Headshots & Materials
Headshots, resumes, reels, and comp cards: the materials that get you noticed before you ever walk in the room.
Actor Headshots: The Complete Guide
A great headshot looks exactly like you on your best normal day, communicates your type at a glance, and makes casting want to see more. Here is how to get one that does all three.
How Much Do Actor Headshots Cost?
Professional headshots range from a couple hundred dollars to much more, and two photographers in the same city can charge wildly different rates. Here is what actually drives the price.
DIY Headshots: Can You Shoot Them on Your Phone?
Modern phone cameras can produce a usable headshot if you control the light, background, and framing with professional care. The camera was never the hard part.
Headshot Mistakes That Get Your Submission Skipped
Most skipped submissions die at the headshot. The mistakes fall into three buckets: photos that do not look like you, photos that look unprofessional, and photos that answer the wrong question.
Comp Cards for Models: What They Are and How to Make One
A comp card is a model's business card: one strong photo on the front, four to five supporting shots and your stats on the back. Here is how to build one that books.
How to Write an Acting Resume (Format and Examples)
An acting resume is one page, three columns, and zero fluff. Casting directors want yours to look like all the others, just with your credits on it.
How to Write a Modeling Resume
A modeling resume is short, stat-driven, and built to scan. Clients jump straight to your stats, then skim for the kind of work they are hiring for. Build it for that reader.
Actor Demo Reels: What to Include and How Long It Should Be
Sixty to ninety seconds, strongest clip first. Casting watches until they have decided, which usually happens in the first fifteen seconds. That fact should drive every editing decision.
How to Make a Demo Reel With No Footage
The old catch-22, where you needed footage to book work and work to get footage, is dead. Casting fully accepts self-produced scenes. Here is how to build a first reel from nothing.
Do Actors Need a Website? What to Put on Yours
A simple actor website is one of the cheapest credibility upgrades available. One page with your headshot, reel, resume, and contact info does the entire job.
Social Media for Actors: What Casting Directors Actually Check
Casting checks social media like a background check, not a talent search. The goal is not building a following. It is making sure what they find helps instead of hurts.
Instagram for Models: Building a Portfolio That Books Work
For models, Instagram is not social media. It is a second portfolio, and scouts really do browse it. Here is how to build a grid that books work, and how to stay safe doing it.
How to Build a Casting Profile That Gets Noticed
A casting profile that gets noticed is complete, current, and searchable. Casting directors search with filters, and blank fields make you invisible to them.
What to Wear for Headshots
One rule decides headshot wardrobe: nothing that competes with your face. Solid mid-tone colors, simple necklines, well-fitted layers, and zero logos or patterns.
