So how this whole extra work thing even got into my head was so serendipitous ..... a couple of years ago now, I was volunteering at City Harvest and chatting it up with a new volunteer. Asking the usual Qs about when did you move to NYC? BLAH BLAH BLAH When I asked him what his wife was doing, he mentioned she was doing Extra work. He was so cavalier about it....she signed up with this one agency and was getting regular work and making some extra money. I'm thinking hmmmmm, that sounds pretty good. I want some of that action. So he gives me the name of her agency and I blithely send a photo I have Bob take of me with a letter of interest and wait for the offers to role in. Seriously, I thought it would be that easy by the way he made it sound. Well weeks pass, which turn into months and I pretty much completely forget that I ever sent any thing in. Then maybe 18 month later I get a random call from this agency asking if I'm still available and interested in background work. I'm delighted and say "Yes, of course!" "What took so long?" Seems that it takes them a very long time to vet all the inquiries that come into them. Their contacting me coincides with a really crazy travel schedule I had last fall and winter so I'm not available for any work til January. I get my first commercial through them and meet Billy...an old hand at this with lots of very cool roles he's played. He proceeds to tell me about all the really important agencies I really need to be hooking up with if I'm going to get serious about this work. I'm scrambling to write all this info down between short breaks in the filming.
Billy is like a god send, I would have been totally in the dark if not for him. And as luck has it, Laura, to my other side tells me about this network I can join for $9 a month that posts tons of extra notices placed by casting directors for all the major filming work going on in the city. It's like I hit pay dirt sitting between these two people.
I immediately sign up for the notification service and unlimited picture upload option and send my resume and very amateur head shot to several other agencies. Now I get upwards of 30 to 40 notifications a DAY about work I might be eligible for. I also talk to another women on another set about how many pics does she have posted on her profile with this notification service. I have the one lame one and she tells me you have to have at least 6 or 7 photos in different outfits/looks and "moods." It gives the casting directors a better sense of fit for what they are looking for. I'm like, uh that makes sense....thinking, Rose, you are an idiot to think your one pic is going to get you any real work. So my loving husband, Bob, who LOVES portrait photography and who I have NEVER let take any pics of me in 25 years (not kidding) is now granting my wish for a photo shoot so I can post more pics on my profile. It's crazy....I rip the sheet off our bed, throw it in the laundry so we can use it as a back drop for my pics. Turns out that sheet doesn't work so well, so I find another one, light blue, iron it and we hang it from the closet doors and VOILA....a photo shoot is born. It takes a lot of frog pics to find the princess in me. He shoots close to 400 pics and we cull the best 14 out it. Here are a few examples. One of my favorites is my Joan from Mad Man look....check out those breastseses...
First my original lame attempt that I thought would bring me fame and fortune:
And a couple more pics for my upper east side look and kind of cool pedestrian look
So now I am registered with 5 casting agencies and 2 bulletin board notification centers where I can submit directly for work as fitting for any announcements that are a good match for me. Next photo shoot happens after I get back....trying to get jobs that require evening gowns--without going out and buying an evening gown. I have two things in my wardrobe that might pass. This is the problem of living in Seattle for 30 years....does anyone there own an evening gown? No..... I'm also feeling pretty confident about my body these days....been doing lots of yoga, swimming, cardio and weights so I'm also going to have Bob photograph me in a swimsuit. I'm thinking that Spring and Summer are just around the corner and there is bound to be plenty of extra work involving beach or pool scenes. Might as well get a jump on that.
So this is just the tip of the iceberg for all the work that is involved in just getting up and going in this business. Kind of good I didn't know it all when I started, I probably would have been too overwhelmed. Following blogs chronicle more layers of getting up and going.
Billy is like a god send, I would have been totally in the dark if not for him. And as luck has it, Laura, to my other side tells me about this network I can join for $9 a month that posts tons of extra notices placed by casting directors for all the major filming work going on in the city. It's like I hit pay dirt sitting between these two people.
I immediately sign up for the notification service and unlimited picture upload option and send my resume and very amateur head shot to several other agencies. Now I get upwards of 30 to 40 notifications a DAY about work I might be eligible for. I also talk to another women on another set about how many pics does she have posted on her profile with this notification service. I have the one lame one and she tells me you have to have at least 6 or 7 photos in different outfits/looks and "moods." It gives the casting directors a better sense of fit for what they are looking for. I'm like, uh that makes sense....thinking, Rose, you are an idiot to think your one pic is going to get you any real work. So my loving husband, Bob, who LOVES portrait photography and who I have NEVER let take any pics of me in 25 years (not kidding) is now granting my wish for a photo shoot so I can post more pics on my profile. It's crazy....I rip the sheet off our bed, throw it in the laundry so we can use it as a back drop for my pics. Turns out that sheet doesn't work so well, so I find another one, light blue, iron it and we hang it from the closet doors and VOILA....a photo shoot is born. It takes a lot of frog pics to find the princess in me. He shoots close to 400 pics and we cull the best 14 out it. Here are a few examples. One of my favorites is my Joan from Mad Man look....check out those breastseses...
First my original lame attempt that I thought would bring me fame and fortune:
My Current slightly more polished headshot (could use a bit longer in the tumbler (if you know what I mean) but it is an improvement)
My Joan from Mad Men look
So now I am registered with 5 casting agencies and 2 bulletin board notification centers where I can submit directly for work as fitting for any announcements that are a good match for me. Next photo shoot happens after I get back....trying to get jobs that require evening gowns--without going out and buying an evening gown. I have two things in my wardrobe that might pass. This is the problem of living in Seattle for 30 years....does anyone there own an evening gown? No..... I'm also feeling pretty confident about my body these days....been doing lots of yoga, swimming, cardio and weights so I'm also going to have Bob photograph me in a swimsuit. I'm thinking that Spring and Summer are just around the corner and there is bound to be plenty of extra work involving beach or pool scenes. Might as well get a jump on that.
So this is just the tip of the iceberg for all the work that is involved in just getting up and going in this business. Kind of good I didn't know it all when I started, I probably would have been too overwhelmed. Following blogs chronicle more layers of getting up and going.
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