Paul Russell

This week: Getting Acting Job Opportunities via an Actor’s Business Card…

One Christmas I and my partner (the talent agency owner) were on a plane heading to my parent’s Florida home. Because of booking the flight at last minute I was sitting next to a jock-type who was watching football on the Jet Blue in-flight TV while my partner was sitting one row behind watching, as is his custom, The Girls Next Door (Oh good God… he’ll never be CNN material).

When we got off the flight my other half and I began speaking about a work issue at his agency as we walked through the quiet, yet swank, Sarasota terminal. While at the rental car desk, behind us came a voice.

“Excuse me; I heard you were an agent?” There’s no escape even in Death’s sunny waiting room.

We turned ‘round and it was the football-watching, jock-type who I had been sitting next to for the past two hours. He was a New York based actor visiting his snowbird Sarasota parents as well.

He ignored me, not knowing what I do for cha-ching, and focused on my other half. He was polite, introduced his smiling folks… to my partner. Again, I was ignored. Which is O.K. I’m basically shy (yes, believe it) and love my anonymity. But I’m also a bit of a devil and love to play with human behavior. So after he presented to my partner his business card with his picture and turned to leave I couldn’t help but be mischievous and casually mentioned, “You know you were sitting for the last thousand miles next to a director and casting director.” Ping! I suddenly gained his attention, a parental introduction and of course deemed worthy of his business card.

Opportunist? Yes. Wrong? Yes and no.

This actor knew that here was an opportunity to introduce himself to gate keepers (agents and casting directors are nothing more than glorified employment agencies and human resources). He was right to begin a conversation. Where did he go wrong?

He would have been smarter had he had his picture and resume with him. A business card with a picture may work for funeral directors and car salesman (you always want a trust-worthy face handling your car and dead) but it has little relevance to agents, directors, casting directors, producers, and writers, anyone who provides work opportunities. It doesn’t help us getting to know the actor as an actor.

I’m surprised how many actors do not carry with them, at all times, some form of their picture and resume. That’s your business card! You never know who the hell you’ll run into and where. Just this past week I was walking in my suburbia neighborhood on my way to Whole Foods for my morning muffin and yogurt when someone called out “Paul Russell!” It was an actor who had read my book. He went to offer me his contact info but came up empty. Now you may argue, “Well Paul, I can get the person’s contact info and e-mail or I can hard copy them my resume.” Good luck in getting a personal e-mail. Double the good luck chances that the e-mail will be opened or that you’ll be recalled.

Now caution note here about running into someone who can help advance your work goals: Talent reps., directors, writers, producers, choreographers, stage managers are the same as you when on the street or at a Starbucks. We’re people. People, possibly like you, who enjoy privacy and anonymity. If you get into a conversation with an industry person who you think can help you in the future in obtaining work, be extremely tactful, polite and respectful of space. And treat us not as objects of use to you but as someone to get to know as a person. Don’t forget that we’re all people, not opportunities. That is so often forgotten. And when we’re treated as a doormat, it’s a big turn-off. I know talent reps who have been accosted by actors as the agents were shopping for underwear, getting their Sunday morning coffee, or sweating in a sauna.

If the person you run into asks for your picture and resume, of course give it to them. Don’t ambush. That happened to Alan Alda once in a hospital by a nurse who believed herself to be an actress. It pissed off Mr. Alda so much that he used the occurrence for fodder in a later movie. On my book tour I encountered, in each city, actors who could be runner-ups to Mr. Alda’s nurse-actress. I’d give the free, one-hour seminar on the business and then sign books that attendees generously purchased. People would wait in line for their turn to speak with me and have their copies of my book signed. And without fail, in each city, there were several actors who would wait in line without a book, come to the table hand me their picture and resume then ask me to keep them in mind for future casting. Excuse me?

What is most important in the message here is this: Try at all times to keep a picture a resume on you. One that is up-to-date, the picture and resume are stapled together and clean in appearance. Have it in some form; full or reduced to an over-sized postcard easier for constant carry. You may not run into an industry person on the street but there will be many times when you’re needed to be at an audition with very little notice. Sometimes only an hour’s notice. This happens often with film and TV casting.

I teach. Students at NYU, privately and as a visiting guest to campuses across the country. In every situation one of the first things I ask (including my weekly NYU students) is, “Who here has their picture and resume, stapled together, ready to hand to me or anyone in the industry you meet on the street who can get you work?” I’m lucky if one hand goes up. And forget about the stapled together request… that would be asking far too much.

Not having your business card (i.e. an updated picture and resume) with you as often as possible means that you are losing out on opportunities for future employment. It’s your career. Your opportunities for work lost or won.

My Best,
Paul

Casting Directors, Talent Agents, Directors & Actors

Love the Best-Selling Book for Actors
ACTING: Make It Your Business!

“Humorous and witty…

Actors everywhere who are trying to succeed in the business, young or old, on stage or on camera, anywhere in the world, take note:

This is your roadmap!”

— BERNARD TELSEY, casting director – CSA
(NBC’s Peter Pan – LIVE!, Into The Woods – The Movie, Wicked, Sex & The City)

“All the right questions asked and answered…
and with a generous portion of good humor.”

— SUZANNE RYAN, casting director, CSA
(Law & Order, Unforgettable)

“I love this book!

Paul’s book tells you what you don’t want to hear but really need to know

EVERY actor should read this book!”

— DIANE RILEY, Senior Legit Talent Agent
Harden-Curtis & Associates

“Paul’s book made me proud to be a part of this community we call ‘show!'”

— KAREN ZIEMBA, TONY & Drama Desk Award Winning Actress

“Paul Russell’s words are not only blunt & accurate they zero in on all the questions every actor wants to know but is afraid to ask!”

— KEN MELAMED, Talent Agency Partner
Bret Adams, Ltd.

“I had my Business of Acting, BFA Seniors, class do book reports on a variety of “business of acting” books and ACTING: Make It Your Business came out a clear winner—considered to be essential for their bookshelves!

— Dr. NINA LeNOIR,
Dept. Chair – Dept. of Thtr.
Chapman University

Get smarter on the business of acting from legendary Hollywood & Broadway actors and talent agents in a casting director Paul Russell’s Best-Selling Book ACTING: Make It Your Business!

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Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly thirty years. He has worked on projects for major film studios, television networks, and Broadway. Paul has taught the business of acting and audition technique at NYU and has spoken at universities including Yale, Temple and the University of the Arts. He is the author of ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor. For more information, please visit www.PaulRussell.net.

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With regard to acting careers too many actors lose reasoning skills and testicular fortitude when discerning truth from bullsh*t. Some actors are unable to detect fool’s gold advisories from authentic guidance. It’s little wonder that a percentage of actors are easy marks for swindle when among their ranks an Israeli actress insists that an acting teacher is correct when he tells her to describe her accent, on her resume, as ‘South American.’ (My South Jersey accent of ‘warsh’ for ‘wash’ I can now classify as North American.)

In an audition hallway one actress insists wrongly informing peers, “Nude heels is the required footwear for musical auditions.” Who sayeth so? Jessica Simpsonia the Goddess of Straight to Pay-per-View? I don’t get the logic-disconnect nor the uninformed certainty. Why are some actors perpetuating the stereotype of actors having the intellectual prowess of a gnat? In some studies of professional trades actors are often categorized as forward thinkers. Leaders in outside-the-box creativity and reasoning. But as long as a too-large percentage of know-nothing participants in the entertainment trade continue to mine, and then sell worthless minerals—the praised characteristics for an actor is challenged.

Pyrite encountered as horded by actors who believe they possess priceless bouillon:

Fool’s Gold 1: Actors are to put parenthetical descriptors on actor resumes after roles played. Example: Jean Valjean (man who steals a loaf of bread).

An acting teacher spreading this inane bile is making actors look like imbeciles (people who display low intellectual prowess).

Fool’s Gold 2: Actresses with long hair must always wear it tightly pulled back and up for auditions and performances.

This misnomer comes from several of my students who allegedly had been told this fallacy by teachers of the arts. Possibly the instructors secretly desire a dominatrix’s crop?

Fool’s Gold 3: Actors shouldn’t waste time sending land-mail submissions to casting directors.

A fallacy brought to my attention by actors who ‘heard’ from a casting director or two who students can never recall or if they do the casting person in question is one that doesn’t cast. Casting offices look at all mail: land and electronic. Actors who support email with land-mail do receive auditions and/or employment.

Fool’s Gold 4: When sending a submission for representation or to casting place a Post-It on the headshot as a cover letter (for land mail) or no content in the body other than contact information in a submission email.

The format, content, and overall presentation of cover letters, emails, headshot & resumes actors put out to the world of entertainment is a representation of the person, their work ethic and skills.

Fool’s Gold 5: List screen extra work on a Legit resume aside principal work.

Keep extra credits on your extra’s resume. Extra credits aside principal credits on a resume diminishes the principal credits. Extra work–of which is gained not by talent but by look or special skill i.e. horse riding–on a resume announces the subtext of, “The actor is padding their resume.” We all begin our journeys without treasured memorabilia.

Fool’s Gold 6: Black is the only appropriate attire for auditions.

Yes, if you’re auditioning for Morticia Addams or Voldermort.

For general (non-role) auditions, dress for who you are emotionally (your persona). If all actors wore black daily The Tonight Show would be a Bronte-fest.

Fool’s Gold 7: Only brilliant people exist behind the casting table.

Recall who is responsible for:

The Mob Doctor

Waterworld

NBC’ prime-time programming

and the peers in our industry selling fool’s gold.

When career advisories are hurled your way consider who is tossing. What’s their life and career experience? Do they know the full landscape within and beyond their career’s present borders?

My Best,
Paul

Casting Directors, Talent Agents, Directors & Actors

Love the Best-Selling Book for Actors
ACTING: Make It Your Business!