Industry Do's and Do Not's: #2

We’re back with more more FYI’s to keep in your back pocket!

• DO: Request semi-annual and/or annual meetings with us. We will delight in discussing your progress throughout the previous year, offer constructive criticism, notate your goals for the next, and strategize on how to achieve those goals.
• DO NOT: Rush your own progress or goals by desiring career evaluation, submission statistics, or audition data from us on a weekly or monthly basis. We understand you’re anxious to track your professional development. Keep in mind that there is only so much relevant or meaningful feedback we can offer you within a certain time frame, and the more time you commit to your craft the more substance we have to review with you. If we have something specific to discuss with you, we won’t hesitate to do so!

• DO: Consolidate your emails within distinct and organized threads separated by subject or project.
• DO NOT: Start a new email thread or respond in a separate email if we already have an active conversation on said topic brewing. This is how things get lost in translation, misinterpreted, or confused – we need all of the context to best work together on a question, problem, or solution. (And, we can respond much faster if conversations are fluid and organized, so we aren’t spending our time searching our inbox’s!)

• DO: Always bring a hard copy of your headshot and resume (in the proper format) to an in-person audition or callback, even if you think you won’t need it.
• DO NOT: Rely on the Casting Office to provide you with the things you should have brought with you. Don’t forget your sides, HS/R, a bottle of water, a hair brush, a phone charger, etc. Whatever you need to do your best work is your responsibility to remember – it is no one’s job to provide it for you. Keep a check list!

• DO: Read the descriptions, notes, and instructions for auditions and callbacks thoroughly and carefully before you jump in. Follow the audition formatting as requested, know the character as well as you can, and understand the context of the project you are participating in.
• DO NOT: Skim the technical notes, pass over the formatting instructions, or assume you innately know what the client is looking for -- these specific submission requirements and creative requests come directly from Casting and Creative, not us! Forfeiting attention to detail could make or break your chances for the role when compared to someone who took the extra time to be thorough and do their homework. Just read it over one more time before you proceed! It can only help you to focus on the details.

And with that: keep killin’ it, Ham Fam!

AUTHOR: LARA FREEMAN-ERBIN