ACTORS: LAUNCH YOUR CAREER (Your 1st Job, The Thespian’s Secret of 1 Cattlecall & 2 Callbacks)

ACTORS, CASTING DIRECTORS & YOUR 1st JOB

Attn Actors: Hollywood is looking for you.

Yo Actors stop listening to those alleged professionals, protecting their small niches, telling you how much training you need and the necessity of being in the actors union (aka: SAG or Screen Actors Guild) to be taken seriously at your craft.

Just get your bloody headshot ($50-$80 bucks), possibly a 2-4 minute Demo Tape ($300+/-), a list of Casting Directors (see 18 below) and bombs away.

Gotta get your face out there and casting directors never throw a photo away… “Shh. Secret approaching”… they file them in their 4-drawer file cabinet under either Leading Men, Leading Women, Ingenue (another word for “hot young chicks”) with the bottom drawer split between Kids & Character (another word for “ugly people”) actors… And, of course they have digitized the process also but they still have the 4-drawer file cabinets.

Cast-1

FYI: The Writers Store (www.WritersStore.com) or Samuel French Bookstore (www.SamuelFrench.com) will sell you a list of 200 mailing labels of Casting Directors, published and updated bi-monthly by Show Biz Limited (www.ShowBizltd.com) for something like $20 bucks.

Also, to get another list of Casting Directors, in not only Hollywood and Manhattan but your respective state (Colorado, Louisiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, etc.), then get a magazine (see below) called the “CALL SHEET” that is published bi-monthly.

CATTLECALL & 2 CALLBACKS

Once you have your Headshots, possibly a Demo Tape, but not necessarily, and a list of Casting Directors all you need is 1 Cattlecall and 2 Callbacks and you instantly become a professional actor.

1 CattleCall & 2 Callbacks?

Huh?

CattleCall: Is the phrase for the first three days of a casting session when anyone and everyone, whether union or non-union, professional or amateur, seasoned pro or first-timer is allowed to come and be seen for 1-2 minutes.

CallBack: Is the phrase for the 4th & 5th days of casting when the 30-50 people seen for each part during the CattleCall days has been narrowed down to 4-5 people for each part and were each given a CallBack to return on the 4th day for a longer look and then, hopefully, a 2nd CallBack to return the following day, the 5th day, when there are only 2-3 people for each part… where, fingers crossed, and nobody ever knows why…you got the part.

Casting-3-CattleCall

All an actor needs is a 1 CattleCall & 2 CallBacks

YO ACTOR: YOU ARE UNIQUE

Now Wannabe-Actor… It’s merely a numbers game.

The more CattleCalls you go to the better the opportunity to get a CallBack.

The more CallBacks you get the better the opportunity to get your first Acting Gig.

And once you get your first gig, on a union shoot, you will become, after-the-fact, a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, pay your dues for 1-year and Voilla… You are now a professional actor.

So actor-wannabe, stop waiting to be discovered and just get a job (no not Uber, an acting job) and always remember (A) No one looks like you and (B) you are unique and original.

It is just a numbers game.

Get yourself out to enough “CattleCalls” (aka: mass casting sessions, where you only have 2-3 minutes in front of the Director or Producer) in hopes of getting 2 “CallBacks” and a real acting job.

Every Pro Actor knows, unless you are mega-famous, that you need 1 “CattleCall” and 2 “Callbacks” to get a gig.

Now, how do you find out about the 100-200 Casting Sessions going on every week in Los Angeles/Hollywood/Santa Monica/Burbank/etc.?

Simple, but I will highlight more of this in a later post…. But for now you get a Casting Director who is a subscriber of “Breakdown Services” (more on this site, which, for actors, is a super-super important site along with “Actors Access” and “Now Casting”) that posts all the Casting Sessions and where to go and what time to show up for each “CattleCall Audition”.

And to find Casting Directors in your area, and especially, Hollywood then, once again, you should get the bi-monthly magazine called “CALL SHEET”.

Casting-2-Girls

It is published by “BackStage”, the weekly trade newspaper for actors, and you can find it at all newsstands in LA, NY & Chicago.

I will now open the most recent edition that has on the cover “THE ULTIMATE GUIDE to CASTING DIRECTORS & TALENT AGENCIES” and post merely the first 16 listings in alphabetical order that just cover the letter “A”.

16 HOLLYWOOD CASTING DIRECTORS

  1. ABC ENTERTAINMENT CASTING: 500 S Buena vista St, Burbank, CA (818-560-1000)
  2. ABC FAMILY CASTING: 3800 W Alameda Ave, #440, Burbank, CA (818-973-4366)
  3. ACTORS WORKING: (531 Main St, #135, El Segundo, CA (310-606-0813)
  4. ADELE ASHLEY CASTING: 9461 Charleyville Blvd, #348, Beverly Hills, CA (310-435-1977)
  5. ALLISON JAMES CASTING: 601 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA (323-461-0705)
  6. ALYSON HORN CASTING: 1020 N. Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA (323-874-8764)
  7. ALYSON SILVERBERG CASTING: 12001 Ventura Pl, Studio City, CA
  8. AMBER HORN and DANIELLE AUFIERO: 5225 Wilshire Blvd, #636, Los Angeles, CA (323-954-3600)
  9. AMY LIPPENS CASTING: 606 N Larchmont Blvd, #48, Los Angeles, CA
  10. ANDREA STONE-BROKAW: 1112 Montana Ave, #138, Santa Monica, CA (310-862-9330)
  11. ANNELISE COLLINS CASTING
  12. APRIL WEBSTER & ASSOC
  13. AQUILA/WOOD CASTING
  14. ASG CASTING
  15. AVA SHEVITT CASTING
  16. AYC CASTING

YO ACTOR: NO ONE LOOKS LIKE YOU.

So actors this post was a hodge podge of info that has you thinking about CattleCalls, CallBacks, Headshots, Casting Directors, Breakdowns, etc. and is giving you a little bit of comfort to give the profession a shot… and always remember, “No One Looks Like You” and “You Are Unique”

Hello Actors getting an Agent is important, and likely, a personal manager is also important…

Now, until you have one, why wait, start sending your Headshots & Demo Tapes to Casting Directors… and always remember “No One Looks Like YouYou are Unique & Original”

Now get your body to “CattleCalls”

And Directors, after the great script & money the next most important factor in launching your career is casting great actors… Now you know about a Cattle-Call & 2-Callbacks.

Happy Filmmaking,

LAUNCH YOUR CAREER… Why Wait?

My 3 extremely affordable Film Programs ($89-$389) have launched 1000s of careers from Directors like Q Tarantino to actors like Will Smith to Producers like Queen Latifah…

… It is now your turn.. Why Wait?

Online Film School    DVD Film School  2 Day Film School

Real Facts. Real Knowledge. No-Bull.

www.WebFilmSchool.com

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9 comments on “ACTORS: LAUNCH YOUR CAREER (Your 1st Job, The Thespian’s Secret of 1 Cattlecall & 2 Callbacks)”

  1. craig Harlamert says:

    Depressing isn’t it? Or is it? You meeting with all those other people in the cattle call, waiting, making friends kinda, making friends,.. hoping they don’t get it and you do.. My second call back for MI3 was fun! Until my wife insulted people and lost me the spot on the film..she didn’t want me going to another country for 3+ months with those other women. Making sure you really can do, and really want to do, the film; the travel, the time away from loved ones, the company you will keep while doing the location work, all will be discovered, so don’t waste time, yours or any ones time.

    1. harry says:

      Why did you take your wife to a callback?

  2. Margaret says:

    Hahaha ‘protecting their small niches, telling you how much training you need’…so true!!!

  3. jitendra says:

    Hi sir ! This is # jitendra can I apply as a actor

  4. Sara says:

    Great post, and for list of casting and talent agencies to apply here:
    https://www.castingagenciesdirectory.com

  5. Emmanuel klien says:

    I’d really like to join acting, just that am far away from Hollywood, and I am capable at acting, anyway how can I make it from Uganda to become an actor on big screen!

  6. Ivory says:

    Many candidates focus only on their relevant work experience and education, while completely ignoring the importance of a resume summary. In fact, the resume summary https://skillhub.com/blog/resume-summary is so important, that some companies insist on having at least one section devoted solely to a resume summary. It can be used as a link to your other information, such as an employer profile, a cover letter or a curriculum vitae (if you are applying for certification, licensure or registration). The resume summary conveys information regarding your educational background, work experience and related accomplishments, which will help the hiring manager to evaluate you more easily. You can use your summary to demonstrate your leadership abilities or your working experience working with younger adults, and your ability to manage complicated tasks and manage people effectively.

  7. Henry Larry says:

    Love the straightforward advice. It is refreshing to see a no nonsense approach to kickstarting an acting career. The breakdown of CattleCalls and Callbacks is particularly enlightening. Time to hit those auditions armed with headshots and determination.
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  8. Emilia says:

    If you, like most people, don’t love your job, it’s time to start looking for a new one. The good news is that there are many resources to help you find the perfect position. Writing a good resume and acing interviews are important steps. Forget the post-interview thank you, gotresumebuilder has more information on this

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