Q: What’s the best way to establish a relationship with a casting director? Can I reach out cold?
If you’re trying to establish a relationship with a casting director, I think the best move is to reach out to them. Now is the time to shoot your shot: We’re all at home; we’re all looking at our computers. If I’m looking for something specific, I want to know who you are and what you can do.
With that said, if you’re going to reach out, bring the question back to yourself: How would you like someone to reach out to you? If there was a budding actor who saw your work and had questions, how would you want them to approach you?
I like short, sweet, to-the-point, focused, and succinct communication. Specificity is key. I get a lot of emails and direct messages from people saying, “I’m an actor.” Cool. That’s great! No tea, no shade, but why are you contacting me? Did you see something that I’m casting that you’d be great for? Did you see something I had cast and you know my work, and you see the stuff that I do and you might be interested in something else? If you say, “Hey, Erica, I saw you on that Backstage panel, and I see that you’re casting for this show. Here’s my headshot, résumé, and reel. I look forward to hearing from you soon,” that gives me your objective, your materials, and a way to contact you.
Also, and I can’t stress this enough, if I’m looking for someone who has a black belt in jiujitsu, speaks fluent Italian, and can knit, and that’s you, let me know. Even if I know you, even if I’m your best friend, I might not know that you have a black belt in jiujitsu. Just say, “Hey, Erica, I saw you were casting this. I wanted to let you know that I have a black belt, and I think I’d be great for it.” Boom. Thank you so much. This is your career, and you have to take control of it.
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 7 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
Looking for remote work? Backstage has got you covered! Click here for auditions you can do from home!
