First off, warm hello to my Twitter followers! Many of you have asked for career advice, so while I’ve been laying on the beach this week (yay, me!) I came up with this:
1. Subscribe to Backstage. Useful info every week. Someone recently DM’d me about the lack of opportunity in Texas (where she lives) and lo and behold, their July 31st issue was dedicated to The 2014 Texas Spotlight (I’m catching up on reading while I’m at the beach). Be sure to follow @backstage on twitter too.
2. Sign up for Actors Access and Casting Networks. Check regularly and keep your profile up to date with current credits and photos. Include your contact information in the body of your resume.
3. Create a Casting Alert on your gmail account.
4. Search Casting (and specific casting directors) on Twitter. See who actively posts info and follow them. You can find me @barbarabarna if you haven’t already.
5. Search Casting on Facebook. Every casting director has a facebook page. I have two and I post all the time.
Abel Intermedia Fan page and the Abel Intermedia Community group. We get some lively conversations going with the community group so be sure to join the fun.
Check out groups like Casting Call Connection, Casting & Production Notices and Casting Calls & Auditions. Many groups are now international.
6. Sign up for my mailing list. Find other casting directors’ newsletters and sign up. Become part of the conversation.
7. Follow Amy Jo Berman if you don’t already. Amy is a casting director and the former head of casting for HBO and generously offers her Tips On Acting to anyone who signs up for her blog, likes her Facebook page, follows her on twitter (@tipsonacting @amyjocasting) and subscribes to her YouTube Channel.
8. Think about your day job. Is it possible to find work (full, part-time, volunteer) that puts you in a creative community or at least in the business? It’s tough to follow your dreams and pursue your goals alone. Find like-minded travelers to support you.
Joy Behar was a receptionist at ABC when she was a divorced, single mom starting out in comedy. John Krasinski was an intern at Conan. Ellie Kemper was a receptionist there. Edward Burns was a production assistant at A Current Affair while he worked on The Brothers McMullen. Look around where you are and see where you can get a foot in the door.
