How to Get Called In... Without a Reel?

2/16/2020

This is a preview of a special guide we've created called Get Called In Without a Reel.

We've included the first 2 steps (out of 6) below, along with a link for you to access the entire guide for free if you're interested.

Did you know that you can VASTLY increase your chances of being called in... just by making some minor tweaks to your submissions process?

The challenge is real. There are zillions of actors out there all vying for the same small number of roles.

It’s common knowledge that not having a reel can hurt your chances of getting into auditions, but what do you do when you don’t have a reel and creating one is just not an option right now?

Are you destined to just do background roles and free student films, having to wait YEARS to get your footage back?

Absolutely not.

In this guide, I'll lay out a few key things you can do to start booking more auditions right away, without having to wait for a professional reel.

It’s really not as hard as you might think!

Step 1. Define Your Brand

You’ve heard it over and over again. You need a strong brand.

Well first off, what is a brand, and how do you make it “strong?” And how are you supposed to know what your brand is if you haven’t been acting for a long time?

Well, fortunately there are a few simple things you can do to get clear on it right now - even if you’re just starting out.

Find or Refine Your Brand

The first step to getting clear on your brand is to ask yourself four simple questions:

What types of characters do I most enjoy playing? Villains? Heroes? Sidekicks?
How would I define my personality at its most basic level? Funny? Serious? Introverted? Outgoing?
Now, thinking about the answers to the above two questions, what current characters on television or in films could you see yourself playing? Come up with at least 5 specific characters.
Finally, what qualities do all five of those characters have in common?

Once you figure out what all those characters have in common, try to narrow it down to about 4-5 words.

For instance, we recently did a branding session with an actor and we discovered that his brand was “African American strength, pride, and compassion.”

Once you find your brand, ask yourself whether the words you’ve uncovered really resonate with you. You want to feel a sense of pride in your brand, and feel like it’s authentically YOU.

If it feels correct, you can move on to the next section.

Own Your Brand & Connect it to Your Type

Now that you’ve found your brand, it’s time to connect it to your “type.” “What is a ‘type?’” you ask?

A type is basically what you look like.

The best way to find your type is to first think about your appearance. Are you young? Old? Thin? Heavyset? Feminine? Masculine? Long haired? Short haired? Scruffy or clean shaven?

All these aspects combine together to give you a look. Looking at yourself in the mirror, come up with a list of 5 different types of people you could imagine yourself playing.

Be honest and think... can I play a cop or detective? Or am I too young for that? Can I play a student? An intern? A delinquent teenager? Or am I older and I could play a grandmother?

After you come up with five ideas of character types you could play, send an email to at least 10 people you know (ideally other actors or teachers, but they don't have to be). Ask them to suggest three different types of characters they could see you playing.

Ask them to be honest and to suggest characters you can play now, not 5 or 10 years from now. And tell them not to be fearful of saying things that might come across as negative, like a “delinquent.”

Feel free to give them a couple of examples you wrote down, but tell them to try to come up with them on their own and not to copy yours (unless they ABSOLUTELY agree with one of the ones you wrote down).

When you receive their responses, take a look through all of them. What's the most common character type people wrote?

If 5 or 6 people wrote that they could see you playing an army sergeant, then try it!

Keep Your Brand Until it Stops Working for You

Now that you know your type, you know exactly how the industry probably sees you based on what you look like.

The trick, however, is to combine your type with your brand.

So for instance, with the recent actor who worked with us on finding his brand, we determined that he most often looks like a cop, so we decided that his final brand would be based around an African American law enforcement agent who is known for his pride, strength, and compassion.

Note: If you'd like to go deeper on your brand and learn about my in-depth nine step branding process, check out this page: A Brand That Won't Pigeonhole You?

Step 2: Target Your Submissions

Once you know your brand and type, it becomes very easy to see why you’re probably not booking the right roles.

Take a look back at the last 10 projects you submitted for. Do they fit your brand and type properly?

Chances are they don’t.

Well no need to worry! Now that you’re clear, things will be much easier for you.

Find the Right Projects

It’s time to decide which specific projects you want to focus on.

Think about projects you’ve submitted for in the past and ones that you will submit for now. Which specific projects should you NO LONGER submit for? Write down a list and get clear on the ones you should avoid.

Remember - the more you avoid the wrong projects, the more time and focus you’ll have to give to the RIGHT projects.

Next, let’s focus on the right projects.

Based on your brand and type, which roles and projects should you be submitting for? Come up with a list of 3-5 primary types of characters you want to start focusing on.

Now that you’re clear, the next time you see opportunities for these projects on Actor’s Access or other online submissions sites, submit for them right away.

Connect With the Casting Directors for Those Projects

Now that you’re clear on the types of projects you want to audition for, it’s time to do a little research online.

If you really want to start booking work more consistently without a reel, you’ll need to form relationships with casting directors who are working on those types of projects.

Search online for who is casting, and then use Google to find out if those casting directors are holding any seminars or events in the near future where you might be able to meet them in person through a Pay to Play audition class.

Legitimate Pay to Pay classes are a great opportunity for you to network with people in the industry.

Assuming your acting and auditioning technique is up to par, you’ll be able to attend these classes for a small fee, and then when the class ends, you can ask the casting director if they are open to you keeping in touch with them.

Ask them how they prefer to be contacted - email or postcards?

They’ll tell you the best method, and then you can set a reminder for yourself so you remember to follow up with them occasionally.

Note: If a casting director tells you they don’t want you to stay in touch, don’t worry. Occasionally this happens, so just move on to someone else.

Keep in Touch

To make it easier to remember to stay in touch with all the casting directors and other industry people you’ll meet through your career, we want to introduce you to a great (and FREE) tool:

www.followupthen.com

This is not a sales pitch - we are in no way affiliated with them and we don’t get commission if you upgrade to their paid plans.

FollowUpThen is an automatic system that works when you BCC certain email addresses like 2days@followupthen.com or 3weeks@followupthen.com. Or even 6months@followupthen.com.

You basically just get an email back from FollowUpThen on the date you pick saying, “It’s time to follow up.” And it contains the original message and who it was sent to.

It’s the perfect tool for remembering to keep in touch with casting directors and other industry people you meet because you can essentially send an email to them saying, “It was great meeting you at the casting class last week, I learned a lot.” And then you’ll BCC every3months@followupthen.com and get a reminder email every three months to follow up with them.

It’s a VERY simple way to keep organized for people who hate complex technology systems like Project Management Software (Asana, etc.) or CRM Software (Hubspot, etc.).

Send a blank email right now to 2days@followupthen.com. They’ll email you back very simple instructions on how to set up a free account where you’ll get up to 50 followup reminders per month.

And then we highly recommend sending another email to every2days@followupthen.com that says the following:

“Don’t forget to use FollowUpThen!”

This way it keeps reminding you to use it until you manually cancel the reminder.

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