So you are already in the "business" plugging away booking yourself or you're with another service but you've been lost in the shuffle and feel like there's something better out there. You're right! We are better, period. If you're looking for a more personalized service. If you like being a random member on a huge roster, well then , we are not for you. If you want to matter and have a voice and input then...HELLO What took you so long :) Hmmmmmm, how would I describe Kalifornia Kasting? How about this analogy, for all you "shopaholics" out there. We are a "Personal Shopper" if you will, for our talent. We are small, we don't exceed 200 clients. I (Jen) am the "Head Cheese" I am the one that everything boils down to. Michelle, is my "new business go getter", right arm, and extremely thorough casting extraordinarily talented office manager/juggler. How's that for a completely improper use of the English language. Sometimes you just gotta do it :) There are no others, chain of command is 2 links :) Her and I, see all, know all and juggle all. There are other "links" in our chain but Michelle is the the one you register with, or I /Michelle will be the one you will be speaking to, we are the ones responsible for keeping our reputation and talent working. If you have an issue, it is dealt with immediately, between us directly. Not Joe Schmoe or someone you don't know brushing you off and telling you what you want to hear just to keep you sending in that check. I am honest to a fault and even if it is something that you don't want to hear, I will say it because I would rather it come from me nicely than have you continue on your path of "blissful ignorance." If we can't use you in the service, it is because we don't have the space for you OR we honestly don't think we can get you enough work to keep you happy and if that's the case I hope you appreciate the honesty in an industry that hasn't really built its reputation on honesty. No artificial sweeteners here... just us trying to take care of our family of talent as well as our own personal families trying to make a living @ a job we love.
Kalifornia Kasting is unique, small , hands on, and very personalized. Wouldn't you rather be with a service that "knows you" rather than a service that knows "of you."
I do take time out to have personal conversations with my clients and I am here for them when and if they need me. I will always give advice when it is asked for (and even sometimes when it isn't :) If I don't know the answer to your questions I will get you an answer. I am very honest and down to earth. Which again is what I would think that you would be looking for in a "service." It is important to me that I make an effort to take care of my clients, listen to them and help them whenever they need it. My clients always say that they love the fact that they know day or night if they need me they can get a hold of me. If they have questions or suggestions they will be answered and heard.
I asked some of my talent what they thought I should address as I am explaining to you about Kalifornia Kasting. Below are some of the question suggestions. Some of my answers may surprise you.
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS???
Q: Why do we have to pay for a "calling service"?
A: The idea of a calling or booking service is to provide,
at no cost, bookable, reliable, around the clock background talent to casting
directors. The casting director can then call one place to get many actors, but
will only have to deal with the service and not each actor independently. Our
calling service provides daily submissions to casting
directors, and books who ever is cast. In addition, a full profile is built with
a range of different looks as many different looks as you can get us are as many that your profile will contain, truly the more the merrier. Remember, a booking service is free to ALL casting companies, and the
main casting agency that you are booked through makes a percentage of you when you are on set. All booking
services receive their payments in full before services are rendered. Kalifornia Kasting will always be looking for work for
their clients, and prides themselves on being able to book casting calls 24/7. Also for casting directors you have to understand, we have been on both ends of the spectrum. There is NOTHING more frustrating than trying to fill a call with background talent and having them be unreliable. ANYONE WITH KALIFORNIA KASTING IS GUARANTEED TO BE RELIABLE.
Years ago....What some casting directors didn't understand was the use of a "calling service." Let me tell you what Carol herself at Carol Grant Casting just told me on her last project while working with a fairly new to the business "casting director." He said I don't understand why you use Kalifornia Kasting and a few others to book this feature. All we have to do is post it on say, "LA Casting" or Craigslist and we will get what we need from there. WRONG WRONG WRONG! She explained to him as I happily listened that if we "KK" didn't exist it would make "them" the "Casting Directors" lives a whole lot of miserable! Below is a smidgeon of her explanantion...
When someone is "paying for a service" they are...
1) 100% more likely to be professional
2) Be serious about this industry
3) Be committed to their future in the industry
4) Highly more likely to bring the appropriate options of wardrobe.
5) Committed to doing the best job they can possibly do so that they are asked back as well as they are interested in protecting their reputations as well as KK's.
6) KK knows their talents schedules in advance which makes it easy to "prebook" jobs
7) When KK books their talent we know they will "BE THERE" as opposed to when you book someone directly that just happened to apply for a job they know nothing about in an industry they really know nothing about just because it "sounds fun."
8) Sometimes you just don't know the type of "talent" you're dealing with an knowing that a person has come from KK brings on a sigh of relief as in a sense they have been "prescreened" and KK won't risk letting down the casting agencies and having that negatively affect the service.
AFTER ONE WEEK AS A CASTING DIRECTOR THE NEWBIE CASTING DIRECTOR WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR ON KALIFORNIA KASTINGS ROLE IN THE INDUSTRY AND HIS "NEED TO USE US!) LOL IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE! HAHA :P
Here are some frequently asked questions that may help you out on your venture, if there are things we forgot to mention please feel free to email us your questions as well, okay, here we go...Years ago....What some casting directors didn't understand was the use of a "calling service." Let me tell you what Carol herself at Carol Grant Casting just told me on her last project while working with a fairly new to the business "casting director." He said I don't understand why you use Kalifornia Kasting and a few others to book this feature. All we have to do is post it on say, "LA Casting" or Craigslist and we will get what we need from there. WRONG WRONG WRONG! She explained to him as I happily listened that if we "KK" didn't exist it would make "them" the "Casting Directors" lives a whole lot of miserable! Below is a smidgeon of her explanantion...
When someone is "paying for a service" they are...
1) 100% more likely to be professional
2) Be serious about this industry
3) Be committed to their future in the industry
4) Highly more likely to bring the appropriate options of wardrobe.
5) Committed to doing the best job they can possibly do so that they are asked back as well as they are interested in protecting their reputations as well as KK's.
6) KK knows their talents schedules in advance which makes it easy to "prebook" jobs
7) When KK books their talent we know they will "BE THERE" as opposed to when you book someone directly that just happened to apply for a job they know nothing about in an industry they really know nothing about just because it "sounds fun."
8) Sometimes you just don't know the type of "talent" you're dealing with an knowing that a person has come from KK brings on a sigh of relief as in a sense they have been "prescreened" and KK won't risk letting down the casting agencies and having that negatively affect the service.
AFTER ONE WEEK AS A CASTING DIRECTOR THE NEWBIE CASTING DIRECTOR WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR ON KALIFORNIA KASTINGS ROLE IN THE INDUSTRY AND HIS "NEED TO USE US!) LOL IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE! HAHA :P
1) What are your fees? This is always the number one question so it is fittingly in the number one spot. Let me give you a break down of what we charge and why. Our non union monthly fee is $70 a month, which is what a non union background would make in one day. Union fee is $50 monthly.
FOR OUR 21ST ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL THE TOTAL START IS $70 TOTAL, PLEASE DISREGARD THE $140 FEE BELOW...YOUR TOTAL START IS $70 AND DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU START DURING THE MONTH AUGUSTS FEE WILL BE PRORATED. THIS DISCOUNT IS ONLY GOOD FOR ANOTHER WEEK SO NOW IS THE TIME TO START HALF OFF :)
2) Is there a registration fee, and why? Yes, there is a registration fee of $70 which means your total start up cost is $140, here's why and what it covers. We have a live website that we use to do bookings on daily (live meaning up to the minute booking.) While I am great at running the business, I am not computer nor tech savvy enough to update, design, build files or templates for each of you. I'm sure I could figure it out BUT it would probably come out looking like a preschool drawing and I know casting directors would be unimpressed with my "talent" in presentation. I am going to give you an example of the work that our designers do for us and hopefully allow you to understand that the registration fee is actually a very fair amount considering what's done. As well as the fact that we don't charge a per photo fee. If you think you look great in 10 photos and have a lot of different looks you'd like to show the casting directors who will be making the decision to book you then..bring it on! Here is an example of how your files will look:
AS YOU CAN SEE TIFFFANY HAS MANY DIFFERENT LOOKS ON FILE AND HER PHOTOS WERE PROFESSIONALLY DONE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL SHOTS, AS A MATTER OF FACT MOST OF THE CASTING DIRECTORS WE WORK WITH PREFER THAT THEY ARE CANDID SHOTS NOT TOUCHED UP, WE WELCOME BOTH TYPES BUT INSIST ON AT LEAST ONE CANDID SHOT.
3) How often do your talent work? On a typical week during the full season our non union talent can expect to work from 3-5 days a week. When it comes to our SAG and AFTRA talent unfortunately that question can't be answered as easily. The union has requirements that each production must meet. Meaning they each have rules stating how many of their union members must be on set before the non union can fill in the bulk of the show. Bottom line, there is ALWAYS MORE NON UNION WORK OUT THERE THAN ANY OTHER WORK, PERIOD!
4) Do you guarantee work? No. The casting director makes the decision of who works and where. If we were doing the sole casting on shows then we could guarantee you work. Our job is to submit you and get your face out there and for you to be seen as often and at as many agencies as possible. Our site is logged into by at least 25 agencies a day and we are constantly searching for new opportunities to make you stand out.
5) Will I be pushed aside for new people after I have been with your service for a while, like most of the others tend to do? Absolutely! NOT! As I said before we are a very small service compared to most of the ones out there. NO ONE HAS OR WILL EVER BE PUSHED ASIDE! That situation comes with being to big for your britches, and that usually means a service just has too many folks to really make anyone happy. That's not the case with Kalifornia Kasting and that's not ever going to happen here.
6) Do you accept Union SAG/AFTRA talent? Yes, we do. With our SAG/AFTRA talent we do our billing a little differently. SAG/AFTRA clients pay the total start up of $140 (like everyone.) But SAG/AFTRA clients that only work union will pay a flat rate of $50 per month after your first month. (NEVER TO EXCEED $50 per month.) We have been in this business 20 years and trust us this merger is new to us as well and we are all on a learning curve just like anything you learn by doing so know that this means we are all in the same classroom! Union talent paying less doesn't necessarily mean you will rarely work it just means we are new to this merger and we have to stand back and wait to see what the UNION decides is right for you, this is why we have lowered our rates for union, until we know what to expect we won't charge you the same rate as non union since were are all treading in murky waters waiting to see what the tide (UNIONS) will come up with. The good news is even later on if things go great and we bring the monthly rate back up again, your rate will stay the same! Yippee, since you are joining in the middle of ground breaking changes. Also don't forget you can earn free months by referring talent to your favorite service :)
7) Why do I need a service if I work 4 or 5 times a week already? Here's a shocking answer. You don't. If you are happy with the amount of work that you are getting yourself and how much time you have to put in to it to make that happen then heck, more power to you. You don't have to join a service, no one does. Kalifornia Kasting is here if you need a break from spending all day checking the work lines and calling in for work, here we are. It is also great to know there are many many agencies that we book with that use our sites and our folks on all of their productions. We have access to jobs and agencies that you may not have even heard of. Simply said, "We have more options for you than you have for yourself."
8) What agencies do you work with other than Central Casting? Glad you asked :)
Here are some but not all of the ones we get work through
1) AAA Urban Casting
2) Advanced Casting & Talent
3) Akimas Casting
4) Atmosphere Casting
5) Background Artists
6) Background Talent Services
7) Bill Dance Casting
8) Bump It Casting/Balyndah Bumpus
9) Burbank Casting
10) Caravan West Productions
11) Carol Grant Casting
12) Casting Couch, Inc./Sande Alessi
13) Central Casting
14) Christal Blue Casting
15) Christopher Gray Casting
16) Cline Entertainment
17) Combat Casting (specialized)
18) Creative Extras Casting
19) Debbie Sheridan Casting
20) Extra Extra Casting, Inc.
21) Gonzo Bros.
22) Headquarters Casting Carla Lewis
23) Hollywood OS
24) Idell James Casting
25) Jeff Olan Casting, Inc.
26) Magic Casting
27) Nandinee Productions
28) Pete Sutton
29) Prime Casting
30) Producer’s Casting Agency
31) Rich King Casting
32) Dixie Webster-Davis Casting, Inc
33) Star Casting / Cheryl Faye
34) Sunset Casting
35) Ugly Models & Unique Characters
There are a handful of agencies above that have work almost all year round, then there are others that have work very sporadically. There are 3 above that we suggest you join, to the point of being mandatory, and they are:
1) Central Casting / CentralCasting.org
CentralCasting.org They are the largest casting agency in the U.S. they have the bulk of what you see on television. Central has been around since 1930's. They do many shows and have their own payroll company as well. They are where you need to start.
2) Sande Alessi Casting / Alessi Berona Casting :) SandeAlessiCasting.com
An absolutely amazing casting agency with an extensive resume of well known features and television productions. When you get the chance it is highly suggested that you join when you have the chance HOWEVER, Sande Alessi will book our talent through us, so we suggest you register there but you will still have opportunites through Kalifornia Kasting to work on their shows.
3) Jeff Olan Casting / JeffOlanCasting.com
As with every agency you register with please let them know that your service is Kalifornia Kasting.
Good News for you, but not for the agencies providing you the work is that registration for the above is free thanks to the government sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. (Don't get me started on that UGH)
So quick recap what you should have just heard is that these three agencies are important with Number One being an immediate priority. And they are free to join.
When you are ready to email, or call and join it would really be helpful if you would open yourself a gmail email account. We don't need you to use the account for your mail but it will make our registration go much smoother. We use a google based schedule calendar for all days off and such. If you already have gmail, great you're one step ahead. If you don't then just know that when you call we will ask you to set one up for yourself, so now or later you will need to complete that step. So just go ahead and do it already! LOL From there of course we will walk you through it.
If you have gotten all the questions you have answered and you are ready to join, here is what we want you to do. Email us now at KaliforniaKasting@gmail.com in the subject line, please put RBRTG. That means Read Blog Ready To Go. This is a bit of a test to see if you are following along and are getting it. As soon as we get your email we will contact you with what we need and get you up and running within 48 hours of getting your information from you.
Here are suggestions now of what you will need to have ready when we call you to get you registered.
We will need your exact sizes, guys that means jacket, neck, sleeve,waist inseam, shoe and weight. Ladies that means height, weight, bust, waist, hips, dress, pants and shoe. After you get those lined up, we will do the rest. We accept the Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards as well as PAYPAL as payment only. The only card we don't accept is American Express. Anything else you need to know, please ask me....yes me! :-)
Here is our calendar tutorial and it will walk you through every step you need to take to get going on our calendar and your scheduling.... plus it's very amusing :)
http://kkcalendartutorial.blogspot.com
Oh yeah and WELCOME, I and WE WILL WORK VERY HARD FOR YOU!
