Warner Brothers Television Casting

I recently landed a paid casting internship at Warner Brothers Television in NYC. My professor from I.U. had a contact working at Warner Brothers and set me up with an interview.  Although they told me I was overdressed and overqualified they invited me to join their team.  I work closely with three, of which there are only three, ladies in the casting office.  I am their only intern and have my own desk on the 32nd floor overlooking central park!  All of the ladies have connections in the New York casting community and I am excited to see where I will end up once my internship comes to a close.  

As an intern I am on the organizational side of the business as opposed to the creative (for the moment).  As of right now I do not sit in on auditions, although that will change in the upcoming weeks, but rather prepare for auditions by organizing sides, taking care of visitor registration, and logging the auditions into a database.  I read all of the scripts for current projects so that I am familar with the roles we are casting.  It is also one of my tasks to stay up to date with entertainment news.  I read and recommend to ANYONE interested in the entertainment industry, Deadline.com and the New York Times Arts section every morning to familarize myself with the theatre, film, and television news here in New York as well as in LA.  Variety.com is also a good source although I don't enjoy it as much online as the paper-copy (which I can't afford). 

ACTORS: Some little things I have picked up just in the short time I have been here. DO NOT SEND POSTCARDS!  It is my job every morning to go through the mail and immediately recycle ANY unsolicited material.  I'm afraid it is a waste of money.  Some actors send in a postcard EVERY WEEK and are referred to by executives as "the crazies." I know from personal experience at Lionsgate that anyone who called without a personal connection to my boss or a company connection with Lionsgate was labeled "a crazy." The sad truth is, in order to be heard in this industry you must be represented and go through the bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo.  You may get advice from you parents or friends to just throw yourself out there; send out head shots and resumes to ANYONE you can. This is horrible advice.  It will go straight to the trash. So Actors: my advice this week: unless you have a personal connection to the executive, do not waste your money sending out headshots and resumes. Go through legitimate sources so that you can give yourself the best chance of being heard and seen. Remember, I am only speaking in terms of casting offices and production offices, I have no idea what it is like at talent agencies.  But when I find anything out, I'll post it!