I am a big fan of “the paperless office” concept. I actually started doing “electronic submissions only” a couple of years ago and — like our New York POV contributor Toni Cusumano — working from my home base as much as possible. Also like Toni, I’m a 100% Breakdown Services/Actors Access user, in my casting business. Obviously other CDs may have their favorite services that differ (especially from market to market), but it’s nice to see that the way I do business here in LA isn’t that different from the way Toni’s doing business in New York! These days, no matter where casting is happening, it all starts online.
Technology, Actors, and the Casting Director
I am a CD who happens to be a native New Yorker. Call me crazy, but some years back I decided to move to Northeast PA and make that my base of operations. Now living only an hour and 15 minutes from The City, it took me longer than that to reach Manhattan from Brooklyn via the N-train.
Okay, so there I was casting whatever projects came through my new home in PA and still casting in New York. Added to that, I work with directors who reside in California, and even some that are overseas. Think my FedEx bills are through the roof? Nope. Not only am I crazy, I am also frugal. My office has gone pretty much paperless. No longer do we accept hardcopies of headshots and resumes. No more running back and forth to the post office hoping to make the express deadline to get a package of headshots and tapes to the West Coast; no more tripping and injuring myself over stacks of mail on the floor; no more snagging clothing on racks of file cabinets; no more ruining my manicure trying to open envelopes that some actor has glued, stapled, and taped. A CD’s dreams come true!
I love Breakdown Services because they allow me to accept electronic submissions. The advantages for the director, the actor, and myself are numerous. First of all, I no longer get the stare of death from my local postman as he carries countless boxes of submissions to my office and gone is the ritual begging for local college interns whose sole purpose is to open envelopes and file. No longer overwhelmed with traditional mail, I try (with director’s permission) to release my breakdowns not only to agents and managers, but also through Actors Access, which reaches actors directly. This makes it easy for actors to get me to see their headshots at my leisure and without my being so overwhelmed.
I have also taped auditions, uploaded them (again with the help of Breakdown Services) and my clients on the West Coast pick their choices. Everyone then flies to the East Coast for the shoot. The savings for smaller production companies with this method are truly appreciated. In addition, the service allows directors, producers, and myself the ability to go through submissions no matter what time zone we are all in and make decisions about whom to call in by phone and/or email; a truly effective and efficient method in my book.
Actors Access allows an actor to post photos, resumes, and video. It contains contact information and links to the actors’ websites. It costs an actor about $68.00 a year and also gives them access to Showfax and an automated notification system. It is a user-friendly site, with projects for both union and nonunion actors. The perfect way for “newbies” to start out in the business without being scammed! Great deal when you consider all of these points and the cost of mailing through traditional methods. So why are more actors not using the service?
Everyday we get calls from actors asking for our address to send headshots. We now tell them we are not accepting via mail. “Electronic submissions only” has now become my company’s mantra! Actors Access is the way to go, not only for them, but also for us. Get a good digital photo, keep your resume updated, join Actors Access and help make a CD’s life and your life easier.
Of course I totally agree with Toni about the many benefits to having an Actors Access account. I really like that actors can create a resume page URL from their account and email that out when there are updates to share. One note of clarification: Actors Access is actually FREE. So, if you want to park your headshot and resume online, have that handy URL to give out, and be fully-searchable by the casting community, you can do that for the cost of zero dollars. That’s a no-brainer, right? Showfax membership (with unlimited sides downloads and submissions on breakdowns through Actors Access) is what costs $68/yr. (although some actors still do the $2 per submission and $1 per page of sides downloaded for some less-economical reason).
About Toni Cusumano
A native New Yorker, Toni Cusumano is an independent casting director based on the East Coast who specializes in independent film. Toni works with indie filmmakers on both coasts to bring their visions to life. Some of her projects include the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, Rounding First, Searching for Bobby D, and The Surprise. Cable shows include A&E’s Biography, Combat Jump, and Always There. Upcoming projects that she is both casting and producing include Charm School, Power, and For the Love of Jade. Toni also works as a production consultant to indie filmmakers and volunteers her time to the Pocono Film Office. She is editor of the Northeast Film Alliance Newsletter and a member of IFP New York.
This contribution originally ran at Bonnie Gillespie’s online column on March 1, 2007.