CASTING DIRECTORS: You Should Reply to Emails ;)

Recently, I've been asked what some of my "pet peeves" are.  (If you don't know what a "pet peeve" is, it is something that bothers a person a lot!)  Well, one of my "pet peeves" is when a casting director does not reply to an email that I send him or her.  This is simply because, well, it is rude and very unprofessional of someone to not reply to a message!  In LA, certain casting directors, agents, managers, etc seem to believe that they are 'too important' or 'too busy' to reply to an actor's email.  When I first started my adventure here in Hollywood and the entertainment biz, I accepted this fallacy that all casting directors must be EXTREMELY busy doing more important things than interacting with an unknown actor, therefore I would not expect to hear back from him or her.  However, the reality is that it is a casting director's JOB to interact with actors, and even help discover new talent!  Same goes for agents and managers.  So, why no responses!?  Well, in my opinion there is no excuse!  Reason that I say this is because there ARE people in the biz that take the time and effort to reply to me when I message him or her.  In the past couple of years, I have had the amazing privilege of meeting many of the most professional and kind casting directors and agents in the business!  Let me give you an example- and yep, I'm namin' names!!  

Mark Teschner is the head casting director of one of  America's hit soap opera's, "General Hospital".  Mark is probably one of the busiest casting directors in LA, as soaps air almost every single day of the year!  I can imagine that Mark receives HUNDREDS of emails all the time!  Yet, although Mark is very busy, he always manages to find the time to write me a kind reply when I email him, no matter how busy he is.  Mark loves what he does and loves working with actors, plus  he is very professional!  It is people like Mark Teschner who make Hollywood a more friendly place to live.  Sharing kindness and professionalism goes a very long way in the entertainment biz!  So, thanks for being so awesome, Mark!!  

Now, I'll be writing more about additional casting directors, agents, and everyone in between who have made a positive impact on my life here in this blog.  ---If you're a casting director or agent reading this and I DON'T mention your name, well, there's a reason for that!  Be respectful, and do not ignore people.  No one is "too busy" to acknowledge another person.  Remember that you can always make a change for the good- even if that means taking only 15 seconds out of your week to respond to an actor's email, and acknowledge him or her with a few kind words.  ;)

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