General Help & Tips

See also: Printing Help & Tips | Search Help & Tips

How do I...

The Basics

I just signed up. Now, what can I do with this thing?

The site’s main page -- the one you see right after you log in -- is what we call “The Grid.” Here you’ll find a list of every union television and film project that casts in Los Angeles, or every union television, film and theater project that casts in New York. For each project you can see its production status and its complete casting staff. Different people do different things with this info:

 

RESEARCH: Find which projects are actively casting today, see all the projects cast by one particular person, check out all the projects on a specific network, learn the premise of a new show, or link to a show’s official website…. Use, sort and display the information in the way that best suits your needs. And who doesn’t have needs?
See SEARCH HELP & TIPS

 

MAILING LABELS: Select the names you want and click PRINT. Done. Labels addressed only to the people you want, when you want them.
See PRINTING HELP & TIPS

 

AUDITION PREP: Brush up on the names of all the other people in the office before you go in to meet someone. Know everything you can about their show. Knowledge is power.

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Where do you get your information?

Our research staff verifies our information directly from its primary source. Which means a lot of time on the phone calling production and casting offices and waiting (politely) for people to get back to us. But we think it's worth it.

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What about reality shows?

Nope. This site is for actors.

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Yep. Thank you.

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What’s the best way to contact the CastingAbout office?

We live to serve. Reach us at info@castingabout.com.

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How Do I ... ?

How do I find a specific person?

Use the CastingAbout search box at the top of The Grid. Type in a first name such as "Steve" and you'll find all the Steves (including projects with "Steve" in the title). For more, see SEARCH HELP & TIPS.
or
Use your Web browser's built-in "Find in page..." function (Ctrl+f on the PC or Cmd+f on the Mac). It's a fast way to jump to text on a long page -- and it works on any Web page, not just CastingAbout.

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How do I see the current casting address for a project?

From The Grid, click the project name to see details on that project. The mailing address appears on this screen.

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How do I learn more about a project?

From The Grid, click the project’s name. This takes you to the Details Page which includes a project summary, Web site link, mailing address, and names of casting staff associated with that project.

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How do I find the other projects a person works on?

Type that person’s name in the search box. See SEARCH HELP & TIPS.
or
Click the name of a project that person works on.
Now on the Show Detail Page, click the name of the person you want. You will be returned to The Grid displaying only those projects employing that person.

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How do I sort The Grid to show more specific lists?

There are several ways to customize The Grid...

 

To list only a specific TYPE of project, choose one from the Type Menu located at the very top of the Shows column:

 

1/2 HOUR

Sitcoms, usually, both single and multi-camera.
 

DAYTIME

Soaps.
 

MINI-SERIES  

Limited run, special event shows.
 

ONE HOUR

Dramas and “Dramedies.”

To list only projects of a certain production status, choose one from the Status Menu also at the top of the Shows column:

 

CANCELLED   

It’s done. Cooked. So long. Send a sympathy card.
 

CASTING

Currently seeing people. Target mailings here.
 

ON HIATUS

On vacation, not seeing people, and probably not accepting mail. Mail at your own risk.
 

ORDERED

New shows, not quite in production yet. We monitor these closely and switch them to "Casting" status as soon as they officially open the door.
 

WRAPPED

Casting is over. Save your stamps.

HINT: These menus can be used in conjunction with each other, so you can, for example, ask to see:
 

1/2 HOUR projects that are CASTING…
or
ONE HOUR projects ON HIATUS…
or
you get the idea….

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How do I return The Grid to its full listing of all projects?

Select "All Projects" in the VIEW dropdown of THE GRID page.
or
Leave the search box at the top of the page empty, and click the FIND button next to it.

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How do I display only currently casting projects (or only on hiatus, ordered or cancelled)?

Choose from the Show Status drop down box in the upper left of the grid (blue bar). The list of projects will update to show only those you’ve selected.

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How do I send CastingAbout information I’ve discovered about a project or person?

If you’ve got information we can use, let us know. If you find a mistake, tell us (and let us know where you got the info). We verify everything before publishing it to the site, so updates may take a few days.

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How do I modify my information or cancel my subscription?

Click the "Edit My Stuff" link in the upper right corner of the screen. You can update your e-mail address, password, username, or real name. You can also update PayPal payment information or cancel your subscription from this screen.

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