Back Stage 411 - Casting FAQ

Visit our all-new FAQ

Visit Backstage.com/Help to view the new FAQ for the all-new Backstage.com.

The following posts are from our old FAQ and may not always apply to the new Backstage.com/Casting site's tools and current functionality.

Your Multimedia Résumé - 10 Tips for Success!

Your Multimedia Résumé is the centerpiece of your Back Stage account and a great way to gain entertainment-industry exposure.

And unlike other casting websites that nickel-and-dime actors every time they want to upload a new photo or video, Back Stage lets you embed an unlimited number of video reels and audio demos and upload as many photos as you want for no extra charge — plus you can even upload document files (your "offline" resume, press clippings, your bio, and more) and link to your pages on other sites — it's all included as part of your BackStage.com subscription.

However, just creating a resume isn't enough — the ways you update, manage, promote, and use your resume can make all the difference between booking an audition or getting ignored. The following 10 tips will help to more than double your chances of getting discovered:

Complete Your Résumé - Optimize Your Settings to Book More Gigs

When you're creating or updating a résumé on BackStage.com, it's important that you fill out all of the fields very carefully, because each field is connected to search-filter options used by casting directors when they're looking through the Back Stage Talent Database and filtering through the submissions they receive via their casting notices.

To create a new Multimedia Resume or update your current resumes, visit your "Manage My Resumes" page. After you've created a resume, you can update it at any time by clicking on the Edit/Wrench button next your resume's listing on your "Manage my Resumes" page. This will bring you to the Resume Builder & Editor interface, which is divided into 10 convenient sections: Main Info, Contact Info, Details, Education, Experiences/Credits, Languages, Photos, Audio/Video, Documents, and Links.

The following tips will assist you with completing your Multimedia Resume in a way that's optimized to help your CV get seen more often and raise your changes of being invited to audition for more projects:

Use the Online Submission System to Double Your Chances of Getting Cast

When you use Back Stage's online submission system to submit your Multimedia Resume to casting notices, four things automatically happen simultaneously:  

1) Your complete submission package — including your cover letter, the role(s) you're applying for, and your Multimedia Resume (featuring your photos, credits, reels, links, etc.) — is sent from Back Stage to the casting director as an HTML email. The submission package will arrive in the casting director's regular email inbox. And if the project has supplied Back Stage with multiple email addresses, then your submission package will automatically be sent to all of their inboxes at once.

2) Your complete submission package is also saved to the project's Résumé Inbox applicant-management system in the project's Casting Center Toolbox on BackStage.com, where casting directors can easily sort, filter, view, and respond to the submissions they receive.

This can double your chances of having your resume seen by the casting director, since it means that they'll see your application in their Back Stage inbox as well as in their regular email account. (Plus, it offers a great back-up solution: Even if the casting director doesn't have a Résumé Inbox on BackStage.com or they're not checking it very frequently, you can feel safe knowing that they'll still receive your resume via regular email. Or if the casting director's regular email inbox has filled up or has temporarily stopped working for some reason, you can still be assured that they'll find your resume in their Résumé Inbox on BackStage.com. Either way, you're covered!)

3) A copy of the casting notice is saved to your Casting Notices Inbox on BackStage.com, so you can quickly view it again later if you want to remind yourself about the project or check the script sides before auditioning.

4) A record of your submission is saved to your Resume Submissions Outbox, so you can keep track of the projects you've applied to.

See below for more info, including screenshots and important instructions for effectively using Back Stage's online submission system:

Promote Your Multimedia Resume - Marketing Your Resume Link

After you've created one or multiple Multimedia Resumes on BackStage.com, the next step is to make sure that people see your resume.

First, make sure to choose the Public or Confidential option as the Exposure Level for at least one of your resumes. Public and Confidential resumes are showcased in the Back Stage Talent Database, allowing casting directors, agents, and other industry professionals to discover you whenever they're searching for talent.

The second step is to submit your Multimedia Resume to projects by clicking on the "Submit Online" link or "Apply" button anytime these options are available on a casting notice that you're interested in.

Finally, create a customized quick-link pointing to the shareable version of your resume(s), and then come up with a marketing strategy to get your link out to as many people as possible.

The following are resume-link marketing tips to help get you started:

Showcase Your Multimedia Resume with a Custom URL Quick-Link

Creating a customized quick-link for your BackStage.com Multimedia Resume is a great way to promote yourself. After creating a short, easy-to-remember link for your resume, you can add the link to your business cards, include the link in your email-signature, and link to your resume from other websites. For instance, you could post the link on your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, so your contacts will be able to easily view your resume, photos, and reels on Back Stage.

You can create a quick-link in a few simple steps: Just visit your "Manage My Resumes" page on BackStage.com; click on the "Promote My Resumes - Your Resume Page Link" option to find the link to the "shareable" versions of your resume; then paste the link(s) into the "URL to make tiny" field on a free link-shortening site like TinyURL.com; and choose the custom URL text you'd like to use in the link. Or you could even redirect your own website domain to point directly to your resumes on BackStage.com.

Examples: Actress Sri Gordon created this TinyURL link to showcase her full resume on BackStage.com: www.tinyurl.com/SriGordon. And I've used GoDaddy.com to redirect www.LukeCrowe.com to my profile on LinkedIn.com.

See below for detailed instructions:

How to Protect Your Privacy - Multimedia Resume Exposure Options

When you create a Multimedia Resume on BackStage.com, you're given three "exposure level" options that determine who can see your resume, what contact info is visible, and whether or not your resume will appear in the Back Stage Talent Database. Understanding these options can you help you protect your online privacy.

The following article will assist you with deciding which option is best for you, while also providing additional tips that will help keep you safe. 

How to Embed Audio & Video Players on Your Multimedia Resume

You can add audio and video files to your Multimedia Resumes on BackStage.com.

Adding media files to your resume is great way to show off your talent and attract the attention of casting directors. And unlike other casting websites that nickel-and-dime actors by charging for every media file, Back Stage subscribers can include multiple media items on their resumes for no extra cost and no hidden fees.

There are three methods available for including audio and video on your resume: You can upload, embed, or link to the files. We highly recommend our "Embedded Media" option, because embedding your audio and video items provides the nicest presentation and greatest level of control.

See below for details on all three options, plus instructions for using the "embed" options from YouTube,  Video, and MySpace to easily add your media from those sites onto your Back Stage Multimedia Resume:

Submit Your Multimedia Resume to Casting/Job Notices Online

Back Stage provides a variety of submission options, making it easy to apply to casting/job notices and entertainment-industry projects. 

The following article will help you get the most out of the BackStage.com online-application and resume-email system.

For instance, when you submit your multimedia resume and optional cover letter to a project using the BackStage.com online submission system, you should know that your submission package is automatically sent to the casting director via two different methods simultaneously:

Reordering/Grouping Credits & Media Items on Resumes by "Display Order #"

Within the "Manage My Resumes" builder/editor interface, you have a variety of options for updating, grouping, arranging, and reordering your credits, experiences, and media items (photos, videos, links, etc.).

USE THE "DISPLAY ORDER" OPTION:

To have exact control over the order in which items appear within the various sections of your resume, make sure to give each item an unique "Display Order #" when creating the item on your resume.

However, even if you forget to do this the first time, don't worry -- you can always go back and add or update the Display Order Number by clicking on the Edit (wrench) button next to the item on your resume. Just change the Order Number in the editing/update panel, and  then save your changes.

Updating the order of your credits is especially easy: Just change the Display number next to any of the Education/Training credits and Experience/Job credits you wish to reorder and then click the "Go" button next to the "Update" option at the bottom of the form. The order of all of your credits will then change appropriately.

(Quick Tip: Turn on the checkbox next each item in your list of credits in order to update a specific set of credits.)

GROUP CREDITS BY "TYPE":

To group your various types of credits together, simply assign each group of credits sequential Display Order numbers,” using the “Order Number” field.

For instance, I might assign my Film credits with numbers 10-40; and my TV credits with numbers 50-70; and my Theatre credits with numbers 100-140. This would make my Film credits appear first (and grouped together), my TV credits appear second, etc.