One of the courses that I’m currently taking at UCLA Extension is called Pre-production and Production for Film and Television.
It’s a fantastic course! I’m learning so much. In yesterday’s class we got an interesting tip from a guest speaker that have worked many years as a casting director.
One of the international students asked:
Is it ok for me as an international actor to call up a casting director and say “Hi, my name is …. I’m new in town and would like to send you my reel. ”
Her answer was:
“NO, it is not ok to call up casting directors with a question like that. We don’t want to get bombarded with phone calls.”
I kinda knew this would be the answer but then she said something I have never heard before:
“However, it is ok to reach out to casting director assistants. Send a nice email where you introduce yourself and forward them your reel. They are much more likely to have time to watch it and will recommend you to the casting director if they like it.”
I really appreciated this tip because there are so many do’s and donts’ in Hollywood. Finally some good advice on how to get around one of the many do-not rules here.
I just had to share it with you, my fellow international actors – and this is great for American actors to know as well 😀
Now, all we have to do is find out how to find casting director assistants lol…. Check IMDb pro perhaps? Any suggestions are welcome.
Cheers,
Ina