Do you ever find yourself saying, “They should make my life into a TV show”? Or perhaps you might say, “How do I get that gig?” I know I do. As far as I’m concerned, I think my life would be uber interesting for others to watch.

A new era of Entertainment has rolled in. Welcome to the era of the Everyday-Person-Turned-TV-Star.

Scan through the TV guide and you will see shows like American Pickers, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, Million Dollar Listings, The Rachel Zoe Project (my all time favorite show), Flipping Out, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, The Spin Crowd, and the list goes on and on. So what do all these shows have in common? They are all based on a professional industry and spun into an exciting story giving the viewers a glimpse into the lives of those who might not have ever been known.

It is clear that this type of voyeuristic programming is in high demand. And with a growing number of channels there is also a growing demand for quality programming. We, the audience, also have a growing desire to get a glimpse of the lives of every day people.

I correlate this to the growth of the Social Media phenomenon. Today, we have more access than ever to the lives of strangers and we are eating it up. We are nosier than ever. We want more!! And luckily for us, Hollywood is listening and creating programming we really want to watch.

So, to go back to my original question…

Do you fantasize about being a Documentary Television Star?

If you answered YES, then read on! If you answered no, you probably should still read on because these tips can be applied to achieve your dreams to be something even greater than a celebrity!

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF BEING FOUND ONLINE.
The quick and dirty guide for Professionals to grow your exposure online for Casting Directors and Producers to Find You!

All the info below is taken from experience I have had working as an “acting” Casting Agent. My medium – Social Media.

In January I published a post called Casting in the Social Media Age, in which I proved — yes with metrics (gasp — why Casting Directors and Producers should be using Social Media for Casting Reality and Documentary type Programming. This post is a complement to that and to a recent radio segment on Cathy Brooks’ Social Media Hour, on which I was a guest on with Alec Shankman, the CEO of GotCast.com, an online Social Casting Platform.

So, let’s get started shall we?

Buy Your Domain Name

This is absolutely the most important thing you can do in order to be found. I have written about it before and branding your name is the number one thing you must do. Not only do you want to control your own image, you also don’t want your competitors or enemies posting things that could be detrimental to your career. (We hope people aren’t that vicious, but we like to take all precautions)

In addition, people are squatting domain names as well, and selling them for a higher price, so make sure you go and grab it yourself before someone else does.
If you are not interested in doing it up extravagantly, at the very least you should post a picture and your “keywords” or a tagline that best describes who you are with your contact information.  That will make do for now. It makes it easier for the casting people and it makes you seem more credible. Believe me!

Define Keywords that you will use Specifically to Brand Yourself.

I talk about keywords often because they are super important! As a professional talent “stalker,” and I mean that is the best way possible, I define a list of keywords that I will use to find the types of people I am looking for. This gives me the edge to go “uber deep” and really find the right types of people.

What does “uber deep” mean?  It is a term I use to describe the process in which I perform to find expert on different levels.  This could include a search in forums, on video sharing sites, on obscure membership sites, on blogs, on twitter, on social networks, on podcast networks, and everywhere else that online users may be lurking.  It is the process in which you find your audience.  But the bottom line is that it goes far beyond just a simple google search.

So back to the Keywords.  These keywords should be as specific as possible. There are millions of Real Estate brokers out there, but how many specify in Art Deco Real Estate? If this is you, make sure it is known. You never know if that is what someone is looking for. What are your specialties? Are you a PhD? Are you well versed in Shakespeare? Can you speak 10 languages? Do you know the Morse Code? The more specific the better! And these should be included.

NOTE: These keywords should be your brand! Being the expert in the obscure is that more interesting!

Put these Keywords Everywhere.

By putting these keywords in niche networks you are also increasing your chances of being found. Put them in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Vimeo, and Myspace.

Hold Up – Did she just say Myspace? I sure did. While Myspace may have a lot of bad press these days, it is still the number one place for Music, Models, and others in the arts. So if you fall under that category, don’t let Myspace pass you by.

Now you might be saying, why do I need to put these keywords in my Facebook and Twitter? These are networks that I use personally. The answer is simple, there are millions of people on these networks and when I am casting a project, it is the second place I search. (After blogs and the traditional search engines.) More likely people have a Facebook account than they have a blog. So it makes perfect sense.

I also search Twitter Lists and Bios. So putting it in your bio is very important.

Blog, Blog, Blog

I talk about having a blog often and it is for many reasons. Most importantly it increases your chances of being found on the search engines. It also makes you sound like you know what the heck you are talking about.

As always make sure you are blogging about your chosen keywords.

Join Talent Related and Niche Social Networks

There are thousands of Social Networks and at times that could be intimidating. Join one or two that appeal to you. Even if you aren’t active, it can’t do you any harm to join them. When I am working on a very specific project I go straight to the niche networks because I am more likely to find the right person quicker. As these are highly targeted to specific industries and hobbies, it also allows me to network with those in the know and they can point me in the right direction. It is a great way to spread your wings and it also shows that you are really interested in the topic and not just trying to get your 5 minutes of fame.

The following is a list of Niche Networks that might be of interest to you

General Talent
GotCast.com – GotCast works with many major Hollywood productions to find their talent.  There are hundreds of Casting Calls and high profile auditions listed.
TalentMaven – TalentMaven is the LinkedIn for Actors, Musicians, & Models
VoiceOver Casting – A Site for VoiceOver Talent

Creative Talent
Zooppa- Zooppa is the Youtube for Your User-Generated Ads
Artician- A Creative Network for Art, Graphic Design, and Photography
ILike- A Site for Music and Fans
Event Filmmaker- The Event Filmmaker Social Media Network is an active online community comprised of the most creative and successful event film & video artists in the world.

Modeling/Fashion/Styling
IQONS- IQONS is the world’s largest network of creatives and professionals in fashion. Their members include designers, models, photographers, hair and makeup artists, stylists, bloggers, retailers, PRs, show producers, magazines, and manufacturers.

ModelXpress- all the fashion modeling, and a professional networking tool and community used by models, photographers, agents and industry professional

Science
Epernicus- A networking platform for scientists.
ScienceStage- An online portal for science, advanced teaching and academic research. Includes videos, audio clips and news.

Spiritual/Religious
Xt3 – A Catholic Social Network & Community
LightWorkers- Connecting Lightworks and the spiritually connected
Gaia- Health&Welness, Spirituality and Self Improvement Community

Misc.
VampireFreaks- A site for gothic interests
WiserEarth- A site for Eco-Friendly
GovLoop- A site for the government workers
CratenFire – A site dedicated to hobbies

Experts/Professionals
SelfGrowth- The most complete guide to information about Self Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Network.  This is a great place to list yourself no matter what career.

Entrepreneurs
Sprouter- A Twitter-like Platform for Entrepreneurs

Food
ChefCommons- Social Network & Community for foodies, chefs, restaurant owners, or anyone with a passion for food, cooking and eating experiences.
FoodCandy- Social network for cooking and food.

Health
MentalHealthSocial – A Social network for those dealing with, caring for, or anyone with mental health problems
PatientsLikeMe – Connect and get support with other patients like yourself

There are many more!  But this should tide you over for a bit.

Get Your Groupies On Board

Think Tila Tequila, the only reason she got so famous is because she grew a huge following around her Myspace page and brought that to the table.  You can do the same!  By having followers, fans, and a community around you and or your work, you have leverage.  Producers are more likely to give you a shot because it is clear that you are likeable.

To build this you have to contribute to the community.  Share, Blog, and Create.  If you are good at what you do and put it out in the right arena, your following will come.  Stick with it!

Get Your Portfolio Out There

If you really want it badly enough you will do everything in your power to show off your skills.  Make a video reel, present your work, upload photos of yourself, and Brand yourself as you want to be known.  The less work the casting director has to do, the happier they are!

Make Your Contact Info Easy To Find!

If you want to be found make sure you have your contact info out there.  I hate nothing more than finding the most interesting blog or blog post only to find that the person doesn’t have the contact info on their site.  Opportunity Lost for the talent.  If you are afraid that you might get spam or anything like that make a special social media account email that will filter all your emails through this and check it semi-regularly. You never know who might be knocking at your door.

For more tips of Casting and Social Media you can listen to the full version of the Radio Segment below!

Cathy Brooks – Social Media Hour with Stephanie Frasco & Alec Shankman

So there you have it!!  I look forward to seeing you on the Tube!!

Related posts:

1. Casting in the Social Media Age
2. How to Brand Yourself As An Expert and Get More Business with Facebook Questions
3. 9 Tips For Building, Branding and Maximizing Your Profile And Exposure on LinkedIn

“You have 1 month to find the pair.  Can you do it?”

This is a real conversation that occurred a few months ago, between Chris Boucher, a partner of mine on many projects, and the executive producer of a new documentary series scheduled to launch this Spring.  This production company had a green-light from the studio, but they couldn’t find their talent.  That’s where we came into play.

Can we do it?

Sure, I have some Hollywood experience, being a native Angelino and all. My first job out of college was an assistant to a Talent Manager, but by no means am I a casting agent.  But the more you think about it, these two professions are in fact very similar as both share the same goal – finding the right people.

As a Social Media professional it is my job to dig out and hunt down the most qualified and interesting people on the Social Web in different industries. My targeted approach to any client relies on the ability I have to find the most influential chatter and personalities out there in niche arenas.  The internet and primarily Social Networks and Blogs are my playground.

The more involved with the project we became, the more apparent it was that Social Media SHOULD be used more often in Hollywood Productions for many reasons.

Casting & Social Media Mini-Case Study
Project: Seekers 2012 Casting

Objectives:

• Utilize the most efficient and productive technological tools to host a private-online casting center
• Deliver “quality” interested potential hosts to the production company and network.
• Create an online strategy to engage and converse targeted Influencers to generate buzz and exposure
• Create and maintain social presence to connect with Influencers online as well as build a pre-existing audience and fan base prior to show launch.

Strategy:
1.  Build a simple website
2.  Create a social media presence for the show
3.  Research & Connect with key influencers, authors, and bloggers who are in the industry and have them post to their blogs
4.  Use targeted forums and Social Networks as a communication channel and research channel

1.  Website:
The website was a crucial element to our success for many reasons.  Obviously we needed somewhere to direct people to fill out their application and submit themselves, but the website also served as the authenticity factor.  As the website was the “Casting Center” we used a few different social media tools and applications to make the casting submission as streamlined as possible at a low cost.

Submission Page:

Essential Elements
1.  Video On-Demand by Nimbb.com
This simple API allowed applicants record a video directly on the site which was then stored in a private back-end.
2.  Form Q/A
We used a form that could be filled out on the spot with questions pertinent to the casting and the show.  Applicants could fill out the Q/A and upload photos, resumes and other documents on site.

2.  Social Presence
We started off with Twitter and Facebook as a way to build credibility as well as attract people who might be interested in the casting or possibly know someone who is.

3.  Research
The success of any campaign lies in the research.  This is what I refer to as the  “Finding Your Audience” period.  As social media is highly targeted, the more targeted your research the better off you will be.  The first step to finding your audience is defining your keywords.  To find these keywords breakdown what you are looking for.

In this particular case we had very specific people we were looking for but the main theme was around 2012 and unexplained phenomena.
The second criteria was scientists, doctors, investigators, explorers and highly educated.

With this in mind we created the following keywords.  These keywords become the search query on different social networks, blogs, forums, etc, which explains why the more targeted they are, the better results you are going to get.

A short list of keywords we used were:
2012
Unexplained Phenomena
Occult
Ancient Cultures
Astrology
Conspiracy
Mayan
Maya Cosmos
Mayan Calendar
Mesomerica
Mythology
Metaphysics

Keywords for the types of people we are looking for:
Scientists
Doctor
Investigator
Explorer
Author

With these keywords we came up with a list of around 500 blogs and sites and individuals who could be or could direct us in the direction of our “potential” hosts.

We also came up with a list of close to 100 different Forums, Groups, and Social Networks that relate to the keywords above.

HOT TIP
SIGN UP FOR HARO!!!  This can’t be stressed enough.  HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is god’s gift to people like me!  It is a massive list started by Peter Shankman, that reporters and journalists submit queries to when they are looking for experts or subjects to interview for different stories.  With thousands of publicists and savvy people getting the HARO email everyday, the quality of feedback is top notch!

Traditional Casting Methods
Beyond the “Blogger & Influencer” approach described above, we also posted to different casting and entertainment related websites which further increased our chance of finding the right person.    We used casting sites such as GotCast.com, an online casting site, Craigslist, FreeCastingCall.com, and breakdown services.

Results:
Over 100 people applied directly through the application on the site.
Over 5,200 visitors coming from 282 referring sources.  (The number of referring sources is important because it shows how far your reach is.)

As you can see below most of the top referring sites are social networks meaning people were spreading the word virally allowing us to rely on the Influencers we targeted in the beginning through our research.  I love research!!!

Pros:
1.  Money Saving
2.  Time Efficient
3.  Highly Targeted
4.  Pre-exposure and pre-buzz by making people aware of the show before it airs
5.  Access to Expert Knowledge for further story development.

Cons:
1.  Don’t have as much access to Hollywood Agents and or Managers as a Casting Director would.

TIPS FROM CASTING TO TALENT
1.  If you are an expert in something put yourself out there and make yourself found!  You never know who could be looking. 

Related posts:

1. How To Use Social Media To Land A Hollywood Gig
2. Social Media Holiday Guide to Selling Online
3. Cee Lo Green – A Lesson In The Value Of A Social Media Fan