Recently I was seeking a fitness model for a fairly specific niche athletic magazine. I posted a casting call for models on a few relevant organization websites and forums calling out for qualified applications.
Unfortunately, I was a bit dismayed at the quality of responses I received. Thus I wanted to share with you all, 10 tips which can help you in your applications for casting calls.
1) Apply for modeling gigs within your niche or genre. Seek out castings which you could stand out for. For my specific casting, I was seeking a fitness talent (someone with a high athletic background). If this happened to be you, it would have been a great chance to share with me your story on your background and what makes you applicable for this project.
2) Reach out and connect with the casting person. I had a lot of talents simply just comment on a forum saying “pick me” or “I’m interested.” Unfortunately I, and most casting people, will not have the time to seek out all of these individuals. The person that stood out the most was the person who went the extra step. They reached out and connected with me, sent me all of the required information as well as a follow up to see if a decision had been made and if they could provide any additional information.
3) Remember to include how you can best be contacted. I received several applications with no mention of how we could reach the talent.
4) Please be sure to include a resume of work (if you have one). Whether you do or not, definitely include a list of qualifications that makes you a good candidate for the casting.
5) Include unique differentiators. Different is a good thing! What makes you stand out from your competitors?
6) Be careful about the imagery you have posted or that you send out. Images that are too scantily clad (or not clad at all) run the risk of turning off a casting person. Understand the client and what they do and do not want to see.
7) Spend a few moments researching the client. What do they tend to feature? What types of talent do they typically book? That research becomes very obvious in your application; and the clients very much appreciate talents who spend the time to get to know them and their business.
8) Also, research what the gig is about. I contacted a talent (after she applied for a gig) to let her know she was being considered for the job she applied for. The response “wait, what is this job about?”
9) Follow up to requests for information promptly. I had contacted another talent looking for additional information after she applied for a gig and waited a week before hearing back. By that time the job had been booked, shot and sent off to the client.
10) Illustrate that you want and are excited to get the work. Of course you have to be genuine. But it can really turn a client off if they feel like you’re doing them a favor as opposed to the other way around.
Happy castings!
James Patrick
