I’ve often been torn on casting director workshops but ultimately, I think they are worthwhile. Over the past year or so, I’ve vacillated on the merits of these workshops and questioned them. Are casting directors really attending these workshops to find talent or are they going to pick up a paycheck? The answer is both. Sure, there are those casting directors who probably use this as a supplement to their paycheck, but I also know quite a few actors (me included) who have been called in to audition for a television show based on my work at one of these workshops – - proof that they can work!

In fact, my work on All My Children came from a workshop and I was called into producers for Hannah Montana two days after my workshop with Howard Meltzer. Sure, there are those who aren’t in it for the “purest” of reasons but show me one field where all involved are blameless. Nonetheless, my experience lately has been extraordinary and I’ve met some very cool people (who happen to be casting directors too).

As an actor, you rarely receive feedback from a casting director. The typical audition involves waiting in a big silent room with lots of “look-a-likes” and then walking into another silent room – alone, or with a few casting people – -where you say your lines to a camera and then leave. It can be pretty isolating and, unless you book the role, you really have no idea how you did. Sure, it’s nice to get called back or even better to be put on hold (which means it’s down to you and one other actor) but of all the auditions you go out on, it is rare to hear feedback.

Feedback is important to every single person regardless of profession. Feedback validates you, makes you feel “seen” and can give you hope and encouragement. Feedback gives me energy and lately, my feedback at these workshops has confirmed that I am indeed doing what I am good at. In an industry so full of “noise”, it’s ironic that the process of achieving success in the acting world can be so quiet. That is why these casting director workshops get a two-thumbs up from me; because I like to hear validation and know that what I am doing is good. I’ve always felt that my work is strong but it feels pretty damn nice to have someone else confirm it.

Feedback from Julia Kim - Casts Indpendent Films

Feedback from Deborah Barylski - Cast Comedies: Home Improvement, In the Middle, Arrested Development

Feedback from Scott David - Casts Criminal Minds