Last year, one of my clients, a young woman we’ll call Clara, booked a series regular role on a pilot that went to series. As a result, she earned six figures in 2015, which is substantially more than she’s ever made as an actor. And this past Christmas, Clara thanked the casting director on the pilot by giving her a $200 gift certificate for a high-end spa. I got a box of nothing.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I commissioned the deal so it’s all good, but this does bring up an interesting issue, one I’ve never addressed in this column before. Who’s really responsible when an actor books a pilot? The agent, the casting director, or someone else?
In Clara’s case, I submitted her for the pilot but the casting director didn’t bring her in. So I pitched. And I pitched. And then I pitched some more. The casting director finally agreed to see her and next thing you know, Clara has a callback and a few days later, she’s testing for the studio and network. So I think it’s safe to say yours truly is the one who made this happen.
Last year, another casting director on a different pilot set up a client named Matt whom I didn’t submit because I didn’t think he was right
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