5 Don’ts and Dos When Contacting Casting Teams

Our Production Department at Edge Studio is very busy, and helps out with every part of voice over projects, from casting to mastering the final product. We often are asked what it takes to get on our roster, or any casting teams’ roster, for that matter. Is it rude, or unprofessional, to just reach out and ask?

The question isn’t whether or not it’s unprofessional to reach out. Rather, the question is how you reach out. It can be beneficial (to you and them) to 

• compliment their work 
• mention that your services seem to match 
• and offer a few times that you could call for a quick chat to explore mutual ways to enhance what you’re each doing.

Many people who do not get proper training with a coach do not learn the best practices in approaching these situations. Without exaggeration, nearly every demo sent to our casting production department has one of these red flags:

(1) The email is non-specific, and they only favor the sender (if you don’t clarify how you could be helpful to us, why would we want to take time with you?) 

(2) The language lacks confidence via statements such as “I hope you like my demo” or “I was wondering if maybe you need a voice actor” or “Do you guys need voice actors?” 

(3) They’ve made it hard to hear their demos (broken links, or good links that go to a website in which we can’t find your demos, etc.)

(4) Not nearly enough (if any) proofreading (too many typos or tooooo loooong).

(5) They’ve left glaring examples of laziness – for example, addressing your email to “HopefullyThisGetsToYou@edgestudio.com” instead of taking a moment to get a proper address; or “To whom it may concern,” rather than getting the name of a person.

Instead, here’s a better approach, in 5 steps (I’ll write this from the perspective of our own casting department – which, again, is super busy, working within numerous genres, working internationally, and booking multiple projects every day for our 5 studios, spanning from broadcast ads to film to animation…): 

(1) See things from our perspective. What makes working with you mutually beneficial for us?

(2) Show you care, and put thought into what you do. Find a specific contact on their website or socials, a human being. This can be a Project Manager, Content Producer, Creative Director, Marketing Manager, as long as it is a real person as a point of contact. Not a generic email!

(3) Be professional. You are a voice actor with skills worthy of work, not someone hoping for a chance! You have something to offer, and it’s worth our time. Prove it! “Let’s discuss how we can start a lucrative relationship.”

(4) Follow up!!!!!!! Our casting team gets a l-o-t of demos every day – we can’t remember everyone. It isn’t necessarily because you aren’t good. However, follow up with value and grace! 

(5) For goodness sake, think about how you label your demos!!! These (“Demo-new” or “JG-version 2” or “mix with new spot”) confuse us. Instead, label a demo with relevant details. For example: “First name, Last name, Voice Actor Demo, Genre”. Remember we get demos from editors, engineers, copywriters, musicians, and yes, voice actors. So even the word “Demo” is too nondescript without adding other keywords.

Direct marketing and reaching out with confidence and well-organized materials is a surefire way to get work, especially with diligence and thoughtfulness. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you – go get them! Just remember, “it takes two to tango!”