Hi Bonnie,

My name is Uma. I love reading your column and have learned so much.

Thank you again.
Uma Somal

Hello Uma and thanks for writing! I’m so glad you find my columns useful in your pursuit of acting.

Yes, I do work with interns, but working with me doesn’t really give my interns a taste of what it’s like to work with a casting director. Because I cast, produce, teach, travel, and write, interning for me is more about learning about a true hyphenate lifestyle, not so much what you would learn from a full-time casting director whose daily life is NOTHING but casting, casting, casting.

You should also know that major studios and some networks have a policy against using independent interns. They require that interns come from college programs for which the interns will earn college credit. That’s a corporate policy that the casting directors don’t control.

Of course, the majority of casting directors are indie CDs and that means they absolutely can bring on interns at any level (including those who are receiving college credit, if they’re willing to work out the paperwork to make that happen).

Ideally, just like with targeting casting directors for acting submissions, you’ll target casting offices in which you’d like to work as an intern because you value what it is those casting directors *specifically* do. You’ll do research and do outreach and learn what their policy is on bringing in interns, as well as what their process is for considering folks who are interested.

In general, that part involves submitting your (non-acting) resumé and a really fantastic cover letter in which you talk about what it is that you can do that compliments what it is that the target casting office does. Sure, some CDs will prefer to hire non-actors as their interns, but others are wide open for actor/interns. This is where your research will pay off. You’ll figure out with whom you line up after putting in a few hours of hard-core data mining.

Keep in mind, in most offices, interns start out with running really menial errands, opening mail, sorting submissions, shredding documents, filing, archiving old projects, etc. It’s not usually about running sessions or operating a camera or working as a reader or taking pitch calls from agents and managers. That’s work for the assistant or the session runner, in most cases. Certainly, interns can work up to being readers (and often do) but that takes time.

Basically, all this to say: Yes, I work with interns. Most casting offices do too, but some with more restrictive policies for internships. It’s a great way to learn a lot about this business from “the other side.” It takes time to move up to some of the “cooler” casting office jobs. And getting in can require as much targeting as getting in as an actor (referrals will always help).

Good for you, looking into interning as a way to learn more about this business. It’s such a great opportunity and I’m excited for you to get an edge by experiencing as much as you can in a casting office. Of course, the experience level will vary from office to office and that’s why I want you to start by researching to learn which office is doing the type of casting (commercial, episodic television, pilots, indie films, studio films, webseries, sponsored content, transmedia, voiceover, theatre, industrials, etc.) that you’re most excited to learn about while also researching those casting directors to learn exactly how they’d like to be approached about using interns in their offices.

Keep rockin’, Uma. And keep me posted on how it goes for you!

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/001774.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.