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Inside The Industry Seminar
Synopsis by Mary Chang
What a pleasure it was to have Commercial Casting Director Terry Berland speak at our Industry Seminar on June 26, 2010. Going through a plethora of information about the business, Terry made sure that actors were prepared with the proper tools.

Terry emphasized the importance of talent having clips and reels on their accounts along with their photos and resume, both commercially and theatrically. “If you have a reel or something moving of yourself,” Terry stated, “this is the new trend and it will give you the competitive edge. This is my little tip.” Speaking of trends, she further stated, “The trend is to do things electronically.” When an actor asked about how actors sabotage auditions, Terry spoke about actors not bringing in their photo and resume, regardless of whether it was a commercial or theatrical audition.

She discussed the casting process, mentioning that agents want and depend on actors to be good and that it’s all about ‘relationship.’ “This is a relationship business and you should feel a positive force behind you,” she stated. Due to the amount of submissions casting offices receive, Terry spoke about the short amount of time casting directors have to look through talent, so providing a truthful note with the submission can be helpful.

Terry brought up a few talent to read some commercial copy and provided “adjustments” with reasons for the “adjustments” to the talent, ranging from attitude choices and reactions to positioning and the essence and feel of the character. After each talent’s first read and Terry’s adjustments, talent were able to go back and apply her adjustments to their performance.

Terry reminded us to always focus in on our strengths and be the best we can be and the opportunities will come around.

Check out Terry Berland’s website and sign up for her newsletter.

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