- Projects: TV, Film and Commercial castings. Episodics like The Bear, Powerbook IV, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med. Midwest & national film and television opportunities.
- Registration: Ask your agent to send you an email invite through Actors Access to get you linked to TalentPlus. If your agent has already sent an email invite, please follow the instructions from the invite to get you started with Actors Access.
- Features: Actors Access offers two free photos, one free :07 second Slateshot, resume, size card, and special skills listings. Performance media video costs $22 per minute and audio content $11 per minute, with a four-second grace period. Additional photos cost $10 each.
- Castings: You will receive an email from Actors Access requesting an EcoCast self-taped audition or an in person audition invite, depending on the project and location of the shoot.
CASTING NETWORKS
- Projects: Commercial, Print & Industrial castings. When you are attending an in person audition in St. Louis, the casting director will expect to find you on Casting Networks, your online account acts like your headshot and resume in these in person casting opportunities.
- Registration: TalentPlus will send you an invite to create a TalentPlus profile on Casting Networks to your email address. Talent will need to create their profile with the invitiation email from Casting Networks.
- Before any photos can be added to a talent’s account on Casting Networks, talent need to log in and accept the free trial of Casting Networks Premium Membership to get your account started. To keep your free membership, please cancel any time during the free trial and you won’t be charged for the premium membership. Once you are logged in you are able to upload unlimited profile media as a premium member OR on a free membership you are given a complimentary two photos, one video and one one audio file.
- Castings: TalentPlus will submit you for consideration for roles that may fit your profile. Talent who are chosen for an audition will get an invitation from TalentPlus through the casting website to either submit a self-taped audition or request an invite to an in person audition. You do not have to pay to submit an audition through CN. If you encounter an error uploading your audition material to CN you can reach out to your agent and reqeust a DropBox invite to share your media with us.
- Self-Tape Submission Process: CN eliminated the storage-based structure for media submissions. Now, when you submit self-tapes in response to Media Requests through the system, it's completely unlimited and won't count towards any media space limits on your account.
NEW CASTING NETWORK FREE MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
When you log into Casting Networks for the first time after August 24th 2024, you'll be prompted to select your 2 photos, 1 video, and 1 audio from the existing files in Your Media. Please be aware that you will only have one opportunity to make this selection. Once you choose a media file using a free credit, it cannot be swapped out. The updated free membership now includes the following for your profile:
- 2 free photo credits
- 1 free video credit
- 1 free audio credit
Why Updating Your Casting Profiles Matters
Casting directors prioritize fresh and comprehensive profiles, including updated headshots and video content. An accurate representation of your current look and abilities is crucial to stand out in a competitive field. Here are key points to consider:
- Media Matters: Profiles featuring video clips tend to attract more attention. Having on-camera performance clips can significantly enhance your chances of being cast.
- Complete Profiles Get Priority: Casting directors are more likely to review profiles that are thorough and detailed. Ensure your profiles are fully filled out to increase your visibility.
- Variety is Key: Include both theatrical and commercial headshots to showcase your versatility. Casting directors appreciate actors who can adapt to different roles.
Tips for Profile Enhancement
- Headshots: Keep your theatrical and commercial headshots current. Casting directors prefer actors who regularly update their profiles, so avoid using the same headshot year after year.
- On-Camera Performance Clips: If you lack previous project clips, consider adding contemporary theatrical monologues under one minute. Include both comedic and dramatic pieces to showcase your range. Using lesser-known pieces or character-driven monologues allows you to captivate the audience with your unique perspective, emotion, and depth.
Practices To Sidestep
Both Actors Access and Casting Networks may send you automated emails claiming you 'may be perfect for a role' and to self submit for their project. When talent open a request in Casting Networks talent can click the, "View Submitted Profile" button. This will show them if it was TalentPlus who submitted them, or if they submitted themselves for a role. TalentPlus will submit you for consideration for on camera and print opportunitities through both sites, talent are not asked to submit themselves and do not need to sign up for premium packages to submit themselves.
To control the amount of automated emails you get from Casting Networks you can go to Account Settings > Notification Settings > Project Type Alerts and you can deselect the types of projects that do not pertain to yourself, for example "Non Paying", "Reality TV" and "Game Show" are some types of castings we do not submit talent for on the casting sites.
In Actors Access, you can receive role match notifications, you can deselect these role match notifications in your talent account for these role matches. Some Breakdowns are posted to Actors Access while others are posted to only Agents and Managers on Breakdown Express. The Casting Director determines where a project is posted.
Laying Out Your Performance Media
When laying out your video media on both Actors Access and Casting Networks, talent upload performance media by the type of clip. For example, an actor booked the role of a firefighter on 'Chicago Fire'. For their performance media on Actors Access & Casting Networks, they could use the following description: "Firefighter - Drama, a firefighter ignores orders from their captain and runs into a burning building". Below are samples of how talent lay out their performance media.
By maintaining updated casting profiles and incorporating these elements, you'll be better prepared for the exciting opportunities on the horizon. We are here to support you every step of the way. Let's make the most of these casting platforms and showcase your talents to their fullest potential.
