When is Pilot Season and How Can I Use It?

12/24/2022

So when is Pilot Season? Well, normally it takes place between January and April of every year, but that's actually in the process of changing due to online streaming platforms and their non-traditional casting calendars.

In this article, we'll talk about how you can make the most of Pilot Season for auditions, plus why Episodic Season might actually be better for certain actors than Pilot Season.

When is Pilot Season?

What is Pilot Season for Auditioning?

Pilot season is the time when studios create sample episodes for new potential series. A pilot is a "test" episode that will be screened for a major network and sample audience – a sort of marketing piece that's designed to sell them on the show and convince them to pick it up (order an entire season's worth of episodes to be made).

Historically, Pilot Season has taken place between January and April (with the bulk of it in February and March) because they would typically air new shows in the Fall, but nowadays with so many online streaming services, pilots are being cast and shot throughout the year.

Typically, actors can get WAY more auditions during Pilot Season than the rest of the year since so many new productions are being shot. They also have a much higher chance of landing a dream Series Regular spot on a major television show. Even if you're cast however, keep in mind that if the show is not picked up (most aren't), that Series Regular role won't turn into anything.

Los Angeles and New York City are the most popular destinations for Pilot Season, followed by Atlanta, Toronto, and Vancouver. Many actors will travel to and stay in these cities for a few months to audition for as many productions as possible in hopes they land one of those coveted roles.

How is Pilot Season Changing?

Each year, Pilot Season gets further diluted as more and more streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime start new series at random times of the year (related: How to Audition for Netflix). Pilot episodes can be produced more easily than ever these days (because of the lowering of equipment costs and wider access to actors, writers, etc.) and studios are finding it more financially beneficial to begin their new series at random points of the year due to less competition with other networks.

Fox was the first ever major network to publicly declare the official abolishing of its pilot season. As more networks join, fewer opportunities will be available during Pilot Season. Chances are Pilot Season might not even exist by year 2030!

Why Should I Care About Pilot Season?

Even though Pilot Season is slowly disappearing, there are still 5-7X as many pilot episodes being shot as there are at other points of the year. This means WAY more audition opportunities for WAY bigger roles.

Here's why you should pay attention to Pilot Season (at least for the time being):

WAY more audition opportunities in the cities where pilots are being shot. Almost all pilots are shot through major networks, meaning they're union productions where you'll get paid for your work (and [hopefully] get some high-end footage for your reel).
Characters who appear in the pilot episode often become Series Regulars. A Series Regular role is the dream of most aspiring screen actors because it almost always leads to becoming known and getting a name for yourself. Once you've been in a popular TV series as a Series Regular, it becomes WAY easier to book almost all other types of jobs.
Even if a show is not picked up, you can still add the credit to your resume. Having a Series Regular or Recurring credit on your resume is HUGE and very respected by casting directors, even if the show isn't picked up. Since high-level casting directors trust the judgement of other high-level casting directors, the fact that you were booked for a Series Regular during Pilot Season vastly improves your chances of being booked by other high-level casting directors in the future. This type of credit also makes it significantly easier to get an agent if you don't already have one.
TONS of networking opportunities. If you're cast, not only will you be able to meet people on the shoot itself, but you'll also likely be at the screening where you can meet many more industry professionals, network executives, etc. Becoming friends with even just one of these people can lead to tons of opportunities in the future.

How Do I Prepare for Pilot Season?

Here are some ways to prepare so you have a chance at booking a major role during Pilot Season:

Ensure your headshot is awesome. Be sure your headshot captures your Type and is recent. If you're unsure of your Type, read my Shortcut to Finding Your Type (in Just 10 Minutes). And if you're unsure whether you're headshot is good, read my Ultimate Guide to Actor Headshots.
Ensure your IMDB page and resume is up to date. Did you know you can update your IMDB page yourself? If you haven't received credits for productions you've been in, you can add yourself pretty easily and IMDB will simply verify it. Your resume should also be up to date and ideally have at least two Co-Star and two Guest Star roles in it (from network level productions) to have the highest shot of getting an audition for a Series Regular role. Casting directors are far less likely to bring on someone without much experience for such a huge role (but it can still happen even if you don't have those credits!). Here are 3 Free Professional Actor Resume Templates if you're updating yours.
Shoot a professional scene if you can afford it. Footage showing your acting ability is an absolute requirement for Pilot Season – not having any footage will almost guarantee you never get into any audition rooms. While technically any footage will work (including self-tape footage of you performing a monologue or dialogue), casting directors and agents are most impressed by professional footage. Check out Actor Screener Shoot to learn about how this works.
Work on your mindset. Think of every audition as a test. Rather than looking at each audition as an opportunity for a life changing career event, you should think as each audition as an opportunity to test your approach and see what works and what doesn't. Whenever you're rejected, ask yourself, "What can I change to improve for next time?" Taking rejection personally is a big no no because it will lead you to never wanting to audition. The only way to be successful in Pilot Season is to audition as much as possible, so you need to get comfortable with that failure and rejection and start using it to your advantage!
Prepare properly for each audition. Make sure to do your homework and come in ready to go! Remember to bring your sides, but also make sure you're as off-book as possible. Here's a great guide on how to prepare for any audition.
Connect with casting directors who work for major networks that still cast during Pilot Season. Whether you attend workshops with these casting directors and keep in touch afterwards, or you start following them and commenting on their posts via social media, there are plenty of ways to network with casting directors. The key is to do it strategically by only focusing on the casting directors who cast during Pilot Season. Then you'll know these people personally and even if you don't have any agent, they'll allow you to audition for their productions (and pay more attention to you than to the actors who don't have a personal relationship with them).
Find an agent and/or well-connected manager. Of course it's easier said than done, but having representation can vastly improve your chances of getting opportunities to audition for major network pilots. To determine whether you should focus on a manager or an agent, read this guide. And if you already know you want an agent, I go into much more depth on how to get one in my Ultimate Guide to Getting a Talent Agent.
Temporarily move to a major city. If you don't already have representation, sign up for an Airbnb at one of the major Pilot Season cities. LA is #1, with New York coming in art #2. The other three big Pilot Season cities are Toronto, Vancouver, and Atlanta. Remember – casting directors almost always prefer local actors, so use resources like Airbnb to your advantage.

Let's wrap up this section by briefly touching on things to NOT do:

Do NOT move permanently if you don't have a well-connected rep. If you aren't signed by a licensed agent or manager who has access to Breakdown Services, Ltd., do not sign a year-long lease for an apartment. Chances are high that you won't be cast in a pilot, and even if you ARE the show probably won't get picked up, meaning you'll be stuck trying to build your acting career with no rep to help you find auditions. You don't want to be stuck paying a high rent and having no source of income!
Do NOT forget to bring your sides. In auditions, casting directors always want you to have your sides, even if you're fully memorized (learn more about this here). If you don't, they'll get distracted from your performance by worrying that you're going to forget your lines! And if you do forget your sides, do NOT read from your phone; casting directors hate it. Worst case scenario, run over to a Staples or CVS and print your sides there.
Do NOT get discouraged or overwhelmed. As discussed earlier, you should always treat your auditions like a test. If you don't book anything during the entirety of Pilot Season, it's totally fine – there will always be tons more auditions in the future, whether during Pilot Season or not. Your future is bigger than your past. Here's my Ultimate Guide on Finding Auditions – I recommend you read it if you want to start getting WAY more opportunities!

Focus on Episodic Season To Build Your Resume

An agent on the phone with a client.

Now that we've covered Pilot Season, I'd like to briefly touch on Episodic Season. Have you heard of it?

It's the time of year when the pilots that were picked up start casting and shooting individual episodes – typically July through November. Just like Pilot Season, Episodic Season is slowly coming to an end as well, but it's still likely to be around until at least 2030.

An interesting and counterintuitive mistake many new actors make is thinking that they should focus on Pilot Season, when in fact they should be focusing on Episodic Season. I like to think differently (or as I call it, think "outside the industry") and teach my clients that there is WAY less competition during Episodic Season and the roles are much easier to land. Here's why:

Episodic Season is the time when most co-star, guest star, and recurring characters are cast. If you're still relatively new to acting and don't have many professional credits on your resume, you'll have a much higher shot of being cast for one of these roles than for a Series Regular since casting directors don't like to take chances on inexperienced actors.

Another benefit is that casting directors are less busy during Episodic Season (compared to Pilot Season), which means that it's easier to network with them and keep in touch.

I recommend that you focus your effort and attention on Episodic Season until you have at least two Co-Star and two Guest Star roles on your resume. At that point, you'll have a much a higher shot of getting picked as a Series Regular. Rent an Airbnb in a major casting city in the Fall (when very few other actors think to do it, meaning less competition for you) and go to as many Co Star and Guest Star auditions as you can.

Want to dive deeper on thinking differently? Here's a short video that can help:

Enjoyed this article?

Book more work by thinking "Outside the Industry."

Knowing how to make the most of Pilot Season and Episodic Season is just one part of moving your career forward.

As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).

I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:

How to network easily and authentically with casting directors – even if you hate self-promotion.
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How to find a hardworking and reliable agent – even if you don't have a strong resume or reel
And much more...

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Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses “outside the industry” thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 6,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues.

Want to book more acting work by thinking different? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com.

Some Additional Q&A

Do You Need an Agent for Pilot Season?

You do not. Most websites recommend it, and it's absolutely helpful, but it's also not required. If you enjoy networking, you can create friendships with some casting directors directly and then get access to their auditions straight from them. I teach exactly how to do this, step by step, in my free Actor's Toolkit.

Will there be a pilot season in 2022 and 2023?

When is pilot season in 2022? Same as it was in 2021 – from January to April. Will it be the same in 2023? Yes. Pilot Season will likely continue until at least 2025 or even 2030. In-person Pilot Season shut down during 2021 due to COVID-19, but auditions were still being done virtually.

How do I Audition for Pilot Season Without an Agent?

The best way to access Pilot Season auditions without an agent is by networking with casting directors and using online websites to self-submit. To go deep on this, read my Ultimate Guide to Finding Auditions.