Social Media for Casting Directors (Film/TV/Commercial)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: vancouverfilmschool via photopin cc

So you are a Casting Director in Film/TV/Commericals and you are interested in social media, you might even have a Facebook or twitter profile but what social media channels should you be using?

You should be present on these 4 : Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo and LinkedIn

1. Twitter – over 500 million members and the one every one is obsessed with. Great for people on the go – you can tweet anywhere if you have a smart phone. Perfect for finding opportunities,  networking with potential clients, promoting your work and sharing those casting calls that are a little bit harder to find.

2. Facebook – over a billion members! The Facebook membership is getting older so you will find more and more industry folk on there. Great for connecting, keeping tabs on your connections, finding opportunities and promoting your work. Images work better than text on Facebook so make each post visual (think of all those stills you can use from your projects)!

3. Vimeo – very popular in the industry particularly with film-makers so lots of networking possibilities. Vimeo also enables you to password protect your videos (YouTube doesn’t) so the public can’t see them – upload videos of your auditions and send the link and password to your director/client if they can’t be with you. Much better than downloads!

4. LinkedIn – widely known as the biggest lead generating social media network, which means that people get the most work from this one. Great for keeping tabs on your connections and promoting your CV. Take a look at What is LinkedIn? A Straightforward Guide for more info.

If thats not enough social media time for you then it’s definitely worth checking out Pinterest and popping your reel on Youtube – it’s the second biggest search engine after google don’t you know!

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website: www.penguinintheroom.com

 

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Penguin chats with … Casting Director Shakyra Dowling

Casting Director and Penguin in the Room client Shakyra Dowling visited the penguin pool this week to answer some casting and online marketing related questions.

Follow Shakyra on twitter @ShakyraDowling

Whats the biggest misconception about casting directors?

Probably that we are scary people! We want actors to do well, we only bring you in because we think you are PERFECT for the job.

What are you up to at the moment?

Casting 2 feature films – one British Independent and the other a Danish/US co-production

Top casting tips for actors?

– Always learn the sides sent to you.

– Find out who is going to be at the meeting and check them out on IMDB.

– If you can watch some of their previous work on VOD then do so.

You are on twitter and Facebook, do you post castings?

Twitter – especially for those hard to find role!

Do you think it’s important for actors to be aware of their online presence?

Yes, producers always want to know how much publicity they can get out via their cast. So if you have a large following, they are impressed.

Do you chat to actors on twitter?

Sometimes, usually ones I know personally or have cast in the past.

Do you think actors should be on youtube?

If they have a body of work online (trailers for films, online ads, shorts) then its good to have it all in one place on a youtube channel. Showreels should be on spotlight or vimeo as they are more industry tools.

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com

How can I get paid work from twitter?

Happy summer penguins, I hope you are getting some sun block on those white bits! I recently met some lovely film and tv freelancers at the BECTU Freelancers Fair and a question that seemed to come up a lot was how to get paid work from twitter. So, here we go….

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44313045@N08/

Direct job ads

Follow the right people on twitter (ie. people in your industry) and every so often you should see jobs pop up on your timeline. ie. “I am looking for a DOP for a shoot on Monday, London based. DM me” these are pretty clear-cut so you can directly reply with a link to your website or ask for an email to send over a CV.

You can also help this process along by using the twitter search function and putting in some nice keywords. eg. writer, DOP, camera person, film, tv, producer and try phrases like “need producer” or “producer london” to find the right jobs for you.

It’s all about who you know..

However, the method that will get you the most job results is NETWORKING. (Read some tips about face to face networking here.) We know that the creative industries are all about who you know and we all want to work with people we like/can get on with. So, you need to get into the pool of people your industry contacts know and like before that great job comes up – this means that when that perfect job does come up the contact comes straight to you, as they already know what you and have seen/heard about your previous work (via twitter). Alternatively if they don’t come to you but you apply for the job, you will be one step ahead of all the other people applying  as the contact will have already heard of you and spoken to you via twitter.

How do I network on twitter?

Use twitter primarily to interact! Follow the people you admire and want to work with and start conversations with them. Remember every time you reply or retweet them your twitter name and icon comes up on their profile so make sure it features your face/logo and your full name or business name!

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website: www.penguinintheroom.com

Penguin chats with…. Casting Director Nicci Topping

Bubbly Casting Director and Penguin in the Room client Nicci Topping from Topps Casting visited the penguin pool this week to answer some casting and online marketing related questions.

Casting Director Nicci Topping

Follow Nicci on twitter @niccitopping and Facebook.

Whats the biggest misconception about casting directors?

That we give actors a hard time. But saying that, we are brutally honest!

Which do you prefer London or Manchester?

Both, as long as we are casting a great project it doesn’t matter where it is!

What are you up to at the moment?

Up to my eyes in scripts…

Top casting tips for actors?

• Make sure you listen to the casting director, and act accordingly to the direction thats been given
• Do not be late
• Dress appropriately
• Make sure you are fully aware about the part you are auditioning for
• Look pleased to be there
• Please don’t waste our time

What do you think of social media?

It’s a great tool if you can use it properly!

You are on twitter and Facebook, do you post castings?

It depends what I am looking for…… but yes sometimes!

Do you think it’s important for actors to be aware of their online presence?

Yes i do a lot of people in the business don’t realise how important it is nowadays.

Do you chat to actors on twitter?

Yes. You can find me @niccitopping

Do you google actors?

Yes always!

If you do google an actor and nothing comes up, what do you think?

Where are they?

What do you think about actor’s websites?

I think they are a great idea! Great additional PR. It makes them look professional.

Well there you have it some top tips from a lady in the know! See some of the awesome projects Nicci has cast at her website: www.toppscasting.co.uk

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com orFacebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com