Websites to BE on and get all your professional "junk" on as an actor

I say "junk" with the utmost respect. With that I mean you photos, resume, reels, any clips of your work, and whatever you think makes you a professional actor.

Of course there is www.IMDB.com

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is an online database of information related to movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, video games, and most recently, fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media.

Getting on IMDB is almost like getting your SAG card. Its exciting.

It is the go to place for everyone in the entertainment industry worldwide. If you say you are an actor, anyone anywhere will go into IMDB to see if it is so.

Now it's gotten much harder to get into their database due to every filmmaker trying to get their film on IMDB.
I believe that getting yourself less than 70,000 points on IMDB Pro makes you a "sometimes working pro actor". But that is my opinion. That does not go for theatre actors. There is a website just for theatre actors too.

I'm going to start with the top websites in LA and NY.


actorsaccess

breakdownservices

This website is for LA, NY and Vancouver. In my experience in NY, I never really got anything great from it. Eventually fellow actors said I had to be on it. I didn't have any good photos and clips on it. I was also SAG by the time I joined so my choices were limited.

So I stopped paying the yearly fee after a while. When I came to LA last year and got a manager, I was told I had to be on it. It turns out http://www.breakdownservices.com/, which is used by all managers and agents is tied to it. So you have to get your "junk" on it. BREAKDOWN SERVICES cannot be accessed by actors, only agents and managers, but you will eventually have to join and it’s a good starting point for new actors. Actors Access, the actors section has a lot of non-union work.

You will have to join eventually, so just do it now. 2 free pics with your profile. Its $2 per submission or about $69 yearly.

Casting Networks: LA, NY, San Francisco and Miami


castingnetworks

nycasting

lacasting

In NY: It's great for background, extras. I have never found it to have good lead or featured roles.

It was great income when I was just trying to get by. I got my SAG card, and a lot of stand-in work from it and never had to pay for joining the "background casting" fees. They have open casting days so you can come in and take your photo. I didn't have to pay anything when I first joined but now they have a $5 monthly fee.

Join, apply for all extra stuff and you be getting calls and doing the background stuff will pay off with one day of work. Once casting has called you, you are in their system. So answer the phone. You will always be getting called back. And you can always call them too. Background casting always need people. I actually just got a call from Central Casting NY for a featured bit on CSI. It was a blond Hollywood starlet. I haven't worked for them in over a year (and no longer blond) but since I'm in their system, they still find me and call.

In LA: LAcastings. I found it to be stronger than NY in featured stuff. It has more featured roles but not so much background. There are a lot of actors in LA doing anything just to get on set, struggling to be an extra, to meet people or simply survive.

Anyways it’s cheaper to put a reel up and I have found out that actors looking for agents sometimes get an agent. Isn't that great!? In LA you are nothing if you don't have an agent.

So get your stuff on it, headshots, resume, and clips of talents, anything that gets attention.

It is also used by all agents for commercial work. Actors don't get access to the main, big stuff. Only agents and managers do.

The above are websites I KNOW are used by industry people. Below are the sites I have used and have gotten me some work. Usually non paid. But I consider myself an artist and if I'm not acting, I need to act so I do what I had to do.

One thing you will find is that you have to do the dirty work sometimes. Pick the right projects and you will come out with great friends and a wonderful experience.
Once you decide you will never work for free again, you can find yourself an agent/ manager, join the unions etc. There will be a point in your life you will find that you have paid your dues, have worked enough with little or no pay and will never do it again. But until then here are the sites for you.

Other websites:


Mandy

For production work and beginning acting stuff this is the place to be. It's free and I have found it to be great. I think they have people that actually screen out Craigslist.com talent gigs and bring it into the site to promote it. In NY it was great; in LA is it relatively weak.
I have loved it in the past. It usually offers great non-union and student stuff. Apply, interview, audition and find out if that is the project you want to be in. It's always good practice.
Mandy.com was always my place to go for amateur stuff.

Ok so then there is backstage it’s probably the oldest trade I know of for casting. It's about $12 monthly and instead of buying at the newsstands every week I decided to join online.
I enjoy the newsletter they send out now and then but I don't use it so much for castings. Although you could use it to put up many photos, your reel and links to all your "junk"
I also like the Message Board. It makes for fun comments and sharing of details about the biz.

I do prefer that you do it here, on my blog, where it's free and we can say whatever we want about the acting world without censorship. :)

Popular ones that I don't dig:

http://www.exploretalent.com/

http://www.newfaces.com/talent/castings.html

http://www.extrasformovies.com/casting_calls_auditions.asp

http://www.actorspages.org/

and this one has some bad reviews but I heard about some great connections being made especially for print models:

www.modelsmayhem.com

Avoid these:
John Casablancas
http://jcasablancas.com/?gclid=CIHWydC59p8CFQ-lagodkGhHYA
http://www.johncasablancasmodeling.com/home.html

Barbizon Modeling
http://www.barbizonmodeling.com/

I haven't had any experience with them, but many say its a scam and I've never heard of anyone making it through them. Also they are very expensive.

J. Mitchell
http://www.jmmtalent.com/

I hear mixed reviews about JMM. Some say they rip people off and some have said they get good work through them.

These are my opinions and experiences. If you do not agree SAY SOMETHING!!!

I'll keep updating as I get more info