This is my last post for the year 2016. First, I would like to thank you for reading. I write this blog because it helps me vent about my frustrations. I am lucky enough to work enough to have things to vent and be frustrated about.
2016, on a personal level, was the worst year of my life. I lost my mother (which I am not even coming close to accepting), and I won’t even get started on politics. I have never been political and now I find myself actually depressed about it.
I cannot complain about work; however, I can complain that the budgets are getting smaller and smaller and that I have to hope to get twice the amount of work to meet my numbers but I am so grateful to my clients, directors, and producers for continuing to put their faith in me and my company. I have an incredible staff – assistants, casting directors, studio managers, and more. Everyone puts in 110%.
Slow times are scary. I never know when the phone will ring, so we hope and when the phone does ring, we are available and ready to work our butts off. You never know what the next day will bring so we do not take any job for granted…full rate, half rate, free. We all do what we have to do to keep everyone happy, it is also an amazing feeling to employ so many actors. It takes all of us being ready and responsible to do a great job. We are all needed to make the process work – casting directors, agents, and actors.
I cannot even imagine what actors go through. I appreciate the actors that are responsible – the actors that treat the process like an art but also a business. We have a lot of work to do in 2017. We need to find a way to have everyone understand the benefits of being more responsible to their agents when it comes to their schedules. I have said it over and over again and I’ll continue to say it, but right now I just want to say thank all the people that have made the effort to make New York casting great.
Training is important. I work with some incredible directors that love working with smart and talented actors. Never think you know it all. I learn something new every day. The last 4 months have been great – a nice amount of SAG work with quality creative and top productions. Non-union is still there and just as important. We work hard on all of it. People need to sit still. Commit your time to making our work top quality all the time. Doing four auditions and then jumping on a plane is not a commitment. Booking a job and then jumping on a plane is not taking your job seriously.
I hope for a healthy and happy New Year to everyone. I never gave much thought to that phrase before this year…a lot of firsts. A huge thank you to the agencies, production companies, directors, and producers that continue to put your faith in my team and I. Happy New Year from all of us at Beth Melsky Casting.