I remember when I first met you in person at the summer SAG Conservatory and you told me to put my cell contact on my acting materials. It was superb advice.
I auditioned for a Nickelodeon show called iCarly yesterday and I was called the same day by casting with an offer. They tried my representation but he wasn’t answering and returning for some reason. Casting was moving quickly because they were shooting the next day. I accepted the offer and it all worked out. I shot the episode the next day and I had a great time.
Always put your cell number on your resume along with your representation contact! You never know what could happen. They might need to reach you after hours or on the weekend. You just have to be prepared.
Hope you’re doing great!
Yay! First, congrats on the booking! Second, congrats on having put your contact info on your resume (which I guess is actually the first congrats, seeing as you’d never have booked the role if the casting department couldn’t reach you). Either way, yay!
Hey, I understand why some agents and managers create the policy of preventing their clients from putting their direct contact info on their resumes. Problem is, it’s a fear-based policy. The reps don’t want actors cutting them out of commissions they’ve earned or that they’re contractually obligated to receive regardless of their involvement in the bookings.
Okay, great. If you have a wonderful relationship with your agent or manager, this won’t ever even be an issue, because you’ll be paying them commission on everything you book, whether they’ve been involved or not. And they’ll know they can trust you and won’t worry that your number is on your resume as a means to circumvent their process of managing your career.
The bigger problem is not so control-based and is simply unrealistic. Many reps do believe that they’ll always be available to casting or producers, when we’re trying to close the deals. And the fact is, they’re human just like everyone else and sometimes that means they’re out of range. Sometimes they’re dealing with an emergency. Sometimes they’re simply NOT available to us and when that happens — if we can’t reach you — we’ll reach out to the next actor on the list.
Good for you, making sure that didn’t happen to you! I can’t wait to see your episode. Keep doing good work and thanks for the feedback!
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/000892.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.