Hi Bonnie, I love your books and column on Showfax.

Thanks.

In general, drop-offs are most effective for commercial casting facilities (where multiple commercial casting directors have bins in the main entrance area, just waiting for drop-offs). Some actors have found that theatrical CD drop-offs work well too, after they’ve done a bit of research on which facilities are easy to access vs. which are truly closed off to unexpected visitors. I know you asked about agency drop-offs specifically, but I wanted to lead off with a bit of context, since not all drop-offs are created equally.

I would absolutely defer to what you’re finding in the agency guidebooks you’re using, regarding agency drop-offs. When someone has taken the time to say, unequivocally, that their company does NOT accept drop-offs, you should respect that and choose to do a mailing instead. (And if you have found that an office is anti-drop-off despite a listing in a guidebook to the contrary, please do the publishers of that guidebook a favor and let them know! It’s good actor karma.)

While most agencies are going to prefer mailed submissions to drop-offs, there are those that set aside one day per week to meet with potential new clients. This would be a great time to do a drop-off, obviously, because if they’re looking for your type and you happen to show up with your packet, you may be asked to sign in and wait for a meeting right then! This is most common with busy commercial and modeling agencies, but does happen at theatrical agencies as well on occasion.

The reason casting drop-offs work well for some actors is because they are sometimes given the opportunity to audition, simply because they happened to show up at a time when auditions for actors of their type were going on. This is why commercial casting facilities seem to be the prime target for drop-offs: The odds are better you’ll show up when something is happening for actors of your type. It is far less likely that a drop-off will yield an instant meeting at a theatrical casting office or at a talent agency.

That said, you could impress a disheveled receptionist who is otherwise having a tough day, if you come in and professionally, politely drop-off your submission. Obviously, the weight that “vibe” will carry with the decision makers is going to vary, but if you happen to catch a partner covering phones in a boutique agency, your smile and businesslike demeanor could help get you a follow-up meeting.

Let me hear from those of you who have drop-off experiences you’d like to share! Have you found certain tactics, times of day, or days of the week to be more conducive to productive drop-offs? Care to share some tips? Shoot me an email and I’ll cover some “advice from the trenches” with readers looking for advice on drop-offs (or any topic, really)! Keep doing great work, everyone!

Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000463.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.