Since last week's tale of postcard redemption struck such a chord, let's linger on the subject a little longer.
What do you consider a good reason to send a postcard? When you've send postcards in the past, what have they been about? What could happen that would motivate you to send your next round of postcards?
The answer to all of those questions is probably something like 'Booking a big fat role in a big fat project!' And that is certainly a fantastic reason for a postcard mailing...
But what if it's been a while since you booked a big fat role in a big fat project? Are you just not going to send postcards? Just gonna let 6 or 12 or 18 months go by without putting yourself in front of your industry contacts' mental filing cabinets?
Hell. No.
So what's a legitimate, non-desperate, working-actor-secret reason to send postcards when you don't have a booking to brag about?
A compliment.
Like, 'I just saw that pilot/series/film/play/commercial/short you cast, and that intense/hilarious/terrifying/sexy/tragic moment between Non-Celebrity-Actors A and B was so fantastic, I just had to send you some applause.' (Use your own words, of course. No one likes a form-letter-compliment.)
Here's what's genius about sending postcard-compliments:
- Casting directors are woefully under-recognized for their work. (See the HBO documentary 'Casting By.') You will be one of very few actors who thinks to send a postcard about their accomplishments, rather than your own. That makes you stand out in a good way.
- It doesn't matter if you're 'right' for something s/he is working on, because you don't have to be any particular type to appreciate someone's work. These kinds of postcards speak directly to your relationship with the recipient, rather than a specify project, and that's great, because relationships are what postcards are all about.
- They'll learn a TON about you that they can't get from a headshot & resume; You're a pro (because you know what they've worked on,) you're well-spoken and thoughtful, you have similar taste in actors and what good work looks like - ALL of which ups your chances of being called in next time there's a role you might be right for.
There is one cardinal rule for sending complement postcards… Be sincere. If you hated the movie but want to get into the casting office, don't pretend you loved it just for the sake of a postcard. (Because that's just icky.)
Ready to give it a try? Put a recurring reminder in your phone to ask yourself, 'What was the best acting moment I saw this week? Send that CD a postcard compliment.' Pretty soon, you'll be doing it without a thought. And that is what we call a Working Actor Habit!