Booking Without Auditioning

Actors often tell me that one of their dreams is to get so successful that they no longer have to audition. After all, does Julia Roberts audition? Does Meryl Streep audition? Nope. The phone rings, someone asks their agents whether they are available, and soon, they're on set, doing what they love.

Well, I'm here to tell you that you too can be the recipient of this special treatment.

Why do Julia and Meryl get these phone calls? Because they are known. Their work is known. Well, you and your work can be known as well. When you build relationships, people naturally want to know more about you. Maybe Martin Scorsese will not be the first director to call you out of the blue to be in his film - you may be starting a bit smaller than that, but you'll still be on your way.

Case in point: when I first moved to Los Angeles, I wasn't sure what to do with all my free time. Since I had produced a film in New York, I figured, why don't I help out others on their films? I sifted through Craigslist ads for one that sounded low-budget but still interesting and professional. I sent my crew/production resume off and got a phone call right away. It was for an unpaid PA job, getting up early, shlepping stuff around and generally being at the bottom of the totem pole. I went to meet with the production team, and they asked me if I would instead be the Production Manager. Still unpaid, just more work =) Of course I said yes - why not learn how all those contracts work and how to put together a call sheet?

At the end of the shoot, I had learned a ton. (Not least of which was how to manage an actor who came to set still high on coke after being out partying all night, but that's another blogpost for another day!) It was pretty unglamorous work for me. But lo and behold, a couple months later, I had become friends with some of the production team members, and two of them asked me to work on two separate film projects as their lead actress. They had gotten to know me, and when they found out I was an actress, they watched my reel, and it fit with what they were looking for. Booking without auditioning.

Now what? is a forum for success, out-of-the-box thinking and joy through collaboration. Please send questions to successinla@gmail.com and share this blog with anyone you think might like it or benefit from it!

Here's to success in 2010!