Automated Branding and Marketing Tools for The Working Actor
Acting Tools That Work
If John Pallotta were a boxer, he’d be Jake LaMotta. A singer? Johnny Cash. Coffee? Triple espresso. An award? Most definitely The Oscar.
SEE THE WORK WE DO AT JOHN PALLOTTA STUDIO
John Pallotta actors are given opportunities they won’t find in any other acting class, including intensive camera work and on-set, on-location study, where students get a chance to explore all facets of film work, from lighting, soundg, location scouting and directing to working with each other on camera on a professional set. You put all this together and the result, we’ve found, is students coming out of our studio more prepared for not just the business, but life in general. Our actors have gone on to perform in such projects as The Americans, Billions, The Blacklist, Blind Spot, Blue Bloods, Broad City, Deadbeat, Difficult, People, Divorce, Elementary, The Family, The Get Down, The Good Girls Revolt, The Good Wife, Gotham, House of Cards, I Shudder, Law and Order SVU. Limitless, Madam Secretary, The Mysteries of Laura, Orange Is the New Black, The Path, The Perfect Murder, Person of Interest, Power, Ringside, Royal Pains, Shades of Blue, Saturday Night Live, Special Victims Unit, Tiara, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, VEEP, Vinyl, The Young Pope, Younger and much, much more.
AUTOMATED MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENT
eBook for Actors
From John Pallotta
John Pallotta is a gifted artist, teacher, and human being whose mission in life is sharing his authority and love of acting with each and every one of his students. His attention and perception are uncanny. He is also one of the most sought after acting coaches in the business today.
John Pallotta is a well-known and respected acting coach offering classes and workshops at John Pallotta Studio as well as private, on-set and online coaching. Students of John Pallotta Studio can currently choose from a variety of classes covering on-camera commercials, film and television, industry preparation, monologues and audition technique. The studio frequently hosts events where industry guests such as talent managers, casting directors, film producers, directors and writers come in to speak and meet with students.
KIND WORDS TO THE STUDENTS AT JOHN PALLOTTA STUDIO
The Nuts and Bolts of Becoming a Professional Actor
Becoming an actor is a tempting dream for many a high school student. It’s easy, right? Anyone can do it, right? It’s a ton of fun and everyone gets a ton of money right off the bat, right?
Do you think you have what it takes to become a professional actor? Do you have students who are sure they’re going to be the Next Big Thing? This month it’s all Q & A: we’re asking and answering questions on Becoming an Actor. How to avoid scams, do’s and don’ts for resumes, and what you should look for in an acting school.
BECOMING AN ACTOR
How do I make it?
AGENTS
What do agents do and why do professional actors need them?
AVOIDING SCAMS
How to avoid acting scams.
ACTING SCHOOLS
What you should look for in an acting school.
HEADSHOTS AND RESUMES
Two important tools for the professional actor.
Introduction
We’ve heard the cry over and over again: “I want to be an actor!” From the outside, being an actor looks inciting. It looks like a happy shiny world where actors are discovered on street corners and put into block buster movies. It can look easy, and something that everyone can do. Yes it’s fun, yes it’s interesting, yes it’s not your ordinary career. Having said that, it’s important to understand the world you’re getting into. Acting in high school is vastly different than acting on a professional level.
Becoming an Actor
I want to be an actor. Where do I start?
Start acting
Sounds simplistic, but if you’re a teenager and you want to act this is the number one tip. Get on stage. Audition for the school play, audition for community theatre. Professional acting is audition-heavy, so the more practice you get the better.
Refine your Dream
It’s one thing to say, “I want to act!” It’s another thing to say, “I want to work in theatre. I want to be in musicals. I want to be in film. I’d love to be on a television show.” When you say you want to act, what exactly do you mean?
RE-Refine your Dream II
Ask yourself, “Why do I want to act?” Be honest. If you want to be famous, that’s the answer. Don’t sugar-coat it. The more you refine the ‘why’ the easier it will be to determine a path. For example, if you want to be a movie star, it’s not going to happen in Kansas. If you want to perform in musicals, you need to start taking singing and dancing classes.
Take Classes
Acting is a skill and a craft. There’s always something you could be better at. Once you refine your dream, focus your classes on that particular dream. Don’t have classes in your area? There’s a summer camp for every area of the performing arts. Find the right one for you.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to get in the building. Volunteer at your local theatre. Does your town have a community television station? Volunteer there. Once you’re in the building, watch, listen, and ask questions. Start learning right now.
Research
DON’T go on Google,Yahoo Answers, Bing and ask, “How do I become an actor?” and expect answers to be handed to you on a silver platter. If you want to be an actor, you do the work. Research your area: Do you live in an area that has many theatres? Just one? What kind of classes are available? Are there reliable agents? Research potential schools that will help you achieve your dream. Research the biz: Do you know what open auditions are? Do you know how much an agent’s commission is? What’s the process for commercial auditions? The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be when you step into professional waters.
I’m really talented. Isn’t that enough?
It’s a great start, sure. And it certainly will help. Talent is something you can’t teach an actor. But there are many, many talented actors out there. There are other factors at work. In commercials, for example, talent takes a backseat to appearance. Acting professionally takes more than talent. It takes know-how, determination and perseverance.
The person standing beside you at auditions is also talented. Plus they’ve researched the director, plus they take classes, plus they don’t give up when they lose a job, plus they act in a professional manner, plus they never submit a resume without a personalized cover letter, plus they have more than one monologue and one song in their audition arsenal... the list goes on and on and it’s easy to see how talent is just one part of the package.
Most maddening, sometimes acting takes luck. Being in the right place at the right time. Living in the right city. Choosing a monologue that happens to hit a director the right way. There’s nothing you can do to control that.
This is why it’s important to have a passion for acting. That you really want to pursue this career. That nothing will get in your way. If anything stops you from wanting to do the other, much less fun parts to acting, you perhaps should consider another career.
How do I get discovered?
Ah, the age old question. “How do I instantly become an overnight movie star by walking down the street?” The whole “Being discovered” thing is largely a myth.
It may look like Zac Efron became an overnight sensation. He seemed to come out of ‘nowhere’ to star in High School Musical. Except that he didn’t. He started acting in musicals when he was eleven. His first television roles were guest staring parts. He filmed TV pilots that didn’t catch on. He has a career and a history of performance that lead to High School Musical.
Also, actors who look like they’ve become instant stars sometimes have help. They live in Los Angeles where there’s easier access to auditions. They have parents or other relatives in the business. The story is not always as easy and straightforward as it seems.
Does discovery ever happen? Sure. A teenager goes to an open call because the directors are looking for something specific, gets cast in a role and their life changes. An agent goes to a high school production and signs the lead. It can happen. But to make ‘discovery’ your career goal will leave you sorely disappointed.
I live in DC, Michigan, Iowa, how do I get cast in a Hollywood movie?
Unless the production is casting in Iowa, it’s highly unlikely. A lot of your success as a professional actor depends on location. You need to go where movies/television/commercials are being made. But Hollywood is not the only city with opportunities. Are these opportunities going to be high profile and long lasting? Probably not. But they will give you experience and credits.
Where do I find auditions?
Research. Find the arts council in your area and ask them for a heads up on audition posting. Look to local theatres. Is there an organization with an audition posting bulletin board? If you want film experience try colleges with film programs, they may be looking for actors. Look online. If you’re interested participating in reality TV shows, those auditions will be posted on the network websites well in advance.
Look for industry publications.
What are open casting calls?
Open casting calls are auditions that non-union actors may attend. They are sometimes called cattle calls, because feels like you’re getting herded around like cattle!
Do I need to join a union? Can’t I get into movies without them?
If you want an acting career, you will need to eventually join an acting union. You will only be able to reach a certain level as a non-union actor. It’s not however, something you need to do before you even start acting professionally. You don’t need to join a union before securing an agent.
The bottom line? Acting is a job. It can be the funnest job in the world. But it’s a profession. If you want to make it your job for life, you need to research your options. Put daydreams to the side and create a step-by-step realistic vision to your goal.
Agents
While it is possible to survive quite awhile in theatre without an agent, you’ll need one if you’re interested in movies and television. Agents do is submit their clients for auditions. For the most part, agents are the only people with access to movie, television and commercial auditions.
When an actor books a job, the agent negotiates the details of the contract on the actor’s behalf. Agents receive a percentage from an actor’s pay which is called a commission. They only get paid on booked work. Legitimate agents never ask for money from an actor up front.
How do I get an agent?
Be seen. Give an agent an opportunity to see you in action whether it’s on the stage, or in local television or student film. Many acting schools invite agents to showcases. If you’re going to send a resume to an agency, make sure they’re accepting unsolicited submissions. Always include a cover letter which you will check and double check to make sure it’s personable, individual, and perfect.
Once I get an agent I’m golden, right?
Alas, no. It is a fallacy that once an actor gets an agent they can sit back and let someone else do all the work. A agent cannot guarantee you acting work. They only submit you for auditions.
I found an agent in the paper – are they legit?
The agent who advertises is the one who is in desperate need of clients. Is that the kind of agent you want? In Canada it’s illegal for agents to publicize. Do your homework before signing with an unknown agency. Are there any complaints against them with the Better Business Bureau? Are they licensed, if they need to be in your area?
The Bottom Line: Don’t make the start of your career all about getting an agent. Get some experience before you start looking. An actor with some experience is always more marketable than an actor without experience. And remember, agents want actors. They need actors. They make money when actors work.
Avoiding Scams
Young actors fall prey to scams every day. They so want to be in the business, they’ll do anything to make it happen. Unfortunately there are many people out there who know this and will also do anything to get money out of the naive actor. You don't have to pay 1000-2000 or even 3000 dollars to be in front of a casting director or agent. Be careful of someone that offers you a few workshops then an industry night infant of them for thousands of dollars
How do I know if an agent is a scam?
If the agent tries to get you to take new headshots, but only with their photographer – scam.
If the agent says you have to take classes with their teachers and only their teachers – scam
If the agent spins a lot of stories about who they represent, and how much money you’re going to make and how famous you’re going to be and yet you never get any auditions – scam.
If the agent says they can get you exclusive access to a director – scam.
If the agent says they can guarantee you work – scam.
They offer you an industry night for a 1000.00 dollars - scam
If the agent gives you a restrictive timeline, “I need to know by tomorrow morning if you’re going to sign” – scam.
If the agent asks for a registration fee, a consultation fee, an administrative fee, or any amount of money up front – scam.
How do I know if an audition is a scam?
The location: You arrive at the address given to you for the audition. It’s not an office. It’s not a theatre. It’s someone’s home. If this has not been relayed to you beforehand, or if you are alone, do not go through with it.
The situation: Many large theatres have general auditions. It’s a chance for the Artistic Director to see talent in an open audition. But if there’s a posting for a general audition and it’s not a recognized company, be wary. More often than not small companies do not have the time or resources for generals. They audition for specific projects. And especially if it’s a so-called movie company. They will always audition for something specific.
The company: You see a posting for an unknown company. You Google the name and you can’t find any information. There’ s no production history. You Google the contact person and can’t find any information. This is not good news. Always research the people and the company before you go to an audition.
The Bottom Line: Trust your instincts. If the situation feels creepy, if it feels not right, is it really worth it to carry through?
Acting Schools
Do I need to go to college or university?
This depends. If you grew up in an area with no theatres, and you’ve only performed in one or two school shows, then college is going to be a necessary step. College will help you define your acting goals, practise your skills, and allow you to become more familiar with the audition process. College/university can also provide you with contacts: a network of other actors, up-and-coming directors, guest artists. Contacts are an absolute necessity to surviving as a professional actor.
What if I don’t get into a top school?
You don’t need a top school. Top schools cannot guarantee an acting career. An agent or director is not necessarily going to choose an actor with a degree from a top school over one without. And what if a top school isn’t for you? What if you don’t feel comfortable there? What if the teaching style is hurtful rather than helpful? What if you can’t afford it? You need a place to work on your skills, get stage time, audition practise, a varied but focused curriculum, access to outside theatre performances, and access to guest artists.
How do I know which school is right for me?
Research. What classes do they offer in your specific field? How large are the classes? When do students get on stage during the program – is it right away or not till fourth year? What is the background of the professors? Do they still work professionally? How current are their credits? How many of the school’s alumni are currently working actors? Does the school have an agent showcase? How many students do they accept in the first year? How many actually graduate? Watch out: Some schools accept a huge number of students in their first year (for funding purposes) and aggressively cut for the second year. You could end up wasting a year of tuition.
Isn’t it better to get acting right away after high school? Lots of celebrities never go to college!
You can’t base your career on what others have done. Focus on what you need to do to move forward. Do actors succeed without college? Of course! Talent can’t be taught. Determination can’t be taught. And if a substantial opportunity presents itself don’t look back. But if you’ve never been in front of a camera, if you’ve never attended a professional audition, if you don’t have much stage experience, if you don’t have any contacts, then a college/university education is going to be worthwhile.
The Bottom Line: Training is never a bad thing. But a top school is not necessarily your best bet. Choose a school based on your true needs.
What Casting Directors Want
Actors deserve to know the truth about the audition process! What do casting directors want? What makes one audition successful and another audition a bomb? Here are ten insider audition tips that will help you ace your next audition.
The first insider tip you may not know is that auditions can be just as stressful for the casting director as they are for the actor. Every audition is a set of problems that needs to be solved. If a casting director is casting, say, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, she has a minimum of 13 problems that need to be solved-- 13 parts that need filling. Each and every person who walks through that door is a potential solution to one of her problems, and all casting directors are rooting for you because of that. There’s no adversarial relationship here-- quite the opposite! Here are some insider audition tips to help you avoid disappointing a casting director who wants you to do well. Make sure that you are presenting your most professional, talented, put together, and reliable self.
1. When you make your audition appointment, be polite. There’s no way of knowing if the person on the other end of the phone or email is an intern or is the casting director herself, and either way, remember that casting people do discuss you with each other. Be rude to an intern and five minutes later that intern and the casting director are laughing about it in her office.
2. Dress appropriately. Wear something clean and comfortable. You don’t have to wear something uber-dressy, but you should look presentable. You should wear something that makes you feel good and that you don’t have to fuss with. You don’t want to be pulling down your jacket or futzing with your sleeves every three seconds.
3. Do a well- rehearsed monologue. A casting director would much rather see something that’s tonally slightly off the mark than something that matches perfectly but that you threw together earlier in the week. Under-rehearsed monologues always, always, always look bad. An under-rehearsed monologue has bland choices, blank spots where you’re hunting for lines, unmotivated pauses-- pretty much everything you come to expect from things that are under-rehearsed. Showcase your talent at its best and do something you’ve had time to develop!
4. No, you can’t “use” the casting director. Don’t look at her! Don’t EVER look directly at the auditioners. It makes them uncomfortable and that’s the last thing you want. An uncomfortable casting director stops thinking about you and your monologue and becomes fully absorbed in the fact that you’re staring at her! Place your mark over the auditioners’ heads, and face forward so everyone in the room can see you.
5. Make bold, interesting, but sane choices. New actors tend to make bland, boring choices in audition monologues, fearing that anything too bold will make them appear limited in type and range. Just the opposite is true! Make bold and interesting choices! Show off your chops! On the flip side, don’t make bizarre choices. Lots of screaming, lots of unusual movement (unless you’re auditioning specifically for a movement-oriented piece), and lots of unmotivated maniacal laughter are unwelcome.
6. Choose your audition pieces wisely. Because all your audition pieces need to be well-rehearsed, you should always be in the process of stocking your arsenal of pieces. At the very least, you need one comic contemp, one dramatic contemp, one comic Shakes, and one dramatic Shakes. I know we all say “classic” instead of “Shakespeare,” but it’s hard to find good classical monologues that are NOT by your friend and mine the immortal bard of Stratford-upon-Avon. You want at least those four, and you really want at least two more that focus on your desired area of specialization, whether that’s period-specific, type-specific, or what have you. In addition, when you choose your audition pieces bear a few things in mind: Most auditioners have no idea who you are, and their only real taste of you is in your audition. Try to avoid choosing pieces that, while potentially impressive in a performance situation, could be unsettling in a monologue situation. A monologue that is violent or riddled with “adult content” can often be distracting unless your contrasting piece counterbalances that content. Exceptions are very well-known monologues, such as those by Shakespeare or Mamet.
7. Beware of classic pitfalls that still hold true today Never do an accent unless the play for which you’re auditioning specifically calls for it. Enough of a percentage of your brain will be engaged in performing the accent correctly that your performance will suffer. Either your acting will suffer, or your accent will lose its luster halfway through, or both. Please avoid the monologues that are ludicrously overdone. Of course this is somewhat subjective to the individual auditioner, but by and large, all your standard lists are generally applicable-- No Durang tuna fish monologue, no Laundry and Bourbon, no A My Name is Alice. Also, never do a self-written monologue. Even if you’re the next Spalding Grey or Marga Gomez, a self-written monologue tells casting directors exactly nothing about how you would handle standard material. It’s simply beside the point of an audition.
8. Know what you’re talking about. Don’t come in pronouncing words incorrectly. Read the entire play if at all possible-- if the play is unpublished, you can bet there is something about it somewhere online, and google is your friend. Even a capsule review from six years ago can tell you valuable information about the play’s tone, about the characters, about the setting. Nothing pulls a casting director out of your monologue faster than a mispronounced word or an error in tone.
9. Bring a professional resume and headshot. Some smaller theatres don’t mind a xeroxed headshot, but most dislike them. The reason you want to bring a real headshot to auditions is simple-- many casting directors file headshots in a filing cabinet, and the thinner, xeroxed headshots sometimes can hide between two thicker paper ones as they’re rooting through the “Women G-J” file. Please make sure your resume conforms to standard. Your theatre credits need to contain all four columns: role, play, director, and producing organization. Please also make sure that you use the name of the producing organization, not the venue. Often venues will house a dozen or more companies in the space of a year. Finally, make sure that everything on your resume is spelled correctly! Proofread carefully.
10. Exude confidence. Don’t apologize for being there, either verbally or by the way you present yourself. KNOW that casting directors are on your side and want you to succeed!
Headshots and Resumes
Headshots and resumes are necessary. They say what you look like and what you’ve done.
Why do I need a headshot?
The headshot is a memory tool. You want those on the other side of the table to remember you, and remember your acting. The headshot acts as that connection. A poorly produced amateur headshot gives the impression you are not taking your career seriously.
What makes a good headshot?
Your headshot must be 8”x10”.
The focus of the picture is on you, not your clothes, not the background, not the photographer’s skills.
The picture must look like you. It’s a beginner’s mistake to wear too much makeup, or to change hairstyles such that the person in the picture doesn’t even look like them anymore.
The picture must not only look like you, but represent you. If you’re a comedic actor, why would you have a serious frown in your headshot?
Don’t worry about precisely having the same “look” as other actors. The details have evolved over the years – color photos are more accepted now, as are three-quarter shots, as opposed to face-only.
How do I know a photographer is good?
Choose a professional photographer who specializes in headshots. Do not use family or friends.
Make an appointment to see the photographer’s portfolio. Do you like the pictures? Do you like the photographer’s style? Do the people in the photos look like “real people”?
Are you comfortable with the photographer? Tension will show in the photos.
Don’t shop on price. You can easily get a lousy photo from an expensive photographer, and a great photo from a less-expensive one.
Watch out for extra fees. You just want your picture taken. You only need 8”x10”. No other size is necessary.
Shooting the photo
Bring several clothing options for the shoot. A good photographer will help you choose what will show you at your best. Shoot at least two different “looks”.
Most photographers will offer you the services of a professional makeup artist.
This can be a very good idea, especially if you’re not comfortable with putting on your own makeup. Be VERY FIRM that (unless you’re a ‘glamour type’) you don’t want to look like a model; you just want to look like yourself.
At some point after the session the photographer will give you what is known as a “contact sheet”. This is a photo containing a composite of all the photos taken in the session. Do ask the photographer’s advice for which shots are the best, but don’t take this as the final choice. Seek advice from others, emphasizing that you want photos that look like you. Ask your mom, your best friend, your teacher(s), anyone who knows you well. If you have an agent, then you definitely want their opinion too. But remember that the final decision should be yours.
EXERCISE: Go to google and type ‘headshot’ into the search box. Click on ‘Images’ to see a wide variety of headshots. To make this a class exercise, choose 5-10 pictures and show them in class. Ask students what impression they get from the headshot. Is the picture warm (inviting) or cold (detracting)? Do they like the person in the photo? Why or why not? What type of part would the students cast this actor? Does the photo showcase the actor or the photographer?
Is an acting resume the same as a resume for a regular job?
It’s important to remember that acting is a job. It’s not show fun, it’s show business. The resume goes hand in hand with the headshot to act as your business card. The resume shows what you’ve done, what special skills you might have, any union affiliations, your vital statistics (height, weight, eye colour, vocal range) and where you can be contacted. The contact information is extremely important: if you’re wanted for a callback or a part, they’ll get your contact info from the resume.
What if I don’t have any credits? It’s ok if I exaggerate a little on my resume, right?
Who will know?
No. No. No. And No. You will get caught.
What are ‘special skills?’
These are unique things that you can do that enhance your hireability: juggling, ride a horse, drive a stick shift, speak another language. Often a director will hire an actor with a necessary skill already in place, rather than have to train someone. If a director is looking for an actor who can play the piano, they’ll look in the special skills section of your resume.
Can I put my resume on color paper to make it stand out?
No. White paper. Format and trim your resume so that it is 8 x 10 and attach it to the back of your photo. Staple, do not paper clip. And don’t put the staple through your contact information!
Resumes are only one page long and should be in 12pt type. Do not use fancy fonts. Do not use more than one embellishment (if you’re going to bold certain parts, don’t use underline) Do not hand write changes on your resume. If you move, print a new resume. If you add a new credit, print a new credit. All these choices reflect on you and whether or not a director will want to see you.
The Bottom Line: The headshot and resume are necessary. Think of them as business cards. Make them simple and straightforward. No bells and whistles.
Actor and Actor Websites
Want to make a professional website for your acting career? It’s not that difficult. All you need is a website builder and a web hosting account. Acting websites are pretty straight forward. They are a portfolio website, which basically consists of several pages with headshots, demo reels, a biography, and contact information. Since most actors are usually on a low budget, they can’t afford to hire a web designer. Their best option is to build the website themselves using a template based website builder. Website builders are usually free, but you will need to pay for web hosting. Fortunately, most web hosting companies provide free website builders, which makes it easier for you to get started. So what is the best web hosting for an Actor website?
Rules to live by in your website
1). Make it simple and straight forward, but make sure the overall look and contents is catchy and striking.
2). Make it simple so the users can find all the information on you they need.
Should include
Home Page
About Page
Head Shot Gallery Page
Resume Page
Video Reels Page
News or Blog Page
Contact Page
3). Don’t forget to include Social Media Icon of every page should people want to connect or follow you
4). Besides your social accounts, don’t forget to include you IMDB or IMDB Pro account. Do not use the link for your IMDB Pro account attached to the Icon, not every one has a Pro account.
5). Have a separate page with your photo and video gallery.
6). Have a blog/news page so you can talk about your experiences (make sure that blog and all the pages are properly meta tagged so you are visible on the internet.
7). Place a comment section in various spots so folks can add comments and feedback to your posts.
8). Have a calendar of events so people/industry can see anything your doing that’s upcoming.
9). Have a contact section so people are able to contact you.
10). Must Must Must – Upload video reels to your site. People will want to see if your able to act.
Best Free Website Builders
by John Pallotta
The A to Z from The World of Website Builders
Many people with a need to create a website do not understand what’s the difference between website builders and CMS with open code (for example- WordPress), they don’t know what advantages will they have by using free website builders and how will change opportunities of their website in condition of buying premium packages. About all this and other things related to free website builders I will tell you below:
What is online website builder?
The name explains it all – a website builder is a tech-tool that lets you create a website. These builders are available in the form of cloud based Graphical User Interface tools as SaaS ( Software as a Service), or as downloadable packages that can be installed on local machines. Website builders leverage important components such as template repositories, widgets, WYSIWYG interface, pre-populated content, etc. to deliver simple, swift, and affordable website creating services to users. Most free website builders are simple enough to be used by anybody having working knowledge of GUI software usage. Website builders are focused towards enabling web users to create a functional website with a whole gamut of additional features, without necessitating any knowledge of web development frameworks and coding languages.
How do website builders work?
Website Builders bring together several visual elements that users can customize and arrange to create their web pages. More specifically, website builders are tools with graphical user interfaces, helping anybody leverage WYSIWYG styled editors, preset templates, and dashboards to create websites. Web templates are the most critical component of modern website builders. These templates are pre-designed visual layouts of web page content, comprising elements such as space for text, images, videos, borders, headers, footers, columns, embedded widgets, and more. Most of these templates are HTML5 based, which makes them extremely easy to customize. Contemporary website builders can be accessed from mobile devices as well.
What’s the difference between free website builders and paid website builders?
For obvious reasons, free website builders are more popular as compared to their paid counterparts. Naturally, these come with some limitations, which are alleviated in the premium versions of these services. To get more services an upgrade is usually the best way to go!
My Choice and Choices as the Best Web site Builders
I’ve played around with many web site builders over the years and have found that www.moonfruit.com offers the most tools and is easy to handle as well as very google friendly. Ultimately, the choice is your to decide, so play around with a few till you find the one that works best for you.
www.moonfruit.com Moonfruit.com is an easy-to-use free website builder with plenty creative templates. Free package from Moonfruit includes only 1 website with max 15 pages on a second level domain, 20MB of storage and 1GB bandwidth, no customer support and some Moonfruit ads. Pleasant feature that alongside with web version of your website Moonfruit software automatically creates a mobile optimized version and can push your entire shop into Facebook with just a few clicks.
www.Webnode.com offers free versions for personal websites and online stores. Both have similar limitations such as 1GB bandwidth and small storage space (10MB for on-line store and 100MB for personal website). Number of products that you can offer in your free online store is also limited to 10. Free website has mobile version.
www.Webs.com You can create your free website with Webs.com. Free package includes 1 website with ads as well as mobile version of your website also with ads, limited to 500MB bandwidth and 40MB storage space. If you decide to create online store then web store items will be limited to 5 items.
www.Yola.com Offer from Yola.com looks very interesting. Free package from Yola provides you 5 websites instead of standard 1, banner-free hosting, quality customer support, build-in website statistic and 1GB storage per site. And as usual your website will be on a second level domain. Of course, Yola provides many interesting features but the main thing is 5 websites on one account and no banner and pop-up ads.
www.ezweb123.com Award winning free website builder ezweb123.com also offers different website builder packages. By using their free package you can create 1 website with up to 15 pages on a second level domain, 20MB storage space, 1GB monthly bandwidth. Free website goes with ads from ezweb123.com. Read more at: http://www.beautifullife.info/web-design/15-best-free-website-builders/
www.Doomby.com decided to make their free offer more attractive in comparison with other. Free website from Doomby will have no limits in number of pages and size of bandwidth. Other limits like second level domain, 250MB storage, many ads are the same. And there is no free e-commerce template to choose from since this service could be provided for additional fee.
www.EdicyIf.com you want to create personal website and you don’t need unique domain name or a lot of storage space then pay attention to Edicy.com. They offer lifetime website with quite standard limitations: 100 MB storage space, standard design, basic statistic and 2 users.
www.Webs.com You can create your free website with Webs.com. Free package includes 1 website with ads as well as mobile version of your website also with ads, limited to 500MB bandwidth and 40MB storage space. If you decide to create online store then web store items will be limited to 5 items.
www.WordPress.com is the website builder Digital Trends is based on, though, we have our own set of professional programmers behind the scenes. The service is arguably one of the most capable given its open-source nature, which allows for an extensive amount of templates, themes, and plugins which can be downloaded for free or bought for a premium price.
www.Wix.com is one of the best free website builders on the Web — plain and simple. The hundreds of HTML templates are extremely user-friendly and reliant on the software’s drag-and-drop interface, which makes building a website a similar experience to crafting a PowerPoint presentation. While Wix offers more flexibility in terms of customization over other website builders, the unbridled freedom also makes it easier to create lackluster design if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Actor Unions
On March 30th 2012, SAG and AFTRA members approved a motion to merge the two unions into One Union.
A group of actors collectively formed SAG in 1933 after years of being subjected to this kind of treatment. It was a meeting of six minds that got it all started. Before long, just three months after the first meeting, the founding council was born...
The union changed names many times over throughout the years going from the ACRA to the Association of Radio and Television Artists, to the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists, to the Alliance of Canadian Authors and Artists, and finally settling on the most appropriate title in 1984, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists.
Today Equity serves over 36,000 members. Equity is unique in that it is the only union that covers all performers and creative personnel working professionally in the United Kingdom.
Basic Marketing Tips for Actors
Marketing yourself as an actor, and doing a good job of it, could ultimately be the difference between whether you are a working actor or an out-of-work actor, so it is something that you should put a lot of time and energy into. There are many different aspects to Actor Marketing, and there is no hard and fast rule as to how you should do it, so try and be intuitive and discover what is going to work best for you.
Marketing yourself should always be a work in progress, if something isn’t working for you then change up your approach- there are literally hundreds of ways to differentiate yourself from your competition, just because one thing isn’t working doesn’t mean that you are failing. To have a more in-depth look at what marketing yourself can entail, here’s a breakdown of the kinds of things you can have in your self-promotion toolbox.
Acting Training
This aspect an actor’s career comes up time and time again because it is so very important. Through your training you will be honing what it is that you are actually marketing- your talent and your skill. There is no cutting corners on this one! Discover what it is that you have a special talent for and be able to demonstrate it. Great comedic timing? Shakespeare? Stage Combat? You can discover all this through taking class, and in doing so will pick up more strengths to add to your repertoire. Training is a key aspect and first step in marketing for actors.
Acting Cover Letter
You should have a strong acting cover letter that you can send potential agents, directors and producers- this letter should be professional yet have something about it that makes you stand out from the rest so try and let your personality show through. Think of it as an introductory advertisement for yourself. This can be a hard thing to get right so keep working at it, try and find some inspiration in advertisements on TV, in magazines and in local trade papers.
Actor Headshot
When the time is right, make sure you go to a professional to get your headshots taken. The actor headshot is a key step in marketing for actors. They are worth every cent. If you try and get a headshot on the cheap you will end up having to spend more money to fix it. Your headshot is going to be the visual guide of what it is that you have to market so be mindful where do your strengths lie? What kind of work do you want to do? In other words, you need to know what your type is. If you want to be in comedy, your headshot should reflect that, if you are good at playing the femme fatale your headshot should reflect that also. It may sound like typecasting but the reality is you will have a ‘type’ when you are starting out, once you have some experience and a body of work behind you then you can diversify into other projects.
Professional Actor Resume
Another key element in marketing for actors is an up-to-date actor resume. It should have on it all your relevant information and any training you have done as well as previous experience in theatre, TV and film. If you have a lot of experience just choose to list those roles that you think best sell your skill set. To see some examples of resumes and to find out more information on how to write them visit this page on the website.
Acting Reel
Much like your resume, you should get a professional to make your reel. They will edit it in a way that will make the most of what you have to offer, and that professional touch is worth every dollar. Your reel can have snippets of any film and TV roles that you have performed. Your reel should showcase your talent so try and get the scenes in that really show what you can do, and try and show some versatility. The same goes if you are trying to break into the voice-over market, you should get some help putting together a demo tape that is a recording of what you have to offer as a voice-over artist.
Actor Website
A more standard and nowadays traditional aspect of marketing for actors is having an actor website. This is becoming a very popular medium of late among aspiring performers, due to the fact that you can have a lot of information in one easy to view place. For a relatively small amount you can register your named domain site (www.yournamecom) and use it as a place to have your resume, headshot and reel to be viewed by whoever visits your acting website.
Marketing For Actors: What else can you do?
Acting Workshops with Casting Directors
Casting directors often give lectures to groups of actors on things that they are looking for in auditions. They will talk about how you can make yourself stand out from the crowd and they will go into detail about common mistakes the actors they see often make. These talks can be a great place to network and can teach you a lot in a really short period of time. You should check online and with your trade papers to see when the next session is starting in your local area.
Volunteering/Internships
Someone who shows up on time and is ready to work will always be remembered for the right reasons by industry professionals. A lot of theatre companies have internship or volunteering programs and they can be a great way to get your foot in the door. At the very least you will get to experience what it is to be a part of a professional organization and can learn about what level you will have to be working at to make it as a working professional actor.
Acting Career Mentoring
A good acting career mentoring coach can help you put together a plan that will help you to market yourself in the right ways according to the type of actor you are. A really good coach should be well-versed in marketing for actors.
Expert Help In Marketing For Actors
As you get more work you will eventually enlist the help of a marketing expert. All of your favorite actors have people who look after this kind of thing for them- so as you can see this is an ongoing side of your career that needs time and attention no matter how inexperienced or experienced you become. Give yourself a head start by getting educated in all things to do with promoting yourself!
How to Use Social Media to Get More Acting Work
By John Pallotta
In this time of economic turmoil, it has become increasingly difficult to reach ticket buyers. Broadway shows are closing earlier than anticipated, non-profit theatres are shutting down nationwide, and reality TV contributes to the dwindling number of pilots filmed in Los Angeles each year. In bleak times, how can actors market themselves to a penny pinching audience and changing demographic?
Whether you’re looking to spread the word about your latest film role or one-person show, or you just want to get your face and name out there, the Internet has become an essential tool for self-promotion. Social networking is a cheap alternative to print and commercial advertising, and in times like these, user generated content rules. Here are some websites with which to get familiar. Face it — every casting director, manager, and agent I know is already on social media, so why not put yourself out in front of them?
The concepts behind “social networking” aren’t anything new — ever since there have been humans, we have been looking for ways to connect, network, and promote with one another – but they’ve taken on an entirely new meaning (and momentum) in the digital age. Where we used to have handshakes, word-of-mouth referrals, and stamped letters, today’s relationships are often begun and developed on LinkedIn, Google +, and Facebook.
That means savvy actors have to know and use a variety of social platforms to stay relevant, not to mention take advantage of emerging opportunities. Below, you’ll find what I consider to be the 21 most important channels and tools you need to be aware of.
I’m sure by now you have read hundreds of articles that have told you that at this point, as an actor, social media is more important to your career than actual talent. I wish I could say that is entirely untrue. The hard truth is that we live in a world where people are dealing with a lot of money. It takes a great deal of money to put on a Broadway show or create a new television series. We know that the industry likes to hire celebrities to star in their movies because name recognition sells tickets. So why are we so surprised that industry executives want their performers to have followings?
People are willing to take more of a risk on someone who is not a celebrity if they know that they have built-in fans. That is just good business sense and truly we can’t fault the industry for being a business — it is a business. While your business is finding the truth and playing the part, you must remain somewhat social-image conscious if you are going to thrive in the current state of the industry.
So, maybe it is time to start looking at social media in a different way. Flip it on its head and look at it as a brilliant opportunity to cultivate what makes us unique, and — in turn — helps us find our tribe. That tribe of followers can translate into a platform that can truly help you in your career. How you go about gaining your followers, creating your niche, and nurturing your platform is up to you.
Start by connecting and following up with people that you have met in real life. Feel free to reach out to people you haven’t met, knowing they might not choose to engage. However, keep in mind that people who work in casting are basically paid stalkers and we use social media — a lot. My simplest words of advice: Be smarter. Here are some vital tips on how to use social media to enhance your performing arts career:
You must have a website. I was talking to an actor the other day who said that they had heard that websites were going out of fashion. I don’t know who was telling him that, but websites are essential for actors. You must be easy to find on the internet, especially if you are new to the industry. Your website should have current headshots, an updated resume, and all of your and/or your agent’s contact information. The most helpful thing to have on a website is footage. Put together a reel. Upload some songs you have recorded. High-quality footage is wonderful — but if you have to sing into your iPhone, do it! The other day I really wanted to fight for an actor, but when I went to pitch him to my team there was no footage of him on his website or any other social media platform. And while my word is good, it is not good enough without proof.
You never know who is Googling you. That means you never know when someone might find you. What you say, how you present yourself, and who you are connected with creates an image in a person’s head. How many times have you seen someone on the internet and made an assumption? Well, if a director or a casting director Googles you, they will have a preconceived notion of who you are and what you do. That means you need to make sure that the footprint you have on the internet is one that both really represents who you are AND is something of which you are proud. Take the time to cultivate what it is that you stand for. That doesn’t mean you have to look like someone else or say things that you don’t believe in. Just make sure that who you are online is who we will meet in the room.
If you are going to tweet, make it worth my while. Be thoughtful. Twitter is a great way to connect with all sorts of people with whom you would NEVER likely get to connect in real life. Use your judgment and follow rules that might seem “obvious.” For example, if you are in a show, there is no need to tweet about it every five minutes. If you have political opinions, remember that — while it is important to be an active citizen — there is a way to voice thoughts without offending people who do not agree. Posting pictures that are crude or hypersexual might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Re-tweeting other people is fine every now and then — but make sure that you are creating content, as well as consuming it.
Instagram is a visual platform — make it interesting! Instagram (and Periscope!) are amazing ways to show how you see the world. With quick images, someone can tell a lot about who you are and what you value. If you are using Instagram as a way to cultivate a group of followers/fans, then you have to remember to make your profile public. You also have to remember that your content should have an aesthetic and tell a story. Instagram is basically a public scrapbook. Why not use it to get people interested in the play you are writing? Or to show people what makes you the artist that you are? Using hashtags to draw people to your work is vital. Don’t be afraid that they make you look needy — do what you need to do in order to get people on your team.
Don’t make it all about you. You need to know what sets you apart from everyone else, but once you have done that, find a way to let other people in. If someone compliments you, say thank you. If someone has a question for you, respond promptly. Share quality content with your network from arts industry experts (in fact, you can start by sharing this blog post!). Social media is all about connection. It is a privilege, and should be treated as such. Posting pictures of yourself is wonderful. Credit your photographers. Build a brand around yourself that reflects your community-based values. It will only make you look more appealing to other people and can connect you to other people who are passionate about the same things you are!
If you connect with someone, they can see you. If you are smart, and using social media as a way to connect with casting directors and other industry professionals, remember that they then have access to the things that you post. I know this sounds obvious. However, I recently had someone cancel an audition day-of because they were not feeling well. On my lunch break, I was checking my Instagram and this person had posted a video of themselves singing.
Needless to say, that put a sour taste in my mouth. The truth is the video might have been taken weeks ago, and people cancel auditions all the time due to illness. However, the timing was such that it just put me in a bad mood. When a casting director gives you an audition, they believe in you. They want you to come in and get the job — so to see someone throw away a job without explanation just hurt. None of that needed to happen. A smart actor needs to know with whom they have connected and remember that what they post might be affecting those connections.
Social media can be daunting. It can be tedious. It can also be a tremendously helpful tool for cultivating relationships, putting your ideas into the world, and finding members of your tribe. Just be sure to be smart. Think about what it is that you want others to know about you — and then really commit to showing your “brand.” The world wants to know about your awesome, so starting sharing it in a thoughtful way, so we notice!
Click on each link below to start a professional actor account
1. Twitter. Perhaps the simplest of all social media platforms, Twitter also happens to be one of the most fun and interesting. Messages are limited to 140 characters or less, but that’s more than enough to post a link, share an image, or even trade thoughts with your favorite celebrity or influencer. Twitter’s interface is easy to learn and use, and setting up a new profile only takes minutes.
2. Facebook. Considered to be synonymous with “social media” by some, Facebook is the one site where you’re likely to find friends, colleagues, and relatives all floating around. Although Facebook is mainly centered around sharing photos, links, and quick thoughts of a personal nature, individuals can also show their support to brands or organizations by becoming fans.
Later in the book you will see hundreds of acting-related Facebook groups for you to join by just clicking on the link. I will also explain a way of posting to dozens, hundreds or thousands of groups all in a few minutes or less.
3. LinkedIn. One of the only mainstream social media sites that’s actually geared towards business, LinkedIn, is to cyberspace what networking groups once were to local business communities. It’s great for meeting customers, getting in touch with vendors, recruiting new employees, and keeping up with the latest in business or industry news. If it matters to your company or career, you can probably do it on LinkedIn.
4. Xing. Another professional networking and recruitment site, Xing has the global presence and focus that LinkedIn lacks. Although it can be mistaken for a job search portal, the site actually has a number of features and communities that make it easy to develop relationships with suppliers, colleagues and even thought leaders within industry.
5. Renren. Literally translating into “everyone’s website,” Renren is China’s largest social platform. Hugely popular with the younger crowd, it works in a way similar to Facebook, allowing users to share quick thoughts, update their moods, connect with others, and add posts or ideas to a blog-like stream.
6. Google+. Social media’s big up-and-comer has really arrived over the past few years. By combining the best of Facebook and Twitter into one site – and backing it by the power of the world’s largest search engine, Google has given users a social site that has a little something for everyone. You can add new content, highlight topics with hashtags, and even separate contacts into circles. And, a G+ profile only takes a few minutes to get set up.
7. Disqus. Disqus isn’t actually a social media platform so much as a social engagement platform, but it can definitely help you improve your social engagement. As a tool for commenting, managing feedback on your own website (or other Disqus-enabled websites), and managing spam/troll type messages, it’s invaluable. Advanced features allow for social monitoring and upvoting.
8. LinkedIn Pulse. Even though Pulse is technically a part of LinkedIn, it’s big and important enough to deserve its own entry. Serving as something between a blog and “best of” outlet, it’s the perfect medium sharing new ideas and keeping up on the thought leaders in your industry.
9. Snapchat. This surprisingly-addictive app gives you the ability to take a picture, add art and text if you’d like, and then send it to recipients for a set amount of time (after which the photo will delete itself and be removed from the company’s servers). A lot of fun, and potentially a good way to stay in touch with friends.
10. Tumblr. This platform is different from many others in that it essentially hosts microblogs for its users. Individuals and companies, in turn, can fill their blogs with multimedia (like images and short video clips). The fast-paced nature of Tumblr makes it ideal for memes, GIFs, and other forms of fun or viral content.
11. Pinterest. Serving as a giant virtual idea and inspiration board, Pinterest has made a huge impact on social media in the last few years. Especially popular with women and the do-it-yourself crowd, it lets you share pictures, creative thoughts, or (especially) before-and-after pictures of projects that others can pin, save, or duplicate.
12. Twoo. This Belgian social network site is geared for the 25 and under crowd all over the world. Alongside normal social features like posts, updates, and photo sharing, it also boasts online games and chat features that make it popular with younger users who want to stay entertained while connecting with each other.
13. MyMFB. Created as a Muslim alternative to Facebook (it was previously called MillatFacebook), this site aims to connect the faith’s 1.5+ billion followers into a single social platform. While that might sound ambitious, it’s growing quickly and offers many of the same post, update, and sharing features as the original Facebook, and is already immensely popular in some parts of the world.
14. YouTube. As a video sharing service, YouTube has become so popular that its catalog of billions and billions of videos has become known as “the world’s second-largest search engine” in some circles. The site has everything from first-person product reviews to promotional clips and “how-two” instruction on virtually any topic or discipline. Users have the ability to share, rate, and comment on what they see.
15. Instagram. If you’re looking for a quick, convenient connection between the camera feature on your smart phone and all your social profiles, then Instagram is the answer. Not only will allow you to share via Twitter, Facebook, and the Instagram website, you can choose from a variety of photo filters and invite friends to comment on your photos or ideas.
16. Vine. This site (also available as an app) offers users the chance to share and view brief video clips. While that theoretically offers a virtually endless range of uses, most of Vine’s content is entertainment-focused, with a heavy preference towards “viral” and “meme” clips that are easy to share.
17. WhatsApp. The WhatsApp concept is simple: send text-style messages to anyone else using the platform, but without paying data charges. That straightforward idea has already gathered more than 700 million fans, making the app the world’s most popular messaging platform.
18. vk.com. Promoting itself as Europe’s largest social media site, vk.com is essentially the Russian version of Facebook, with the same kinds of profiles, messaging, and games you would expect. Like Facebook, vk.com allows users to enter both personal and professional information about themselves, and to follow or show support for organizations and businesses.
19. Meetup. Meetup is a perfectly-named platform, because it’s perfect for organizing local groups around specific interests. There are meetups centered on just about everything, from music to hobbies, and get-togethers are almost always open to newcomers. That makes it perfect for exploring an interest and making new friends at the same time.
20. Secret. This might be the best social media app most people haven’t tried. The premise is simple: join into a group of friends (or create your own), and then share an anonymous message. It’s great for fun interactions, idea starters, or just finally getting something off your chest. (Editor’s note, 5/13/2015: Secret has folded. Co-founder David Byttow writes: “After a lot of thought and consultation with our board, I’ve decided to shut down Secret. Over time, I plan to publish postmortems so that others can learn from the unique mistakes and challenges we faced and the wisdom gained from such an incredible 16 months.”)
21. Medium. If you’ve ever wished that social engagement could come with an ongoing, up-to-date “how to” manual written by the experts, Medium might be just what you’re looking for. With lots of helpful advice, tips, and articles, it can give you everything you need to start connecting like a pro.
Are you doing everything you can to maintain your fan base and get discovered? Many actors worry they aren’t doing enough or feel they could be doing more. If you’re reading this, you probably feel the same way.
Acting is serious business, and many actors don’t have enough time to market themselves as well as everything else they have to do to stay afloat in this industry. One of the biggest advantages actors have today is access to the technology that makes life a little bit easier. Whether an actor is looking for auditions, photographers, or voice lessons, many of these tools are now available digitally. One important tool is social media, a tool that is especially effective in marketing and branding in the entertainment industry. Sometimes just having an actor’s website isn’t enough, and many entertainers aren’t doing enough to engage with their fans.
Here are 10 tips for making the most of social media to help you build your personal brand through your online presence:
1. Make a profile on the most popular platforms: Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. This seems like a given, but there are still countless actors who don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account, so I thought I’d get this one out of the way first. Always make your profiles in your professional name/stage name. For example, you don’t want to make a Facebook page under a different name than the one your fans know you by, because how would they find you?
2. Maintain a blog. There are plenty of free services to do this, such as Wordpress, Google’s Blogger, or Tumblr. Tumblr is probably the most popular, but there are benefits to each so you should do your research. Analytics tools can help you track the traffic on your blog to measure your influence online. Posts should be around 500 words on average, you should post about once or twice a week, and you should use these posts to showcase your skills and experience. Research shows that Mondays and Thursdays are best for gaining traffic on blog posts.
3. Your picture should be a clear, cropped image of your face (maybe a headshot that you would bring to an audition) that is fairly prominent in other places you’re represented. For example, if you use one image on your personal website and your Twitter profile, you should probably use that same image on your Facebook profile page. This is part of creating your personal brand, which helps you become more discoverable online.
4. Treat your accounts as if they are part of your job. Post with a sense of professionalism, don’t spam people, don’t beg for likes, etc. You also want to post things that keep your community engaged. Ask questions. Tell jokes. Share useful information. Do all of these things but never treat your social media pages as advertisements for yourself–this will turn people off immediately.
5. Unless you’re George Takei and you can get away with it, you should steer clear of topics of religion, politics, controversies, or anything potentially offensive. Play it safe. No matter which side of the argument you’re on, half of the fans who follow you will disagree with you–and why would you want to alienate half your market?
6. Show support for other people in your sphere. Respect other actors, and they’ll respect you (hopefully). Take a stab at guest-blogging. Create a blogroll. Link back to others’ posts, and maybe they’ll link back to you, which will also help make you discoverable. Spread the love!
7. Respond to comments. Good or bad, you should never leave a fan’s comment unanswered. If they are upset, acknowledge them and reassure them that you’re doing what you can to fix the problem. If they are congenial, you should engage them. If they have a good experience, they’ll likely tell their friends about it, and then your reach will grow by word-of-mouth.
8. Optimize your content with keywords. Think about what someone would enter into a search engine if they were searching for your posts, and go from there. If you’re not sure what keywords to use, Google has a great tool worth playing around with. Extra points if you can infuse your URLs with keywords. If people can’t find you, well you know… a tree falling in the woods.
9. Know what tools are in your arsenal. Take some time to get to know Facebook analytics, which is free and could give you a lot of insight into your fanbase. Take it a step further and check out services like those provided by Hootsuite, like the ability to schedule posts. Actors are busy! Scheduling future posts on all your social media outlets could be a huge help, however you should be prepared to engage with your users at any time. Meaning: don’t schedule a post for tomorrow and then not check your accounts for a week. You should be ever-present, so if something happens on your page you’ll know about it.
10. Link all your accounts to each other. Put a link to your Facebook profile on your blog, a link to your Twitter profile on your Facebook page, a link to your blog on your Twitter profile, and so on. This will improve your discoverability in search engines and will make it easier for your fans to navigate from one page to the next.
At this point, you might be wondering whether or not all this time and effort is worth it. While it’s difficult to calculate the return on investment for social media, it’s pretty widely accepted that you get what you put into it. The best thing about social media is that if you’re doing it right, it won’t feel like work at all, and most of these platforms are free. So, what’s better than free marketing?
Here are some DOs and one major DON’T of social media.
1. DO have a presence on the Internet. A short, powerful bio listing your major credits and training, a compelling photo and short video will do. The three top sites are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. There are over 30 subsites on LinkedIn especially for actors. Join them. There are daily discussions about every aspect of a performing career—commercials, prime time, films, agents, and marketing tools. The subsites are run by actors for the most part, so they’re not official information sites like SAG-AFTRA or the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, California Film Commission, etc.
2. DO publish photos that show you at your best. No silly or obscene photos—mooning someone at a party is a good example of what not to post. Photos with you on a film set or on stage doing a play give you great credibility. Agents want to know you’re proactive and working.
3. DO upload videos that show your recent work. Short clips from films, trailers, or professionally shot scenes are okay. Keep it short so downloading is easy.
4. DO post frequently. But don’t be a pest! Daily is too much—weekly is probably better.
5. DO say something intelligent. “I had spaghetti for dinner.” “My dog snores.” NO! Professional info is what the industry wants to hear. Try thing like “Had a callback for that Keanu Reeves film,” or “Booked the McDonald’s commercial!”
6. DO promote your own work on Twitter. Then, people can choose whether they want to see more and click on other pages. Try not to send them to a group site where downloading is difficult, or they may click on another actor’s info.
7. DON’T contact industry professionals if you don’t know them. If you met them at a pay-to-meet or networking event, it’s a perfect time to follow up. In NYC recently we queried over 50 top industry professionals at our Actor Marathon, and only one percent wanted to be reached via Facebook, none via Twitter. On the west coast about 20% said it was OK and actually had a separate professional Facebook account for actors to reach them. Still, you need to ask first.
Do top agents find their clients on the Internet?
No. They need to meet you in person to get a sense of your personality/brand and work ethic. Are you polished, proactive, and continually training? Putting a friendly tweet with a link may be the first step in developing a relationship. Sending a tweet, email, or calling them blindly without permission is a big no-no. It’s not acceptable professional etiquette, and may harm your chances of working with an established agent.
Will casting directors call you in or hire you for a role by contacting them via social media?
No or very rarely. Certainly not for a major role—maybe for an extra/background role if talent and training isn’t necessary. But if they’ve clicked on your website and seen your work they may get a sense of your type, talent, and personality, and may be intrigued enough to call you for an interview. That’s the beauty of having a great website—it sells you while you’re sleeping or out of town shooting another project. You never know who’s Googling you. It’s a long shot to actually get an acting job, but a chance to start a communication and develop a relationship. If they already know your work, it’s a definite plus for reminding them of your existence so they can call you in for the right role.
Are contract/starring roles cast through social media communications?
No. Absolutely not. Social media has very little to do with casting major roles. Submissions to casting directors via email through legitimate agents and managers is the accepted norm. All actors still have to have the talent, training, and marketing tools to qualify and be the right type for the role being cast.
Social media sites are best used to stay in touch with those you know, share a link showing recent work, and to develop a friendly relationship with new industry contacts which may lead to future work. It will hinder any career if you abuse the connection. Using social media is just one more valuable tool in your marketing toolbox.
Why do actors need social media?
Because hundreds and eventually thousands of people online are searching for the information that you could be sharing. That online visibility translates to likes on your actor fan pages, more eyeballs on your profile, and more shares of the content that you are putting out there. To sum up, you are missing out on the right person stumbling on you and ‘discovering’ your talent, meaning you need to be marketing yourself socially!
So, which social media platforms make the most sense for you? Almost any of them! You could create Pinterest boards for script inspiration, you could have a twitter feed dedicated to actor tips and blogs, you could have a personal blog that gives local actors ideas for how to get started, you could have a Vimeo page to showcase your reel or your original content, you could have a facebook fanpage, and more. All of these platforms are great ways to get eyeballs and if you are sharing relevant content on a consistent basis that utilizes hashtags whenever possible, you are going to get tons of interactions from fellow actors, fellow artists, and hopefully a few casting directors who like what you have to say and how you say it.
Here are some tips for actors on successful social media marketing:
Source relevant content – What kind of information do your fans and followers want to know? Try to tailor the content you share to the conversations you want to join in on. For example, maybe there are some casting blogs with great advice for actors that you want to share, or maybe there are some excellent online discounts for ordering head shots, or perhaps you found a great article with advice on optimizing your actor profiles online. Just make sure that the content you’re finding is appropriate for the audience you want to attract.
Get to know the social platform you are using – Most people know that Twitter only allows for 140 characters per tweet (for now), but did you know that all social channels have optimal sizes for images? Some don’t allow for video, while others don’t support hashtags at all. Make sure you are following the guidelines for optimal posting so your messages are easy to find and read.
Generate original content – Blogging, social posting, vlogging, podcasts, etc. are excellent and easy ways to establish or develop your personal brand and voice online. Do you have useful advice for actors going into castings? Is there a video of your latest monolog that you’d like feedback on? Do you have advice for people who want to recreate celebrity looks for less money? This kind of original content shows that you are actively participating in the conversations.
Post consistently – No need to kill yourself producing a ton of content just to keep up with all the noise out there. But do try to commit some time to the online channels you have chosen to develop, and try to keep the information flowing at a rate that’s comfortable to you. As an actor, you know that what you get out of an experience is equal to how much you put into it.
Be yourself and be original – Didn’t some guy on stage once say “To thine own self be true?” Stay true to yourself, your craft, and your brand when you post. The best part about social media is being able to get your original thought leadership out there in your unique voice. Isn’t that an opportunity every actor wants? Also, be true to your sanity, and only post when you have something to say.
Participate and engage with others – Seek out other people online and socialize! Remember how great it feels to have someone tell you how great your performance was? That’s what you’re doing when you interact with others online, you’re putting out good vibes and showing that you’re a supportive and active member of their community.
Give credit to others and cite sources – Seriously, what a great way to have a brand, an actor, or a casting director notice how professional and courteous you are by citing them as a source of knowledge and expertise. You might even get a re-post or comment from them that will attract other like-minded individuals.
Follow others with interests similar to yours – If you build it, they will come…and if you friend them, they will follow.
Utilize #hashtags whenever possible – A good rule of thumb for any social posting you’re going to be doing. Source relevant hashtags around acting like #actorslife or #actors or #SFauditions to use in your posts, just make sure they’re related to the content!
Spell check your work! Something I probably could have done a better job of in this post. But it’s such an easy way to turn someone off who doesn’t know you. Be conscientious of what your actions online say about your work as an actor. Can you follow through with directive? Do you dedicate yourself to your tasks or do you rush through things?
Essential Social Media Tools
From John Pallotta
Over the past several months I’ve collected a ton of Internet tools that are useful for bloggers and marketers in my Evernote. I’ve organized all of them under the following categories: Content Marketing, SEO, Social Media, and Productivity. Today I would like to focus on the Social Media category and I want to feature some of the best social media tools for bloggers and marketers.
Most of the tools that I have mentioned here are free unless marked as “Premium”. There is no way that you’ll need all the tools that I’ve listed here, but it’s going to be your starting point.
If you’re a social media marketer (or an enthusiast) then you might know that managing all your social media accounts can be quite a hassle. The best way to tackle the situation is to use a professional social media dashboard. Here’s a collection of social media tools that helps to manage all your social networks — the expert way.
Hootsuite — is one of the most popular social media dashboard to manage multiple social networks and measure your campaign results. The free plan supports up to 3 social profiles and the premium plan starts at $8.99/month.
SocialOomph — is another popular social media management app that supports multiple social networks, RSS feeds, post scheduling, URL shortening, etc.
Sprout Social (Premium) — is a social media management and engagement software that features a dashboard and supports real-time brand monitoring, post scheduling and drafting, with detailed analytics and reporting. Pricing starts at $59/month.
TweetDeck (to manage Twitter accounts only) — is perhaps the most popular Twitter app (acquired by Twitter) to manage multiple Twitter profiles. It’s available on Windows, Google Chrome and Mac.
Buffer — is the best app to schedule your social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. The free plan is nice enough for an average user and the premium plan (supports up to 12 social profiles, 15 RSS feeds, and 2 team members) starts at $10/month. Also try, Dlvr.it (Freemium), Postso (Premium –$14.95/month), Bulk Buffer (free extension that allows you to send multiple updates to your Buffer account), Edgar (invite only).
Postific — is a social media management and marketing platform to help businesses find new customers and analyze their social engagement. You’re allowed to connect unlimited social accounts and it features post scheduling, RSS feeds, engagement and leads tracking, etc.
Bitly — is not just a URL shortening tool. It’s also good to update your Twitter or Facebook account.
Bundle Post (Premium) — is a content curation platform that aggregates and schedules social media content efficiently. It offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card and the regular pricing starts at $19.99/month.
ScheduGram (Premium) — if you use Instagram for marketing then you might need this tool as it supports multiple accounts and features web uploading and scheduling. It’s a premium tool and the pricing starts at $13/month.
TrueSocialMetrics (Premium) — a social media marketing tool that provides insights about how to improve your social media presence. It measures the four key social media metrics: conversion rate, amplification rate, applause rate, and economic value for almost all major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.) in a single dashboard. Pricing starts at $30/month and it’s good to analyze up to 30 social media profiles. Also try, Crowdbooster (Premium).
SumAll — is your all-in-one social media analytics and business dashboard that shows a comprehensive view of your social media and e-commerce data.
Simply Measured (Premium) — provides an in-depth view of all your social media activities across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr etc. Pricing starts at $500/month. They also offer some free social media report tools that can be used to analyze your brand across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Vine.
Sniply — attach a call-to-action to every link that you share.
Fanpoint (Premium) — to create and analyze contests and promotions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Pricing starts at €49/month. Also try, ShortStack (Freemium).
Social Media Monitoring Tools
If social media marketing is crucial in your internet marketing strategies then you should consider making use of a social media monitoring tool that monitors your brand (and your competitors’) on the web.
Mention (Freemium) — allows you to create custom alerts based on keywords (it can be your name, brand, or competitors) so that you will be be informed in real-time of any mention on the web (including social networks). The free plan supports up to 250 mentions per month and the premium plans starts at €29/mo (for up to 3,000 mentions per month).
Netvibes (Freemium) — offers a social media dashboard for all your apps, pictures and tweets. The free plan comes with a dashboard and a reader, and the premium plan (costs $649/month) features brand monitoring, social analytics, etc.
Cyfe — to track your entire business in real-time.
Social Crawlytics — to identify the influencers in your niche and to discover your competitors’ most shared content.
Social Mention — is a social media search engine that searches user-generated content on web 2.0 sites.
Social Media Productivity Tools
I have randomly picked the following productivity tools as I believe that it can improve your social media productivity in one way or the other.
Klout — to track your social media success using the Klout Score. Klout is a content curation tool as well and can also be used to find, create, and share content.
IFTTT — to connect all your web 2.0 apps (including social networks and productivity apps) to automate actions. Also try, Zapier.
Typeform — is a free online survey tool that makes asking questions easy. Also try, SurveyMonkey.
Beatrix (Premium) — is your social media assistant to create social media content. Pricing starts at $20/month.
Unroll.me — to automatically clean up your email inbox.
KnowEm — to reserve your brand name on all popular social networks. It checks your desired username on over 500 popular social networks. Also try, NameChk.
Right Relevance — is a free tool that you can use to find relevant content, influencers and conversations based on the topics that you enter.
BuzzSumo (Freemium) — to find out the best performing content of your competitor.
Pocket — is perhaps the best way to save and archive articles, videos, and more. Also try, Readability & Instapaper.
Diigo — is the best way to bookmark stuff on the web. Also try, Delicious.
Google Alerts — to monitor the web for interesting content.
Newsle — to follow a topic closely or to follow someone who matters to you. Also try Prismatic.
Tools to better manage your Facebook campaigns
Facebook Audience Insights — is an official tool by Facebook that gives marketers insights about their target audiences (including aggregate information about geography, demographics, purchase behavior, and more).
Fanpage Karma — is a social media analytics and monitoring tool that provides valuable insights on posting strategies and performance of your (or your competitors) social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
Post Planner (Premium) — helps you improve your Facebook engagement rate. Pricing starts at $29/month. Also try, EdgeRank Checker.
LeadSocial — for actionable recommendations based on your Facebook data.
AgoraPulse (Premium) — is an all-in-one platform to manage your Facebook (and Twitter) page. Pricing starts at $29/month.
PostAcumen (Premium) — offers competitive Facebook analytics that enables you to monitor your competitors and their strategies. Pricing starts at $20 per page per month.
LikeAlyzer — get quick stats about any Facebook page. Also try, Recommend.ly.
ShareGrab — to find the most shareable content from any Facebook page.
Tools to better manage your Twitter campaigns
Commun.it — is a Twitter management software that helps you manage your Twitter relationships, followers, lists with free analytics and social insights. Also try, SocialBro (Freemium).
ClickToTweet — is a free tool that allows you to promote your stuff on Twitter. Just write the message that you want others to share in a box and get its direct link so people can quickly share your message on Twitter in just one click. Also try, Pay With A Tweet (Freemium).
NeedTagger — allows you to identify people on Twitter who need your products, services, content, and advice.
SocialRank — allows you to identify, organize, and manage your Twitter followers.
Twitter Analytics — is the official Twitter tool that provides insights about the performance of your organic Tweets.
Twitonomy — gets you detailed and visual analytics on anyone’s Tweets, RTs, @replies, etc. and also provides insights about people who you follow and those who are following you back.
Topsy — is a social search, monitoring, and analytics tool that’s maintaining a comprehensive index of all Tweets since 2006.
Tweetchup — is a free twitter analytics tool that analyze your (or your competitors) Twitter interactions, connections, keywords and hashtags.
Tweriod — lets you know the best time to tweet by analyzing your timeline.
Followerwonk — tells you who your followers are, where they’re from, and when they tweet.
FunnelFeed (Premium) — generates a list of suggested tweets based on keywords, hashtags, or your Twitter account so that you can easily engage with your list of Tweets (and track its progress). Pricing starts at $9.99/month.
TweetReach — to find out the popularity of your Tweets.
Unfollowers — to manage your Twitter following and followers. Also try, Tweepi.
Friend or Follow — to unfollow people who are not following you back. Also try ManageFlitter.
Hashtagify — allows you to find relevant and popular hashtags to reach your audience. Also try Tagboard, Hashtags.org.
Twibble — to publish content from any RSS feed to Twitter with the ability to schedule tweets.
Twitter Bio Generator — is a fun tool that can be used to generate a random Twitter bio for yourself.
Tools to better manage your Pinterest campaigns
Pinstamatic — gets you more from Pinterest.
Pinwords — is a tool that allows you to add beautiful text to your images and instantly share it on Pinterest.
Pin Search (Chrome Extension) — perform a reverse Google Image Search on any picture on Pinterest in one click.
Hangouts On Air — start video broadcasting on your Google+ profile, your YouTube channel, or any website.
CircleCount — helps you better understand Google+. Also try Circloscope — to automatically discover the engagers you need to follow on Google+.
Friends+Me (Freemium) — allows you to cross-post your Google+ posts across all social networks. It also supports scheduling of posts and reposts. The free plan is good for up to 5 accounts and the premium plan starts at $9/month.
Steady Demand — is a Google+ brand page audit tool.
All My Plus Statistics — is a free Google+ analytics tool that can fetch data from any Google+ profile or page.
Do Share (Chrome Extension) — allows you to schedule posts on Google+.
Image Tools
Yes, you guessed it. Social media is worthless without images. You can use the following tools to create awesome images for social media.
Canva — is a free image creation tool for beginners and professionals.
Placeit — to create free product mockups and designs.
Meme Generator — is a free meme generator that you can use to create your own meme or to browse the most popular Internet memes.
Imgflip Meme Generator — is a free image maker tool that allows you to add text to images or memes.
GIFMaker — to create free animated gif images online. Also try Make A Gif.
Infogr.am — to create a custom, branded chart or infographic. Also try Piktochart, Creately, Easel.ly, Lucidchart.
Photovisi — is a free online photo collage maker. Also try BeFunky.
LiveLuvCreate — to create beautiful quote photos.
Someecards — create and browse ecards that you can share on social media. Also try Rottenecards.
Subtle Patterns — download free patterns that you can use as background images on your social media profiles or to create social media posts. Also try The Pattern Library.
Iconfinder — offers a huge collection of icons that you can download. Also try The Noun Project.
CloudApp — to create a GIF of your desktop or record your screen and instantly receive a link to share. Also try ScreenCast, Camtasia (Premium), Snagit (Premium).
Awesome Screenshot — is the best screen capture tool for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Also try Page2Images, Jing, Evernote Skitch.
PicMonkey — is a free online photo editing tool that’s perfect for quick touch ups and editing. Also try Pixlr.
Adobe Photoshop (Premium) — is the big daddy of all image editing software. Also try GIMP (Free).
Content Curation Tools
Here are some of the best tools that help you curate content on the web.
Content Discovery Tools
Apart from using your favorite social networks or websites, you can use the following tools to find great content.
Best Places to Find On Line Casting Calls
From John Pallotta
Ready to become an actor? Join now to apply to open casting calls. Here are some great tips to get you started.
Don’t sit around waiting for an agent to call! There are plenty of film, television, and commercial auditions listed online. If you get out there, do the legwork yourself, and land some acting roles, those agencies you’ve been waiting to hear from just may come calling.
You will find two types of casting call websites: ones that list the big union auditions, mostly in Los Angeles and New York, and others that feature smaller non-union local market auditions.
Some actors start a career with smaller local acting jobs to build up a resume before moving on to the larger Hollywood ones. Others prefer to jump into the big time from the start. Whichever career strategy you prefer, you’ll find the perfect casting call website for you below.
These websites cannot guarantee the legitimacy of an audition posted, so do your homework before applying or attending an audition in person.
• Actors Access – (www.actorsaccess.com) – With a free Actors Access account, you can review audition notices and post photographs and your resume on a customized profile searchable by casting directors. You can review auditions and submit yourself online. Submissions are free if you join Showfax (www.showfax.com), currently $68.00 per year. There is a $2.00 processing fee per audition if submitting without a Showfax subscription.
• LA Casting – ( www.lacasting.com) – There are several account options to consider at LA Casting. All accounts receive an online profile where you can post your photo and resume. Profiles are searchable by casting directors and you get a direct link to your resume. You can e-mail your online profile and submit to unlimited casting calls.
• Now Casting – (www.nowcasting.com) – Now Casting offers four different account options, ranging from free to $20.00 per month. This casting website offers similar features to LA Casting and Actors Access in addition to New York theatrical auditions. Post your headshot and resume then submit your information to auditions online.
• BackStage – (www.backstage.com / www.backstagewest.com) –
Backstage offers auditions in both New York and Los Angeles, including film, television, commercial, theatre, and some local area auditions. With an account, you can locate and apply to casting calls online and set up a profile with photographs, a resume, and video demos.
• Mandy.com – (www.mandy.com) – This website lists calls for production and crew positions in addition to regular audition casting calls for actors. Mandy.com’s searchable database of auditions includes jobs for actors in radio, film, television, and theatre.
• Taltopia – (www.taltopia.com) – Taltopia has a huge job board where aspiring artists can find casting calls from all over. Agents, casting directors, and other entertainment industry professionals post directly to Taltopia’s job board. It is a great place for up-and-coming actors to find their big break!
Dragonukconnects for the DMV (Washington, Virginia, Maryland) has a huge job board where aspiring artists can find casting calls from all over. Agents, casting directors, and other entertainment industry professionals post directly to Dragonuks job board.
Now that you have all this advice, get started by becoming a member and searching Los Angeles Casting Calls or New York Casting Calls
HUNDREDS of Facebook Groups for Actors to post with your New Found Knowledge
From John Pallotta
Below is a list of some of the largest acting related Facebook groups for actors. Click one, a few, or join all the groups. Down the road, getting your work seen by the masses is important and I will show you how to link all of the groups together and post to hundreds of groups in a click or two.
START CLICKING Job 1 – To Join as many groups as possible this we will hook everything up in the next session.
Actors For Rent https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActorsCasting/?ref=br_rs
Serious Actors Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/JohnPallottaStudio/?ref=bookmarks
Actors Gym https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheActorsGym/?ref=br_rs
Acting Coaches, Acting Teachers https://www.facebook.com/groups/376862595768857/?ref=bookmarks
Actors in Memphis https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActorsInMemphis/?ref=br_rs
Casting and Auditions https://www.facebook.com/groups/JohnPallottaCasting/?ref=bookmarks
The Craft of Acting https://www.facebook.com/groups/1656205547973779/?ref=bookmarks
Actors Auditions and Classes https://www.facebook.com/groups/johnpallotta/?ref=bookmarks
John Pallotta Studio of Acting https://www.facebook.com/groups/4748144412/?ref=bookmarks
A New Approach Towards Acting https://www.facebook.com/groups/345335295503919/?ref=bookmarks
NYC Acting https://www.facebook.com/groups/167572996586333/?ref=bookmarks
Act Up DMV https://www.facebook.com/groups/actUPdmv/
Act Up DC VA https://www.facebook.com/groups/actUPdmv/
Actors in Vancouver https://www.facebook.com/groups/283017421807719/?ref=br_rs
Actors Lounge https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActorsLoungeSortFLIX/?ref=br_rs
Actors Resources and Casting Calls https://www.facebook.com/groups/actorsresources/?ref=br_rs
Actors Supporting Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/actorssupportingactors/?ref=br_rs
Actors, Filmmakers, & Job Postings! https://www.facebook.com/groups/afmpostings/
Actors/Filmmakers Unite! https://www.facebook.com/groups/257166351012981/?ref=br_rs
ACTRA MONTREAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/Actramontreal/?ref=br_rs
ADONIS/SINODA CASTING https://www.facebook.com/groups/ADONISSINODACASTING/
Affinity Models and Talent https://www.facebook.com/groups/44431368565/?ref=br_rs
All Actors on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2728905154/
Alliance of Women Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/allianceofwomenfilmmakers/?ref=br_rs
Dedicated Actors Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/dedicatedactorsgroup/?ref=br_rs
Diva’s Unlimited Inc. https://www.facebook.com/groups/43079604499/
Doron Ofir Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/Doronofircasting/
East Coast Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/333690720098309/
ElleQ Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/elleqcasting/
Entertainers Everywhere Unite https://www.facebook.com/groups/EntertainersUnite/?ref=br_rs
Entertainment Jobs and Casting Notices https://www.facebook.com/groups/EntertainmentPostings/?ref=br_rs
Extra Ent Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/308500082553972/
Extra Extra Actors casting company https://www.facebook.com/groups/244937485540856/
Film & TV Network Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/FilmTVnetwork/?ref=br_rs
Film & TV Network Group Los Angeles https://www.facebook.com/groups/FilmTVnetworkLosAngeles/?ref=br_rs
Film and Television Auditions https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmtelevisionauditions/
Film and Television Casting Directors https://www.facebook.com/groups/actingcastingcalls/
Film Casting & Job Board Los Angeles https://www.facebook.com/groups/FilmCastingBoardLosAngeles/?ref=br_rs
United Filmmakers Association https://www.facebook.com/groups/Unifilmmakers/
United Screen Actors Nationwide https://www.facebook.com/groups/25157060924/?ref=br_rs
USC Filmmakers & Actors Connection Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/142460922517646/?ref=br_rs
Vancouver Film Cooperative https://www.facebook.com/groups/vancouverfilmcooperative/?ref=br_rs
Vancouver Film/TV/Media Community & Jobs Board https://www.facebook.com/groups/vanfilmgroup/?ref=br_rs
We Make Movies Canada https://www.facebook.com/groups/WMMCanada/?ref=br_rs
Who’s Who Hollywood In The South https://www.facebook.com/groups/whoswhohollywoodsouth/
Women In ComedyLA https://www.facebook.com/groups/143230512367815/?ref=br_rs
Women in Film & Video https://www.facebook.com/groups/31922396238/?ref=br_rs
Women In The Director’s Chair https://www.facebook.com/groups/881499025196490/?ref=br_rs
Yale in Hollywood https://www.facebook.com/groups/5996791547/?ref=br_rs
YEAA https://www.facebook.com/groups/106606629420837/?ref=br_rs
Your Casting (www.yourcasting.ca) https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourcasting/?ref=br_rs
NYC Talent Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/NYCTalent/?ref=br_rs
Overheard Backstage...... https://www.facebook.com/groups/282182483134/?ref=br_rs
PAUL RUSSELL CASTING & Studies for Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/PaulRussellCasting/
Paul Weber Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/102445429821450/
Phoenix Castings https://www.facebook.com/groups/phoenixcastings/
Portland Film and Video Networking https://www.facebook.com/groups/pdxfilm/?ref=br_rs
POWERHOUSE CASTING https://www.facebook.com/groups/289332965012/
Producers for Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/TCDstudiosACTORS4CHANGE/?ref=br_rs
Professional Latinos In Entertainment https://www.facebook.com/groups/Professionallatinosinent/?ref=br_rs
PUT ME ON T.V.!!! (A CASTING GROUP) https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialcastings/?ref=br_rs
Rainforest Films https://www.facebook.com/groups/52658844022/
REEL Ladies https://www.facebook.com/groups/reelladies/?ref=br_rs
Risa Bramon Garcia Master Class and Coaching https://www.facebook.com/groups/RisaBramonGarciaGroup/?ref=br_rs
Ryerson Film School Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/26954069233/?ref=br_rs
“ACT LIKE YOU KNOW” https://www.facebook.com/groups/actlikeyouknowent/
***CASTING CALL*** / Post Your Casting Notices Only https://www.facebook.com/groups/CastingCallGroup/
*THAT KID HAS TALENT* https://www.facebook.com/groups/203090023144484/
A.C.T. (Acting for Cinema & Television) https://www.facebook.com/groups/actottawa/?ref=br_rs
Acting Classes, Teachers, Schools & Coaches https://www.facebook.com/groups/445734102121032/?ref=br_rs
Acting Studio Chicago https://www.facebook.com/groups/100378101989/?ref=br_rs
ACTIVE ACTORS INC .ORG https://www.facebook.com/groups/ACTIVEACTORS.ORG/
ACTIVE ACTORS TV https://www.facebook.com/groups/194894613965652/
Filmmakers Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/435371456514750/
THE ART SHOP https://www.facebook.com/groups/heart.the.arts/
STUDENT FILM MAKERS https://www.facebook.com/groups/isffh/
TV/Film Events and Information https://www.facebook.com/groups/249739625134113/
NAFA [Networking Action for Filmmakers & Actors] https://www.facebook.com/groups/nafaface/
Film & TV: Script Writers, Directors, Producers, Actors, Crew Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1410625905903629/
The Filmmakers Forum https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefilmmakersforum/
Filmmakers Forum https://www.facebook.com/groups/forumforfilmmakers/
Filmmakers Network Movies Television Directors Producers Writers Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/RSMBeverythingfilm/
The Independent Film Trust https://www.facebook.com/groups/independentfilmtrust/
Freelance Film Production https://www.facebook.com/groups/freelancefilm/
Filmmakers & Actors Network (FAAN) https://www.facebook.com/groups/357018167771710/
Movie Making Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/2306119247/
All Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/allfilmmakers/
Directors/Editors/Filmmakers: Your place is HERE https://www.facebook.com/groups/2212598588/
Film & Television Connection https://www.facebook.com/groups/film.tv.connection/
Independent Film Society https://www.facebook.com/groups/ahmetsenbayrak/
Low Budget films, Indy Filmmaking (Low budget Film Makers) https://www.facebook.com/groups/122004781205401/
FILM MAKERS…Generation Next… https://www.facebook.com/groups/FilmMakersGenerationNext/
Filmmakers Unite https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmmakersunite/
Low Budget Filmmaking Tips, Tricks & How To’s https://www.facebook.com/groups/LowBudgetFilmmakingTips/
Women In Cinema https://www.facebook.com/groups/Reelwomenstudents/
The Frugal Filmmaker https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefrugalfilmmaker/
International Film Producers Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/239095726103656/
CONFESSIONS OF A CINEPHILE https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConfessionsOfaCinephile/
Cannes Film Festival https://www.facebook.com/groups/festivalcannes/
RED Camera https://www.facebook.com/groups/35666868707/
Directors of Film https://www.facebook.com/groups/2204992376/
Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/5073939262/
Bullet Films https://www.facebook.com/groups/7354652342/
Cinema Discussions https://www.facebook.com/groups/440155972774460/
Film Buffs https://www.facebook.com/groups/377392015759357/
Indie Filmmaking Circuit https://www.facebook.com/groups/indiefc/#
NYC – INDIE FILMMAKERS AND ACTORS https://www.facebook.com/groups/119023474835322/
Actor & Actress https://www.facebook.com/groups/1382432275329309/
Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/178447050241/
Actors BOOKING work! https://www.facebook.com/groups/455399881152299/?ref=br_rs
Actors Breakdown Worldwide Entertainment Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/abnetwork/?ref=br_rs
Actors for Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/actorsforactors1/
Actors For All Talent Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/actorsforall/
Casting Corner https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlexMaderaCastingCorner/?ref=br_rs
Casting Directors for Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/CastingDirectorsForActors/
Casting Society of America https://www.facebook.com/groups/castingsocietyofamerica/?ref=br_rs
Casting Solutions https://www.facebook.com/groups/87246863533/?ref=br_rs
Casting, Acting & Photography https://www.facebook.com/groups/caacph/?ref=br_rs
Casting! https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeCast/
Castings of the Arts [ Atlanta ] https://www.facebook.com/groups/castingsofthearts/
Cherrix Casting ATL https://www.facebook.com/groups/cherrixcasting/
Chicago Artists in Los Angeles (C.A.L.A) https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChiArtistsinLA/?ref=br_rs
CINELadies https://www.facebook.com/groups/CINELadies/?ref=br_rs
Comedy Job Posts https://www.facebook.com/groups/730368893721504/?ref=br_rs
Coulon Casting, Inc. https://www.facebook.com/groups/couloncasting/
Creative Designers and Writers https://www.facebook.com/groups/creativedesignerswriters/
De Simone Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/27758285862/
Hollywood Child Actor’s & Models International-for CASTING!!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/63783311455/
Hollywood East Actors’ Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/hollywoodeastactors/
Hollywood North Acting and Modeling https://www.facebook.com/groups/hollywoodnorth/?ref=br_rs
HOLLYWOOD NORTH: Vancouver Film Industry https://www.facebook.com/groups/hollywoodnorthvancouverfilmindustry/?ref=br_rs
Parties, Artists, DJs, BeatMakers, Photographers & Models In TEXAS! https://www.facebook.com/groups/171104522926895/
IMDB LIKES AND SHARES https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538760786367379/
INDEPENDENT FILM COMMUNITY https://www.facebook.com/groups/190540802782/?ref=br_rs
INDUSTRY CASTINGS & AUDITIONS FOR ALL TALENT https://www.facebook.com/groups/eastcoastcastings/?ref=br_rs
Indy Filmmakers Unite https://www.facebook.com/groups/indyfilmmakers/
iO west Skillbook https://www.facebook.com/groups/iOWestSkillbook/?ref=br_rs
iPG (Indian Pictures Group, Worldwide) https://www.facebook.com/groups/383953578361021/
JAMI RUDOFSKY CASTING https://www.facebook.com/groups/215026518532841/?ref=br_rs
Josh Einsohn Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/15104323479/?ref=br_rs
L.A. Comedy Scene https://www.facebook.com/groups/243154042495640/?ref=br_rs
Screen Actors Guild https://www.facebook.com/groups/SAGGroup/?ref=br_rs
Screenager https://www.facebook.com/groups/587019524728201/
Scriptwriters / Filmmakers / Directors / Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScriptwritersFilmmakersDirectorsCastingActors/
SHOW DEMO REELs, YouTube SHORT FILMs, TRAILERs & IMDb DEMOs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1388116231487653/
Shreveport Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/shreveportactors/?ref=br_rs
So Cal Theatre News https://www.facebook.com/groups/271826026254150/?ref=br_rs
Talent & Skills https://www.facebook.com/groups/talentandskills/?ref=br_rs
Talent Circle Film Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/talentcircle/?ref=br_rs
Talent Network Group (TNG) https://www.facebook.com/groups/TalentNetworkGroup/?ref=br_rs
Talent Productions: Modeling, Acting, Music & Sports https://www.facebook.com/groups/115057116331/
TalentSoup..Your Casting and Talent Agency https://www.facebook.com/groups/21480254477/
The Actors Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/9147841010/?ref=br_rs
The Casting Cooperative Outreach Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/253583884809032/?ref=br_rs
The Casting Corner https://www.facebook.com/groups/111591925541832/
American Academy of Dramatic Arts Alumni https://www.facebook.com/groups/AADA.Alums/?ref=br_rs
ARAB ACTORS https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArabActors/
Around The World Media https://www.facebook.com/groups/aroundtheworldmedia/
Artists Connected Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/artistsconnectedpage/?ref=br_rs
Association of Entertainment Professionals-(AEP)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AssociationofEntertainmentProfessionals/?ref=br_rs
Atlanta Actors (PRO) https://www.facebook.com/groups/234912449885493/
Atlanta Entertainment https://www.facebook.com/groups/3579595643/
Atlanta Extras & Crew Carpool System https://www.facebook.com/groups/647556835262208/
ATLANTA EXTRAS/FRIENDS/ACTORS https://www.facebook.com/groups/243624842363778/
Atlanta Film Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/atlantafilmcommunity/
Atlanta Film Industry https://www.facebook.com/groups/245907550299/?ref=br_rs
Atlanta Filmmaking https://www.facebook.com/groups/atlfilm/?ref=br_rs
Audition of the Day https://www.facebook.com/groups/196841300343403/
Auditions - Vancouver https://www.facebook.com/groups/2528811952/?ref=br_rs
Back Stage Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/31414608157/
BasEkChance - Audition & Castings https://www.facebook.com/groups/basekchance/?ref=br_rs
Bay Area Actors and Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/bayactors/?ref=br_rs
Bay Area Comedy Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/bayareacomedynetwork/?ref=br_rs
Bay Area Theater Folks https://www.facebook.com/groups/216249678492482/?ref=br_rs
BGB Casting for Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/BGBCastingforActors/?ref=br_rs
BigCheapTheatre https://www.facebook.com/groups/BigCheapTheatre/?ref=br_rs
Blacks in TV/Film Production https://www.facebook.com/groups/5124967010/
British Actors Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/BritishActors.Net/?ref=br_rs
Canadian Actors in Los Angeles https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadian.actors.losangeles/?ref=br_rs
CASTING & PRODUCTION NOTICES https://www.facebook.com/groups/actingcrewjobs/
Casting Call Connection https://www.facebook.com/groups/castingcallconnection/?ref=br_rs
Casting Calls and Auditions https://www.facebook.com/groups/11421344340/
Casting Calls for TV https://www.facebook.com/groups/CastingCallsForTV/
The Holding Tent https://www.facebook.com/groups/120921508004539/
The Peoples Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/101029701344/
The Voice Acting Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/2364217548/?ref=br_rs
The Workroom Salon https://www.facebook.com/groups/theworkroom/?ref=br_rs
Theatre SF Bay https://www.facebook.com/groups/106106616158232/?ref=br_rs
Tom Roy’s Actors, Writers, Directors & More. https://www.facebook.com/groups/174944589190084/?ref=br_rs
Toronto Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/torontoactors/?ref=br_rs
Toronto Directors & Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/2308104726/?ref=br_rs
Toronto EXTRAS, Actors...or “background performers” https://www.facebook.com/groups/toronto.actra/?ref=br_rs
TORONTO Film Industry Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/TorontoFilm/?ref=br_rs
TORONTO FILM NETWORK - let’s show the world our TALENT! https://www.facebook.com/groups/torontofilmfestival/?ref=br_rs
TORONTO THEATRE AUDITIONS/PERFORMER EXCHANGE https://www.facebook.com/groups/AuditionPostings/?ref=br_rs
UCLA Theatre Film Connection https://www.facebook.com/groups/181797495197954/?ref=br_rs
Union Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/Union.Actors/?ref=br_rs
L.A. THEATER NETWORK https://www.facebook.com/groups/LATheaterNet/?ref=br_rs
LA actors circle https://www.facebook.com/groups/177711535609414/?ref=br_rs
LA Actors Tweetup https://www.facebook.com/groups/LAActorsTweetup/
LA Comedy https://www.facebook.com/groups/277535075600502/?ref=br_rs
LA Underground Comedy Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/302932949808410/?ref=br_rs
LA UNION V.O. ACTORS! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1007879992596697/?ref=br_rs
Last Looks Casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/lastlookscasting/?ref=br_rs
Latino Theater Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/tltcmail/?ref=br_rs
Latino Writers Roundtable https://www.facebook.com/groups/583157288460174/?ref=br_rs
Let’s Make a Movie! https://www.facebook.com/groups/Letsmakemovie/?ref=br_rs
Local Actors & Crew Community Board (Metro Atlanta) https://www.facebook.com/groups/fallingtreefilms/
London auditions and casting https://www.facebook.com/groups/173440156082726/?ref=br_rs
London Film and Theatre Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/4635180171/?ref=br_rs
Los Angeles >> ACTORS https://www.facebook.com/groups/423727627684599/?ref=br_rs
Film Friends of Florida https://www.facebook.com/groups/452041081527018/
Film Industry Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/finworldnews/
Film TV Professionals https://www.facebook.com/groups/FilmTVProfessionals/?ref=br_rs
FilmindustryLA https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmindustryla/?ref=br_rs
Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmgo/?ref=br_rs
Filmmakers Forum https://www.facebook.com/groups/forumforfilmmakers/
Filmmakers Promote Your Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmmakerspromote/?ref=br_rs
Filmmakers Unite https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmmakersunite/?ref=br_rs
FLORIDA ENTERTAINMENT https://www.facebook.com/groups/FloridaEntertainment/
Florida Film/TV Extras https://www.facebook.com/groups/425522087486170/
Freelance Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/FreelanceFilmmakers/?ref=br_rs
Gloria Dais Casting Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1750167878540110/
GLORIOSO CASTING https://www.facebook.com/groups/ryanglorioso/
Headshot Critique for Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/headshotcritique/
Los Angeles Film and Theater Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/5736896401/?ref=br_rs
MadCatch Entertainment https://www.facebook.com/groups/35397147630/?ref=br_rs
Megan Foley Casting & Co. https://www.facebook.com/groups/77267413726/?ref=br_rs
Miami casting call https://www.facebook.com/groups/749729528373348/
Montreal Actors https://www.facebook.com/groups/150353155027807/?ref=br_rs
Motion Picture Professionals Networking Synergy https://www.facebook.com/groups/37811141737/?ref=br_rs
Movie Making Throughout the Bay! – MMTB https://www.facebook.com/groups/21639938960/
Night Life Agency https://www.facebook.com/groups/nightlifeagency/
NY Actors TweetUp https://www.facebook.com/groups/nyactorstweetup/?ref=br_rs
NYC AUDITIONS & SHOW INFO/THEATRE CHAT https://www.facebook.com/groups/NYCTheatreChat/?ref=br_rs
NYC Casting Calls https://www.facebook.com/groups/NYCastingCalls/
NYC Filmmakers https://www.facebook.com/groups/nycfilmmakers/?ref=br_rs
Film & Television Script Sites
By John Pallotta
The following are websites we have found useful in finding new, interesting monologues and scenes for classes and workshops at the studio. Please always make sure that you keep the scenes to 1-3 pages and always print several copies for you, the reader, and a back up in case your partner misses a class.
Find Scripts for Class HERE
The Actor Apps
Carry Them in Your Pocket for Your Next Audition
An actor’s craft is one of constant refinement and improvement of skills and there is no shortage of apps out there that will help an actor to hone their abilities, be it working on voice overs or rehearsing for an audition. Discover some of the best apps now available to actors with smart phones and tables.
Scene Partner on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Script Rehearser Free (Beta) - Android Apps on Google Play
Off Book! on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Line-A New Way for Actors to Learn Lines By Crafting Scripts on the ...
Actor Genie on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Actor Genie: Audition on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
LineLearner on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Scene Buddy on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Bbbler Actors for Omlet - Android Apps on Google Play
iPerform on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Rehearsal 2 on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Scene Study on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
StarNow Audition Finder - Acting Auditions, Modelling Jobs and More ...
Actor Audition App on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Theater and Acting - Android Apps on Google Play
Actors FCU Mobile - Android Apps on Google Play
The Actors Workshop App - Android Apps on Google Play
My Selftape App on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Everything Acting Podcast - Android Apps on Google Play
Learn Actors Quiz - Android Apps on Google Play
The Accent Kit on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Voice actors’ app YUMORISEKI.2 - Android Apps on Google Play
The Real Accent App: USA - Android Apps on Google Play
Actors FCU Mobile on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Actors Audition Log on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
Actors Spotlight on the App Store - iTunes - Apple
The Accent Kit - Android Apps on Google Play
Actors Websites and SEO
Basic search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental. And essential. SEO will help you position your website properly to be found at the most critical points in the buying process or when people need your site.
What are search engines looking for? How can you build your website in a way that will please both your visitors/customers, as well as Google, Bing, and other search engines? Most importantly, how can SEO help your web presence become more profitable?
What is SEO, Exactly?
The goal of foundational SEO isn’t to cheat or “game” the search engines. The purpose of SEO is to:
Create a great, seamless user experience.
Communicate to the search engines your intentions so they can recommend your website for relevant searches.
1. Your Website is Like a Cake
Your links, paid search, and social media acts as the icing, but your content, information architecture, content management system, and infrastructure act as the sugar and makes the cake. Without it, your cake is tasteless, boring, and gets thrown in the trash.
2. What Search Engines Are Looking For
Search engines want to do their jobs as best as possible by referring users to websites and content that is the most relevant to what the user is looking for. So how is relevancy determined?
Content: Is determined by the theme that is being given, the text on the page, and the titles and descriptions that are given.
Performance: How fast is your site and does it work properly?
Authority: Does your site have good enough content to link to or do other authoritative sites use your website as a reference or cite the information that’s available?
User Experience: How does the site look? Is it easy to navigate around? Does it look safe? Does it have a high bounce rate?
What Search Engines Are NOT Looking For
Search engine spiders only have a certain amount of data storage, so if you’re performing shady tactics or trying to trick them, chances are you’re going to hurt yourself in the long run. Items the search engines don’t want are:
Keyword Stuffing: Overuse of keywords on your pages.
Purchased Links: Buying links will get you nowhere when it comes to SEO, so be warned.
Poor User Experience: Make it easy for the user to get around. Too many ads and making it too difficult for people to find content they’re looking for will only increase your bounce rate. If you know your bounce rate it will help determine other information about your site. For example, if it’s 80 percent or higher and you have content on your website, chances are something is wrong.
Know Your Business Model
While this is pretty obvious, so many people tend to not sit down and just focus on what their main goals are. Some questions you need to ask yourself are:
What defines a conversion for you?
Are you selling eyeballs (impressions) or what people click on?
What are your goals?
Do you know your assets and liabilities?
Don’t Forget to Optimize for Multi-Channels
Keyword strategy is not only important to implement on-site, but should extend to other off-site platforms, which is why you should also be thinking about multi-channel optimization. These multi-channel platforms include:
Offline, such as radio and TV ads
Being consistent with keyword phrases within these platforms will not only help your branding efforts, but also train users to use specific phrases you’re optimizing for.
Be Consistent With Domain Names
Domain naming is so important to your overall foundation, so as a best practice you’re better off using sub-directory root domains (example.com/awesome) versus sub-domains (awesome.example.com). Some other best practices with domain names are:
Consistent Domains: If you type in www.example.com, but then your type in just example.com and the “www” does not redirect to www.example.com, that means the search engines are seeing two different sites. This isn’t effective for your overall SEO efforts as it will dilute your inbound links, as external sites will be linking to www.example.com and example.com.
Keep it Old School: Old domains are better than new ones, but if you’re buying an old domain, make sure that the previous owner didn’t do anything shady to cause the domain to get penalized.
Keywords in URL: Having keywords you’re trying to rank for in your domain will only help your overall efforts.
Optimizing for Different Types of Results
In addition to optimizing for the desktop experience, make sure to focus on mobile and tablet optimization as well as other media.
Create rich media content like video, as it’s easier to get a video to rank on the first page than it is to get a plain text page to rank.
Optimize your non-text content so search engines can see it. If your site uses Flash or PDFs, make sure you read up on the latest best practices so search engines can crawl that content and give your site credit for it.
Focus on Your Meta Data Too
Your content on your site should have title tags and meta descriptions.
Meta keywords are pretty much ignored by search engines nowadays, but if you still use them, make sure it talks specifically to that page and that it is also formatted correctly.
Your meta description should be unique and also speak to that specific page. Duplicate meta descriptions from page to page will not get you anywhere.
Title tags should also be unique! Think your title as a 4-8 word ad, so do your best to entice the reader so they want to click and read more.
In Conclusion
THANKS FOR READING
ALL THE BEST IN YOUR JOURNEY
John Pallotta
John Pallotta Studio of Acting
646.619.7777