Hi Bonnie,
Loving Self-Management for Actors. About halfway through — wow — am I edified or what! I see the business and the industry in a whole new light, seeing it more the way it is instead of the way I wanted it to be. Though the way it is is more real and human, and common sense in many ways — often counter-intuitive common sense — and therefore more doable. Thanks for giving actors this amazing vantage point.
As for my question, I was going to throw this one on HHH, but thought better to go to you directly on it. Do you think it’s generally frowned upon by CDs (and also managers, agents, producers, and directors) for an actor to get onto IMDb without any IMDb credits yet (i.e., to put photos and a reel link, a website link, bio, and non-IMDb credits)? Or is that cheese? Would love your feedback on this, I have some shorts intended for festivals but it could be some time before anything is up on IMDb.
Warmest regards,
Matt Israel
Hi Matt, and thanks for writing. Glad you’re loving Self-Management for Actors. I always appreciate feedback!
Definitely, the best way to develop a presence on IMDb is organically. Get that first IMDb credit, on a (deemed by IMDb) “real” project, and then round out your credits by adding links, putting up a photo, and using the bio section (or IMDb Resume Service, if you really want to do that). The bio section is a great way to mention notable commercials, plays, or non-IMDb-level credits that you’re proud to share! Some actors use the IMDb Resume Service to puff up their credits, and I think that may be why it’s sometimes looked down upon by buyers in the industry.
When we visit someone’s IMDb page through our IMDb-Pro accounts and see that the actor has no credits on the actual IMDb page, but does have an IMDb resume which lists a dozen credits that you’d imagine would be IMDb-level credits, we call into question everything the actor is saying he or she has done. I mean, if you worked on Heroes as a co-star like you said you did, shouldn’t that credit be showing up on IMDb itself? (Just picking an example out, at random, here.)
So, if you’re using the IMDb Resume Service to showcase work you’ve done that wouldn’t show up on IMDb (commercials, plays, non-festival-level films, unaired pilots, non-mainstream web series, etc.), that’s fine! But definitely, earning your first IMDb credit first is potentially going to make you look like an actor at a more professional level, to most buyers visiting your page.
As for looking at your additional photos, reel, etc., we tend to use Breakdown Services (or whatever site each particular casting director prefers — LA Casting, CastIt.biz, etc.) to seek out those items. Sure, it’s handy to have that stuff up at IMDb too, if money is no object, but usually if we’re looking for those tools, we’re using something other than IMDb. IMDb-Pro is what we use to check your current representation, latest credits, updated photo, StarMeter ranking, etc. And that’s especially the case when we’ve already decided you’re in the running and we want to send a link to a producer or director who doesn’t have access to the casting sites we use to check you out or to post our breakdowns.
Hope that helps. Keep rockin’!
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/001148.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.