Want the Best Casting Experience? Use Talent Agents.

It took over a year of development to launch SelectVO.com. While we hemmed and hawed over the user-interface, features, and even the color palette, there was one aspect of our site where we never waivered: at SelectVO.com, every casting project would go through talent agencies.

While many of today’s competing voice casting platforms are actor-subscription based (where anyone who’s willing to pay can sign up as an “actor” to receive auditions) we never considered that model. The reason? If casting’s true purpose is to find the best talent for the job, the only way to cast effectively is through talent agents. Here’s why:

Talent Agents Act as Quality Control

Trained, working actors have talent agents. Period. Am I saying that there are no talented actors without talent agents? Of course not. But, likely, they are just getting started in the business or they moved away from where the business takes place. If you ask any aspiring actor what their number one priority is, they’ll say “get a talent agent.”

And the reason is straightforward: talent agents are gatekeepers to the best projects, and they legitimize that actor in the eyes of content creators. The term ‘gatekeeper’ can have a negative connotation, but think of it this way: medical school is also gatekeeper. A person can’t just decide they’re a doctor. But anyone can say they’re an actor. Whether Union or Non-Union, reputable talent agents cut through that noise by only representing the best of the best.

Talent Agents Act as Casting Directors

Talent agents know their actors’ abilities and they are compelled to only put the best actors for a role in front of you. Why? Because a talent agency’s revenue stream and reputation depend on it. They only make an agent fee if they book. And if they don’t put great choices in front of their clients, sooner-or-later, those clients are going to quit calling them.

It’s not an actor’s job to look at a spec sheet and decide if they’re a good fit. Actors are artists—and by nature—willing to stretch outside their comfort zone. An actor’s job is to take whatever role they’re given and perform that role with authenticity. It’s the talent agent’s job to cast for that role with accuracy. 

Talent Agents Increase Efficiency

Talent agents know their actors’ schedules and can plan and coordinate to meet yours. If you request availability dates in the casting sheet, talent agents will make sure that only actors who are available will read for your project. And by going through reputable talent agencies, the act of casting becomes less about finding “a diamond in the rough,” and more about which diamond you prefer. It’s a much more streamlined experience.

There is a ‘Right Way’ to Cast

If your time is valuable (it is) and you only want the best auditions for your project (you do), the only way to cast is through talent agents. SelectVO.com has over seventy of the top union and non-union talent agencies from across the country and beyond. The perfect voice is here. And, together with the amazing talent agents on our site, we’ll help you find it.

To set up a virtual demonstration for you, your team, or company, please contact us at help@selectvo.com.