The benefit to the actor, particularly recent graduates without agents, is that they can be alerted to casting breakdowns that match their skillset and experience, and submit themselves for consideration rather than waiting for an agent to put them up for auditions.
Online casting services have really come into their own over the last five years, with a number of companies such as Casting Call Pro, Castweb, Cast Call and Spotlight enabling thousands of actors to be pro-active in furthering their career.
Online services really fall into two camps – casting breakdowns which are sent to subscribers via email (e.g. Castweb and Castcall) and sites which offer members an online profile, listed in a directory accessed by casting directors and industry professionals (e.g. Spotlight and Casting Call Pro). Each service has different criteria for eligibility and its own subscription model.
The benefit to the actor, particularly recent graduates without agents, is that they can be alerted to casting breakdowns that match their skillset and experience, and submit themselves for consideration rather than waiting for
an agent to put them up for auditions. Casting Call Pro was established in 2004 by co-directors Simon Dale and Chris Timms (pictured below), to help actors take control of their careers. Chris's sister, Hannah Timms, was fresh out of Mountview Academy and like so many students, was suddenly thrust into the wider world without the support network that had helped her throughout her training. This inspired Chris and Simon to create Casting Call Pro. They recognised that there was space for a new website aimed at really helping actors by providing them with an entire online toolkit and resources to help them manage and promote themselves.
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