NEWSFLASH: You are not an Apple product.
If you cringe thinking about marketing yourself as anything other than “actor,” read on…
We’ve heard this a lot. Things like, “I need to figure out my brand”, “What would you say is ‘my type?'”. Yes, there are going to be roles that you are more right for than others. No, this does not mean you should pigeon-hole yourself to one specific type of role. In fact, tailoring your materials toward something overly specific will limit your opportunity for auditions.
The prerequisite to playing a doctor on TV isn’t playing a doctor on TV.
If you physically match what we are looking for and your reel shows some stellar acting, chances are, you’re getting an audition! Trust is a common theme talked about here and it’s for a reason:
↠ TRUST that we know you can play a nurse without having a headshot of you wearing scrubs
↠ TRUST that we can think of you for ALL KINDS of roles just by showing us range in your reel
↠ TRUST that if you don’t have any dark, edgy material but your reel is showing all sorts of talent, we’ll still bring you in for those dark, edgy roles.
If our job was to only cast actors according to the roles they’ve played, our jobs would have very little artistry. In fact, it’s MUCH more fun for us to broaden our producers’ minds 💫 to cast normally comedic actors in dramatic roles💫 to NOT cast the same cop in every TV show.
It’s OK to market yourself as “actor”. Leave the branding part to Silicon Valley 🙃