Compass Casting

Hollywood is more interested in how many social media followers an actor has than their actual acting ability, a new report suggests. Nowadays, when a movie studio is looking for their next big actor, they are skipping their acting resume and going straight to their social media pages to see how many followers they have. And it is causing some actors to question the industry. In a recent interview with NYPost, actress Samantha Colley said, “One of the depressing things for me is that I’m asked in auditions about Instagram and how many followers I have.” Colley added, “It’s becoming blurry about what people want an actress to be.” The actress, who co-stars in the series Genius: Picasso, added that some of her fellow actors are using their social media presence in negotiations. “Actresses are now saying, ‘I have 1 million followers. If you employ me in a film, I can guarantee 1 million people.’ ” Moreover, casting directors are now saying they are looking for influencers, especially as digital-only platforms such as Facebook and YouTube Red are creating their own original content. “Movies and shows are commonly casting with social-media quotas to fill . . . I would imagine that nearly every digital project has some form of quota, [as do] a growing number of traditional projects,” said Amy Neben, a talent manager at Select Management Group. So what does that mean for the rest of the film industry? Well, even if you’re an amazing actor, someone with more followers is more likely to land acting jobs than you. “That’s because producers want built-in viewership,” Compass Casting owner Sarah Clark said. “It’s hard to fight them when it’s like, ‘Well, this kid has 5 million followers [and] if he promotes [the project] at least 100,000 of those people will see it.’ ” As a result of this new influencer economy, Hollywood managers are coming up with ways to make actors social-media stars. In fact, Netflix series “Greenhouse Academy” even added the show’s casts Instagram handles in the credits. As a result, Benjamin Papac, an actor on the show said his social media following has increased by over 9,300% “After I filmed the first season of ‘Greenhouse Academy,’ my manager immediately started telling me, ‘You gotta work on your social media. Casting directors are starting to look at that,’ ” he added. Casting directors are also saying they are no longer going to theaters and acting showcases to find new talent. Instead, casting directors are searching through social media to find undiscovered social media followers. “It saves us a step; we can watch them and then decide whether or not we want to have them come in and audition,” Rudin said. But at the end of the day, it is all about the money. Making TV shows and films is a business just like any other industry and hiring a social media influencer provides additional marketing and visibility. Studios use actors’ social influence to boost their social media presence. Influencers are getting bad int he process. According to reports, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who has 106 million Instagram and is one of the app’s most followed accounts, is earning $1 million to promote his new movie Red Notice on social media. That is on top of the $20 million Universal Pictures is paying him to star in the movie. Related: Acting Talent Does Not Matter! “Cash Me Ousside Girl” is Getting Her Own TV Series New Study Proves Acting Talent Doesn’t Matter Casting Directors Say Acting Talent Doesn’t Really Matter What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting.

Jos. A. Bank Commercial Casting Call in Chicago, Illlinois Compass Casting is now casting extras for a Jos. A. Bank commercial filming in Chicago, Illinois.Filming will shoot on July 24th and talents will be compensated $100/day. To audition for a role in the commercial, check out the casting call breakdown below. Commercial Casting Call CASTING Jos. A. Bank shoot seeking extras Director Robert Stockwell Producer Olivia Curry Product Jos. A. Bank Casting Director Sarah Clark Casting Associate Caitlin Coleman Union Status Non-Union Rate $100/day Submissions Due Monday, July 17th Auditions None - booked off headshots Shoot Day July 24th Submission Instructions Please send a current headshot and résumé to [email protected] Please include all contact information (cell phone + email address) in your submission. Title your email JAB_RoleName_ActorName Absolutely no phone calls.   Breakdown of Roles Men: Men, Ages 25-40, Any Ethnicity - Good commercial looks Women: Women, Ages 25-40, Any Ethnicity - Good commercial looks Tailor: Men, Ages 60-70, Caucasian or Hispanic - A guy who looks like he's been a tailor for years What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting. If you are not local and/or do not fit the description, do not apply

Compass Casting is now casting kids for an upcoming Boys and Girls Club of America commercial filming in Chicago, Illinois. Casting directors are now casting the following roles: Little Girl: Girls, Ages 9-11, Hispanic - Shy young lady eager to learn to be a cook Little Boy: Boys, Ages 10-12, Caucasian - Little boy wanting to grow up to be a teacher Teen Boy: Boys, Ages 12-14, African American - young man who wants to be a politician Teen Girl: Girls, Ages 10-12, African American - Young lady wanting to grow up to work in technology Cook: Women, Ages 21-23, Hispanic - Older version of the cook Teacher: Men, Ages 23-26, Caucasian - Older version of the teacher Politician: Men, Ages 35-45, African American - Older version of the politician Techy: Women, Ages 21-24, African American - Older version of the techy To audition for a role in the upcoming Boys and Girls Club of America commercial, check out the casting call breakdown below. Boys and Girls Club of America seeking kids Production Company Cinemalibertad Director Robert Stockwell Producer Olivia Curry Product Boys and Girls Club Casting Director Sarah Clark Casting Associate Caitlin Coleman Union Status Non-Union Usage Online for 5 years Rate Varies by role Submissions Due ASAP Auditions Monday, July 17th Callbacks Wednesday, July 19th (Adults will only be called in for callbacks) Shoot Day July 25th-28th (Talent will only be used a single day) Submission Instructions Please send a current headshot and résumé to [email protected] Please include all contact information (cell phone + email address) in your submission. Title your email BAGC_RoleName_ActorName Absolutely no phone calls.   Breakdown of Roles Little Girl: Girls, Ages 9-11, Hispanic - Shy young lady eager to learn to be a cook Rate: $100/day + $300 + 10% Little Boy: Boys, Ages 10-12, Caucasian - Little boy wanting to grow up to be a teacher Rate: $100/day + $300 + 10% Teen Boy: Boys, Ages 12-14, African American - young man who wants to be a politician Rate: $100/day + $300 + 10% Teen Girl: Girls, Ages 10-12, African American - Young lady wanting to grow up to work in technology Rate: $100/day + $300 + 10% Cook: Women, Ages 21-23, Hispanic - Older version of the cook Rate: $150/day + $300 + 10% Teacher: Men, Ages 23-26, Caucasian - Older version of the teacher Rate: $150/day + $300 + 10% Politician: Men, Ages 35-45, African American - Older version of the politician Rate: $150/day + $300 + 10% Techy: Women, Ages 21-24, African American - Older version of the techy Rate: $150/day + $300 + 10% What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting. If you are not local and/or do not fit the description, do not apply

Looking for your next modeling job? Compass Casting is now casting models for an upcoming print campaign in Chicago, Illinois. Producers are looking for men and women to work on a modeling job on Friday, June 30th in Chicago. Breakdown of Roles Heroes: Men and Women, Ages 25-35, Any ethnicity - Laid back, fun, fit and confident Rate: $200/day + $650 usage + 10% Background: Men and Women, Ages 25-35, Any ethnicity - Background actors will not be recognizable. Rate: $150 + 10% To audition for a role in the upcoming commercial, check out the casting call breakdown below. Chicago Casting Call CASTING Chicago print campaign seeks men and women Production Company Beam Suntory Casting Director Sarah Clark Casting Associate Caitlin Coleman Union Status Non-Union Usage 2 years, worldwide, print, digital, OOH, social (excludes video and broadcast) Rate Varies by role Submissions Due Wednesday, June 28th Auditions Friday, June 30th Shoot Day July 11th OR 12th (Talent will only shoot one day) Submission Instructions Please send a current headshot and résumé to [email protected] Please include all contact information (cell phone + email address) in your submission. Title your email Beam_RoleName_ActorName Absolutely no phone calls.   Breakdown of Roles Heroes: Men and Women, Ages 25-35, Any ethnicity - Laid back, fun, fit and confident Rate: $200/day + $650 usage + 10% Background: Men and Women, Ages 25-35, Any ethnicity - Background actors will not be recognizable. Rate: $150 + 10% What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting. If you are not local and/or do not fit the description, do not apply