The various tools I will be pointing out here will help create and maintain your digital space, which in turn helps book more auditions and thereby jobs.
I know a lot of you don’t like to see or think of yourself as a brand but like every other brand in the market place , we as Casting Directors need to know where we can slot you in. The stronger your brand the easier it is for us to know where to place you.
So what is a brand and how do you find yours? As actor and brand strategist Ratan Therakul says “Your brand is a unique mixture of how others experience you, and how you define yourself. It’s your essence distilled into a few descriptive words and manifested in the work you put out into the world”.
In other words it is the memory you leave behind when you leave that casting room. You want them to be saying “I want to work with that person” He/ she is perfect for the role”.
To be able to get there you need to ask yourself “I am……..” and “I am not…” but you need to be honest. If you are not gregarious be honest. If you are the quiet type be honest.
Once you believe you have answered this question honestly, then you need to garner others perception of you. Friends, family , insiders and outsiders. People in your work environment, Social Media friends. A number of adjectives will keep coming up . These are the way people see you.
Now combine the two lists for your core essence. This is your brand. Ask yourself if this feels right. Does this fit how you perceive yourself? Can you put this into the characters you play? Does it feel natural?
Social Media in todays actor world is a necessary evil to accentuate and perpetuate your brand. Unfortunately it seems some producers are now even asking CD’s what an actors reach is (as to whether they should be cast or not).
Twitter is a quick and efficient way to quickly and succinctly push your brand. Many actors just use Twitter to help tell their story with their views of the world or a quick snap of what they have just achieved that day.
Instagram is a picture book way of showing your brand rather than telling. It allows you to share your brand with the production you happen to be working on and producers love it as you are helping promote their show without them having to do anything. Hence more and more producers are asking us CD’s what your following is. The more followers you have the better their promotion will be for that individual project.
Facebook is the most comprehensive social media platform and is also probably the most essential.
Unlike Twitter and Instagram, Facebook also has so many profile options that you need to be super careful when filling out. Heidi Dean – Social Media expert, believes if you are going to take the time to use Facebook to help build your brand and reputation then you need to be professional about it.
Her six tips for Facebook are simple:
- Optimize your cover and profile photos
- Choose a User name
- Add a call to action button
- Create and organize your page tabs
- Pin an important post to the top of your page
- Highlight your acting achievements. This means auditions etc.
With all of these Social Media platforms it is important to be vigilant:
- Join the party and be active in your posting
- Respond to those who have replied to you or left a comment or shared one of your posts
- Share others posts and always be mindful in giving credit of your source.
- Ask questions from any of those agents, CD’s you are hoping to connect to
- Listen to others and be positive
As Heidi Dean suggests there are 3 things actors should be posting on:
- Invite people by asking them questions. Be engaging
- Inform by reposting and sharing
- Inspire and motivate people to get through their day.
Website – This is the one stop shop for a CD to find out about you. Here we will find your résumé, headshots, clips from projects, your show reel and your self tape library. Don’t have a self tape library? You need to have a look at our Self Taping School course https://www.theauditiontechnique.com/courses/self-taping-school/ to understand how invaluable a self tape library is for all actors in whatever position they are in the industry.
Additionally, your website should have a brief bio, and a link to your IMDB page ( yes this IS important)which includes a synopsis of your life with intermittent professional and personal achievements that have led you to where you are today.
Of course, one of the most important factors in having a website is your contact details. If you have representation be sure that it is in a prominent position with names, numbers and addresses.
Of course there are also others such as Podcasts, Youtube videos, Snapchat, Blogs etc….. if you can be bothered!
