Spotlight for Actors.
Written by Louisa Robinson, 4th April 2022
What is Spotlight? Spotlight is an online casting portal for professional performers in the entertainment industry. It acts as a regulating body, for either fully trained or professionally paid performers who have four or more professional credits. It was founded in 1927 and is home to the top-notch UK and international talent. All of your favourite stars will have a Spotlight profile containing their performance history, headshots, and showreels which their agents submit on their behalf for jobs.
The portal contains a fully extensive database of professional contacts such as agents, casting directors, accredited photographers, and training courses. It is widely known in the industry that Spotlight isn’t easy to get on for actors who aren’t fully trained so how do you build the experience? how long does it take to get a profile on there if you haven’t been to drama school? I can only talk from my own experiences and this blog post is not intended to advise actors on Spotlight membership as all actors should follow their selection criteria as outlined on their website.
Why is Spotlight important? Like any other professional industry, accreditation and regulation are imperative. As we all know as creatives, the entertainment sector is also prey to unprofessional individuals who post unpaid or downright exploitative opportunities for artists wanting to get their foot in the door that will lead them nowhere, or even cost them money to participate. We have all heard of the starving artist and there is always someone ready to exploit you so like any other business owner, you do need your wits about you. Spotlight ensures that any casting breakdown that appears on their portal is thoroughly vetted and approved by the central London office so all performers can trust what they are applying for to be legitimate. It is important that anyone posting casting opportunities can be background checked and also held to account on equity minimum payments. All well-established Spotlight members regard their membership as a high premium and their gateway to being visible to high-end agents and casting directors.
Should Spotlight be hard to get onto for actors? I am very much in favour of the entertainment industry being tightly regulated for casting professionals, including actors as there does need to be a tiered approach as to who is considered a true professional versus a complete amateur performer or indeed supporting artist. Whilst I do uphold that everyone should have access to the same opportunities, there does need to be certain criteria met for being able to be visible on such a platform and put forward for high-end roles. Let’s be honest, in the real world we are not going to see your average joe competing for a high-profile Hollywood blockbuster or represented by the same A-lister clientele unless there are open castings. If this isn’t upheld, any con artist could very easily dilute the quality and the trust factor of such a well-regarded platform that has been used by industry agents for decades. Personally, I do think it is getting harder to get onto Spotlight given the constant review of criteria and more emerging talent but I do feel as though it is worth the effort otherwise, one could easily render their membership worthless.
How long did it take me to get onto Spotlight? I can happily say that I am finally on Spotlight after five years of hard work building up my credits as I didn’t get offered a place on an MA Acting course at any London drama school. I am lucky enough to have a few friends in the industry who own their own production companies and gave me opportunities on the fringe scene and in voiceover work. I should have really fast-tracked my approach from the end of my two-year part-time training at Rose Bruford College as I waited around for projects to magically appear on my lap which never happened!
Why did it take me so long? I was also working full-time 9–5 and struggling to find the headspace to apply for castings and then there was the hassle of getting time off work so I always made excuses to put my acting on hold. Since moving to London in October 2015, I would apply every year to have an audition at the likes of Drama Centre, ALRA, and other top-tier drama schools without any success. At the time of applying, I had no idea what I would do if I was offered a place as didn’t have any funding or growing business like I do now. It would have had to be a very dramatic choice of giving up my 9–5 and frankly, winging it!
Can you still get visibility if you are not on Spotlight? I highly advise any actor to be continually working towards Spotlight membership but if you are following the same path as me, then you have to work even harder at getting the credits under your belt. My advice is to get out there and network, join outreach theatre groups, write your own pieces and perform at scratch nights. More and more industry professionals are recognising that there is an abundance of unknown talent out there who are focusing on making their own work. When I have been attending casting director workshops, they do accept emails from both unrepresented and non-Spotlight members so I would certainly advocate for a two-pronged approach. Don’t bombard agents or casting professionals with endless emails, only ever write to them when you have some news or will be in an upcoming production.
