Winning Callbacks w/o The Casting Couch

Winning Callbacks w/o The Casting Couch

Not to burst bubbles here, but dozens of times I have been told after a callback that I am on avail, first refusal, or even on hold for the job or spot. Don’t go jumping up and down on that one, because until you get the booking or a wardrobe call, it means very little. It feels pretty good, but that’s about all you can count on. I was at one callback where the casting director came out in the waiting room and said, “All of you in the room are on avail.” And there were twenty of us there for that one role. Great, thanks so much. *Stoked*

Being up for a big role that's just between you and another actor is a pretty intense situation. If they end up choosing them, (especially after a callback), that can be pretty devastating. You just have to get back up off your butt and go after the next one. Sometimes it isn't easy. But I learned that I will get my share, and I will book a percentage, if I can be myself, hang in there and stay positive.

When I get a callback for a commercial, (or for anything else for that matter), I always wear the same wardrobe I wore for the initial audition. It helps to remind the people that selected you for a callback to remember who you are. The odds are they have seen a lot of people. You want them to think, “Oh yeah, I remember that guy.” Plus it helps me to feel more like that role again. It’s like I am playing me again version 2.0.

I follow pretty much the same habits and mechanical things as I did for the first audition, unless they offer me some direction when I get inside the room. Whatever it was that I did in the first place, they liked it and gave me a callback, so I try to stay true to that.

Sometimes, the campaign, or show may still be evolving a little, and the copy for the script may have changed. I always double check for that and look at the storyboard if there is one, outside the casting room area. I make any adjustments if I need to for it.

This is also another time that I make sure that I’m familiar with all the parts before and after mine so I don’t get caught flat footed. I study any other spots I’m not there for that are a part of the same campaign.

The callbacks are always interesting, and sometimes they can be pretty intense situations. They just auditioned 300 actors for a role. Three days usually have gone by, and two or three actors have gotten a callback for that part out of that mob.

Eyes wander in the casting waiting room. Everyone is sitting there looking at each other, knowing that one of us is getting this job. Then you find yourself in an audition room with around 20 people looking at you standing there on the mark. You've got the Ad agency people, the product clients, a few from the production company, the director, casting director, etc. It's hard to be relaxed in this kind of a stressful situation, but you learn to do it over time.

Building up your self confidence is the way to go, and that comes from experience. You get that from being in this situation a lot, and building it up. They are spending millions of dollars on their baby, and they want to be sure you are experienced, can handle it, are good, and professional. On the other hand, sometimes that’s all out the door, and it’s just a “look” they have in mind, and the director figures they can make it work with anyone. A body with a look is just a necessary inconvenience. It happens sometimes.

It’s easy to get a little rattled at a callback. Learn to relax, trust yourself, listen, and breath. There is a lot more pressure, because now I am very close to landing this role. So are the other people in the room with me.

I go in with the expectations that all the actors there are all either equal to me, or better than I am, because we all got the callback. So I need to be prepared, confident, and relaxed. I am going in that room with the mindset that I am going to beat the competition. At the end of the day, that’s what this has all been about. I have invested two days working for free already on this, and I am going to deliver. Period.

It used to be with callbacks they would just see a couple of actors for each role, now I see as many as twenty. There’s nothing we can do about that, except keep our focus, concentration, know our material, be confident, relaxed, and ready to make adjustments.

Inevitably, at one of these callbacks, you will hear someone loudly boasting about all the wonderful jobs they have done, implying how great they are and that you don’t have a chance against them. Some of them are just knuckleheads, but others are trying to get inside your head. They try and get you depressed and/or thinking that you can’t win against them. It can get to you if you allow it in. Don’t fall for that crap. It’s usually their intention, or they just need some attention, because they are probably weak themselves. Many of these characters can talk a big game, but in reality they probably haven’t done $hit. Don’t let those big egos get to you in there. It affects your confidence, and your audition.

I’ve seen a lot of mind games, and attempts to intimidate others going on in the waiting room, especially at callbacks. Some actors will try to psych you out in the waiting room, and they love trying to do it. Some even get off on it. Unfortunately there are some people like that when you get to the professional level.

Other times it’s done in more subtle ways with things like glaring at you, or just body posture. If you are sitting there all nervous about it, and someone else is sitting there confidently, relaxed and ready to go, that’s not good for you. I admit, I have been in both of those seats. Solutions? The same as before, I turn on my mp3 player, or I go to another part of the room to get away from it. Mostly I just try to tune it out however I can, and get my focus back on.

Many times at callbacks I will show up, and all of the other callback actors will be in the room at the same time, waiting for the clients and/or director to show up before they can get started. That happens a lot. I’m not into playing mind games or talking crap or even just passing the time chatting.

It may appear intimidating to others, but I just sit there confidently, looking relaxed, and prepared. I’m going in to get this job, I'm as good as the rest, and I don’t care who I am up against, I’m going to do my best and win. I don’t distract myself by thinking about the potentially huge amount of money that’s at stake here. This is not the time for that. It only puts unneeded pressure on you if you think about things like that. Put it all out of your mind.

When I go in the room, I try to be ready for anything. There have been times that I went in and all the other actors were a certain type, and I looked a lot different than the rest of them. Don’t freak out if you see this. The other actors are sitting there looking at you and thinking, “What the hell is this guy even doing here?” Remember that they gave you that callback for a reason, because you were good! So don’t let seeing something like that throw you off. I have booked many jobs where I was the “outcast” in the room. Tune it out, and focus.

They may have also changed the part you thought you were going to be reading for to a different one. Be sure to check it out, and be ready for something like that so you don’t get caught flat footed. Usually, it’s just another reading of the same part. I try to color it, and fill it out a bit more if I can. I always have a few different reads for the part ready to go just in case.

On occasion it can be that they are ready to hire you, they just want to see you one more time to really size you up. Most likely, all they have seen up until now is the first audition you did on the tape. It might be as simple as being asked a few questions, or maybe a personality style interview.

The director and crew on this job are going to be working with you all day long. They might want to be sure you can take some direction, and aren’t going to be some kind of scattered ego-maniacal prick or something when they meet you in person.

If you do a reading, and then you get some direction to read again, (and follow it), that’s a good sign. If you do that, and then they take some time to ask you a few questions afterwards, that’s a really good sign!

If the director gives me some direction, I listen to it very closely. In stressful situations we have a tendency to rush things. I take my time and process the new information. Just a few beats, but long enough so my brain can process it, and then my creative side can take over. On occasion I will ask for a moment to process their direction. They don’t mind that. I don’t want to blow this thing because I didn’t take my time with it.

I’ve made that mistake a few times, and spent days beating myself up over it. This is my callback, I’m going to own it, and own the room. I’m not going to fall into the trap of rushing it because they appear to be in a hurry. I’ve usually only got one chance at this, and that’s it. Then it’s over, and I’m left thinking, only if I had done this…

Often they are seeing twenty actors for each part, and they have to give out the same old instructions and direction repeatedly to each actor. After doing it a bunch of times, they tend to get impatient, and rushing things because it’s so repetitive going over it with each person. Think about how tedious that must be. That’s no reason for you to not take the time to think about the direction you are given, the adjustments you need to make for a few seconds. Just ask for it, it’s YOUR callback. And you want this job.

A few times I lightly joked about it with a director. “I need a few seconds for the logical analytical side of my brain to process the information, then the intuitive creative side of my brain is freed up to follow it better”. It impresses them if you are a thinking actor and taking their direction seriously. One of them actually said that exact thing to me after I was hired on a job.

If I’m not clear on something, I just ask about it. They like to know that you aren’t one of these actors that are afraid to speak up. If I’m not sure about something, I ask.

I always do my homework on a product, and their prior commercial campaigns. What kind of spots are they running right now? What kinds of things have they done in the past? Take some time to research the particular casting director also. An extra tidbit of information can go a long way. It’s easy to do a little quick research on the web now. This gives you a big edge on the other actors.

One time I was at a callback for a chewing gum, and I knew about their current campaign. In their commercials when the other two actors were kissing for too long, the third guy would roll his eyes because he had to wait for them for so long. The spot was a retread of the same concept. I already knew that, so when I auditioned I knew right when to roll my eyes as if I was in one of their current spots. This wasn’t even mentioned in the sides, (script) but I knew it was going to be in there.

When I got the job, during the lunch break, the director said he hired me because I was professional, familiar with their product, and it impressed them that I had done my homework.

At another one, I was there for a part as a dad in a soda pop commercial. They also were casting another spot as a part of the same campaign. It was a grubby convenience store/gas station clerk who was pictured in the storyboard wearing a baseball cap. I just had this strong feeling that I had a better chance of being cast in that role. It was almost as if that rough sketch sitting there on the wall was of me. So I studied it just in case I could get them to let me read for it. Listen to your instincts.

I carry my gas station guy cap in my back pocket or briefcase for something just like this. I went in and read for the dad part, with the cap folded up in my back pocket. I read for the dad role, and I could tell they were not feeling me for this role at all. A split second before they said thank you, next. I just said, “If time permits, I would like to give you a quick read on the gas station guy part.” And I paused…they paused...then one of them says, “Okay what the heck, go ahead.” I whipped out the cap, popped it on my head, and read the tag line for the other part.

The premise was, a guy sticks a car engine oil dip stick into a pop bottle, pulls it out and runs it across his lips as if to be checking it. Then he says, “Tastes like a winner!” So I made an imaginary bottle in one hand, dunked my finger in there, and then ran it slowly across my lips and delivered the tag line with lots of energy, and then a dopey expression of approval.

The entire room of ad executives, clients, and everybody else burst out laughing. I had just brought that spot to life. I thanked them, and left. Before I even got home, I was on hold for that role. When I actually did the shoot, they wanted me to do it exactly the same way I did at the audition. During one take I grabbed the plastic soda bottle too tight and the soda came shooting out the top, which was an obvious flub, but I crammed the dip stick in there and continued on through to the tag line. That "mis-take" ended up being the one they actually used in the spot. It was too funny.

I found out later from one of the ad guys, that they weren’t going to hire me until I did that gas station guy thing. He said the entire room all agreed that was exactly the vision they had for that spot, they loved it, and that’s why they hired me.

So I learned three things from that experience. One, study the other spots and roles. Two, if I screw up on a take, keep going. I learned that in live theater, doing stand up, and also from playing songs with bands. Three, listen to your instincts, and remember this is your callback. You have some power at this point to show them something if you ask for it the right way. They are looking for a quick read, and an honest reaction, or expression. Often our actual role in a commercial is five seconds or less, so there is no time to really develop a character. We have to just be “in the moment”, or even “in the second”.

Like I mentioned, sometimes at callbacks all they want to see is if you are relaxed enough to work with all day. Most of the time, all the actors they have chosen for the callback are more than qualified to do the job. They want to see what it’s going to be like working with us. I’ve found that having a sense of humor is a good thing to have in these situations.

Not to be standing there cracking jokes, or being a smart A$$, but if you can drop a quick funny line that is related to the job, or situation you are in, it indicates that you are relaxed even under very stressful situations. Which is exactly what most commercial shoots are like. They are very stressful and there is lots of pressure on everybody involved all the way down the line. The casting director, the clients, the ad agency, the production company, and the director. You can show them that you are at ease with a little humor, as long as it’s not too over the top.

Again, a lot of it is about reading the room, keeping your head in the game, and feeling the vibe in there. A lot of actors at callback are nervous, some of them tend to run their mouths, and say stupid things. I think very carefully about anything I say in the room. Anything I say can be a reflection on the casting director, especially if it’s negative.

There were three of us for this one role in a motel commercial as cowboys. We were all qualified, very convincing looking, and all very good for the part. Usually they bring the actors in one at a time for callback, but for this one, they brought us all in the room at the same time and lined us up. When it came to my turn, the director had me do the line of copy, and then asks a leading question, wanting to see my response to it.

He said to me, “Are you a real cowboy?” “Tell me about it.” I was honest, I felt being dishonest would be a stupid move. So I said in very serious cowboy way, “No, but I can rope, ride, and shoot...however, usually I get jobs where I’m being shot at!” I put my finger through the hole in my vest. Everybody in the room burst out laughing. I booked the job. The director later said to me that they all felt I that I would be easy to work with, and seemed relaxed. He also said they liked my neck. What? My neck?

It’s hard not to dwell on the decisions and/or mistakes I think that I may, or may not have made on that last callback. “If I would have just done this, or that.” It can make you crazy driving home, or even for days if you let it. Or even worse, for those that have to live around you. Hindsight is always so clear. Just say to yourself, I did the best I could under the circumstances. Time to focus on the next one.

Even if I am convinced that I blew the audition, I just focus on the next one. Honestly, this happened to me a few times. I was absolutely sure I hosed this one callback, and then I booked it! Huh? On many others, I was convinced that I nailed it…and then nothing. We just never know what they are thinking or really want. The key is to just be professional every single time.

Every time you go on a callback, more important people have seen you and your work. The more people you see, the better the odds are they might want to see you again. Always remember, if you got a callback, you did your job, and you did it well.

A lot of us at the professional level audition for commercials from three to five times a week. At minimum, that’s 150 auditions a year. I did this in Los Angeles for 14 years. That adds up to 1000’s of auditions. I averaged only working about twenty days a year, but I earned enough from those to live on, and buy a home for my wife and I.

I lot of what I’ve written here are the audition habits, techniques, mechanical things, and rituals I would do to give myself the best possible chance to beat the competition, and win the job. No doubt, you will develop winning habits for yourself from experience. My hope is that some of the things I’ve shared here will help you.

Something I learned was to go ahead and spend the money for very expensive comfortable shoes with good foot support to wear at auditions. Being comfortable on my feet is a key element for me. Usually an audition is only a minute or two in duration. When I’m standing there for that moment, I want to plant my feet on the mark, be grounded, be comfortable standing there, and do the best I possibly can. It may sound like nothing big, but it’s not. You often end up standing around for a while during the day, but that moment when I’m standing there auditioning, I need to be comfortable, and my feet need to be feeling good. Ask any waitress or dancer about it.

I broke down, went out and got the most comfortable walking shoes, and a pair of dress shoes I could find. Most dress shoes are not comfortable for me at all, so I would get high end black tennis shoes that appeared close to dress shoes for those situations where I needed them. I got a brown pair of Rockport walking shoes, and those felt like I was wearing moccasins to me, yet they still had the good foot support. Those were very comfortable; I liked the Dexter brand of dress walking shoes also.

I played a mechanic, maintenance man, a construction worker, and other similar blue collar characters a lot. So I went out and go the best, most comfortable construction boots I could find also. The low cut ones are better than the hi-top boots. Because it’s easier to turn, and to move in them. Find a pair with good foot support, yet don't weigh a ton either. When you get to stomping around in construction boots all day, the heavier ones tire you out quickly. When you wear these, you can better feel the part, because you kind of clod around in them. They even affect your stance, which is part of the character.

It’s obvious that I never really made it big as an actor, but I was very blessed to be able to work a lot, and managed to make a living doing what I really loved to do. Just to get any work at all in this industry is kind of a miracle in itself. I was very fortunate to be able to earn a living for as long as I did.

It can happen if you are willing work hard at it. But you can't just sit there, and wait for your agent to call you. You have to do a lot of the other work, brand, market, and promote yourself like any other product out there that you see being advertised.

The feeling of euphoria when you get a big job is hard to describe. There is also nothing like the rush of walking out on live TV in front of a studio audience, (and with 20 million people watching). There is this wall of energy that hits you smack in the body. Whoosh!

If you have this dream, don't regret that you didn't try to be an actor. Even if they all say you can't make it. And a lot of them did that with me. “Oh, you’re not the right type.” “You can’t make it as an actor.” It made me all the more determined, and it should with you, if you ever hear something that. If I could offer any advice it would be to go for it if you are thinking about it, and then you won't always have to wonder...What If ?

I ended up going to Hollywood with a suitcase full of junk and $2000. To be honest, yes I was a little scared. I had done lots of regional work, but this is Hollywood, where the best in the world are. You compete with seasoned professionals for roles in everything on TV, Films, and even in commercials.

They say that Hollywood has an actor on every street corner. They were pretty much right about that. Everybody is an actor out there. It took a long time for me before I landed a really big job. It was almost a year before I hit a big commercial. The way things were going, I thought I might never get one. I had around thirty callbacks for roles, but I just couldn't seem to land the big one...and I was starting to doubt myself. "Man, am I ever going to get a job in this town?" It’s just a matter of the odds. I didn’t realize it was 1 in 83 auditions, and that most actors out in Hollywood gross less than $5,000 in earnings in a year!

Many actors who go out to Hollywood, last a year or two, and end up going back home. I couldn’t help but think, "Is that going to happen to me?" But finally it clicked, and I then went on to make a pretty decent living doing really stupid stuff, and making lots of people laugh in the process. I don't mind looking stupid if it brings a little joy into someone's life. I was surprised how many actors had a real problem with looking dumb, or doing some job that might be bad for their "image", or thought it might “hurt” their ego. Some of these people just don’t have things in the right perspective. A SAG job is a good job, whatever it is.

I realized right away I could make a living if I didn't have any hang-ups about people laughing, or making fun of me. Once the casting directors found out that I had no problem at all looking silly either, I started getting a lot of work. That's probably my best piece of advice for someone heading out to chase their dream.

One thing that was odd was that, even though I played lots of different characters, people started to recognize me on the street. I guess when you have three or four commercials running around twenty times a day people think, “I think I've seen that guy...somewhere" kind of look. It’s funny.

90% of all the work I booked was all comedy, but I did do a little bit of drama here and there. For me it was pretty rare. Hollywood saw me as a character comedy guy, and that was pretty much it. You can try and brand yourself a certain way, but the town chooses who you are. It’s up to you to recognize it as soon as possible, be able to accept whatever it is, and go with it. Most of the time your agent will put you in certain categories for auditions, and that helps you to figure out where you fit the best.

Many actors I knew would fight that premise, and as a result they would struggle work wise. Some actors would only want to do drama in feature films. Others didn’t want to do television, or do comedy, etc. Me? I didn't care. Any union acting job is a good job. If it touches someone and brings a little laughter to their day, I figure that’s a good thing.

Here’s some good advice from something Frank Sinatra said: “Be on time. Know your lines. Hit your mark.” That sounds like pretty solid advice to me.

“Sure I can play to look 40. I just grab the back of my neck and pull the wrinkles out of my face.” -SR

Actor Social Networking & Having An Online Presence

Is the internet going to get you discovered? Probably not. Will it help increase your odds of being seen? Yes it will, and looking ahead, it is the future. You don’t need to be a visionary to see that. I noticed the online casting and actor directory sites started appearing around 1998. There are a couple that were there at the beginning where an actor could create a free profile, add headshots, credits, etc. And happily, some of them still do offer that service which is pretty cool since most of us are broke. They are in business to make money, so they offer different upgrades, or levels, tiers of service. Things like adding your demo reels, getting agent, and casting director labels, more photos, casting notices, these types of things. As of now, June 2010, I think it will still be awhile longer before they can really make a difference in your career. But the search engines are making this more of a viable thing. As an actor, you need to figure out how to increase your odds of getting found, and market yourself as much as you can. That’s the intent of my blog post here.

Think about it for a minute. You’re a casting director who has 4 days to cast 5 roles for a feature film, or a commercial. Agents submit photos, they call in actors they like for the roles and have them audition. I don’t think anything will ever replace you having to audition. An online demo reel may get you in the door, or help you to land a good agent, but don’t expect it to get you a gig. I mean seriously, do you think many casting directors hire people after seeing their reels, or go looking for them? Most of them just don’t have the time to go searching through endless casting and actor websites. Out of 1000’s of auditions in Hollywood, I had two directors ask to see it before they would audition me. For me, the demo reel was necessary to get a good agent with.

The odds that a few agents or castings directors are right now searching places like YouTube, MySpace, FaceBook, MeetUp, Yahoo Groups and Tweeting to find that new face, or fill a role is possible, but the reality is that it’s very slim. It takes 5 minutes just to find and see the first 10 seconds of a given actor’s reel. It could take hours just to see 25 actor profiles. They really don’t have the time for that, unless they happen to be looking, and stumble upon you and are intrigued by something. That part is up to you. Make yourself as marketable as possible within a few seconds. As an actor, you are offering a product…you. Your agent gets 10%, so you need to do 90% of the work. Marketing yourself online certainly can’t hurt.

Now we live in a world of instant gratification in videos and social networking. Casting has always been that way. Most people who see a profile, or click on a video move on in seconds if they aren’t grabbed instantly by it. So that’s your goal. Increase the odds that somebody will find you in a search, and watch your demo. So here’s a few tips to get found by searches, agents, and casting director’s. Maybe they will consider you, and watch some of your demo reel.

I’m seeing more and more actors, comedians, and performers creating online profiles, and also getting on the bigger social networking sites because they can see that it’s the future. (or at least we hope it will be.) If you’re not a “name” actor, there’s a couple little rules of thumb you can do to increase the odds that people will find you. Some of you may know most of this that follows, but please bear with me for those who may not.

Keywords. It’s obvious, but it’s a key element. If you have a MySpace profile, (I think MySpace will make a comeback.), or a FaceBook, etc. Rather than just putting your name down only, add the word “Actor” after it. So if your name is Mildred Flapsaddle, make it Milderd Flapsaddle – Actor. If somebody is looking for an actor, you will likely turn up earlier in a search that way.

The same thing with your video demo, it’s even more important to include the word “Actor” or "Acting" in the video title. Adding the words “Demo Reel” is a good idea also, because that’s really what you want people to find…samples of your work. Some directors and casting directors might go to YouTube or MySpace type sites to look for actor reels. Those are keywords they might search for to narrow things down a little. You can add “tags” to your videos also, be sure to do that. Some examples of good keywords are: actor, acting, film, TV, commercial, comedian, improvisation, movie, demo, reel, your city, and etc. This will make it easier to find you ahead of many others. If you don’t have a reel of your work, try and create one for yourself. Do a scene, monologue, clip from a play, a comedy sketch, or something. Just try and make it as good as possible. You don’t want to look like an amateur out there. Replace it when you get some “reel” credits.

I think YouTube, and MySpace are great for actors, and performers, because you can put your demo reel up there free on both sites. You can pimp your profile out a little, add headshots, job photos, even add a blog with job stories. Be creative, you are an artist after all, and it shows some personality. There is a lot of other video sites you can upload your demo reel to, do a search for them. Keep an eye out for video or social sites that might have the potential to be growing in popularity. Once you have the video up, you can link and share them on other sites like FB, Twitter, etc. Many of the actor websites charge you to have your demo on there, so this is an economical way to do it. I guess if you have the money to pay for that, it might help with some of the more prominent actor websites. Prices vary a lot. I think under 10 bucks a month sounds reasonable if they offer you a decent looking functional actor profile.

This following is just my opinion. I like 2 actor websites that have been there pretty much from the beginning of the online actor websites. NowCasting.com and ActorsAccess.com As of today, (June 2010) they both still offer a free actor profile, if you register with them. It is a bottom level tier, but it is free. You can add a couple of headshots, some credits, partial resume, and contact info. These are some ways to have at least a basic actor’s website. I know there is a number of other sites out there like those, but these are 2 that I know of, and they have been around for 10+ years. Keep in mind, that they offer upgrades for a nominal fee. They are, after all, a business, and in business to make money.

If you are a SAG member, there is also the Academy Players Directory, and the Internet Movie Data Base. (You can set up a webpage for yourself if you have some credits listed on IMDb.) These do charge a fee, but it pays to advertise if you can afford it, and it can’t hurt to be in their searchable databases. I think many industry people use these much more than they did in the 1990’s.

You just need to be careful what actor sites you choose, because there are a lot of scammers out there looking to take advantage of actors trying to break into the business. Be sure to research anyone you are spending hard earned money on. It’s easy to get other actor’s opinions now, do a search, or ask questions on the actor newsgroups in your area.

Don’t forget about the more prominent photo sharing sites like Picassa, and Flickr. You can put your headshots out there. Yet another way to be found. Again, add a short blurb to each photo, as well as relevant keywords in the titles, and of course add the tags. I think as a general rule of thumb, that with these sites, the social networking and so forth, is that once you post something on the web, consider that everyone will be able to see it. Even though you might have the privacy settings the way you want them, I think it’s best to assume that anyone will be able to see anything that you post anywhere, anytime. We do want to get discovered, but it’s something to keep in mind.

You might want the general search engines to find you as well. On the ones like Google, you can set up a personal profile. I wouldn’t put too much personal information out there, or on any of the social networking sites. But you can make it an actor profile. You can add a Picassa photo gallery, a bio, a Blogspot blog, a YouTube video, even a link to your personal actor website. (Which I hope that you have. There’s no excuse not to have something basic out now.) This increases the odds that you might be found in a search. Just remember to add that word, “Actor”, or Singer, Dancer, Comedian, etc. if it applies.

So back to the social networking sites for a moment. You have to do exactly that, network, and add contacts. With sites like FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, and the growing numbers of other ones out there, it’s important to build up your friends, contacts, and industry related friends as quickly as possible. The more you add, the more effective it will be. As an experiment, try putting the word actor, or casting in the social site’s search box and see who pops up. That’s where you want to be, in the first 100 results. So add friends, join the acting groups, and the actor – acting related pages. On your status profile try to put useful, interesting, or helpful material out there if you can.

If you post uninteresting stuff just to look busy it turns some people off. And it’s even worse if you post too often. I think a once a week posting is plenty, unless something exciting is going on. If you start posting crap out there 3 times a day, you might start losing friends. Most people don’t care if you took the family to “zombie world, and have a new pimple on your butt”. Be serious about it. Talk about an audition experience or something, a new job photo, a casting you heard about that you aren’t right for, but someone else might be right for. Post whatever you can think of that is helpful, or interesting. Think about why you would like to look at someone else’s page. This will keep people wanting to come back an visit your site. If you offer something worthwhile, that’s the key to getting traffic to your profile, your page, and getting them to come back. Maybe it will even lead to a job, or a good opportunity. I hope it does. Best of luck!

Copyright © Shannon Ratigan All Rights Reserved.

Commercial Auditions & Working On Star Trek

I worked as a character actor / musician in Hollywood for 14 years. A few times, I got to combine the two. Most of my income was from commercials. It was just the area I excelled at. I was seen as a commercial character "type" by most of the casting directors. The SAG average for booking a commercial is like 1 in 83 auditions. That's a little tough on you over time, and it really frustrated a lot of my actor friends. Many of them hated commercial auditions, because most of the time, you have no idea what they want from you. (sometimes neither did they) And you have a 60 second audition after a 2 hour drive, to show them, and convince them you are the "one" out of like 200 other character guys. Improvisation skills were very important with this kind of work. I think that helped me the most. Doing open "mic's" at comedy clubs helped a lot with my comic timing. It was free training.

Then 2 or 3 guys would get a callback out of this mob. That's always interesting in the casting waiting room sitting there looking at each other, thinking one of us is getting this job. The other one isn't. Then you are in an audition room with like 20 people looking at you standing on the mark. You've got the Ad agency people, a few from the production company, the director, casting director, etc. It's hard to be relaxed in this audition situation, building up self confidence was key. They are spending millions on their baby, and they want to be sure you are experienced, and good. On the other hand, sometimes it's just a look they want.

Being able to not play it safe, and take risks seemed to be the way to go. They either love you, or hate you that way. When you can help them bring their concept to life, or suggesting things they may not have thought of - that got me hired a few times. I would always ask for a second chance audition, by saying I'd like to show you another take on this, or do it a different way. It almost always works. If you ask can I do it again? They just say no. I would always suggest that I had a second character for the audition. (But it had to be completely different.)

If you get cast as a principal player in a commercial, and you appear in it, regardless of if you have a speaking part or not, (unlike in films or TV) you still get the big residuals, and can literally live off one spot for years, if it is Class A national, and runs for a few cycles of use. (13 weeks is a cycle) That pays very well. If they really like the spot, the maximum period of use is 18 months, and after that your agent usually renegotiates with them for a higher rate. Yum. For cable TV they just give you a buy out.

Of course on the other hand, a spot can run 2 weeks and that's it, or not at all. I had a few that ran 4 years, and a few that ran a week, or never aired at all. So I never got excited until I actually saw it on TV for a period of time. Once in a while on the set if the director was friendly, I would ask what influenced him to hire me? And I would get the strangest answers...we liked your neck. LoL What?

The real acting in that industry was is in just getting hired. The actual job was like a reward. That part I found challenging and fun. But there is major ups and downs working professionally as an actor. The feeling of euphoria when you get a big job is hard to describe. There is nothing like the rush of walking out on live TV in front of a studio audience, (and 20 million people watching) There is like this wall of energy that hits you. Whoosh! On the other hand, being up for a big role that's just between you and someone else and they choose him, after like 2 callbacks was equally devastating. You just had to get back up off your butt and go after the next one. Sometimes it wasn't easy. But you will get your share if you can hang in there.

That long 11 month commercial strike they had back in 1999, was pretty devastating for some of us. And the heck of it is, we didn't really even gain much of anything from it. Except wiping out our savings we had saved up for slow, or hard times. Rather than elect a SAG president as was always done in the past, the membership elected a group of actors calling themselves, "The Performers Alliance" as the president. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but when the commercials contract came up for renegotiation, it slogged on for almost a year and that prolonged strike hurt a lot of us who were just trying to earn a living doing what we loved to do. Thankfully they elected an individual as the SAG president after that. Unfortunately it was to little to late for a lot of us, many of us left LA as a result.

I never really made it big as an actor, but I was very blessed to be able to work a lot, and managed to make a living doing what I really loved to do. Just to get work in this industry is a miracle in itself. I was very fortunate to be able to earn a living for as long as I did. If you've got this dream, I say go for it. It could be possible if you are willing work hard at it. You can't just sit there, and wait for your agent to call you. You have to check the trade papers, market and promote yourself like any other product is advertised.

It was time consuming and expensive, but I did mail outs to all the casting directors about four times a year. There was like 150 commercial casting directors alone, and about 250 film and TV casting directors. So I would pick 100 of them for a mail out every four months, and work down the list. Did it produce a lot of jobs over the years? No. Did it produce a few really good jobs? Yes. So in my humble opinion, it's worth the expense. Then you have the production companies, TV shows, films in preproduction, Ad agencies, game shows, and on and on. (Those reality shows came later, but I probably would have auditioned for those.) It's not a bad idea to get a postcard headshot done, and do a follow up mail out a month later. Or just use those for mail outs. I found that sending a full size headshot, resume, and 2 paragraph cover letter worked the best. One casting director told me postcards make great coasters.

If you have this dream, don't regret that you didn't try to be an actor. Even if they all say you can't make it. And a lot of them did. It made me all the more determined. If I could offer any advice it would be to go for it if you can, and then you won't always have to wonder...What If I didn't go for it?

So the short story is, off I went to Hollywood with a suitcase full of junk and $2000. Yeah, to be honest, I was a little scared. I had done some regional work, but this was the Big leagues. You compete with the best in the world for roles in anything on TV, Films, even Commercials. They say that Hollywood has an actor on every street corner. They were right. It took about a year, before I landed a big job. I thought I might never get one. I had like 30 call backs for roles, but just couldn't land the big one...and I was starting to doubt myself. "Man, am I ever going to get a job in this town?" I thought.

Most actors who go out to Hollywood to be an actor, last a year or so, and go back to Paduka. "Is that going to happen to me?" But finally it happened, and I then went on to make a pretty decent living doing really stupid stuff and making people laugh. I don't mind looking stupid if it brings a little joy into someone's life. I was surprised how many actors had a real problem with looking dumb, or doing some job that might be bad for their "image", or hurt their ego.

I realized right away I could make a living if I didn't have any hang ups about people laughing at me. Once the casting directors found out that I had no problem looking silly, I started to get a lot of work. That's probably my best piece of advice for someone heading out to chase their dream. One thing that was odd, even though I played lots of different characters, people start to recognize you on the street when you have 3 or 4 commercials running like 20 times a day. I do miss that a little now and then. I think I've seen that guy...somewhere...

90% of the work I did was comedy, but I did get to do a little bit of drama. For me it was rare, Hollywood saw me as a character comedy guy, and that was pretty much it. This town pretty much chooses who you are, you just have to recognize it right away, be able to accept it, and go with it. Many actors would fight that, and as a result they would struggle work wise. Some would only want to do drama in features, etc. Me, I didn't care...you want me to be slimed? No problem. $600 to dump a 55 gal. barrel of green (food color) oatmeal & corn syrup on my head? I'm okay with that.

Working On Star Trek

I did get to play a Romulan officer 3 times on Star Trek The Next Generation. "The Mind's Eye", "The Chase"and "Timescape". I had the character names: Tarus, Tharket, and Realm. I later ended up seeing my characters on 3 sets of playing cards, in games, publicity photos, and a bunch of other stuff. That was cool. I didn't get paid for That!...But it was cool.

Its kind of funny, I get more credit for working on the show some 15 years later that I did at the time. Publicity photos of me are on a bunch of Trekie websites, and I get a kick out of that. If you search on Star Trek and my name you can check it out.

Working on that show was like a childhood dream come true. I grew up reading Science Fiction, and watched all the original Star Trek episodes as a kid, and I used to pretend I was on The Enterprise. I never imagined I would actually be on the bridge someday, beaming in and out, and blasting the good guys with phasers. I couldn't help but think to myself now and then on the set..."and I'm getting paid for this?" (Dude, I think I might have paid them. I think most people would. Especially those guys at those conventions.) Even though I was only a special ability player on the episodes I worked on (no lines, no residuals, or screen credits) It basically means you have scenes where you interact with the stars of the show. It's the area between an extra and a principal player. The pay rate with overtime, & meal penalties would average $600 for the day, and usually it was 3 days of the week for an episode. So it was pretty good pay for back in the day. (Heck, it's decent even now!)

There's a picture of me to the right from Star Trek in my Romulan get-up. The typical job was like this...A 4 am call time on the set, then 3 hour make up session in a chair, air brushed, Gluing rubber face "appliances" on you, wigs, etc. then zip you off to wardrobe. Then something the PA's called a non descript meal. We got no actual time to eat it, because by then it was off to the set. So we joked about it and a "ND meal" actually ment no dang meal! The costume was one piece, which was a little bit of a problem. It had to be removed from the back by someone else. How embarrassing was that trying to take a leak? That uniform was like a straight jacket. I had to have someone help unzip it from behind. Now I know how the ladies must feel in a nightgown.

So the work day was like 14 hours sometimes. (lots of golden OT time) The actual acting work time starts 8am - 10pm. Then after the fun part of playing a Romulan, At like 10pm it was 2 more hours of getting all that make up and medical glue off of you. Man, after 10 hours of wearing that stuff on your entire face, you want it off...badly. For days after, I was always picking pieces of it out of my hair. I didn't care. I felt kind of bad for the basic extras. They had to go through all the same make up process, and long work day for under $100. Some of them would refer to the studio as Planet Hell. LoL That still cracks me up.

The head make up artist/designer once told me the make up job on me was over $5000 worth, and that numerous celebrities would come in on Halloween to have him specially do it for them. Little did they know, it was a 3 hour mudpack in a chair. Ha! Mike would always joke with me about my nose. It needs no appliance (foam rubber crap they glue on you), or add ons, It's perfect looking just as it is. He always had a new "big nose" joke for me every episode I worked on. Hey, whatever helps you get hired! One time I was on the set while they were setting up the lighting for a shot, and Riker says to me: "Hey they did a really great job on your nose!" I was like, dude...they didn't do anything to it...it's mine. We both had a good laugh.

I really appreciated the make up crew getting me out of there as quickly as they possibly could. They were like tattoo artists. Really skilled at what they did, air brushing layer after layer of make up on you. But getting all that crap off you, was a bitch!

Anyway...Welcome to My "Space" - Live Long...and Prosper...
Don't make me use the cloaking device...

Starving Actor Funny Audition & Casting Stories

I guess I'm a little superstitious. I'll do something before a call back, and then if I get the job, I tend to make that a habit. Usually it's something to do with clothes, or the route driven. But on the way to this audition, I stopped by my favorite java joint, The Coffee Bean. I liked it better than Starbucks. I was just running over my lines for a callback on a big feature film. I was right outside Culver Studios leaning up against a telephone pole enjoying my pricey gourmet coffee. Perhaps I should have been more aware of my surroundings and the costume I was wearing.

Sometimes I like to leave from home in costume, as it helps me to feel more like the character I am playing for some reason. So here I was dressed as a homeless guy with all the trimmings, leaning up there all dirty and scraggly looking. Some big wig executive walked by, and I guess I was so convincing looking in my bum get up, that he dropped a handful of change into my near full coffee bean coffee cup! And just strolled on by. Hey!!! Needless to say I was a little stunned. What could I say? I had to laugh. Then I realized a $5 cup of coffee was just sacrificed for 65 cents. But later on, I managed to get the job. So now when I audition for a bum I get the coffee and try to panhandle a little bit beforehand. I figure it's good practice for my retirement.

I got to a callback on a commercial for a major brand of tennis shoes. And to my delight the director said, "You have the job, but you must be able to fit into this size eight pair of shoes. They are specially made by the ad agency." Well, I wear a size eleven shoe so naturally I said, "I can do it no problem." I crammed those things onto my over sized feet. Man I've got to tell you, it hurt like the dickens. But that's how badly some of us want this. It can be very hard to get work sometimes, it's not like a regular job. So they have me going for hours doing sit-ups and calisthenics as they photographed the bottom of my stupid feet while looking up at me. Ironically this worked real well because it was so painful it looked like I really was a workout pro. For me just going to 7-11 is a workout. To truly add insult to injury they called me at home that night. They had lost the shoes and wanted to know if I had taken them. What? Believe me I never wanted to see those stupid sneakers ever again.

My first year out in Hollywood my agent calls and asks if I could drive a semi tractor trailer. I shouldn't have done this, but I was so anxious for work back then that I said, "Yes!" I hung up the phone and dashed out to the nearest truck stop and bribed this truck driver to give me a crash course. (hopefully not literally) He showed me the trucker technique and terminology. I managed to bluff my way through the auditions, callbacks, and got the job. You asked for it bub. I was pretty nervous the day of the shoot, since I really had no clue how to drive the darn thing. Fortunately for me, the real acting came when they explained that this was a brand new truck and the dealership would prefer it if their own man could do the moving shots. "Aw gee, that's too bad. I was looking forward to destroying it. You only want me for the close ups?" Nuts.

After a few reasonably productive years in Los Angeles, I'd had lots of commercial auditions, but only a few readings for features. Then one day there it was in the trade paper. "MALE PRINCIPAL ROLE, MUST PLAY A TV." Well, now I'm from a very small town in the Midwest and only recently learned that TV means transvestite, not television! So, I looked in the mirror and asked, "So Dude, are you willing to do anything for Union scale?" Pause..."YES!"..."Do you want it THIS bad? "Yeah I think so"

Well, I bit off more than I could chew. I approached my girlfriend, curious about her reaction to the idea. Her enthusiasm for dressing and making me up was a bit of a surprise (after she stopped laughing her ass off). Then all of a sudden, I'm in her black, sheer evening gown, black pumps, socks in a bra, and all the trimmings. After a long drive to the audition trying not to be seen in heavy traffic on the 101, I got there but I needed to use the bathroom. But, wait a minute, which one? I didn't want any guys to see me like that, but I didn't have the nerve to use the ladies room. So I decided to wait it out! Smart move Sherlock.

During the audition I died like the straight dog that I am. I just couldn't relax and get into it in that get-up. My reading sucked, and when I was asked, I didn't know the difference between transsexual and transvestite. (I guess I don't get out much!) So I slinked out of there, and slumped out the door feeling pretty defeated. To make things even worse, my smart-alec girlfriend had the camera at the car door, and snapped a few photos of me. Aw come on man! And to this day she uses them (very effectively) to get her own way. I ended up marrying her. What choice did I have. And no, I'm not posting that picture here. Ever. Anywhere. Forget it!

This story is one of hers. And it gives you an idea why I married her. I've played a variety of homeless guys over the years. I get all the glamour roles. But in this one particular feature film the make up gang really did a fine number on me. They greased up my hair with hot oil, made up my teeth to look as if I hadn't brushed them in years, then put a nice thick layer of dirt and grime on my skin and the tattered clothes I was wearing. I got them to snap a photo of me to show my new persona to her when I got home.

It happened that she was going back to her home town for the 20th high school reunion. Now, the school she went to was quite a bit on the snobbish side. She was the poor kid in class. And, she pretty much knew in advance how the conversations would go. Starting with "Oh, you're married. What does YOUR husband do?" She was quite correct and when she responded that I was an actor, they wanted to know what I looked like. So, then she pulls out that picture of me as a bum. The silence was intense as her socially correct former classmates racked their brains for an appropriate response. Most gratifying of all was the fact that those few she had made friends with in high school caught on to the joke.

On a typical day of concocting hair-brained schemes to try and get work, I heard on my favorite FM radio morning show they were having a Valentines Day mass wedding ceremony for 45 couples. They explained they needed a wedding day band for the event. In school I played percussion in the school marching band, orchestra, and later worked with the Philharmonic Symphony for a few years. (Then I went to Florida for a vacation and stubbed my toe on "Miami Vice") (But that's another story) Anyway, I felt uniquely qualified for the job.

But at that time I had no musical equipment, heck, I sold it all to get out to LA. But when I heard the musicians to be used would be paid $300 each to play at this mass wedding, I started scrambling around the house looking for some kind of instrument that I could audition with. People were auditioning over the phone with the strangest instruments and being hired! Some guy with a bunch of power drills, another with arm farts, and other oddities that didn't belong in a band. So, I thought about it a little and lined up a row of 12 water glasses to the diatonic scale, each corresponding to musical notes. Then I called into the show and auditioned by playing "Here Comes the Bride" on my glass xylophone. That was easy enough, having played timpani and the chimes in the past. Then the DJ says, "Come on man, Impress us" Somehow I managed to clang out "Stairway To Heaven" on my water glasses. It was really funny, and hey hired me on the spot. Cool. I knew all those music lessons would pay off some day.

I'm pretty proud of my track record of having never missed, or been late for an audition. You have to, or you're toast. Last year I came pretty close. I was driving on the 101 freeway from the valley to Westside Casting. All of a sudden Blam! A blow out in 4 lanes with everybody hauling 70 mph in the fast lane in heavy traffic. Probably the only time it wasn't a stop and go 20 mile an hour experience. Good 'ol LA traffic. I gripped the wheel and held it steady, but nobody would let me pull in front of them to get over to the shoulder! This was pretty freaky, semi's blowing by me, the car lumbering like a boat. Finally, a kind motorist saw my predicament and slowed so I could get over. (In LA? Oh come now!).

After my heart stopped pounding, I regained my composure and sized up the situation. Okay, a flat I can handle that and still make the audition. (I always leave an hour early, just in case.) I had recently gotten a new used car, and to my amazement there was locking hub caps. Whoever heard of such a thing! And of course no key in the glove compartment. I had no choice but to try and pry that thing off there with the tire iron, but it was just hanging there not letting me get to the rim. So I just drove on the shoulder to the next exit, with that stupid thing flopping around smacking the ground as I hobbled along. I got to a ramp finally, and started limping down the road looking for a gas station or anything I thought could help out. There was none in sight. It seemed like I was driving forever, and here's this hub cap smacking against the pavement with each revolution of the tire. Finally it just gave out and went wildly spinning out ahead of me. Looked like a dumb episode of Cops. Thank you.

At last, I can change the tire and get on my way. But, in the process I ended up all covered with grime and grease. Of course I've got no rags or anything. I had planned it pretty well, allowing plenty of extra time for traffic. I had just enough time left to beat it to the audition. I got there looking pretty messed up, figuring I was toast. But to my amazement the part was for a janitor! I just looked a little heavy on the make up, right? What an adventure. I got a callback, and the job. It was for Big Red gum, and ran 4 years.

Sometimes you just never know when you will get a break. It never seems to happen the way I think it will. I've had directors literally scream at me at a callback, and figure there's no way I got this one. And then I get hired. Huh? Perhaps some of them just want to see how well I deal with pressure. The opposite is true as well. Sometimes I feel like man I nailed it, and then nothing. Go figure. Like I mentioned, I started doing stand up comedy mainly to sharpen my comic timing, and deal with the unexpected. I got to the point where I was pretty respectable. I liked to write a new routine each week. It's pretty risky, sometimes I'd tear it up. Other times I'd bomb. I just felt like doing the same routine over and over was boring.

So, this one night there was this big comedian contest with a big prize. A guest star role on a sit-com. Man that's a sweet prize. I did my best, but I just wasn't on that night. I was a little out gunned also. I knew I hadn't done well, and I was feeling pretty awful as I left the club. A popular TV show was auditioning comedians outside the club for something. Some guy who had seen me in the comedy club saw me, and followed me to my car and asked me to audition. I really didn't feel like it, I felt like $hit.. But I was flattered I was even asked to do so. So I shook it off and did my thing. The policy of this particular show was to tape you, and if the producers liked it and used it, you get scale. (If you were union) If not, you got to be on TV, get a salad shooter & some press on nails. Of course people will do just about anything to get on TV for free now! I'll be doggoned, because they had me on during three seasons of episodes. It was America's Funniest people.

I worked on the Gong Show a few times also. These kinds of shows were advertised in the trade papers like Dramalouge, and Backstage that you could audition for without an agent once a week. You just write up your own sketch, or routine, and audition. You could do 2 different bits. It was a great way to supplement our income. I would run into a lot of character actors over and over at these, and it was kind of funny. We would have these crazy normal conversations waiting to audition, "Wha'd you come up with this week Charlie?" "I'm Jaque Cou-strap this week." LoL He played the piano and sang a parody song with a jock strap over his face. The unknown comic was my favorite. He even sat in the audition room with that bag over his head.

Obviously, this was not your normal kind of job. When you were hired for the Gong Show, you would hang in this huge lunchroom size waiting room with all these bizarre people. They would shoot 5 episodes on a Friday, so the room was packed with 100's these crazy people! All rehearsing their routines, it was mass madness on a grand scale. Like on Idol or something. If you drew the last episode you sat there for hours. I felt bad for some of these people, because some of them really thought this was going to be their big break and that they would get "discovered" only to be Gonged big time. Some of them were really devastated when it happened. Most of us "regulars" just wanted to get on the show, do something funny, and get gonged. Then crack a funny joke with the host. My best line was when he said to me, "Well, the panel gonged you." (Weird AL got me that time) I quipped back, "That's okay, I've seen better panels on the interior of my Chevy van."

Again, we got scale if you were union. If not, another salad shooter. I loved working on that show. Weird AL hooked me up later with Jeff Foxworthy to be the redneck in his show. How cool was that?

You just never know whose life may intersect with yours on a given day in this business...
So there I was, a full body make up Grey Zombie. My entire body painted with make up, (except for the parts with the loin cloth over them) and then airbrushed with more make up over that. Complete with dark blue bruises, veins sticking out, a bloody arm, all my hair glued straight up in the air, colored grey white. And to top it off facial appliances that kept my face in practically one expression...Ha!

I was at the Hollywood Center Studios where I took a bathroom break after like 7 hours on the set of Exorcist 3. I'm standing there at the studio urinal, and who walks in but (the late great) George Burns. Apparently he had one of his offices there at the time, and was working late that night. So here I am taking a leak with George Burns...after the longest moment he sized me up and true to his straight man persona said to me in the straightest of voices, "So...you come here often?" I had to have a snappy comeback! This is George Burns! I just instinctively said, "Yes...but you're not grey enough" and he busted up laughing. We had a good laugh together. That was a moment I'll always cherish. I really admired him, I practically grew up listening to him on Burns and Allen. I'm still a big fan of Old Time Radio shows like Jack Benny. A dream come true...to do a standup joke with George Burns...I just never figured it would happen in the crapper. (and no, there was No toe tapping involved!)

Hey, have you got an Unusual or Funny Casting Story to tell? Please share you casting adventures with me (us) in the comments.