How To Avoid Being Scammed As An Actor

Ah Grasshopper, you are not ready to leave the monastery yet. Simply because something can work or even if it does work does not mean that you should do it. The point is that these workshops exist not to help actors with their careers, but to make money for the workshops. That fact alone should be reason enough not to do them, but also they encourage casting directors to engage in unethical behavior. Part of their job is supposed to be finding new actors. I’ve never heard a casting director describing their job as charging actors to see me so I don’t have to call them into my office because I don’t have the time. Maybe more actors would get seen legitimately if we weren’t paying CD’s to see us. We are discouraging them from doing their real job and encouraging them to moonlight off of actors backs. Not a pretty picture, regardless of the results of a few actors.

I do know one actor who did start his career with these types of meet and greets. The thing is — he was good when he started, but had no professional credits, yet he was good enough to book something very small. The started the ball rolling, but he’s the one who took that ball and started it rolling. Once he booked his under-5, he got SUPER pro-active, doing a lot of what Hack Hollywood advises (as far as I can tell). He continued to use these workshops to network, but he was a standout because of his growing credits, pro-business savey/knowledge, and he auditioned well. These meet & greets became just one part of his overall plan.

If you’re a nobody, the absolute bear minimum is that you MUST audition well. If you can do that, then these things are worth it IF you’re also doing more than just that, way more. If you’re just taking 1 or 2 per month and notthing else, you’re throwing your money away. Training and getting better is the number goal and getting smart about the business and what works is equally important if you want to have a career.

Very good information & I can only presume quite true. I’m in the Chicago area, so not as many “opportunities” for CD workshops, and when one comes to town, you have to wonder why they are traveling around the country rather than staying at home working….. Thanks for sharing! …& now I don’t’ feel so bad for usually forgetting to stick that pesky postcard in the mail!