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Today avoiding commercials is almost easier for viewers than watching them. Dish Network, for instance, is embroiled in a legal battle over its "Auto Hop" feature, which allows subscribers to skip easily over a recorded program's advertising flights. And handwringing by the networks over readily available DVR technology that allows cable subscribers to fast-forward through advertisements is nothing new.
Even as concerns over technology's effects on viewership have grown, commercials have remained a vibrant source of income for actors. A report generated by Screen Actors Guild in 2010 showed that income earned by SAG actors under the commercials contract mostly held steady over the last few years -- rising from $777.7 million earned in 2004 to $817.9 million in 2010. By comparison, SAG actors earned only $588.8 million via the theatrical agreement and $564.8 million via the television agreement in 2010.
Commercials don't just earn actors money. They also create buzz around an actor and help him or her land film or television roles -- or at least they used to. Actor Justin Long and humorist John Hodgman, for instance, famously starred in ads for the "Get a Mac" campaign for Apple. The humorous spots gave them greater exposure and furthered their careers.
Running from 2006 to 2009, the commercials were seen in North America, Australia, and even Japan. Just three years later, it seems unlikely a similar ad campaign would be as widely seen. People's viewing habits have changed. Networks are shedding viewers as watching live TV is fast becoming antiquated -- akin to, say, buying the print edition of a newspaper.
But commercials aren't necessarily a casting director's first stop. "I have always muted the commercials, so that's never been where I find talent," said John Frank Levey, the casting director of TNT's "Southland" and Showtime's "Shameless."
It's wrong to think of Long and Hodgman as models because they're the exceptions to the rule, according to Cathy Reinking, a casting director and author of "How to Book Acting Jobs in TV and Film."
Appearing in a national TV spot can be "almost detrimental in some ways" because an actor can become overexposed, Reinking said.
She pointed to Stephanie Courtney, who plays Flo in the quirky Progressive Insurance commercials. Courtney, a member of the Groundlings in Los Angeles, is known more for the Progressive spots than for her appearances in film and TV.
"We don't go to national commercials to find people for TV," said Reinking. "Actors have to do it all, but it's not really like a steppingstone. It's just a way to make money."
