The marketplace for talent is vast, but every actor knows that on any given day there are many more actors than there are available roles. The odds are stacked against ANYONE trying to become a successful, working actor. But if this is your chosen career path, you cannot get discouraged. The skills you possess are valuable and highly marketable, but you do indeed need to market yourself. If the people who represent and hire talent don't know you, quite simply, they cannot call you in.

Although auditions for many of these jobs are listed online and in the trades, most of the prime roles are not. The agents and the casting directors know about them, therefore they have to know about you. These are the professionals on the front line of finding talent for projects. This is their livelihood, their craft, and to remain successful they scout new talent at all times.

MARKETING THRU MAILINGS

Until the media takes part in promoting your career, the responsibility is yours, and mailings are the most popular and important form of promotion. If you don’t send materials to the people who can help to get you work, your most important marketing tools can't do their job and you get deprived of the results you desire. You can inspire, excite, and create interest in yourself as a performer -- but only if the right people know you and have your info at hand.

Though web presence and online postings are also critical to marketing success, mail delivered to someone’s office or home is still the best way to get your face and information into the right hands fast. You can never predict who will respond and what opportunities lie on the desk of any industry player. Sometimes you have to cast a wide net and see what you catch. This includes introducing yourself to new people and also keeping in touch with those who already know you and your work. Mail is still the best way to make contact, stay in touch and create recognition.

Does this mean that the only way to get work is through mailings? Certainly not. There are other ways to meet people and book work, and each should be reviewed for their merits. Any other marketing you do does not diminish the importance of mailings. If anything, it complements your efforts, enhancing response and reinforcing your presence in the eyes of industry professionals.

There is a correlation between getting work and doing mailings. Not only will your face be seen, but mail provides a rare opportunity to "speak" to your contacts. Unlike unscheduled office visits and phone calls, which are usually obtrusive, mail is read at the recipient's leisure and at a time that they choose. Since you write the message, you have total control over what they're going to read. What you say and how you say it can contribute greatly to your success.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A picture and resume with a cover letter is a perfect way to introduce yourself. After all, nobody will hire you without first knowing what you look like or what you've done, so the p/r is essential. Your picture shows them how you look and your resume lists your credits, experience and related background. Very important items, but on their own may appear somewhat impersonal, especially considering the personal nature of our business and the importance of this introduction.

It's the cover letter that gives you a voice, personality, and chance to convey your thoughts. This is a people business. People tend to work with people they like, and good communication can help you to create good business relationships.

In the absence of personal contact, the cover letter becomes your voice, your smile, your sincerity to the buyers and sellers of talent. It's an opportunity to tell them things you think they should know that may not be on your resume. It's your chance to help people who don't know you to acquire perspective on your career path, to understand your motivations and commitments, to gain rapport and perhaps even motivate them to call you for a meeting, offer you a chance to audition, or may be view an online posting as you’ve encouraged them in your note.

Your letter can highlight and reinforce important achievements listed on your resume, because you don’t want vital details overlooked because someone is glancing hastily at what’s on his or her desk.

Repeating crucial facts can guide their eye to the most pertinent items.

The cover letter also answers many un-asked questions that agents/cd's have, like Is this person intelligent, focused, realistic? Do they understand the business? Or are their thoughts scattered, expectations based on fantasy, and their presentation sloppy and poorly thought out? As you see, a good letter conveys a lot and can be as important to the success of a mailing as the picture/resume itself.

Cover letters should be personalized with the recipient’s name (and maybe address) printed on the letter itself. A personal note helps to convey the intended urgency of your communication, while a photocopied "Dear Agent" letter is less likely to motivate someone to put their time, efforts, and contacts to work for your benefit. Personalization increases the chance that your message will be read, because if it doesn’t get read, it doesn't matter what you've said.

An individually addressed letter becomes a one-to-one communication that can make your reader feel important, and make your message more meaningful and influential. Personalization tells the reader you recognize their value to your career while maximizing your chance of being called, or at least recognized for your efforts.

We'll cross our fingers, but don't get discouraged if the phone doesn't ring immediately. Your p/r may have ended up in a file for future reference and results down the road. It may have been thrown away, but that's OK, too -- that's the nature of marketing. It's a process, it's ongoing, and we have only just begun.

When you get no response or are told, "I can't work with you," try not to get discouraged. In most cases you are really being told "I can't work with you TODAY". Doors may appear to be closed when in actuality they may have just been opened a crack, and follow-up is crucial if you would like a shot at future opportunities.

STAY IN TOUCH

Postcards are the preferred means of follow-up, and my personal observation is that actors get calls more often through postcards than through headshot mailings. One reason is that they mail postcards more frequently, and there are good reasons to do so. Agents and casting directors will often tell you to “keep in touch with postcards”; postcards cost less to mail than 8x10s, they're less expensive to reproduce -- and you save on envelopes. They're also easier to prepare: no gluing or stapling, stuffing or sealing. But the best reason for sending postcards is how they're handled by agents and casting directors.

Offices get so much mail that they cannot physically save and file the pr's that aren't used. Compared to postcards, pictures and resumes are cumbersome to manage and take up a lot of room. Postcards are smaller, so hundreds, even thousands, can be easily stacked on a shelf or stored in a drawer. When they need a specific character type, they just thumb through the cards, pulling out any that may be appropriate.

The people who will consider becoming a part of your career want to know about you, so postcard messages should be more than just fluff. Tell them about the things that they care about, things that help them to know who you are and what you’re up to, like recent bookings, callbacks, auditions and prior credits. Drop names that will spark recognition, share a review of your work, highlight your training, or talk about specific roles that you enjoyed or felt were a good reflection of your work and type. Invite them to see you in an upcoming production -- you may even send a flyer. And don’t forget to emphasize important names of people, places or companies so they stand out and are seen at a glance.

Compared to the 8x10, you stand a much better chance of having your postcard saved, thereby increasing your chance of being called at some future date from today’s mailing. Some agent/cd's keep categorized card files on their desk. They can whip through their incoming mail without the tedious job of opening envelopes, making snap decisions on which category your card should be filed under. When they need a specific age range or type, they know where to look.

Regular follow-up keeps your face familiar and phone number handy, increasing the chance you’ll be called when someone of your type is needed. Over time you become recognized as a working actor. You separate yourself from the many transient, non-committed performers the agents and cd's look to avoid. Professionals you meet in workshops or auditions may think they've met you before, casting offices will respond more favorably to your agent submissions, and you will be remembered for appropriate roles.

Repetition over time -- with reasonable frequency – is an essential element in all successful business advertising, even show business. It's not magic, it's logic. People call you in when they can use you for something, but they can't call if they don't know you're alive. They can't remember every performer they meet, but you can set the odds in your favor and make sure they remember YOU. There are no tricks or inside secrets, it's all common sense.

In addition to your primary list of local agents and casting directors, you may also want to contact other people on a less regular basis with specialty mailings: managers, artistic directors at theatres, all types of producers, LA agents and casting directors, booking agents – or, target specialty areas like print or voiceovers, etc.

And don’t forget the people who have already had the pleasure to work with you, the directors, producers and writers whose careers are also advancing, who may have the chance to offer you work again in the future. If they don’t hear from you every 6 to 12 months, they may forget to call you.

You're in this profession for a reason, but motivation, talent, experience and training won't get you work if nobody knows you're out there. Regular communication within the marketplace is as important in this business as in any other -- it's among the most important jobs that has to get done. It puts you in the right place at the right time, and as Woody Allen said, "90% of success is just showing up". Failure to keep in touch and communicate with industry contacts is an obstacle that can prevent even the most awesome talent from getting work. So stay on their minds, on their desks -- and remember, they only forget about you if you let them.

FLIERS

Not every promotion includes your 8x10 or postcards. Flyers are 8-1/2”x14” or smaller, printed on your choice of paper, as compared to heavier card stock. Order short or long runs and incorpate a variety of design elements as you see fit; text plus any graphic, illustration, photo or fancy typesetting, and even a personalized messsage.

Use flyers to promote a show or event, or to integrate a review sheet, bio or resume into a clever and inexpensive promotion. Shakespeare has devised some clever ways to capitalize on your bookings and maximize the impact of your promotion. We work with prepared materials, or design from scratch for any budget.

Speak to a marketing consultant at Shakespeare Mailing Service and learn new ways...better ways...to get yourself noticed.

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