GUEST POST: Why Social Media Is the New Source of Hollywood Talent
This post originally appeared on Mashable.com. Thanks to Alec Shankman for the content!
Alec Shankman is the CEO of Gotcast.com, one of the industry’s top interactive casting sites used by dozens of networks, brands and magazines seeking talent. You can follow Alec on Twitter @alecshankman.
As reality TV continues to gain a larger share of the television and new media landscape, the Hollywood casting industry is seeing a substantially increased need for
new types of talent. On-camera experts, “real people” contestants, and larger-than-life personalities are now in constant demand. Simultaneously, talent agencies are watching the demand for traditional talent like TV hosts and classically trained actors decline as shows like Ace of Cakes, WipeOut, Survivor, andDeadliest Catch, all featuring non-traditional talent, grow in popularity.
I personally experienced this drastic shift while running the Alternative Programming Department (a.k.a. reality TV) at Abrams Artists Agency. In the beginning, I was representing well-trained TV hosts, radio DJs and broadcast journalists — but my roster began to evolve into a different breed of talent including experts, celebrities and personalities who were not from the traditional talent world. Examples include Chad Rogers from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing and Mystery from VH1’s The Pickup Artist.
With reality TV now taking the lion’s share of programming, there is a new, insatiable need for talent. It has driven network executives, TV/film producers, casting directors and talent representatives to alternative means of discovering artists, particularly the Internet
. Many people, like Grayson Chance for example, have first blown up in popularity online before talent managers and agents noticed them. But, contrary to what many believe, most Hollywood casting executives are not just randomly trolling YouTube
, Facebook, MySpace, etc., to find talent.
Social Casting Campaigns
Talent seekers are now launching formal casting campaigns on social networking and talent-oriented sites. These campaigns are effective, quick to set up, and simple to manage. This has resulted in the creation of a new category of interactive online casting tools and resources that are growing in popularity and use. Links to job postings and casting notices can also be socialized among the big networks via badges and widgets to increase awareness and submissions. Earlier this month, for example, the Food Network launched an open casting call via YouTube.
It’s not just limited to the television and film business — modeling and brand advertising are also going social. For example, luxury discount retailer HauteLook.com recently turned to a top casting resource to host a model search for an advertising campaign. Cookie Dough Bites, a frozen candy snack, did the same to find new viral content to promote the brand. With these dedicated casting portals and resources attracting new talent, a wider variety of casting needs can be met.
For both talent and aspiring talent, there has never been a more direct way to personally connect with top casting directors, producers, and agents. Rather than simply hoping for attention resulting from enough views on YouTube or MySpace, talent can now more efficiently and directly reach Hollywood executives. Online casting does not just involve endless lists of casting opportunities, but also the ability to create personal profiles to share photos and demo reels, and socialize with a gamut of potential future employers. Because these tools are casting-specific, casting directors and agents are able to easily post job notices, browse through talent, and communicate with potential job candidates.
The rise of people like Tila Tequila, Grayson Chance, Perez Hilton, ****** ****** and countless others sent a powerful message to people about leveraging social networks to gain Hollywood attention. It also showed major casting agents and networks that the Internet is a viable resource for finding and filling the need for talent, creating a new and exciting category on the Internet.
The effect on the casting industry has been very positive and will likely continue to grow in importance. Casting executives have a new, constantly growing well for finding talent — and talent have new direct resources and opportunities in Hollywood no matter where they are in the world.
-Alec Shankman
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What are your thoughts on being YouTube talent vs beating the streets? Comment below and give us your insight on this, reality tv and Social Media are definitely forces to be reckoned with. My two cents is that the cream will rise to the top whether it’s YouTube or YouWorkingyourbuttoffrefusingtobeignored. But that’s just me.
Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com
