So you met someone in this industry? Awesome! In such a relationship-based business, we should constantly be meeting new contacts to build our rolodex of people who know and appreciate our work. It is part of the job as an actor to be marketing yourself and making new connections. So how do you stay in contact with these individuals in a professional way?

Here are some tips below, on how to get an agent or meet a casting director!

Start with a thank you or a nice to meet you note shortly after your first encounter. Add something specific about your conversation to help them remember you and show that you were truly listening.

Make sure your actor website is in your email signature. Imbed your headshot in the signature as a small image at the bottom of your email as well. This enforces a face with the name to help them remember you beyond your initial meeting. This is also helpful if they ever need to access your materials– they can find it through a simple email search!

Reach back out when you have interesting career news to share. That includes sharing new headshots, you created your own content (and you are proud of it because it is GOOD!) you booked a job, your episode is airing or the like. People want to hear about your WINS! It tells the story of an actor on their way up to success! That always piques someone’s interest.

Don’t reach out just to say “I’m alive, remember me” — all correspondence should be with a purpose. Emails just to say “hi” or follow-up for no real reason just cloud a person’s inbox and waste your time and theirs.

Reach out if you have something THEY would be interested in— based off of your knowledge of that person– do you have/know something that would be of interest to them that isn’t about you but about them? An article? An opportunity? A contact for them? That is a great reason to get in touch! Help them solve some sort of problem they have!

Industry movers and shakers get hundreds of emails daily. If they don’t write back, don’t be offended. When you are unsure if you should follow-up or not, feel free to contact Actors Connection for guidance. Sometimes you need to let a relationship breathe. Think of it as tending to a garden. You water the flowers so they can grow, but if you overwater, they die. You need to tend to your garden carefully and thoughtfully.

If a new contact requested that you contact them for a meeting or opportunity, do so immediately. Don’t let time lapse when someone is waiting on your availability, materials or response. Show that you are a professional that can return correspondence in a timely fashion. These relationships are the foundation for the business and you should be holding office hours for yourself to get this follow-up work accomplished in a timely manner to continue to impress your contacts and build trust with them.

Don’t OVER ASK for anything. If you have a request to make be sure it is 1) Important 2) Not too time consuming 3) Only 1 thing. Your contacts don’t work for you. Asking for favors should only happen if it is VITAL. If you are asking for something, make sure that you only ask for one thing and that it is appropriate. If you are wondering how to meet a Casting Director… a casting director you met one time doesn’t want to look at all 500 of your headshots to help you pick one. That is a task better suited for your coach. Think about if your current relationship warrants the request you are about to make.

Remember, time is an important resource for EVERYONE. Always keep in mind how much time your request may take someone and adjust your request accordingly. A whole script is a lot for someone you don’t know really well to read— but just a few pages– that can be a different story!

Hope these tips help you as you continue to build relationships in your business. Handling all correspondence with respect and professionalism is key to building the necessary trust for a strong relationship. Now go ahead and KIT!

Many actors ask us “How to get an agent” or “How to meet a casting director?” We hope this article by Actors Connection President Colleen Kahl helps you on that path. Photo by @drew_beamer

It’s no secret. The industry time and time again suggests to actors that creating your own content is a great way to get ahead while you are waiting for your big break. So have you started your own project yet? Before you do, read these 10 important things to keep in mind as you begin your career changing content creation journey.

1. Give yourself a vital role. The content you create to help your acting career should be focused on showcasing YOUR ACTING! Give yourself something great to do on film or on stage in your content creation piece. Show off talent and skills your previous work didn’t allow you to show. Great content creation can become your calling card. Don’t skimp on your role! This is not an ego play– this is being a smart creator!
2. Budget Smart. Content Creation CAN get expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Create a budget for yourself and prioritize your resources towards the most important parts of the project. Set a number for the project ahead of the game. Do solid research on the varying expenses and partner with individuals who can help you save on different services. Don’t just spend as you go. Track all expenses.
3. Quality over Quantity. A well-done piece of content creation always overshadows a bunch of poorly produced content. Choose to make shorter, quality pieces over longer projects. Make sure you have the budget to see the full project through– and if that turns your web series into a really solid pilot episode only– that is absolutely ok!
4. Work with a Good Team. It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the roles involved in a project. Surround yourself with a team you trust and delegate important tasks. Make sure you are picky about who you work with and find people who also need great examples of content they can make. Trying to do it all will slow you down and can inhibit the quality of your finished piece. Build strong relationships with people who have skills different than yours and be sure all bases are covered.
5. Be Original. Has the world seen this story before? Told the same way? Well then what can you do differently? Don’t just make a new version of someone else’s work. Make interesting choices and be specific with them. Take a unique point of view.
6. Make sure your storytelling is clear. If people don’t understand your work, it won’t get the positive results you crave. Double check that your storytelling is clear throughout the piece. Get opinions on if the details of your project are clear. Test your storyboards and rough edits on fresh eyes and ask the viewer questions to be sure they understand what you are trying to say.
7. Carefully Plan the Life Cycle of Your Project. Write down your goals and timeline and build out a schedule. Life can get busy and many people push their personal projects aside when it does. When you put things in your calendar from the beginning, it’ll be easier to protect your time and finish the different phases of your work.
8. Submit to festivals. Once your work is completed, explore what festivals and contests it may be eligible for. You could win cash towards your next piece of content and make great new connections! Festival acceptances and wins are also great for your resume and for the marketing of your project.
9. Market The Finished Project. TELL THE WORLD! Creativity should be shared! Make sure your whole team is celebrating the piece on social media and driving as many eyeballs to the project as possible. The more people know about it, the more chances you have of the RIGHT people finding out about it. Talk with your team about which industry contacts you should send your work to. Be specific. Blanket submissions aren’t helpful here, but thoughtful ones could land you important meetings and impressive results.
10. Only Launch work you are proud of. Once your work is out there— especially via an internet launch, it can be very hard to scrub it completely off the internet if you determine later it is no good. Only launch work that you are PROUD of. This doesn’t mean that you won’t grow and gain new skills later— of course people expect your work to get better as you continue on in this industry. When you launch, though, make sure that you feel great about your finished product— you never know who is watching!

Colleen Finnegan Kahl is an accomplished Theatre Arts Educator, author of this article, and President of Actors Connection, offering online acting classes and workshops (zoom acting lessons!) for teens and adults alike. Photo kindly by @wbayreuther.