Writing to a casting director can feel intimidating. However, it’s a great way to network and get yourself on the books of people whose work you admire. So, I’m here to give you some advice to help you take the step of writing that email so it feels a little less scary for you. Here is how to write an email to a casting director, including an email template for casting directors you can follow.
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Have A Reason To Send An Email
So, obviously, there’s no point in sending an email when you have no reason to. There are a few reasons why you could email a casting director’s office. These include:
- Introducing yourself. If you’ve never been in contact with this casting director, you can simply send an email letting them know who you are. This is how to introduce yourself to a casting director via email. A great time to do this is if you’ve done a workshop with them, you can email them after to thank them and ask them to keep your details on file.
- When you’ve updated your headshots and showreel. If you’ve updated your materials, you want casting directors to see your new and improved stuff! So, send them an email about updating materials and let them know.
- To submit yourself for a specific project. If there is something you know they are casting, and there is a role you know you can play, you can send your details to them for a specific project submission so they can consider you for that role. Follow the casting director submission guidelines for that project.
Who To Send Your Email To?
One of the big mistakes actors make is sending their details directly to the casting director who runs the office. However, they tend to be very busy and deal with lots of people, so they are less likely to be able to keep you in mind for any roles if they don’t already know you well.
Understanding how a casting office works can really help you understand who to send your email to. So, the casting director is the head of the office. They make all the big decisions in terms of the shortlist and who they put forward to the director and producers.
The casting associate(s) have the next level of authority in the office. They often hold the first rounds of auditions and see a lot of actors in order to decide who should be put forward to see the casting director.
Then, we have casting assistants, who assist the casting office as a whole. They are often put in charge of putting together initial lists to invite to auditions and scoping out new talent.
That means the best person to send your email to is often directly to a casting assistant, rather than the general office email. You should be able to find their email address, which is part of the casting director contact information, on the website of the casting office.
If not, take a look at the Casting Director’s Guild or IMDB Pro. If you can, find out who is the most recent addition to the casting team. Often, they will have a smaller amount of talent on their radar and will be actively trying to build up their list.
Also, actors often don’t consider sending their emails to newer members of the team, which means they will appreciate you taking the time to contact them more than those who get contacted more regularly.
Remember: ALWAYS ADDRESS THE RECIPIENT BY NAME. ALWAYS.
When To Send Your Email.
Basically, not Monday morning. Everyone sends their email on a Monday morning during normal business hours. Your email will just be another in a long line of messages to work through. There are a couple of options you can take when considering email timing.
The first is to send it at midday on Friday. Sometimes, work will run a bit dry by the end of the week, so workers will be less busy on a Friday afternoon. However, they also may be attempting to wrap up the week and set things up ready for next week.
The next option is to send your email in the middle of the week, like on Wednesday morning. The work from the start of the week will have quietened down a little so they will have more time to focus and process your email properly.
What To Write
The content of your email is an important part of how to write an email to a casting director. It should be warm and friendly, but precise and to the point. Remember, these are busy people and you don’t want to annoy them by giving them your life story to read through. All you need to do is give them the information they need as politely as possible while following proper email etiquette for actors.
Here are the ideal things to improve in your email pitch to casting director:
- A brief introduction with what you’re doing OR if you’ve met them before (e.g. at a workshop) remind them where you met and thank them for the experience. This is your actor introduction.
- Where you’re based
- Languages you speak OR special skills
- Embedded headshot
- Link To Showreel
- 2 Key Projects (standout credits)
- CV link to spotlight link or online CV
Do you know what can be a really nice touch? Is to bold all the important information. This will make the information you want the casting director to see stand out and give them a quick and clear picture of who you are as an actor.
Example Email
Here is an example of how you could set out the content of your email, a sort of email template for casting directors:
Dear [Name of Casting Assistant]
My name is Jodie Bloggs. I’m currently playing Leah in DNA. I am an actor based in Manchester. I speak French. My credits include Viola in Twelfth Night (NT) and Joe Smith in Eastenders.
[Insert small headshot here]
Here is a link to my showreel – [Insert vimeo link here]
Here is a link to my CV – [Spotlight link or online CV here]
Thank you for taking the time to read my email, and I hope you keep me in mind for future projects you work on.
Have a lovely day,
Jodie Bloggs
[contact number]
[personal website/IMDB link]
Conclusion
There is a short and sweet guide on how to write an email to a casting director, including an email template for casting directors. I hope this helps you feel a little more at ease when getting in contact and with cold emailing casting directors. Remember, they are people just like you and we all have the same goal – to make great art together as a team.
I hope this post has been helpful for you, and if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a message. Just remember these key casting director email dos and don’ts:
- Do have a clear, concise email subject line
- Do keep your content brief and to the point
- Do include your contact information, agent contact, spotlight link, and IMDB link
- Do use a polite tone
- Don’t forget to follow-up if you get no response after a reasonable casting director response time
- Don’t send a generic email, personalize it
- Don’t forget to say thank you, like in a thank you email after audition
With these tips, you’ll be able to write effective emails to casting directors that help you stand out. It’s all about making a connection through networking, providing your key information, and showing your professionalism. Wishing you the best of luck with your outreach and submissions!
