Rush for Success
Having been an actor and worked on the other side of the table, I know how hard it is. For starters, it's so important to be realistic about your age range. More »

Prepping for Pilots
After apprenticing with some of the most prolific casting directors in the business, Brett Greenstein and Collin Daniel decided to join forces and strike out on their own. More »

The Cardinal Sin of Auditioning
Never, repeat, never, ever do you as an actor, a professional, go to an audition knowing that you will not accept an offer should you be so lucky as to receive one. More »

Magic in the Chair
If actors come with the goods to create the miracle in the chair, then they'll be forgiven for their lack of experience and knowledge about the proper way to do auditions. More »

Risk Management
Robin Lippin initially imagined her move to L.A. as temporary. Two decades and dozens of casting gigs later, Lippin still calls Hollywood home. More »

Acting Nuts
Often when I venture upon this acting avenue with thespians—viewing what acting skills they have to show—the first presentation foray is just that: presentation. More »

An Eye for Talent
As the founder and CEO of McCorkle Casting, Patricia McCorkle has worked on hundreds of projects for stage and screen since 1979. More »

Sex Behind the Scenes
Showmance is what happens between two emotionally charged people involved in a show are attracted and then collide. And sometimes even an airbag or condom can't provide safety. More »

Finding an Agent: Timing
For unrepresented actors—or those wishing to change agencies—this is the most wonderful time of the year for finding your champion. More »

Small-Screen Selector
Over the years, John Frank Levey has amassed an impressive array of Emmy and Artios awards for his work on such groundbreaking shows as "ER" and "The West Wing." More »

Auditioning: It's Your Time and Space
Veteran casting director Fern Champion launched her career more than 30 years ago in New York, casting for Sidney Lumet, John Badham, Alan Pakula, and Herbert Ross. More »

Worshiping a Technique and/or Teacher (aka The Cult Factor)
"Everything I say is right. Everything I say is wrong. There are many conflicting opinions in this industry. Don't take one person's word as gospel. Including my own. Take what works for you." More »

Publicity Blunders
Fame and attention. Nouns conjoined, the two desires are often borne from one source: insecurity. It's a "Someone, anyone, please pay attention to me!" syndrome. More »

Spreading Their Wings
"We’ve got great memories for talent. One or the other of us will remember someone that we’ve seen two years ago that came in to audition." More »

Innovative Marketing Tool for the Actor
In my 30-year career as a director, casting director and former actor, I have never once come across an actor who had a reduced, easy-to-pocket, up-to-date resume on them at all times. More »

Audition As If You're Rehearsing
Todd Thaler launched his career as a casting director 25 years ago by overseeing background casting for Woody Allen, a position he held on 14 of Allen's films. More »

Headshots: Border or Not?
Recently a reader sent me a question about the latest headshot trends: whether a headshot should have a border or be full bleed. Every five or so years the "in" headshot format alters. More »

They're Just Neil and Oliver to Her
Over the course of her two-decade career, Los Angeles–based casting director Heidi Levitt has worked with everyone from blockbuster king Michael Bay ("The Rock") to indie darlings like Wim Wenders ("Don't Come Knocking"). More »

Is 'Beautiful' the New 'Ugly'?
The headshot is the passport into the casting director's office. It has to say something about who the actor is. A pretty headshot does not always serve the actor in terms of getting an audition. More »

Acting Job Opportunities Lost and Won
This actor knew that here was an opportunity to introduce himself to gate keepers. He was right to begin a conversation. Where did he go wrong? More »

Team Players
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Erika Sellin spent many an hour perfecting pirouettes as an aspiring ballerina. More »

Actor Mailings to Agents: Frequency
"How often should an actor send a submission to an agent when seeking representation?" That was the question that came flying at me during a recent class. More »

Thinking Outside the Box
Barbara McNamara, who has headed her own company in New York, Barbara McNamara Casting, for four years, casts films, TV shows, commercials, voiceovers, and industrials. More »

Casting Director Accountability
The response to my blog post "A Casting Director's Rude Behavior," which was characterized by Back Stage as "chastising," was overwhelming. More »

An Actor's Resume: Special Skills & No-No Skills
"No-No Skills" are items on an actors resume that should never – repeat, never – be listed as skills on an actor's resume. More »