added to it. If you can't rely on the accuracy, it is useless.
- Security
- You must be able to control who can access the information. If people you didn't allow can get your data (like your calendar), at minimum, your personal safety can be at risk.
The actor-specific software and those 2 companies do not publicly disclose their disaster or security plans, and since they don't have the resources to hire the best network engineers in the world one can guess they do not have the strongest systems. Since they aren't transparent about their methods, their users are relying on luck, rolling the dice. "My actor-specific-cloud-based-calendar was down/lost my data/saved it wrong" does not replace missing an audition or call-time.
More mainstream software usually has the resources to reduce outages, data corruption or loss and maintain their cloud systems well. Remember, nothing is perfect; having a back up plan of your own is a good idea.
As for their paper products, I'm not convinced paying extra for actor-specific forms is better than using a standard datebook and loose-leaf in a binder. Aside from that, paper can work. While paper can be misplaced, lost or burnt, it is pretty durable, and predictable how it functions or fails. In all cases what works for you and is worth your time, money and attention spent, is best. Break a leg!
Update June 17, 2011: The 2 companies offering actor-specific organization solutions are very different and their products are very different. There are useful elements to some actor-specific products, and I encourage actors to evaluate them themselves. Best of luck and caveat actor.
Labels: auditions, money, submissions, trends
this posted by David August at 2:35 PM - 2 comments -
Monday, June 13, 2011
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
How to Get Auditions
I've been asked, by a few people in the last 2 weeks, how to get, or how to get more auditions in LA. My short answer: beyond agents and managers, best bets are probably http://www.actorsacess.com/ and http://www.lacasting.com/
Subscribe to http://www.showfax.com/ for $68.00 a year and get your ActorsAccess submissions free.
Also worth remembering: your goal is likely not to know how to get more auditions; a career is built faster by learning how to book more acting work.
Labels: auditions, submissions
this posted by David August at 12:35 PM - 0 comments -
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Law Enforcement Crack Down on Central Casting
In a cease-and-desist letter sent Wednesday to Central Casting's office in Burbank, the two agencies [California state labor commissioner and the Los Angeles city attorney] said that the company's practices do not comply with the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act, which went into effect last year. Similar letters were sent to 13 other, much smaller Los Angeles companies. Undercover agents from the City Attorney's Office found that Central Casting charges actors $25 for photo services regardless of whether they secure work through the company. Officials cited a 2008 news report claiming that Central Casting registers roughly 500 background actors per week [about $50,000.00 in registration fees a month, 500 x 25 x 4]
Officials gave the company 10 days to end the practice or else face civil or criminal charges (from Backstage). My current list of background casting companies in LA includes 31 and the vast majority require fees to be paid to register with them. The Krekorian act in part rewrote California Labor Code Section 1702.1 to say:
No person shall own, operate, or act in the capacity of an advance-fee talent representation service...who provides or offers to provide...one or more of the following services described below, provided that the person charges or receives a fee from or on behalf of an artist for photographs...
and begins the list of services with Procuring or attempting to procure an employment opportunity or an engagement as an artist.
Update June 1, 2011: Rumor is Central Casting has stopped charging a registration fee, but I do not have confirmation.
Update June 12, 2011: Central Casting has said they have stopped charging a photo fee.
Labels: booking, money, submissions, trends
this posted by David August at 11:20 PM - 0 comments -
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Resume as only PDF is fail
I've noticed a disturbing number of actors' websites offer their resume only as a PDF. This is not a good idea. A PDF as a printable option is good, but as usability studies suggest, PDF as the only option for a resume is a bad idea. If you'd like help with your site or any of your online presence please let me know. I also sometimes blog about internet strategy in a more general sense as well.
Labels: submissions, technology
this posted by David August at 11:00 AM - 3 comments -
Friday, February 18, 2011
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Having a Point of View
If you don't have a point of view, you won't know what you don't stand for, and so you'll be tempted to try and do everything, because "no" won't be in your vocabulary. Trying to appeal to everyone by playing in the mushy middle not only will make you less appealing over the long haul...
(from Always Have a Strong Point of View - Metacool).
Not sure where I picked up this idea: a slogan is only useful if someone, somewhere, might say the opposite. Otherwise you're not saying anything, especially anything that sets you apart from anyone else. The point is to set oneself apart from everyone else. For example, FedEx is using "The World On Time" as their slogan, and another parcel delivery service could theoretically use "In Town, Slowly."
Johnny Depp mostly plays the "dark outcast with a gift" and another actor could play the "inept, sunny person who fits in." Matt Damon may play the "exceptionally gifted man, coming to terms with his gift" and perhaps Ray Romano plays the "normal guy who's at peace." What do you think?
Labels: submissions
this posted by David August at 6:05 PM - 0 comments -
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Actor Loglines
...if you've ever found yourself feeling stuck when someone asks how they might best cast you or what you're best at, as an actor, developing that personal logline is going to do nothing but help you. It'll also drive your focus when you're submitting on breakdowns. Sure, it's fine to just go ahead and click submit EVERY time you see your gender and approximate age range mentioned in the breakdowns, but isn't it far better use of your energy, your optimism over whether you're going to hear from casting, and your FOCUS to submit only when the role is absolutely 100% within your brand?
(from The Actors Voice: Pitch Clinic by Bonnie Gillespie).
Labels: submissions
this posted by David August at 11:46 AM - 0 comments -
Friday, October 15, 2010
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Headshot Picture Backgrounds
On twitter I asked for options on what the background of a headshot picture should be, and here are some of the replies (in no particular order):
- Brick Entertainment (talent agent)
- we like b/g's that r out of focus & contrast w/ur hair, skin tone, clothing. so u don't blend in & get lost in a thumbnail pic
- David Ross Headshots (headshot photographer)
- depends. colors that make your eyes and skin tone pop, as well as colors that are web friendly. most casting is online now
- Lara Holmes (talent agent)
- I prefer plain, neutral backgrounds. Anything else is too distracting.
- Act One Talent (talent agent)
- What color headshot bkgrnd b < solid color not distracting, varies for actor colors and clothing. Lighter usually better
- Valerie Chiovetti (talent agent)
- ~Bright, light background! No dark - unless you're a blonde - otherwise you blend into the backdrop and look like a floating head
As this small sampling suggests, opinions differ. However, colors working well with the actor and wardrobe, not being distracting and making for a good thumbnail seem to be common themes. Any thoughts? Please leave a comment.
Labels: headshots, photographers, submissions
this posted by David August at 3:54 PM - 2 comments -
Thursday, October 29, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Survey Results: Does Academy Players Directory Help You Book?
The results of my Academy Players Directory survey are in, and the news is not good for the Academy Players Directory. Only 22% of those in the Academy Players Directory believed it had helped them book. I'm debating if a 22% chance of my earning money back makes the expense worthwhile. The return of investment is large if one books, zero if one does not.
The first question was "Are you in Academy Players Directory?" The answers were 60% yes, 40% no:
The second question was "Has it helped you book?" Only 14% say yes, 42% say no and 42% say they didn't know:
It seems the Academy Players Directory may not help an actor book work as much as it once did. I think the real question becomes: can you do without the money and hope it pays off.
This wasn't an extremely scientific study, and the number of people answering was small (over the two weeks of the survey the were 15 answers for question one, 14 for question two).
Labels: services, submissions, technology
this posted by David August at 5:56 PM - 0 comments -
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Survey: Academy Players Directory Increase Bookings?
Are you in Academy Player Directory? Has it helped you book? Please take this 2 question survey, results will be shared on this blog (once you and others take the poll).
The results are here.
Labels: services, submissions, technology
this posted by David August at 1:50 PM - 0 comments -
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Headshot Facial Expressions
Apparently many celebrities, like Barack Obama, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, are often photographed with one facial expression (links play music, so mute your speakers first if you are somewhere you want silence).
Could be coincidence, or perhaps they've found a look that works for them and they work to always present that for photographs. Actors similarly may have a look that works and is worth repeating, for both the photographers we hire and those we don't.
Labels: headshots, photographers, submissions
this posted by David August at 10:05 AM - 0 comments -
Monday, August 03, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
VO Submission Labels
For voice over demo CDs, or any other CDs, there are free CD cover template files for jewel cases' labels.
Labels: submissions
this posted by David August at 7:10 AM - 0 comments -
Monday, June 22, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Demo Reels' Affect on Actors Access Submissions
Q: I was recently told that when submitting to a casting breakdown via Actors Access or Breakdown Services, actor profiles that contain a demo reel are automatically listed first when the CD is viewing the submissions, regardless of whether or not the actor physically fits the role and ignoring the first-come-first-serve basis. [Is this true?]
A: Casting can sort/arrange submissions but yes, actor submissions who have video will list first unless casting has chosen otherwise. Video is most telling (how one looks on camera, how they sound, movement, etc.) and today's online technology makes popping open a video as simple as once was clicking a photo for an enlarged view. It 'can' make a difference.
A CD I know has a good success rate with two particular agencies so he tends to first sort by those agencies (video or not) and then view more submissions. Everyone works their own way, it would be hard (impossible) to generalize it
(from darkpwca and ShowfaxBob's forum posts).
Labels: submissions, technology
this posted by David August at 2:17 PM - 2 comments -
Saturday, May 09, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Save 4.5% on Stamps/Postage Costs
Update 2012: postage rates have gone up again.
Forever stamps from the US Post Office cost $0.42 today, and go up 2 cents to $0.44 on Monday, May 11, 2009. Buying a lot of them today saves more than 4.5% on postage after today. A headshot mailing that costs $0.83 today will cost $0.88 on Monday; use two forever stamps bought today, and all that headshot mailing costs is $0.84 (from TheyAct's tweet).
Labels: money, submissions
this posted by David August at 2:51 PM - 0 comments -
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Postage Hike May 12, 2009
Like the last 2 years, postage rates are increasing on May 12th. Stamps for your headshot mailings will likely cost 4 cents more than they do now. If you are paying $0.83, the lowest large envelope stamp rate, it'll cost $0.88 starting May 12th (depending how heavy your submission is). You'll pay $1.05 in stamps for a large envelope that now costs $1 (a 'flat' more than 1 ounce but less than 2 ounces). Postcard stamps will cost one cent more, $0.28 each.
After the rate change, you may want to have the post office weigh your mailing to double check the cost and the stamps you have on it. The post office still has their postcard postage calculator online to figure out how many/what stamps are required.
Labels: money, submissions
this posted by David August at 6:18 PM - 0 comments -
Sunday, October 26, 2008
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Back Stage Now Nationwide
... we've merged Back Stage East and Back Stage West into a single weekly publication, which will be available as a tabloid-sized newspaper on newsstands, in bookstores, and in subscribers' mailboxes across the U.S.
The Southern California and Northern California sections [of the national edition] feature all of the notices that previously would have run in the main casting area of Back Stage West
(from Backstage).
Labels: submissions, trends
this posted by David August at 1:32 PM - 0 comments -
Monday, August 25, 2008
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Marketing: If a Tree Falls...
If a tree falls in a forest, and no one hears it, it doesn't make a sound anyone cares about. Similarly, an actor who acts unseen, and unknown that they were acting, may not have that acting lead to the next job. As a friend reminded me, it's like they say, it's 'show business' not 'show showy showness in the biz.'
Labels: submissions
this posted by David August at 12:31 PM - 1 comments -
Saturday, July 19, 2008
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Commercial Casting Directors Directory
I've placed some contact information I have for commercial casting directors in Los Angeles online and may periodically update it. If you have any comments, updates or suggestions, please leave a comment or contact me.
Labels: auditions, submissions
this posted by David August at 5:18 PM - 0 comments -
Monday, March 31, 2008
As of 2025, please go to stuff.davidaugust.com, my newer blog. See you there!
Postage Hike May 12, 2008
Postage rates are increasing on May 12th, which means your headshot mailings will likely cost 3 cents more than they do now. In some cases $0.83, in some $1.00, depending how heavy your submission is (e.g., do you use a mailing label or hand write the address, do you include a cover letter, etc.) and postcards will likely cost one cent more, $0.27 each. After the rate change, you may want to have the post office weigh your mailing to double check the cost.Labels: money, submissions
this posted by David August at 11:26 AM - 0 comments -
