The Do’s and Don’ts of Effective Communication With Talent

As a project creator, it’s important to communicate effectively with everyone who works on your production. Good communication is especially critical during the casting process.

Getting off on the right foot establishes a good working relationship right from the start, setting you and your project up for success. Let’s walk through some best practices for communicating with Talent through Casting Networks.

Establishing Credibility with Talent

The entertainment industry attracts more than its fair share of scammers, and actors can be rightfully wary when people contact them directly when they aren’t expecting it.
When you communicate with talent through the Casting Networks platform, you have an instant a layer of credibility that you would not have if you were to reach out directly. That’s because all project creators and casting directors on our platform have been vetted by our team. If you’re a member, then talent knows your project is legit.

Establishing Identity with Information Transparency

Talent sometimes submit to many projects, and it’s important that they have easy access to information about your project and who you are whenever you send them a message. That information is much harder to convey when you take communication off the platform.

Supplying and Saving Documentation

When you communicate with talent via Casting Networks, all of your conversations, questions and media requests are documented in one place. This makes it easy to search and reference as needed. Keeping a record of all conversations also helps to protect both you and the performers in the event of any kind of dispute.

Privacy Policy and Information Security

Communicating through Casting Networks also keeps personal contact information private. This is an important safety measure for talent and project creators alike, and helps everyone to feel safe when communicating about a project.

Choosing the Right Kind of Communication

There are two kinds of requests that you can make through our casting platform: Question requests and media requests.

Question Requests

If you have a question for a performer such as “Do you have a dog?” or “Do you know how to swim?” then a question request is the best way to go. Use a question request when you need to know if an actor has specific skills or attributes that are necessary for the role.

Media Requests

You can reach out to all of your Selects at once to request a self-tape for your project. Talent can upload their self tapes directly to the system through the request. Be sure to include details such as sides, if you want them to slate, how many takes you want them to do, any specific direction for what you want to see and anything else that you want to know (for example, if they’re willing to cut their hair). Be specific about what you want to see.

Best Practices for Communicating with Talent

Be Professional

Communicating in a professional manner gives you and your project additional credibility and reassures talent that your project is safe and legitimate.

Be Respectful

Remember, actors are often rearranging their schedules to make time for you. It’s important to respect their time, commitment and boundaries.

Answer Questions with Timeliness and Patience

Every interview and audition is a two-way street in which you and the talent are auditioning each other looking for a mutual fit. Exercise patience when talent reaches out with questions, and be sure to answer them in a timely manner. Answering their questions up front gives talent confidence that they understand what you’re looking for, saving both of you from wasting time.

Be Transparent

Ultimately, being as transparent as possible about the project, the role and its requirements is the best way to give your project the credibility it needs to attract the best talent.

One good way to practice transparency is to explain why you are asking for what you need to see. For example, if you need to see talent wearing a tight dress, explain why it’s important for the role. Not only does it let talent know there is a valid reason for the request, it may also help them to make choices that are more appropriate for the role.

At the end of the day, our communication tips boil down to three things:

Be professional

Be respectful

Be transparent

If you follow these golden rules when communicating with talent, your actors will love working with you. Best of luck on your future projects!

Looking to get your big break? Sign up or login to Casting Networks and find your next role today!