Is your ‘small & real’ coming across as angry? How big is too big–for you? Maybe you need to watch yourself! Continue reading
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Category Archives: Commercials
Conflicts Available Upon Request
Why don’t we put our commercial credits on our resume? There are a couple of good reasons. Continue reading
Practice builds confidence part II
In my previous post, I was talking about how to get better at auditioning, even if you don’t have a lot of auditions… sounds impossible, but it’s not. So, you finally have an audition and you feel a bit rusty. Aside from doing your prep in the lobby, listening to what the session runner tells you, what else can you do? Continue reading
Keep In Touch–It Works!
You have probably heard that it is a good idea to keep in touch (send thank you notes, postcards, Christmas cards, congratulations, emails, whatever) with the folks you work with on a TV show or movie set. But how many of you keep in touch with the people you worked with on a commercial? Let me tell you about a friend of mine. Continue reading
Wanna Lose Your Agent? Forget to Book Out
Agents know that their actors have lives—maybe they wish they didn’t—but they realize that their clients will get married, go on vacation, need surgery, perform in plays, go to weddings, funerals, out of town bar mitzvahs, you name it. Continue reading
So. . .It’s A “What’s Your Favorite Color?” Audition
“What did you do this summer? What is your favorite food? Tell us about your most cherished childhood memory, dog story, vacation.” Ringing any bells? Ah, yes, the Personality Audition. Basically this is a type of commercial audition that is used when the clients/director just want to see what you look like on camera and get an idea of your personality. Some actors love these auditions and other hate them but either way it is important to remember that it is NOT about what you say and ALL about how you say it. Continue reading
Have Quarters, Will Audition
Commercial casting happens all over town. You can have auditions in Santa Monica, the Valley, East LA—all in one day, if you are really lucky. But no matter where the audition is, I can pretty much guarantee that parking will be an issue. When I first moved to town I learned the hard way the trials, tribulations and tricks of parking on LA city streets. So here are a few of those lessons. Continue reading
The “avail” phenomenon in commercials
What is it with being put “on avail” in commercial casting?
So has anyone else noticed the “avail” phenomenon of the last few years in the commercial world? It used to be that when you were put “on avail” for a commercial, you booked it—90% of the time. In the last few years that has changed. Last summer I was on avail 6 times without a single booking. Arrggh! And I am not the only one—many of my fellow commercial actors are experiencing the same thing. Continue reading
Speaking of commercials turning into TV Roles
So we know that commercials are an important way to earn money, get SAG status, acquire health insurance and gain experience while building your career but it’s great to see that commercials can work as the breeding ground for theatrical work, too. Take Kyle Bornheimer from Worst Week with his T-Mobile ad and the woman in the Glad commercials, Melanie Deanne Moore and now the Old Spice guy, Isaiah Mustafa. Continue reading
Drop-ins versus Crashing Commercial Auditions
A recent discussion in Power Group brought up the question of “crashing” commercial auditions again. What does it mean to “crash” a commercial audition versus “dropping in”? Is it a good idea? A bit of confusion and anxiety always seems to surround this issue. Continue reading