How to Get into the Top 1% of Commercial Actors: Part 2 of 2

In my last blog we discussed the first two steps to getting into the top 1% of commercial actors: landing a top commercial agent and nailing specific headshots.

Now let’s lay down how to make your casting profile pop. As a coach, I find it’s all the little details coming together that create a competitive edge.

​STEP 3: Create a Quick Read Online Resume

TV/Film Credits

While theatrical offices could care less if you booked a huge commercial campaign. Commercial offices definitely care about your theatrical bookings. Why? Often top TV and film directors work in commercials and they want to work with great actors. Theatrical credits are one way casting shows that you’re a solid actor.

Instead of listing everything you’ve ever booked list your top 5 credits in TV and top 5 in film. Include anything notable in parenthesis. For example, if the film won an award. Check out my resume link below as an example.

www.lacasting.com/alysialiving

Training

No recognizable credits yet? No worries! I didn’t have any TV credits when I booked my first commercial. This is where training comes in and why you want to keep the credits short and sweet.

Commercial casting directors LOVE actors with improv training. While casting primarily cares about improv training at UCB, Groundlings and Second City. Any improv training or commercial workshops helps.

Commercial BookingsDO NOT list commercials bookings on your resume. If you list commercial bookings, casting directors will automatically assume that you have conflict.  That often means that if you have a Honda commercial running, you are not eligible to star in a Ford commercial.  But, if your Honda commercial is no longer running, you can indeed be in that Ford commercial. 

Casting won’t know that though, if you keep a list of commercial bookings on your resume.  My recommendation is to exclude a commercials section all together. But if you must have it, just list “conflicts available upon request” under the commercials section.

Your goal is for the CD to be able to view your entire resume without scrolling down. The less time they must invest in evaluating if they want to call you in, the better.

BONUS STEP 4:

Attach your reel to your commercial casting profiles.

I know what you’re thinking… “commercial casting directors don’t take the time to look at reels”. Well, just like theatrical offices some do and some don’t.

This blog is called How to Get Into the TOP 1% of Commercial Actors.  Not, “how to do the bare minimum.”

This is all about what we at Career ACTivate call exiting the sea of sameness. If you just do what everyone else does you’ll get the same mediocre results as everyone else. Elite kick-ass ninja actors go above and beyond, taking every step available to set themselves up to win.

So post that reel! Drama, comedy, sketch or a blend of your best acting moments. Remember it’s all about selling your brand and be sure to keep it to 2.5 mins or less.

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CAVEAT: I do NOT recommend you spend a lot of time and resources shooting a commercial reel or create a reel of past commercials.  I’m all about saving actors time and money. We don’t want casting to think you have conflicts if you don’t remember? Use your footage from theatrical work 😉

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Ok, so you landed a TOP commercial agent, you nailed your headshots, you sold yourself with your resume and reel. Congratulations! You’ve elevated yourself to the top 1% of actors that consistently go out on commercials.

 Why is this alone significant? There are about 3,000 submissions for each role in a commercial. Out of the 3,000 submissions about 36 people receive appointments.

Following these 4 simple steps will put you above 99% of all other commercial actors in your category.

Why? Because most actors, my former self included, feel commercial work is beneath theatrical. As a result, they don’t do the work to land great commercial representation.

Their pictures are out of date or terrible, their resume isn’t a quick sell and they don’t invest in showcasing their acting ability to commercial CDs with a reel.

With over 3,000 submissions per role getting in the room is 90% of booking. So let’s set you up for success. More commercial appointments means support for the long term vision for your career.

Set a deadline for each step. Create accountability and watch those appointments come in. Who knows? It could help you finally quit your thrival job. Save for those expensive headshots with that fancy photographer. Or finally take that trip to Europe like I did 🙂

Paris

Rome

London

Looking for great insider strategies to get a great agent or manager for you?  Get access to our online training: Get Signed!  3 Insider Strategies

-Coach & Diagnostic Expert Alysia