Who are you? - Anonymous Casting Ads

I like to TRY and keep in touch with what is happening around me in the world of Film, Television and Theatre. I may not always be on the ball with certain items, events and so forth, but I still try. Some years back (some?!? how about many!) I registered with what is now Seek, the Jobs Information service. Initially, it was for quite general employment opportunities like Customer Service, and simple Computing Jobs.

Then I naively setup a Theatrical profile in the hopes that BIG STARRING ROLES would be posted there. As I said, Naively. I did it because I was getting little joy from casting agencies (which, as it turns out was more my fault than theirs) and thought that maybe I could track down the big jobs myself. 

What I have learnt, both from that and from other experiences, is that the acting profession is NOT built on Newspaper Classifieds, On-line recruitment arrangements and so forth. They have their own, shall we say, secured network of recruitment through a process of casting consultants and agents. Basically, you have to be in the system to ... well ... be in the system. That doesn't exclude the Freelance Actor but it does make it a little bit harder.

I never stopped the Seek Registration however, and to this day still get regular emails. Some of which have turned up very interesting Theatrically RELATED advertisements yet nothing more aligned with why I joined in the first place.

Well, that is not entirely true. I do get the occasional "advert." I believe a Posted once before about Agencies Don't Advertise where I discuss some of the rather Stereotypical yet false methods of recruitment that are employed. Why are these methods used? Because they work. With enough people easily star-struck, it is all far too easy to lure victims, and in the end, that is what they will most likely become.

I have seen a regular Seek Posting that does the rounds every couple of months, year after year, and the ad reads almost exactly the same each time. It makes some pretty impressive claims all very hard to prove and all sounding a little to much like spin. However, recently there has been a change - the posts are now Anonymous. Previously, these posts would name the agency in question which meant you could do a little background search on them (Google is a powerful tool for good and evil.) Now, in order to know who you are dealing with, you would have to contact them directly?

Personally, I have always been sceptical of ANYONE who is not prepared to claim who they are and this goes double for ANY SORT of Recruitment, not just theatre or acting. Just who are you dealing with? It is a vital question. When someone, in an official posting such as a recruitment advertisement chooses not to reveal their Company Identity, you have to wonder why? Why hide?

We (in WA) are rather fortunate that a local casting consultant (as opposed to an agent) has decided to use our site to help with the casting of Extras in several productions. This has opened up a rare opportunity that some have already taken advantage of. These "ads" do not hide the advertiser. It is possible for someone, such as you or myself, to do a little research, find out more about them and be able to make an informed decision for ourselves before we even have to engage anyone in a conversation.

An Agent advertising in itself should be looked upon with some suspicion. Consider the claims, find what can be researched and research it. If you cannot even clarify their identity, then ask yourself "What are they hiding?"

In the end, you have to make a decision for yourself. There are plenty of people around willing to offer their thoughts on a particular agency or representative, yet their motives for what-ever they say may be driven for many kinds of reasons. It is hard to take that kind of advice at face value. Determine, as much as you can, the FACTS!!! Take general opinion in its entirety - what is the GENERAL feeling.

Do not restrict yourself to ONE CHOICE!!! Shop around, price compare, barter. See who is willing to offer the best deal. Treat it like you are employing them. Review their "CV". Interview them. If you want these people to work for you, then you need to ensure you hire the best.

Also consider this, most authentic agencies usually have a limited number of places on their "books." Considering the number of star-struck hopefuls, it would be unlikely for a good agency to have space available to advertise for. They would have good business from word of mouth and walk-ins. So why advertise at all? The more "spaces" an agent has, the more you become just another face in a see of applicants. So do you really want to become another drop? Do you really want to answer that ad?

For more helpful hints about Agents - CLICK HERE