Stephen Snyder refers to himself as a pit bull. He is tough and opinionated, not afraid to offend anyone. His work on network promos, music videos, film, and commercials has provided thousands of hours of contact with actors. He has seen it all… and has a lot to say about it.
Key Things He Looks for in an Actor
Preparedness. “We have no time to do two to three weeks of prereads. We’ll take you directly to the director. Come in prepared. The script is everywhere we can make it available, and you should at least read the entire breakdown to learn relationships,” he advised.
Another element of being prepared is having extra headshots and resumes when you read for him. “It’s a marketing tool, it’s a tax write-off, it’s your job.” He added, as an afterthought – but an important one – “Show up. Actors don’t show up sometimes.”
“And be good to my assistants. That’s very important.”
Advice for Actors
“Go to every audition you get offered. It’s a numbers game, and the more times you show up, the more opportunities you have. If you can’t make it, call. I remember the names of the people who don’t show up,” he insisted.
Further advice from Snyder included developing an attitude that makes you hirable. “We casting directors help with the psycho factor. Sometimes the producer tries to pick between actor A and actor B and will ask, ‘Who’s less of a psycho?’ We know the answer, so don’t be a high-maintenance actor.”
One last item mentioned by Snyder involves being on the same page with your representation. “Let your agent know up front if there are limits, like you won’t do soaps, or music videos.”
His Opinion on Casting Director Workshops
“I do workshops. For me, they’re a great opportunity to visit with 20 actors in two to four hours. I’m no good at the general [interview]. I’d rather see you work. Workshops let you establish a relationship in a no-pressure environment. You’re not paying to audition. We don’t do it for the money. We do it because we have passion for what we do. Just make sure you’re at a level to show the goods before you do workshops,” Snyder qualified.
Best Way to Get Seen by Him
Submissions. “Every submission gets opened, but I need you to tell me why you’re sending it. Are you looking for a general? Inviting me to a play? You’d better enclose a cover letter letting me know what’s what.”
Snyder added, “I love postcards. Include your agent information and a little resume on the back. Let us know you’re out there.”
Snyder also regularly attends theatre. “You should be in a theatre company, doing improv, sketch comedy. Work out constantly. You should love acting and love the process of acting. Now, if you have a theatre-heavy resume, here’s a tip: if you’ve done 80 plays, say that, but then list only your top ten on the resume.”
His Opinion on Alternative Submission Methods
“I’m as old as a dinosaur, and I access IMDb or Academy Players Directory online or other online services. A demo reel on CD is fine. Send me a link to your headshot and resume in an email. Have your bio and reel on your website, but I don’t want to have to take a test to get on your website. Make it easy for me. The best part of the Internet is that you can update everything constantly. Don’t say your agent should update us. Your agent gets 10%, you get 90%. You do the updates.”
There is one element of technology that Snyder strongly recommends for actors. “Use Actor Access. This is a free service from Breakdown Services that allows me to share breakdowns directly with the actor.”
His Biggest Casting Challenge
Simply stated, Snyder summarized, “Finding good material, and finding scripts with some budget.”
What He Would Change About the Casting Process
Snyder would have a casting director union, which, of course, the CSA is working toward creating. “Actors have it better than we do. Casting directors don’t even have a union. We have a society. We have luncheons. I love the CSA, but our dental plan is: brush three times a day,” he joked.
This interview was conducted on November 3, 2001, and it originally appeared in Casting Qs: A Collection of Casting Director Interviews by Bonnie Gillespie, available at Amazon.