Television Show Auditions

I have worked in the Entertainment Industry as long as I can remember. I have been a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists since 1985. I decided to create and maintain this website in my spare time to help people who do not have an agent, who are interested in becoming a professional television actor. I hope the information on this page can help you achieve your dream of working as an actor or extra on television. I post this information absolutely free of charge, and try to verify all details as much as possible.

I am independent journalist/publisher and not affiliated in any way with Disney or any other specific studio. This is a fansite that happens to list information about what is and what has been cast, as well as any public talent searches or casting calls. I do this for those of you who either can not or choose not to pay subscription based websites. I hope my websites continue to help talent obtain employment in the entertainment industry. All content on third-party advertisers' websites is the sole responsibility of the respective website publisher(s)/owner(s).

Sincerely,

Alan Baltes

All eBooks are now sent with a SAG-AFTRA merger update sheet.

The 2013 Actors Resource Guide eBooks are now available for 19 cities, states, and countries, and come with free quarterly updates. Comprehensive actors resource guides that include listings of talent agents and casting directors, sample actors resumes and cover letters, acting schools and classes, headshot photographers and reproduction, extras casting directors, child work permits, foreign actor visas, and many more valuable tips, resources, and advice. Each eBook contains a minimum of the following:

• Casting Directors List
• Extras Casting Directors List
• Talent Agents List
• Acting Schools List
• Headshot Photographers List
• Actors Unions
• Sample Actors Resume
• Sample Beginning Actors Resume
• Sample Cover Letters
• Audition Tips
• How To Make an Audition Video
• General Talent Agent Information
• Entertainment Industry Terminology
• Child Work Permit Information
• Immigration Work Permit Information
• Non-Immigrant Visa Application
• Miscellaneous Resources
• PDF Users Guides

The 2013 Actors Resource Guide eBooks are now available for Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Orlando, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, New Mexico, Austin TX, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore/Washington DC, Louisiana, North Carolina, Michigan, London, Vancouver, New Zealand, and Australia.


More locations coming soon.

Western U.S. Actors Guide eBooks

Los Angeles $19.95 USD San Francisco $19.95 USD Seattle $19.95 USD New Mexico $19.95 USD Austin $19.95 USD

Eastern U.S. Actors Guide eBooks

New York $19.95 USD Boston $19.95 USD Orlando $19.95 USD Atlanta $19.95 USD Chicago $19.95 USD Miami $19.95 USD Baltimore/Richmond/DC. $19.95 USD Louisiana $19.95 USD North Carolina $19.95 USD Michigan $19.95 USD

International Actors Guide eBooks

London $19.95 USD Vancouver $19.95 USD Australia $19.95 USD New Zealand $19.95 USD

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$19.95 - Los Angeles $19.95 - New York $19.95 - Boston $19.95 - Baltimore/DC $19.95 - Chicago $19.95 - Atlanta $19.95 - Austin $19.95 - Orlando $19.95 - Miami $19.95 - San Francisco $19.95 - Seattle $19.95 - Louisiana $19.95 - New Mexico $19.95 - North Carolina $19.95 - Michigan $19.95 - Vancouver $19.95 - New Zealand $19.95 - Australia $19.95 - London

Your 2013 Actors Resource Guide eBook will be emailed to you in the form of a PDF Portfolio attachment upon receipt of payment, usually within 24 hours but commonly within several hours or sooner. Also included is a “Single File Format” PDF Actors Resource Guide eBook that can be viewed on any computer, tablet, or smart phone. You will also receive free quarterly updates sent to the email address that you use to order your eBook. If payment is made using an "eCheck", the payment must clear your bank before the eBook is sent, and that process usually takes 3-5 business days depending on your bank and country of payment. Please include a preferred email address in the payment form that you would like your eBook sent to, otherwise it will be sent to the email address used for PayPal or Google Wallet payment.

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The executives give the "green light" for TV shows to be produced. Then the production company of the project hires casting directors, who in turn send out "breakdowns" of the characters being cast.

These "breakdowns" actually are sent out by a service called "Breakdown Services" and are only available to licensed Talent Agencies.

Then the agents at these agencies submit photos, resumes, and sometimes "demo-reels" to the casting directors. Then the casting directors call in the actors that fit the roles they are casting, usually many many actors are called in.

Then they narrow it down to the best actors who came in and "call back" these actors to read again for the director, sometimes the writer, producer, etc. Then they narrow it down further, and sometimes there are 3 - 4 "call backs" before an actor is finally hired.

Occasionally a casting director will call in an actor who sends a photo and resume on their own without an agent

Some casting directors have assistants who sort through the mail and some do it themselves.

When you are called to audition, you are given "sides" which is a few pages of script to read. You can usually download these lines a few days before the audition. Sometimes they have you do a "cold reading" where you are given the sides right there and then.

When you arrive, you sign in at the receptionists desk, wait in the front office usually with several other actors. When they call you in, you sit down and have a brief conversation with the CD. It is best to ask them a few questions about the script, project, role, etc., before they bring it up! And that is it. If you get a "call back" it is usually within a week or two, generally speaking.

It is just a matter of waiting. There are no time frames as to when they might get in touch. Sometimes they will keep a photo and resume for future consideration, sometimes they do not. It is all timing. You just hope that they are casting for a specific type when the photo and resume lands on their desk. Casting Directors do NOT contact you to let you know that they are not interested, they ONLY call if they want you to come in for an audition.

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is an American labor union representing over 150,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. The current organization is the result of the March 30, 2012 merger of the Screen Actor's Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

According to the SAG-AFTRA Mission Statement, the union seeks to: negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for its performers; collect compensation for exploitation of recorded performances by its members, and provide protection against unauthorized use of those performances; and preserve and expand work opportunities for its members.

The Screen Actors Guild was founded in 1933 in an effort to eliminate exploitation of actors in Hollywood who were being forced into oppressive multi-year contracts with the major movie studios that did not include restrictions on work hours or minimum rest periods, and often had clauses that automatically renewed at the studios' discretion. These contracts were notorious for allowing the studios to dictate the public and private lives of the performers who signed them, and most did not have provisions to allow the performer to end the deal.

SAG-AFTRA is the primary performer's union in the United States. The union is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. SAG-AFTRA claims exclusive jurisdiction over motion picture as well as radio, television, Internet, and other new media. Internationally, SAG-AFTRA is affiliated with the International Federation of Actors.

A performer becomes eligible for SAG-AFTRA membership under one of the following two conditions:

1) Proof of Employment.

SAG-AFTRA membership is available to those who work in a position covered by a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement. Any person qualifying through work as a background actor must have completed three days of work as a background actor under a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement.

2) Employment Under an Affiliated Performers Union.

Performers may join SAG-AFTRA if the applicant is a paid-up member of an affiliated performers union (ACTRA, AEA, AGMA or AGVA) for a period of one year and has worked and been paid for at least once as a principal performer in that union’s jurisdiction.

All new members pay a one-time-only initiation fee, plus the first semiannual dues at the time of joining. The national initiation fee rate is currently $3000.00 (initiation fees may be lower in some states). Annual Base dues are $198.00. In addition, work dues are calculated at 1.575 percent of covered earnings up to $500,000.

Once you are a member, you must abide by the rules of membership, starting with Global Rule One and the No Contract/No Work Rule. And, whether you are a SAG-AFTRA member or not - NEVER accept work during a Union strike!

Becoming a SAG-AFTRA member is a very important milestone for every working professional talent in the entertainment industry. But you should not be in a rush to join unless you are absolutely certain that you are ready to compete for professional performing jobs. For actors, you should prepare yourself by studying acting and improv, doing live theatre, and perform in non-union on-camera productions in order to build your resume and gain extremely valuable experience.

Here is what casting director Gayle Pillsbury of Zane/Pillsbury Casting said in regards to general submissions when asked the following question:

If an actor does not have representation by a talent agent, what is the best way for them to get noticed by a casting director?

"You can also try and send a general submission of yourself to a casting office – I’ve opened some pictures and just really liked the picture of the person and held onto it until an appropriate role came up so I could audition that actor. And while I don’t want to sound discouraging, general submissions are a long shot – you’re really bargaining on timing and luck. But again, it’s about being pro-active and creative-minded."

Read the entire interview here:

Gayle Pillsbury Interview

Click Here for Gayle Pillsbury at IMDb

Here is casting director Jeff Greenberg's response to the following question:

Do you ever cast actors who are without representation?

"We do cast actors without representation."

Read the entire interview here:

Jeff Greenberg Interview

Click Here for Jeff Greenberg at IMDb

These statements mirror what the vast majority of casting directors have told me over the last 20+ years. I have a separate website that addresses talent agency issues. It includes FAQ, scam alerts, and a state-by-state listing of all legit talent agents in the USA.

Click Here to go to my Talent Agents information and resources website.

The Actors Fund is a national, nonprofit organization serving all entertainment professionals through comprehensive services and programs. In addition to providing emergency grants for essentials such as food, rent and medical care, The Actors Fund provides counseling, substance abuse and mental health services, senior and disabled care, nursing and retirement homes, an AIDS Initiative, Actors Work Program, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, supportive housing on both coasts and other essential programs, with a current annual budget of $21,000,000.

Founded in 1882, The Fund serves those in film, theatre, television, music, opera, and dance with a broad spectrum of programs including comprehensive social services, health services, supportive and affordable housing, emergency financial assistance, employment and training services, and skilled nursing and assisted living care.

The Fund sponsors many special events and performances, with numerous Broadway stars and Hollywood celebrities hosting, performing, and/or attending. Theatres throughout the country frequently pledge all the proceeds from a regularly scheduled performance to the charity.

The Actors Fund Los Angeles
5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-9244


The Actors Work Program Los Angeles
5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-9244


The Actors Fund Website

Unsolicited phone calls and personal visits to casting directors are prohibited in the entertainment industry. Not only does it display a huge level of non-professionalism, it is extremely inconsiderate of casting directors time. They receive hundreds, and even thousands of photos and resumes every week. They certainly can not accommodate being inundated with phone calls from actors, and aspiring actors.

Talent Agents who know casting directors can call them if it is for a very important reason such as rescheduling a client for an audition. But calling casting directors, production companies, producers, and studios is an agents job, NOT an actors.

The only exception to this extremely important rule is if you are RETURNING a phone call after they have contacted you first.

NO! Never ever pay someone to audition. If they ask you to pay, then it is surely a scam. Legit casting directors, agents, and managers never charge any up-front fees whatsoever.

You should never be asked or required to attend any specific classes, use any specific photographers, or pay ANY upfront fees.

Agents typically get 10% of your paycheck AFTER you work. Managers typically get 15%. Casting Directors get paid by the studio or production company.

The only fee you should ever pay for is legit extras casting agencies, such as Central Casting in Burbank, CA. They may charge a small photo imaging fee of around $20, this is because they must take a digital photo of all extras for consistency in their files, and to make sure that they know what the extra looked like when they registered.

So the answer is NO! It costs absolutely nothing to audition for television shows and films.

I personally feel that if a person does not have experience, doing extra work is a fantastic way to get used to being on TV set. It gives you an idea of how things work and allows you to become comfortable on a set without risking "burning bridges" if you get nervous and a little stage fright.

I myself did extra work in the beginning of my career and it helped me tremendously. I had terrible stage fright, but I became very comfortable after doing background work for a while. It doesn't pay a whole lot, but the experience you get is valuable.

Acting is like any other job, the more training and experience a person has, the better chance of getting the job. But at the same time, we all have to start somewhere!

1. First use a pencil and write down or each page of the script (you can also do several pages at a time as opposed to the entire script).

2. Take the page into a quiet room, shut the door, and eliminate all distractions.

3. Look at the first line in your notes and read it out loud. Then, close your eyes and say the line without looking at it.

4. Repeat the step above, this time with the first 2 lines.

5. Next, try it with 3 lines. Then 4. Repeat until you have memorized every line in the pages/script/sides.

After a study session, take a quick nap. New memories are very vulnerable, but studies have shown that sleep helps your new memories stick. After your nap, repeat the memory technique once more for maximum retention.

An actors demo reel (or "demo tape") is a short compilation of clips from professional acting work on films, commercials, and television shows. It is usually no more than a few minutes in length.

A demo reel IS NOT the same as an "Audition Video". An Audition Video IS a homemade video that you make when casting directors are accepting audition video submissions.

It is NOT necessary to send in a demo reel when submitting for roles. Only submit a demo reel if the casting directors request it, or through an agent.