Making Connections And Getting Seen In Hollywood

What is the one question I'm asked the most by families just moving to Hollywood?

***How do I get my child seen by the people that make casting decisions????

The easiest way to accomplish this is by attending casting workshops.  You can find a workshop almost every night of the week at acting classes and studios around the city.

The casting workshops are hosted by the number 2 or 3 person at the big casting offices in town.  The head CD (casting director) sends his (or her) top people to address the workshop. 

The workshop usually follows this format:

*The CD opens the workshop with a 5-10 minute rundown.  The speech covers his (or her) experience in the industry and movie/TV casting credits.

*The CD opens up the floor to questions from the audience.  This is the chance for the folks who want to be working actors to ask their burning questions and solicit advice.  Unfortunately, it often turns into stage parents taking over the Q&A to find out why their little darlings are not stars.

I was in one casting workshop that became a forum for two moms to complain about their kids being passed over by CD's who don't know a thing about talent (in their opinions). 

I finally got a chance to ask a question. 

I asked, "Do you find that kids are easy to work with but you're not willing to put up with parents that don't know how to mind their own business?"

We haven't been back to that venue for another workshop.

*The actors come prepared with a scene to read for the CD.  Research plays a big part in scene selection.  You have to find out what kind of shows the CD/the CD's office is working on currently.  It makes no sense to do a comedy scene if the CD's office is casting one of the various CBS crime dramas.

*The actor then gets a one-on-one session with the CD.  The session is anywhere from 5-10 minutes.  The scene is performed and the CD gives feedback to the actor.  The main goal is to make a good impression on the CD so you will be kept in mind for future projects.

The workshops cost anywhere from $29-$99 so picking and choosing a workshop with a CD that caters to your acting skill set is important.

The Artist has made some great connections through acting workshops.  Some of the connections have already paid off and (we hope) the other connections will pay off in the near future!

Zach Louis IMDb page