Terminology Tuesday – Pay or Play

When a deal is “pay or play”, it’s an agreement in which an actor gets paid whether or not the project is made. For example, if you were guaranteed a certain number of episodes and your character has been cut from one of those episodes, you’re still going to get paid with this deal.  Although it’s not often referred to as “pay or play”, another instance where you might get paid without actually working is when your role gets cut …

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Monday Myth Debunker – My Reel Should be no More than 2 Minutes in Length

Many people swear that 2 minutes is the “industry norm” but there is no actual right answer here. There is no world in which we’d be able to watch the entirety of someone’s reel when going through thousands of submissions. But most casting folks do skip forward and watch a few seconds of each clip. Because of this, it doesn’t really matter how long your reel is. Have a 10 minute reel? Sure, maybe that’s a bit long. But don’t …

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Terminology Tuesday – Pinned

What exactly does it mean to be “pinned”? Sometimes being pinned is also referred to as “on avail” or a “watch and advise”. All of them essentially mean the same thing: you’re “in the mix”. As for why exactly you’re pinned? There could be a few possibilities… ⭐️ Maybe you are exactly who they want, but the shooting schedule hasn’t locked yet. We can’t send out offers to day players without a locked schedule. Maybe you are the producer’s choice …

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Monday Myth Debunkers – I’ll Never Book a Guest Star Role Without Any Guest Star Credits

This is just not true. And if you’ve ever had this thought, please, keep reading… It’s true that having a healthy resume is helpful, but if you 1) have a solid reel that shows what you are capable of 2) you’re physically right for the role and 3) your reps are submitting you on time, chances are that you will go in for all sizes of roles. If you had a great guest star audition but didn’t get it, it …

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Terminology Tuesday – 10/13 Series Regular

A 10/13 series regular is a term that is used to describe a specific type of SR role. Although a 10/13 role is still considered a series regular, they are only guaranteed to be in 10 (out of 13) episodes. 10/13s typically get paid less than an “all shows produced” (ASP) series regular since they are working less episodes. However, a 10/13 SR role is still considered a contracted role, meaning (in most cases), they become ineligible to go out …

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Monday Myth Debunker – A Reel Should Have High Production Value

This is such a common question & concern. And it’s not quite a black & white answer. Let’s break it down and first start with what matters most in your reel: What matters most in your reel is by far, the quality… of your ACTING. After all, that’s the overriding purpose of your reel, right? To show us your ABILITY as an actor. That said, there are some things to take into consideration, the most important one being: the distraction …

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Terminology Tuesday – First Position

Actors booking more than one project at the same time is not uncommon. The term ‘first position’ refers to whichever project is your number one obligation. Obligations are typically determined by a first-come-first-serve basis. For example, if you first close a deal to work as a guest star, and then book a role in a feature film, if there are any conflicting work days with the two projects, the guest star that you booked must be given top priority, i.e. …

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Monday Myth Debunker – I’ll be Taken More Seriously if I’m SAG vs SAG-E

This is a common thought… here’s the scoop: There is no viable difference to us if you are SAG-E or SAG… AS LONG AS you are 100% willing to join the minute you become a “must-join”. The only time union status is a tough-call is if you are non-union. The reason being, in order to Taft Hartley an actor, we have to prove to SAG-AFTRA that you are the only person outside of all union actors that is best suited …

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