When I speak with an actor about their industry goalks, one of the first things that comes to mind are headshots.

Actors can’t live without them and they are one of the most important things to consider when building an acting career.

A bad headshot can literally stop a career in its tracks and I’ve seen it happen way too much.

What’s most troubling is just how little actors really know about what makes a great headshot,. that improves their casting chances.

If you want to be a professional acting you can’t just wing it with this. There is a formula for what makes a great headshot and when you tap into that, you will know what will make CDs notice you and take the next step.

Here’s how...

First, you have to understand what CDs are actually looking for when they are going through headshots.

They are hoping to find an actor that will embody the role they are casting for. A highly talented actor that doesn’t “look the part” can be detrimental to a production.

That’s why the casting process starts with headshots, instead of resumes. Knowing this, you can start with the end in mind. Here's what I mean... For starters you don’t want to have just one headshot.

You should have one for each different type of character you are going after. Think of it this way, if you were a CD trying to book actors for an action role, would you want to see the same headshots as when trying to book a comedy?

Of course not!

So why would actors use the same headshot to submit both times? It doesn’t make any sense, and the majority of actors get that. I’ve realized that it’s typically under the guidance of their agents that actors steer away from having multiples.

Your agent may be against this, because it’s an extra step for them to take when they are submitting you. If that’s the case, then it may be time to find an agent who is willing to work as hard for you, as you are for yourself.

Or, it could be that they want you to build some familiarity with the CDs, as they see the same headshot multiple times. A good agent will fall into the second category.

Approach them about this, when you are updating your headshots and have a conversation about the kind of projects you should be submitted to.

Most agents will simply submit you to anything you are even remotely a possibility for. That’s why they prefer that you only have a single “generic” headshot.

If you are limiting your submissions to only two or three categories, then it makes perfect sense for you to have two or three headshots that reflect the characters you are going to play.

Your headshot’s most important job is to make a Casting Director stop and want to see more and know more about you. So, if your headshot doesn’t clearly represent the kinds of characters you are being submitted for, CDs are then having to take an extra mental step and guess at whether you are going to be a good fit for the role or not.

That’s not what you want! You want them to stop in their tracks, immediately know that you would be a fit, and have you come in to read.

There’s a number of ways you can do this, and you can actually get really specific and give yourself an incredible edge over everyone else submitting a generic headshot.

Here’s what I mean...

I spoke to an actor that has a great system worked out with his agent. Before submitting him to anything, his agent lets him know what the character will be and they come up with something subtle they can add to his headshots.

For example, he was being submitted to play a guitarist. It was a dramatic role, so the actor already had a headshot that would work. He took 2 minutes (literally) and photoshopped a guitar lapel pin to his headshot.

What do you think happened when Casting looked at his headshot? He immediately stood out from everyone else and became a logical choice.

That’s exactly what your headshot should do for you too.

That doesn’t mean you have to take a new headshot every time of course. The actor we were talking about a moment ago already had a headshot that was suitable to what he was being submitted for, so he only added to it.

That was possible because he and his agent are focused on going after a couple of categories, instead of submitting to anything and everything.

This is what almost every actor and even agents ignore. They focus too much on what comes afterwards. They focus too much on what happens in the room, but the truth is none of it matters if you don’t even have opportunities to audition.

Don’t do what everyone else does. That’s how you end up with a career like everyone else’s.

Instead, build your career doing the opposite and you are likely to end up where they wanted to go.

That’s what can happen when you go against the grain, while everyone else is repeating the same mistakes.

We’ll talk more about what that means over the coming weeks and get into the specifics of building your career step by step.

For now, I want you to plan out what we talked about today. I work with so many actors on a daily basis, and I see this being a big problem for many of them.

Getting in the room is how you will show the industry your talent. so focus on that. The rest is something you have more control over.

That’s why I built this to help you.

See, once you have the industry’s attention, and you deliver a great audition, you also have to give them a reason to continue moving you through the process.

One of the most powerful things you can have on your side is a stellar industry reputation. Casting Directors are going to look into it anyway, so you definitely want to make sure that your industry reputation matches your goals.

A lot of actors are so focused on faking it until they start making it, but that simply doesn’t work anymore. Casting Directors can see right through it. You need to have something solid to point to that the industry respects. Here’s a great place to start.

Not sure about your next step? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. You know I’m always happy to help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott