When to Say ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ in Commercial Acting

The power of no is an important topic in the industry, and there has been plenty of discussion on when and how to say it. Actors should always know that declining an offer is always an option, and from time to time it’s the best option.

That said, there is also a time to say yes.

With so much talk of no, sometimes the less-than-obvious reasons to say yes get lost. This happens for several reasons. The most common reason actors say yes to a commercial booking is to make good money. It’s also the main reason for actors to pursue commercials.

When your theatrical career is the bigger goal, commercials can serve as your day job while supporting those dreams. For example: taking your commercial payday to reinvest in yourself by getting new headshots or taking acting classes.

Money is the easy yes, but there shouldn’t be an automatic no if it isn’t there.

The truth is that commercial actors should never say no before carefully considering the reasons to say yes. Here are more reasons to say yes.

Insights: Reasons to Say “Yes” to Commercials

Get seen by casting directors and meet industry professionals.

Fund and further your career by reinvesting earnings into training and headshots.

Accept roles that boost skills, confidence and have that “fun factor.”

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Getting Known by the Commercial Casting Office

Do your research. What commercial casting offices have you not been to, or not visited often enough? Commercial casting directors cast all kinds of jobs, and some pay better than others. It’s up to you to conduct a quick search, take a look at what the commercial casting directors tend to work on and find out what they’re casting currently.

Are they casting a PSA? A spot for a director’s reel? Is it something under the Low Budget Digital Waiver, a promo or industrial? These types of commercial jobs traditionally don’t pay well, but you may want to submit and be seen anyway, simply to be seen (and loved) by the office.

When you are fantastic at delivering endless copy for the industrial audition, you can be sure the casting directors will call you in for additional (and likely more lucrative) jobs. Not only should you say yes to the audition, but you will want to arrive completely prepared and be fantastic. However, saying yes to the audition but not doing the required prep work isn’t going to help the cause. Cultivating a casting office full of fans of your work is a great reason to say yes.

Opportunities to Work with Directors and Producers

Just like casting offices, directors and producers work on all kinds of commercial and theatrical jobs. Again, research helps.

Sometimes the industry professionals are well established and should be an obvious yes to working with them on their lower-paying job because a bigger better job is likely around the corner. Producers and directors request specific actors they know from past jobs to be regularly called in for an audition.

There are also up-and-coming directors who may not have earned all their stripes just yet. It’s an easy gamble when you take a look at their previous work and it’s great, or see that they are repped by a cool production company. Making great new contacts and forming relationships are brilliant reasons to say yes.

Work Begets Work

If your primary focus is a commercial acting career, you know one yes can snowball into national commercials and other commercial opportunities when you least expect it.

The new or strengthened relationships you’ve built by saying yes to the casting office, producers and directors will always help provide future opportunities to secure work and beef up that commercial reel and acting resume.

You also never know who you will meet on set. Meeting entertainment industry professionals of all sorts is beneficial. Plus, more commercial auditions, bookings and work boosts your confidence, which is a massive help in furthering your acting career. You know you can book the job when you walk into the audition room after you’ve just booked something regardless of pay. That confidence is everything; and a sound reason to consider a yes.

Having Fun

Having fun is always a good reason to say yes to a job, even when the pay isn’t good. Your commercial agent can help you iron out specifics.

Fun isn’t a good reason to be taken advantage of as an actor, but the fun factor should count. There are plenty of aspects of the industry that aren’t fun. If you have a strong suspicion that the shoot of the job at hand will be a fun experience, consider how valuable that fun factor will be to you and consider a yes. It will improve your booking rates, plus you might even pick up some special skills during commercial shoots that will be valuable in the long term. If the fun factor outweighs the cons, trust the audition process and submit to that commercial casting call.

There is power in saying no to commercial auditions and jobs that aren’t right for you. That said, before you say no to a commercial casting call, consider the possibly underrated reasons to say yes when making those important decisions as well.