casting – Page 14 – Answers for Actors

A troubling trend…

Talent agents Lynne Jebens (Senior Legit Agent, The Krasny Office), Ken Melamed (Agency Owner / Partner, Bret Adams, Ltd), Diane Riley (Senior Legit Agent, Harden-Curtis & Associates) and colleague casting director Michael Cassara (Michael Cassara Casting, CSA) have confirmed a harmful, new, career trend by actors I first suspected circa 2009. Actors may unknowingly be leading themselves into obscurity.

What have actors done (or not done) to do themselves in? Many actors have abandoned a vital marketing technique and what’s worse; they haven’t adequately replaced the promotion ploy with an equally effective tool for achieving notice, audition appointments, and/or talent representation.

What’s missing from modern actor marketing?

Mail. Land mail precisely. If you believe actor e-mails to talent agents, and casting personnel have filled the gap you’re woefully mistaken. As our industry insiders will soon attest, actor e-mails are either going unread via a single dump-click, or aren’t being received.

Diane Riley’s land mail in-box is becoming a postal desert.

“There are less headshot/resumes than in the past. Probably a 75% decline. I used to receive 20 a day, now I get 3-5. Also, no one sends demo reels anymore. Mostly [actors send] listings for actor websites. I rarely look at the actor websites.”

Ken Melamed has noticed a sharp decline in actors’ mail but not just via the postal system.

“There is definitely less mail coming in over all,” Melamed states. “Much less from the post office, and not really that much via e-mail.”

Lynne Jebens has noticed actors providing less marketing via land mail as well.

But talent agents are not the only purveyors of talent discovering marginally less missives daily in their hard copy in-box. Michael Cassara, a popular casting director, has noticed like Paul Russell Casting, less actor marketing via land mail.

“Our mail volume is probably 80% less than it was in 2006. I always look at everything that comes in the mail.”

Between land mail and e-mail where is Cassara’s attention most focused?

“I do actually give more attention to mail that lands on my desk than to electronic communication.”

Cassara’s comment highlights the pivotal failure of actors relying solely on e-mail—e-mails are much easier to ignore or dismiss than hard copy mail.

In marketing my book ACTING: Make It Your Business to actors, I receive a higher return rate on my advertising dollar when I land mail large postcards heralding the Penguin Random House read. When I send individual e-mails prior, to those same actors, my sale’s meters across various platforms barely budge. Why? My postcard, with a personalized message to each recipient, gets priority attention in the actor’s vacant brick-n-mortar mail box. No other way can I (or you to casting and talent representation personnel) get better undivided attention so cheaply! Whereas an e-mail is one of too many inquiries lost in a cramped in-ebox.

I asked all of our industry insiders the following:

Are actors finding other methods of outreach, other than hard copy mail, to make you aware of them? And if so, what are they doing, and is it more or less effective than land mail?

Riley reflected overall sentiment. “I think that people are e-mailing me more, but, I rarely look at unsolicited e-mails. They usually go to my spam, and then I delete them if I don’t recognize the name.”

Jebens also gets e-mails in lieu of hard copy mail but says, “I don’t accept e-mail submissions because you can’t trust that it isn’t someone trying to send out a virus. I don’t open anything that I don’t know [who it’s coming from].”

Jebens strongly recommends contacting an agent first via hard mail. She also notes that actors are going to seminars like Access to Agents to meet agents, “I think [places like that] have made a huge difference. Why mail if you can meet?”

Melamed reiterated that he occasionally gets e-mails but that the best way to reach him is via land mail.

“I have always maintained a policy to open up all mail and give each picture and resume and letter equal billing.”

All the industry insiders stressed that they open and review all land mail addressed to them which was sent by actors.

When Cassara was asked if actors are finding effective methods of replacing marketing outreach beyond land mail he replied that, “Actors try many tactics—some are effective and some are not. The level to which something is successful/effective also varies a good deal based upon the individual casting director and his or her preferences.

“My website has a public e-mail address where we’ll receive anywhere between 10 and 1000 e-mails a day, depending on how many projects we are working on at one time. So we will absolutely review e-mails sent to us, but as hypocritical as it might be to acknowledge this—at the present time—hard-copy mailings tend to capture my attention a bit longer and a bit more focusedly.”

Paul Russell Casting has noticed that many actors no longer self-submit themselves via land mail for specific casting! Actors are foolishly relying solely on electronic submissions via mass-market audition sites. But there is a major flaw in that passivity.

Not all PRC projects or those of colleague casting directors are posted publicly. Pilots, episodics, major studio films, and high-paying regional theater breakdowns are sometimes released to talent representation directly. In these instances, there rarely is an electronic submission process for the actor on high-revenue earning projects learned via the actor-grapevine. But…there will always be a brick-n-mortar mailing address for a casting director. Aggressive actors know this. Lazy actors take themselves out of the consideration game thinking they have no way to reach a casting office if an e-mail address is not present. At Paul Russell Casting the lack of actors self-submitting themselves to our projects has given rise to our being forced to see more agent submitted actors.

Are actors being shortsighted in not using land mail to make casting and talent representatives aware of their existence?

Jebens was the most candid in response.

“When there are so many people hacking and sending out viruses, I don’t understand actors thinking that we would open something from a stranger. So yes, they are very presumptuous to e-mail agents.”

Cassara is nearly equally adamant with candor.

“I run a paperless office… [but] I believe paper mail is the smartest tactic an actor can use to promote himself or herself and, by not sending hard-copy updates, actors are being a bit shortsighted.

“We’re all still figuring out the digital revolution and there are many tasks for which digital solutions are just not evolved enough (yet) compared to their “analog” predecessors. Sure, I can receive electronic submissions with ease but will I actually give each and every one of them the same attention I pay to paper submissions? Not usually.”

Riley responded that she, “Personally enjoys the part of my day that is opening the mail and looking at the pics/resumes. I would probably answer that it is smarter [for actors] to use land mail.”

Melamed displays his respected business acumen in his response.

“Part of the actor’s job is to market themselves; they have to build that cost into their infrastructure.”

So e-mail or land mail? Which is best for an actor to leverage in promoting their professional existence? Which benefits better visibility? What would our insiders prefer actors do in their outreach to them?

Riley prefers, “Shameless self-promotion. Send us materials; write when you have something to say. Focus on getting work for the sake of working and having a job, not so you can gain an agent.”

Jebens whose history in entertainment is vast knows there is no bull’s eye solution. “If I had the answer to that I could put it in a book and make a mint! I am always looking at the [land] mail and I am invited to many seminars. I do the best I can to pay attention to every place I go.”

Melamed remains succinct. “I still like hard mail.”

While your competition has forsaken land mail, empty in-boxes have become prime marketing real estate for your materials to be opened, reviewed and considered with little competition as distraction. Isn’t being one among one via land mail better than being one among thousands in an e-mail in-box list?

Get to know your post office again—while you continue digital outreach. Don’t ignore one for the other. You’ve two visibility options to leverage simultaneously. Your obscurity or visibility is created, determined, and managed by one individual: you.

My best,
Paul

Paul Russell’s On-Camera Master Class!

Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned 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 over two-dozen universities including Yale, Elon, Wright State University and Rutgers. 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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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

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Answer: The actor is not appropriate to the role.

Simple, right?

Not so for far too many actors who believe that they can cross racial and gender borders because somewhere, some (or far too many an) ass ignorantly instruct actors, “Submit and audition for anything and everything even if you’re not right for the role.”

Bullshit theocracy.

But sadly, there remain instances where wrong is foolishly practiced as right and invariably consequences occur.

La Jolla Playhouse and more recently the film Cloud Atlas were lambasted for casting non-Asian actors in Asian roles. I wonder how many non-Asian actors who believe they can play any role were a part of the disparaging chorus against the Caucasian casting discord? Were they within the Caucasian collective that recently self-submitted to me for roles listed as ‘Young Asian Actress’ and ‘Mature Asian Actress’?

Of the 235 self-submissions my office received for the two Asian roles, how many were from non-Asian actresses? 141! More than half! Did the erroneous self-submitted non-Asians believe that if cast, heavy eye-liner drawn back at their eye creases would make them ‘Asian Orientated’?

This is not a question of political correctness in casting but of casting appropriately to the ethnic parameters of a role. And more importantly; how YOU as an actor are perceived as either smartly knowing who you can portray, or if you’re viewed as a moron completely ignorant of logical limitations for appropriately portraying race, gender and/or color which match your genetics. (Please, don’t delve into a foolhardy argument citing cross-dressing, gender bending of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES or KINKY BOOTS, or the male chauvinist men of the antiquated days of when women were barred from the stage and men played female roles. Click your heels three times and repeat out-loud, “There’s no place like reality.”)

Asian roles are not the only characters assaulted for appointments by inappropriate portrayal believing actors. I’ve had whites self-submit themselves for black roles and blacks self-submit for white roles. Yes, there can be color blind casting. But when a role is a black slave of 1801 America or an Alabama Klan member of 1964, color blind casting flies in the face of logic and history. At my level of casting we are not in the fantasy world of community or academic theater casting or 1950s THE KING AND I eye liner and pancake casting.

My office was so frustrated by the bounty of Scandinavian-looking blondes pushing themselves for an Asian role that we contacted those actresses with the following email:

“The role you submitted for is Asian.

If you are of Asian heritage which is noticeably discernible you will be of course considered for the project.

Below is the breakdown as it appears in our outreach:

[YOUNG ASIAN ACTRESS] Early 20s. Plays Mya in HALF A WORLD AWAY. 17 years old. Burmese.”

The silence of shame in return by actresses was deafening… almost. There were several replies from non-Asian actresses similar to the following, actual replies:

“I am not of Asian heritage. If it is possible I would still like to audition, though I leave it to your discretion as to whether or not I could ‘believably pass’ as Burmese.”

One Caucasian woman (of a mature-certain-age, re: wrinkle city) wrote:

“I’m a great character actress able to play many roles and ages.”

(Yes, luv… and I’d make for a fabulous Beyonce.)

Now if you’re of the thinking, “But Paul, white actors were cast as Asians in highly visible projects, so it must be right” I answer; everyone involved in such casting was wrong to make implausible casting choices. (Yes, I’m arrogant enough to stand on my principle that entertainment cast color correct when a script, history or sensibilities dictate ethnic accuracy.)

To the actors who follow the misguided credo, “Submit and audition for anything and everything even if you’re not right for the role” know that the following is thought of you by the receiving casting personnel:

“Why is the actor wasting their time?”

“Why is the actor wasting my time?”

“How many dead brain cells does this moron possess?”

Yes, the last statement is immature but that is the inner monologue. And one that’ll kill an actor’s career. Because why would a director or casting director think of an actor for future casting when the prevailing perception of an actor is, “This actor hasn’t any self-awareness.”?

If actors do not know themselves, how then can an actor be expected to know and portray any entity?

Next!

My Best,
Paul

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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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Besos,

Paul

Tag: casting