Email Casting Directors: How to Network With Casting Directors

how to email casting directors and additional ways to network with casting directors.

Before you decide to email a casting director, make sure you have your marketing materials in order. Read our guide on how to become an actor to learn how to create a resume, headshot, and contact information. Whether you are looking to audition for Disney, or find the latest movie role to star in, this guide will help you get started with the film industry.

In our previous guide to the film industry, we discussed, “What does a casting director do?” Check out that article to learn the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. 

If you have a talent agent or a manager and are getting a lot of acting auditions, you should not have to submit directly to a casting director, producer, or network. That said, if you have a strong relationship with a casting director and believe you are right for a role, then it may be in your best interest to contact a casting directly by email, mail, or through your agent.

However, if you do not have adequate representation and looking to book an audition for a role, then you may want to email a casting director for opportunities.

When should you contact a casting director?

Once you have your headshot and resume, you want to contact the casting director when they are casting a role you are right for or when you are in a project they can watch.

It is essential to understand that everyone’s time is critical. As a result, only send your information when a casting director is casting or when you have something to showcase to a casting director. Sending your marketing materials to a casting director when they are not casting anything is arguably pointless.

How to network with a casting director?

The entertainment industry is all about who you know. If you do not have a talent agent or a manager, then the best way to network with a casting director is through an audition, acting class, or showcase. After you meet a casting director, maintain contact with the casting director by submitting directly to casting directors for projects they are now casting. Try to see each significant casting director each year at workshops or acting classes to stay fresh in their mind and remind them you are still working on your acting career. Overall, the goal is to remind casting directors of your acting skills when they begin their next project.

Should you send casting directors a thank you letter or gift?

Casting directors often work hard to push you for a role in a movie or TV show. Their goal is to find the right talent for production, and sometimes that individual may not know what the director, studio, or producer is envisioning for a project. If you discover a casting director was the person who pushed you to get cast for a TV show, a movie, then a gift is appropriate. However, we do not recommend sending a casting director a letter or gift for an audition.  Most importantly, do not send money to a casting director; This is completely uncalled for in any relationship, whether if it is in the entertainment industry or not.

If you do decide to send a gift, then attach your headshot and resume to remind the casting director of your look and acting style.

How to contact a casting director?

• The best time to email a casting director is when a casting director is casting a project.

Your goal is to showcase your skills for a casting director so they will cast you in the next project. One of the best ways to get noticed by a casting director is through self-submissions.

Self-Submission Auditions

• Self-Submission auditions are when an actor submits themselves for a role without the assistance of a talent agent or manager.

How to self-submit

TV casting directors have a quick turn-around for a role. Typically, a casting director will post a casting call and look for talent within the week to audition for a position. When this occurs, casting directors may ask actors to self-submit with an online video audition for a role.

If you do not have an existing relationship with a casting director, self-submissions are not that effective. That said, read entertainment news to see what projects are coming soon and see the casting director who is working on the project. Research their contact information and send a self-submission with your marketing materials.

If you have previously met with a casting director, attach a separate note saying where you guys met and what you have done recently.

Conclusion

Ultimately, casting directors do not like to get self-submissions as it is not an effective way to manage auditions. However, it is a great way to get noticed by casting directors. But, an email to a casting director is just the start. From there, actors must prove themselves in the audition.

Continue Reading:

The Beginner’s Guide to Acting