Website Reviews
This page is dedicated to collect information about website resources and rate it on multiple criteria.
Rating criteria is as follows:
- Website Aesthetics - Welcome to the online world of acting - keep in mind that if you're looking for aesthetically pleasing website resources, you have probably picked the wrong career. With the exception of Stage 32 and Backstage, get ready for websites, forms and profiles that haven't been updated since the internet was invented.
- Price (Free Version vs Premium Version) - All of the resources listed below, with the exception of Actors Access and Stage 32 have some sort of monthly fee associated with them. Some are even sneaky about it. NYCastings for instance promotes a free profile, which sure, you can create for free, but in order to activate it, you must pay $11.95. So yes, you just gave them all your information, spent 5-10 minutes filling out a form and now you either pay or you did it all for nothing. Spotlight also doesn't mention any prices until you finish a 10 step process registration, at which point they ask for annual fee of L154. Same thing with StarNow - you'll have to register, confirm email and then you have an option to pay with $10.99 for month-to-month option.
- Jobs - That's the reason why we're here, isn't it? All the websites below have job postings, some are limited to United States, some are limited to large cities only, others are global resources allowing you to post and find a job in the most rural locations around the world.
- Articles - If you're serious about your profession, you will want to stay up to date with news articles and blog posts that relate to acting. That's why it's important to find a good source of information flow. Some of the websites below include blog posts by industry veterans and large production executives, others include hints and tips that may relate to you and your profession.
- Forums - Again, if you're really serious about acting, you should find time to connect online with other people in the industry. Be it directors, producers, screenwriters or composers - it makes no difference, if there are projects being made and your name is fresh on somebody's mind it might be that simple to get your next gig. Besides, these are other creatives that have so much in common with you, take this opportunity to make friends in the business.
- Support - And by support I mean online support. I don't mean to be picking on NYCastings, but when I clicked the "Contact Us" page I received an error page. Yes, registration page works, you can then pay them the fee, but if you have any questions... well, I guess what could you expect for $11.95? Okay, rant over. Actors Access might have a contact form, but if you send them a question, please do not expect a response. I personally sent them 3 different questions over a period of 1 year - not a single reply to this day.
- Profile - Now, this is important. If you have a website, you may want to list it in as many places as possible so that you can be found. All resources below have a profile page, so if you have an account within any of the below websites, make sure you add the link to your website on them and populate them as much as you can - your headshot and links are a must, credits and bios - add as many as you can. Keep it all updated.
