Hi,

My name is Cathy Jordan and I’m currently creating a website for a veteran actor. I am considering doing his resume in a different format than the standard three-column format because he has far too many credits for that kind of resume (about 11 feature films, 15 TV films, and over 40 TV credits). If I were to do the standard format it would be a three-page resume.

Here is a rough example (PDF) of what I was considering doing, but I’m on the fence about whether it’s a good idea or not.

I would love to get your opinion. In return, I’ll offer up his website for your review if you are still in need of guinea pigs. LOL

I would love to get your opinion as soon as possible because I’m trying to finish his website in the next few days. If you can’t respond right away… I understand. But if you can, I would be eternally grateful.

Thank you in advance for your time,
Cathy

Hiya Cathy, and thanks for reaching out! One of the (many) things I love about this business is that there are so many different ways of accomplishing the same goal: Displaying an actor’s brand and castability, while letting buyers know the risk level involved in choosing to collaborate with that actor.

The good news about web-based resumes is that we can scroll forever, and see all the credits presented in a traditional way without stress. Obviously, for the PDF download version you’re offering, it does need to fit to one page, ideally, so that means you *do* have to change it up!

One of the things that struck me, the first time I was casting a high-budget project (high-enough that I got to sit at the $50K conference table at William Morris, for a pitch meeting) was that the name actors’ resumes were simple lists of just the titles of their highest-profile projects. I believe Mel Gibson’s resume had five things on it. John Cusack’s had a half-dozen. Tommy Lee Jones’ had maybe eight. It’s just a different world, once you’re known for your body of work.

Now, I don’t know how namey your client is, but with a killer reel and a list of shows like those in the example you sent, certainly, he is a known actor whose body of work can stand on its own, for most project. That means the website you’re designing is more about brand management and how to contact him for future projects, and not so much about offering up a list of everything he’s ever done.

Early in an actor’s career, if you’re breaking too many rules, we wonder what you’re trying to hide or how you’re trying to get away with not having what it takes. After you’ve proven you have what it takes, there are no rules. Isn’t that cool?


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/001708.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.

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