Casting websites have forever changed the casting and audition process for actresses and fashion models that are looking to get acting roles in the movie and television industry (including leading acting roles in television commercials).
It used to be that aspiring actresses would take their headshots (professional photograph with basic actress information including an acting resume on the back of the photograph) with them to casting offices, not quite sure what to expect. However, thanks to the wonders of technology, actresses that have no talent agency (acting agency or modeling agency) representation now have an abundance of online resources to find legitimate casting opportunities.
Below is a look at some of the best casting websites (including some free casting websites) for actresses and fashion models that unfortunately do not yet have acting agency representation or modeling agency representation:
1. Backstage
Backstage is the #1 casting website for actresses and fashion models that would like to get acting roles in television commercials, television shows, music videos with famous singers, and movies with famous actresses. It is the best casting website for actresses and fashion models that are not represented by a talent agency (acting agency or a fashion modeling agency).
Backstage has an incredible actress and casting director database for finding new and experienced actresses quickly and efficiently, packaged as an easy to use one-stop casting website for actresses and fashion models that would like to get acting roles in television commercials, television shows, music videos with famous singers, and movies with famous actresses.
Casting directors can filter actresses and fashion models by age, location, and even union status. But Backstage also acts as a kind of casting tool for actresses. Casting directors can post an acting job, and immediately it will get seen by approximately 250,000 actresses and actors looking for high quality acting jobs. Casting directors can then message and manage their actress and talent selections all in the Backstage website. In summary, Backstage is great for actresses looking to find acting jobs while they wait to get scouted by an acting agency or a fashion modeling agency that also focuses on the television and movie industry.
2. Actors Access
Actors Access is a casting website built around the breakdown. A breakdown is a notice that casting offices release to acting agents and talent agencies containing important information about a specific production. This breakdown includes a synopsis (a brief summary of the plot of a novel, motion picture, play, etc.), character descriptions, proposed locations, and the most important people involved in the production. In other words, Actors Access is a top casting website for casting breakdowns for actresses and fashion models.
Actors Access is owned by Breakdown Services, one of the premier breakdown distributors in the acting industry. Because of this, Actors Access is one of the best casting websites for not just casting directors, but also for actresses and fashion models that do not have talent agency (acting agency or modeling agency) representation. In other words, Actors Access offers almost every service an actress, fashion model, and casting director could want including the ability for actresses and fashion models to upload and update acting resumes, actress headshots, and acting reels.
3. Casting Networks
Casting Networks began as a software company with the objective of making the casting process a lot simpler for casting directors, actresses, and fashion models. Casting Networks wanted to make the casting process a lot easier and they basically tried to achieve that by being one of the first casting websites to put the entire casting process online a little after the beginning of the century.
With the ability to easily add and customize actress profiles, and with fast and easy access to new acting jobs posted daily (or almost daily) through their talent casting portal, this casting website is consistently used by actresses and fashion models without talent agency (acting agency or modeling agency) representation.
Casting Networks is easily one of the best casting websites for actresses and fashion models that would like to get acting jobs in the television and movie industry. In addition, Casting Networks is also great for actresses and fashion models that would like to get acting roles in television commercials and music videos featuring famous singers and musicians.
It is also important to note that for acting jobs where casting directors on Casting Networks (and similar casting websites for actresses) are searching for beautiful women for television commercials and music videos, fashion models with acting experience will usually have a unique advantage in getting booked for those acting jobs over actresses that are not fashion models. In other words, being a fashion model (which basically means being beautiful) with acting experience can be a very powerful combination for getting acting jobs in the television and movie industry.
Casting Networks does offer a free account for actresses and fashion models, but there is a catch. In order to register for free with Casting Networks, you must have talent agency (acting agency or modeling agency) representation. Without talent agency representation, there is an annual fee for actresses and fashion models. Why? To be honest, we have no idea, but probably to make sure that talent that is on their casting website is really serious about getting acting jobs in the television and movie industry.
4. Playbill
One of the joys of going to the theater, besides the performance, is being handed one of those beautiful yellow production pamphlets. If you love going to the theater, you are probably aware of Playbill and it’s yellow pamphlets, but Playbill provides so much more to actresses, specially for actresses in New York City.
Playbill is a casting website for actresses with free theater information and daily updates on acting auditions and acting jobs. Although the Playbill website doesn’t have a submission portal for actresses and actors, most of the theater listings do provide contact information for the production teams. In addition, Playbill checks their theater postings thoroughly, so you know that the acting job that you are applying for is legitimate.
5. Mandy
Of all the best free casting websites for actresses, Mandy (along with Spotlight and Backstage) are probably the best known casting websites for actresses in the United Kingdom (Mandy also has acting jobs in the United States). With several thousand daily live job postings for actresses and other industry professionals, the Mandy casting website is a useful resource for casting opportunities for actresses and fashion models without talent agency (acting agency or modeling agency) representation.
The Mandy casting website is also one of the most versatile casting websites on this list, simply because their casting website is not just for actresses, but also for fashion models (with acting experience), dancers, singers, musicians, screenwriters, and production crews.
In summary, Mandy is a casting website that actresses and people in the entertainment industry can use to get real time access to the latest acting auditions, film jobs, television productions, stage jobs, voice-over work, auditions for dancers and singers, jobs in music, child acting auditions, and casting calls for television extras (including extras for motion pictures).
6. Casting Frontier
When discussing the best free casting websites for actresses, one should mention Casting Frontier. Casting Frontier posts dozens of great open acting roles for actresses every day connecting actresses and fashion models (that have been trained in acting and would like to get acting jobs) with casting directors and television producers. Actresses, fashion models, and other performers can apply to open acting jobs and auditions for casting in films, television shows, television commercials, and music videos featuring famous singers and musicians.
Casting frontier allows actresses and fashion models to submit to casting calls and acting auditions in Los Angeles, New York City, and nationwide. Showcase your acting talent, post your acting portfolio and headshots online, and submit your acting profile in order to get acting auditions with casting directors.
7. NYCastings
For actresses and fashion models (that have been trained in acting and would like to get acting jobs) that live in the New York City area, NYCastings can be considered a useful casting website for acting jobs. Besides offering actresses and fashion models the ability to search for acting jobs, post acting resumes, and view casting notices, the NYCastings website also provides actresses and fashion models with a talent agency (acting agency) directory, industry news for actresses, and even offers acting classes for actresses. There is also an advice section for actresses where contributors discuss things related to the acting industry such as how to get the best headshots for actresses in New York City, actress release forms, and breaking down a script for actresses.
NYCastings allows actresses, fashion models, singers, and dancers of all ages to submit themselves (or through their legal guardian for minors) to film casting calls, television casting calls, theater casting calls, print casting calls, and commercial casting calls with casting directors in New York City, in addition to being able to submit your acting resume and acting portfolio to talent agencies (acting agencies) nationwide.
Union and non-union acting jobs are listed on NYCastings making this a great casting website for New York City actresses that are not yet part of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) – the major labor union for actresses and actors in the United States.
8. iActor Online Casting
SAG-AFTRA provides a service called iActor Online Casting which is an online casting service that provides a free, easy to use database of SAG-AFTRA actresses and actors to qualified casting professionals. When casting directors are casting for their next television or film production, they use iActor Online Casting to easily view SAG-AFTRA union members. iActor Online Casting is the only casting website for actresses that exclusively features SAG-AFTRA actresses and actors, and assists casting directors and producers with Station 12 actress clearance (this is covered in our more advanced acting for actresses articles).
Available to all casting directors working on SAG-AFTRA signatory productions, iActor Online Casting allows casting directors to search for SAG-AFTRA actresses and view their headshots, acting resumes, and acting portfolios by any combination of terms, such as ethnicity, special skills, or acting credits. With iActor Online Casting, SAG-AFTRA makes its approximately 160,000 members available to top casting directors.
It is no secret that top talent agents (acting agents) and casting directors prefer to use SAG-AFTRA actresses. iActor Online Casting tends to be one of the first stops for industry productions that require professional actresses, and through SAG-AFTRA membership, actresses gain a significant advantage compared to non-union actresses. Because of this unique advantage for SAG-AFTRA actresses to get the best acting jobs in the television and movie industry, it is extremely important for new actresses to spend time looking into SAG-AFTRA membership eligibility (this is also covered in our more advanced acting for actresses articles).
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