Kym here. One casting director I met in workshops around 2006 to 2008 has now cast me in six feature films and TV series, including both my first feature and my most recent.
That relationship took years, and it is the single most valuable one in my career. Here is how casting actually works, and how I built it.
Every audition starts several steps before you hear about it. The producer hires a casting director, often after meeting four, five or six, on what they have cast that is similar and which actors they know. So casting directors pitch producers exactly the way you pitch casting directors. Never be embarrassed about hustling.
That office writes the breakdown. Then submissions land: two to three thousand for 10 or 15 roles, and they are trying to get down to seeing maybe 20 to 40 actors, usually closer to 20.
They watch your reel in the little preview window and click forward 20 seconds at a time, hunting for one thing: is this person right for this role, right now.
The casting director attaches names, auditions the actors and decides who the director and producer see. They sometimes have a say in the final decision, but never the final say. Under them sit the associate, the assistant and the intern, and everyone in that office gets your respect, because they are probably going to be casting directors in the future.
Casting workshops, and the reason is simple: casting directors and filmmakers do not teach often, so they remember who they taught.
I estimate I spent 15 or 20 thousand dollars on workshops over time, against 150 thousand or more earned from the connections. That is a long game, and it does not always look like one at the start.
The second casting person I met in workshops in that same period did not hire me until 2013, on a two line role on NCIS. That role got bumped to a guest star because I spent my downtime on set talking to crew instead of sitting on my phone, and the person I got on best with turned out to be an executive producer writing the next episode.
A third relationship from workshops took me to a series shooting in Catalina, Africa and New Zealand, and even then I only got the audition because I ran into the casting director in a hallway at another workshop.
My workshop strategy is two lines long:
Send something before you go in saying you are looking forward to meeting them. Send a thank you note after class mentioning something you liked or learned.
Be strict about which ones. The Australian norm of around 200 dollars for two classes is offensive. Look for providers with audition entry, and if you are about to move to America, roughly six months of workshops first.
Free masterclass: if you have been “about to” book a workshop for a year, that is a block. Clear Your Subconscious Blocks and Thrive is our Journey 3 masterclass, free, permanently.
Yes, and it is one of the best tactics I know. If you meet a casting director, say you would love to come in, learn how the office works and contribute.
It usually pays nothing, but you spend a day with the office and you are acting in front of them the whole time. It may work better in Canada or the States, because Australia has only about ten casting offices.
While you are at it, read for every actor you know, especially before you hit your 10,000 hours. Most actors early on are better reading than auditioning, and those actors will read for you at short notice.
Sometimes, and only when the role is truly right for you.
On casting sites, complete every section and always put a personal note in a submission using the casting director’s name. I booked a large job by finding the local hire casting director’s number on a website and pitching myself, even though my agent had already submitted me.
Your agent is always the best route. But follow up by email or a respectful message on socials if the role genuinely fits, and never on a submission that went through your rep without telling them, because they will hate it.
Local hire is what actors outside Los Angeles underestimate. On a 30 role project shooting away from LA, five names come through an LA casting director, fifteen one scene roles get cast locally because flights and per diems cost too much, and of ten supporting roles they might fly four in and find six local.
The difference between a submission and an audition is usually the follow up, and plenty of reps never make it. So hand your rep the angle:
Just a reminder that this casting director has brought me in four times.
Drop a headshot at their office about once a year, and email them whenever you see them casting a role on the breakdowns that fits you. That is exactly how I kept the six-project relationship alive.
After a booking, tell them how it went. From the casting director interviews I have run, this is the thing they say they want more of, because they rarely get to go to set. Four to twelve sentences, a thank you, and photos in character only if there is no NDA.
Gifts are lovely too, handed over on the last day of shooting. Casting directors often get presents from the one and two day players and nothing from the leads. Make it something they keep.
Then keep one list of the casting directors who have hired you, bring you in, or know you, and give it to your rep. The point is that your agent can say “you hired her two years ago on this” instead of cold introducing you. It also belongs in your pitch email when you are looking for new representation.
Not your credits the moment you meet them. Not a two page resume. Not a reel that opens on a title card.
They want to save time. Everything on casting sites should be about saving casting directors time, so label every clip, put your best acting first, and read the breakdown three times before you tape.
And they want to hear from you after the job. That is the part almost nobody does.
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By being in front of them more than once. Casting workshops with audition entry, offering to read in their office, a personal note in every submission using their name, a headshot dropped in once a year, and a short note after any job they cast you in. Kym’s six-project relationship started in workshops and took years.
Only when the role genuinely fits, and never behind your rep’s back on a submission they made. Kym booked a large job by finding a local hire casting director’s number and pitching herself, but her agent had already submitted her. A respectful email or social message with your reel is fine; spam is not.
Kym’s estimate is 15 to 20 thousand dollars spent over time against 150 thousand or more earned from the connections, so yes, as a long game. Be strict: look for audition entry, avoid overpriced “two classes for 200 dollars” formats, and send a note before and a thank you after every session.
How it went. Casting directors rarely get to visit set and say they want more of this. Send four to twelve sentences by email or handwritten note, thank them for the opportunity, and ask before sending photos if there is an NDA. A small gift they will keep, given on the last shoot day, is a nice touch.
The class puts it at two to three thousand submissions for 10 or 15 roles, cut down to seeing maybe 20 to 40 actors, usually closer to 20. That is why your reel’s first 20 seconds, your labelling and a personal note in the submission matter more than a long credit list.
Gold and Platinum members meet a working film and TV casting director live on Zoom every month and can ask them anything, plus small group career strategy sessions twice a month (23 a year). Every plan includes all 18 Journey masterclasses and 3,000+ videos. 7-day free trial on Silver and Gold, 60-day refund always.