Social media is no longer just a place to share personal updates. For actors, it can be a powerful tool to increase visibility, showcase creative skills and build professional relationships. When used strategically, platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube can complement your casting profile, demonstrate your range and help you create your own acting opportunities.
Key Insights
- Social media can help actors increase visibility, showcase their personalities and acting skills, and connect with casting professionals and other creatives.
- Creating original content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube allows actors to develop characters, demonstrate their range and create opportunities beyond traditional auditions.
- Actors can use their existing performance, improvisation and storytelling skills to build a social media presence without expensive equipment or a large following.
Content creators like Lilly Singh, Charli D’Amelio, Liza Koshy and King Bach have successfully expanded into acting, demonstrating how an online audience can open doors in the entertainment industry.
Akana, known for her fast-paced comedic and musical content, is an actor, musician and full-time content creator. An alumna of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she began making content in 2020, on the same day COVID restrictions were enforced where she lived.
After years of working multiple day jobs to make ends meet, she took a chance and started posting on TikTok. Since then, she has amassed a following of more than 4.3 million across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, creating everything from comedic sketches to elaborate parody musicals, including her “somewhat original musical,” The Phantom of the Flopera.
We spoke with Akana about working in Los Angeles, how content creation has opened up new career opportunities and why overcoming the fear of being seen is one of the biggest steps actors can take toward building a social media presence.
Why Is Social Media Important for Actors?
Your casting profile highlights your credits and experience, while your showreel demonstrates your acting abilities. Social media offers another way to showcase your personality, creative instincts and the types of characters or stories you’re passionate about.
An active social media presence can help actors connect with other creatives, share original work and develop a recognizable personal brand. It can also provide opportunities to experiment with performances outside the traditional audition process.
After years of working double shifts at restaurants and taking on odd jobs, Akana found that content creation gave her both creative freedom and, eventually, financial independence. It took two years before she began earning money from her videos, but she continued building her audience and developing her work.
“Another benefit has been being able to connect with so many like-minded people from the niche specific content that I make. Most of my friends here in LA, I’ve made through our connections online. And now, I am so grateful to have so many friends in my life that I can unapologetically be myself around.”
For actors, social media isn’t just about gaining followers. It’s also an opportunity to build a creative community and establish relationships that may support their careers.
Can Casting Directors Discover Actors on TikTok and Instagram?
Yes, casting directors and other entertainment professionals may discover actors through platforms like TikTok and Instagram. However, posting content doesn’t guarantee auditions, representation or acting jobs.
Social media can complement traditional industry networking by making your work accessible to people who might not otherwise encounter your casting materials.
A compelling sketch, original character or strong performance could introduce your abilities to a new audience, including potential collaborators and casting professionals.
For Akana, consistently putting herself out there online has led to opportunities she hadn’t imagined when she first started.
“If you would have told me years ago when I first started making content that I would be going to premieres for Disney and Paramount, starring in music videos, and interviewing the cast of Star Trek, I would have never believed you. But what I’ve learned is sometimes you really just have to put yourself out there online, and the opportunities can find their way back to you.”
While building a following can increase visibility, actors don’t necessarily need millions of followers to benefit from social media. Creating content that demonstrates your abilities and connects with the right audience can be valuable at any stage of your career.
What Should Actors Post on Social Media?
The best social media content for actors showcases their skills while reflecting their personalities and creative interests.
Actors can experiment with short scenes, monologues, original sketches, character-driven comedy or behind-the-scenes glimpses of their creative process. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube can all provide opportunities to share this work.
For Akana, one of the biggest advantages of creating her own content is having complete creative control.
In the traditional casting process, she often found herself waiting for roles that matched her type, without any guarantee of booking the job.
“When I would book jobs, I’d get paid breadcrumbs, and never even got back the footage. Or, even worse, the footage would end up being so bad I couldn’t even use it on my reel, after months of committing to a creative project that was in someone else’s hands.”
“But now, I get to create my own videos, and if I don’t like it, I have the creative control to change it myself. No more waiting around for sketchy ‘auditions’ in hotel rooms, or lining up at Ripley Studios at 5 a.m. for a cattle call. I get to create opportunities for myself.”
Creating original content gives actors the freedom to explore characters and genres they might not typically be considered for in auditions. It also allows them to build a portfolio of performances without waiting for someone else to cast them.
How Can Actors Get Started as Content Creators?
You don’t need professional equipment, a large audience or years of production experience to start creating content.
Many actors already possess the foundational skills needed to make engaging videos, including character development, improvisation, storytelling and performance.
Start with a simple concept that allows you to demonstrate your strengths. That might mean filming a short comedic sketch, developing an original character or performing a monologue with a creative twist.
According to Akana, one of the biggest obstacles actors face isn’t a lack of talent or resources. It’s the fear of how others might perceive their work.
“So many actors don’t post because they’re afraid of coming off as cringe or unprofessional,” Akana says. “They’re afraid that maybe other people from their acting school will look down on them for making videos online, instead of working on a legit production.”
Akana began by filming low-budget “Psycho Barbie” videos in her parents’ basement during the pandemic. Over time, she developed her production skills and expanded into high-quality, long-form musicals for YouTube.
Her advice to actors is to stop focusing on what other people might think and start creating work that feels authentic.
“Stop posting videos that you think look cool just to please your preexisting audience, and start creating what feels the most authentic to you.”
She also points out that although her videos receive thousands of likes, only a handful may come from people she actually knows.
“There’s a whole world out there full of people ready to discover you and your world of content, but if you’re too afraid of embarrassing yourself to post, they’ll never get to see it!”
For actors who are hesitant to start, the goal doesn’t have to be going viral. Focus on creating something, sharing it and learning from the experience.
How Can Actors Use Their Acting Skills to Create Better Content?
Acting training can provide a strong foundation for creating engaging social media videos.
From script analysis and character development to improvisation and emotional preparation, many of the techniques actors use in auditions and performances also apply to short-form content.
During her intensive acting training, Akana developed the self-discipline needed to manage the creative process. As a content creator, she’s responsible for writing, performing, filming, editing and publishing her videos.
Her experience studying scripts has also helped her develop compelling stories within the limited time available on social platforms.
“What’s different about doing this for social media is the fact that I only have a minute to have a full storyline arc, so by keeping the stakes high right from the beginning, I am able to keep the scene compelling enough to get the viewer to want to know what happens next.”
Akana also draws on her Meisner training when performing against a green screen, where she often has to imagine other characters or environments.
“It’s very important that I’m able to truly imagine another person in the room with me when I’m in the scene. I focus on my objective, and keep the stakes high.”
Actors can apply these same principles when creating their own videos. Establish a clear objective, make strong character choices and give viewers a reason to keep watching.
Technical skills can develop over time, too. Akana began filming on her phone before eventually upgrading to a Sony a7C camera.
“It took time and patience, but once you get the hang of it, it just becomes second nature.”
The important thing is to start creating rather than waiting until you have the perfect equipment or production setup.
How Social Media Can Help Actors Create Their Own Opportunities
For Akana, content creation has provided something she often struggled to find through traditional auditions: the freedom to play characters outside the roles she was typically considered for.
While working as an actor in New York, she often felt pigeonholed into similar character types, including roles identified as “Italian Girl #2” or “Prostitute #7.”
Now, she can play virtually anyone she imagines, from parents and children to, as she describes it, “the random alien boy in the back of the choir.”
“I especially find it so fun to be able to put on a mustache and play a man, because I know in the traditional acting world, I would never even be considered for something like that.”
Her experience illustrates how creating original content can help actors expand their range, develop new skills and take greater ownership of their careers.
Social media doesn’t have to replace auditions, casting platforms or traditional acting opportunities. Instead, it can become another way to showcase your abilities, build relationships and create work that reflects the kinds of stories you want to tell.
For actors wondering whether they should start posting, Akana’s journey offers a useful reminder: You don’t have to wait for permission to create.
Many thanks to Akana for taking the time to speak with us.
To learn more about her work, follow Akana on TikTok, Instagram or subscribe to her YouTube channel.
