Asraiya Deyo's Lounge Discussions

Thank you Allen, I will look into how it is from an actor's prespective.

It's funny that everyone still says the same old "never pay anyone" for representation or access to casting calls and yet every single step or turn you take runs you into yet another brick wall (digital) requiring $9.99 a month or $149 per year or $1.99 per application or $2.99 per photo or video reel or for your full resume/profile to be visible to the public. Gig salad and/or gigmasters keeps a 20% booking fee and I do all the work! Casting Networks, you have to pay for. Casting Frontier, which looks like it's just a clone of Casting Networks is also pay to apply for work. Actors Access, same. And there's 20 more you can sign up and pay for some with real castings and others total scams! I left my agency because they wanted me to pay an additional 20% out of my paycheck after agency fees were already sent to them separately plus they were getting paid for sourcing talent by some of the production companies with exclusive contracts. Not only were they demanding double dipped commission rates but they also earn a sales commission for anyone suckered into upgrading to a paid subscription on any one of the 3 different websites/accounts they required all "talent" to sign up for and fill out (one for principal and a duplicate but separate one for background/extra work..) Meanwhile, I was still self submitting for anything and everything I could find on my own because I wasn't working enough to cover all this "career investment expense" and yet I WAS THE COMMODITY THEY DEAL IN BEING SOLD/TRADED. *This agency recently became SAG affiliated too if you can believe it.. at which point they required exclusive contracts to be signed by all the talent and I left since I couldn't afford to sign away 20% of all my income while not earning enough to pay rent and self promoting/booking myself.

look it's a very tough business and there are only so many roles so you have to get connected to a movie family or be in one like charlie sheen and martin sheen anyone in that family can get a role or will smith so anyone in his family can get a role

Oh WOW, I want to find out how to get connected to a movie family, that would be awesome.

Sorry to hear about what you went through with your agency Asraiya... thank you for keeping us aware. I would like to know the name of that agency so I steer clear of it. Best wishes for you!

Good one!

I've heard the answer that it depends on where you are which site is more preferred by local or regional CD's... but I too am wondering how much am I expected to be paying out per month just for a single photo and page of info (resume) on me? It feels so scammy! My agency sends me an email every month reminding me my profile is "not active" and visible to try to FOMO me into paying $150 year for a "full" listing. Shouldn't my agency at least invest a tiny bit of bandwidth on making me publicly visible? It feels like instead of an agency they are bridge trolls trying to collect a fee on just about anything while as a non-union talent, I'm not really making enough to even file income taxes here so I'm wondering why in addition to double dipping 20% agency fees they are now a SAG franchised agency which I would assume means their methods are considered normal and respectable industry standards? I've yet to even see the benefit of representation since the only booking I've got through them I applied to the CD myself as I'm on her mailing list... SORRY to hijack your feed! Just realized... back to PAY PER LISTING AND/OR PER SUBMISSION CASTING WEBSITES ~ anybody? please ;) thnx

I've seen those $150/year and $40/month for another. I don't chance those. I think they just want the money. I was with one in NYC that was $40/month and the average projects I got were 3 per month while a couple people I knew who used it, and probably still do, get 18-20 days for projects per month. I'm part of casting networks, which is only $11/month. It's a good site for bg mostly, but the agencies that use it, once you go SAG, they are more selective and I think expect better, higher quality, updated pictures. It's just can drive you crazy because you put all this time and money into it, and sometimes it feels like it doesn't pay off.

I like Actors Access which has castings all over the country and you pay per submission.($2) Also, keep in mind casting notices are actually free, these sites are charging you to SUBMIT. So if you do your do diligence you can find and submit for free. For theater, you can sign up with Broadway world and they will email you casting notices for all over the country for free. Also, anything you do pay is tax deductible provided you make over $5000. So keep all receipts

Dance rubber the entire bottom of the shoe and heel. It's a thin rubber (maybe 1/16-1/8 thick), most good shoe repair places can do this for you.

Exactly. The newer shoes that you buy in the States are not really made functually well, at all. I always would have cobblers put a thin sheath of rubber, or really good, thin leather, on the heels and sometimes along the entire bottom, as suggested above. Though, I think the heel rubber is best because you're still better off with regards to the ball with either rosin or soda, as usual. Both Australian and European character/folk shoes are much more realistically made for real live dancers to properly dance in. So sorry that I didn't see your post, prior to this.

I usually stick a square of gaff tape on the ball of my foot if I find myself on a slippy stage/set in shoes without enough tread or traction.