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Online casting service
widens locals` exposure
Publication: Albuquerque Journal
Category: Arts & Culture
Edition: Final
Published: 04/18/1999
Byline: Anthony DellaFlora, Journal Staff Writer
An online casting service is hoping to reel in New Mexico talent. Castnet.com of Los Angeles already features more than 34,000 actors on its Internet Web site. It`s used by about 140 talent agents and 260 casting directors around the country, according to company figures. Most of its business comes from Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and other big cities. But now, Castnet.com is venturing out into the hinterlands. One local casting director believes the service could be a boon to the state`s actors and the film industry. Sarah Koeppe, an independent casting director in Santa Fe, said the assumption now is that when film crews come in from out of town, they`re only coming here for the locations. If enough local actors get exposure on Castnet, she said, that could change. "If they know there is a talent pool here, then there`s more reason to come back than just the location," Koeppe explained. Regional sales manager Bob Mohler said the company will concentrate on enlisting actors in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The company hopes to entice 250 to 500 actors in state to sign up for the service. For $99.95 a year, actors and actresses get a listing on the site, which includes three photos and a resume. For an additional fee, the actors can add video or audio clips. That information is available to any film, television or stage casting director on the service. They are not charged a fee. Actors can also view the scripts for the parts they`re trying out for online, or find agents online. The resumes can be updated any time. For actors and talent agents, it will ostensibly save plenty of time and money. With the click of a mouse, an actor`s portfolio can be sent electronically to casting directors. That means the cost of reprints of photos, copies of resumes and mailing are cut drastically. "What Castnet has done is speeded up the whole process. Literally, what happened in 1975 took days to get done, even on a commercial," Mohler explained. Now the breakdown (of roles in a script) goes out in a matter of an hour and it`s responded to and the casting director is making appointments." Mohler believes the service can benefit New Mexico actors in several ways. Some actors, for example, spend part of the year in Los Angeles, either looking for work in commercials, or trying to get cast on new television shows. When the parts come up, agents can submit their actors` resumes and head shots instantaneously, instead of having casting directors wait for an overnight package from New Mexico. "If you wait for a Fed Ex package to get there, the audition`s already over. They do it locally," Mohler said. "So it`s changing the playing field and in some ways making it a bit more level for an actor that isn`t going to spend their career in Los Angeles." Casting directors browsing the site for actors and actresses could also discover someone they would not otherwise see, he said, which might be especially helpful to actors without agents. Even for casting in-state, it should help. Just the time saved delivering resumes and head shots between Albuquerque and Santa Fe will be helpful to casting directors, Mohler said. "In the business, it`s like yesterday is too late. They want it now," he said. "Any time that can be saved is gold in terms of the producer`s budget." While the online service will never replace a live audition, it will likely help actors get more of them, Mohler believes. "The bottom line is you`ve got to be found. No one is going to come to you and knock on your door." As a casting director, Koeppe said it simplifies her job of tracking down people. "A big part of casting people`s time is spent in just simply locating where these people are, even if you knew who they were and that you wanted them," she said. "Maybe they`ve changed agents, maybe they`ve moved and they haven`t bothered to keep their contact up." She also noted that only legitimate talent agencies representing Screen Actors Guild members, and professional casting directors are allowed to use the service. "I think it is also a protection to know that these people are legitimate," Koeppe said. Mohler said the service will evolve as computer technology does. In a few years, for example, directors could watch live auditions from a faraway location, via streaming video technology.

To find out more about Castnet, call toll free (888) 873-7373 or get online at www.castnet.com.