The Number 1 Site for Auditions: Actors Access
So, you're an actor and you would love to get some jobs? Get some bookings?
Yes! Let me help you.
Want to know my number one website for finding bookings and auditions? Actors Access. I love this website. I have been using it for over a decade. It is amazing, trustworthy, and safe. Actors Access is just one of the ways that you can share your marketing materials with film/tv/commercial casting directors who are interested in booking people like you.
Let me break down how to submit to jobs on Actors Access works. Casting directors are hired by production companies to find an array of talent for every role. Important Note: a casting director does not pick the final choice. Rather, they are in charge of collecting and presenting all the possible talent for the company to choose. The company chooses who they want to work with in the end.
The first step that a casting director takes is creating a breakdown. What’s a breakdown? It’s a list of roles that they are looking to hire. They put this breakdown on what's called Breakdown Services. This is the back-end of Actors Access. Only agents, managers, and casting directors have access to this. You and I can't just look on Breakdown Services and see that information, you have to have a special login for that.
Let’s take a look at what you can access, starting with your profile. Your most important tool on Actors Access is your profile. You want to make sure that your profile is complete and that your headshots look amazing. You should also have a performance video, a slate shot, and a resume.
So let's break your profile down one at a time, shall we?
About Me
Make sure everything in your “About Me” is correct and up-to-date. At the top, you have your personal information. At the bottom you have your skills and athletic abilities. Make sure whichever skills you have checked are things that you can actually do when you walk into the audition room. You don't want anyone to ask you to say something in another language or with an accent, and not be able to do it. It just doesn't look professional.
Photos
Your first two photos on Actors Access are free and you have the opportunity to add additional photos for $10 each. Only upload additional photos that show an entirely different look. Maybe you have one that's sassier, one that's a bit more dramatic, and one that's a little more commercial.
Resume
Next we have your resume. Just like a regular resume, we want to make sure that the first column says the name of the show, the second column says your role, and the last column says the company or the production company.
Video
Make sure you include a description of each video. This helps your agencies know which clip to choose for each role. If they can’t tell the type of acting from the title, they're not going to watch it every single time they submit you for something.
Size Card
Make sure your sizes are updated and you can fit the clothes that the size card says you can fit. There is nothing worse than showing up to a shoot where they don't have your size because you didn't give them the current ones.
Let’s find a job!
You’re on Actors Access and your profile looks amazing. You’re ready to submit for an audition. Navigate to Breakdowns and choose your city. Scroll down through roles and see if there's something that’s a good fit.
Found something? Great. Click on the breakdown and look through the details on the right-hand side of the page. this is where you will find the most important information: the date it was posted, the name of the show, the production company or theater, the people working on the production, the dates you need to be available, the location, and the pay.
I like to focus in on the casting director and the casting associate because those are the names that you're going to start to see over and over. Remember those names and keep an eye out for them.
Then I like to confirm the location. Please make sure you're submitting for stuff that's actually in your location.
Most importantly, look at the biographical details of the role (gender, age, etc.) to make sure you are a match for the role. If you see a role that says “play age seven,” that does not mean that they have to be age seven. That means that you have to look age seven. I’d rather hire an 11 year-old that looks seven than hire a seven year-old and have to deal with working with a younger child. Just the honest truth.
You can also check the deadline for the submission to plan around that.
Ready to submit for a role? Choose the role, one of your headshots, and the video that you want to share. Include a note if there's anything you’d like to include in your submission. Then, add the submission to your cart. Now don't disappear quite yet, you still have to check out -- It's like shopping, and we like shopping!
In your cart, you have all the roles that you are submitting for. If you have the monthly account, everything on Actors Access is free: your videos, submissions, everything. If not, every submission can cost about $2-$5 depending on the role. I pay about $20 a month for the subscription. Then hit submit.
You have successfully sent in your marketing materials to all those casting directors in hopes that they will bring you in for an audition. Congratulations, you’re on your way!