I’ve never really sent post cards. Except for like 1 week randomly. I always just sort of expected that they got thrown in the trash.
But with Superseeds and Red Scare coming up in the next few months or so, I want to be ready to reach out, both to established connections and people I want to work with.
I started doing some digging, and what did I find? Casting directors (with blogs!) who wrote whole articles on the art of post-carding. Sweet!
And let me say this right up front. Yes, ultimately we toss them. Ultimately we toss your headshots, too. That’s just practical. I can’t store all your headshots in a warehouse forever. You send us your materials. We consider you. Eventually we toss your materials in the trash. Nothing personal… If someone looks interesting and I like their resume I might pull them out and put the post card with my submissions…
– Mark Sikes, “Post Cards“
… success because a relationship went from stage one (she knows me but I don’t know her) to stage two (now I’ve seen her commercial, so I know her work, but I don’t know her name so it’s not terribly helpful yet) to stage three (I’ve gotten her postcard, so now I know her work and her name) to stage four (we’ve met in person and now I know she’s not a “whactor”…
– Bonnie Gillespie, “Cross Pollination“
And not just that, but both Bonnie Gillespie and Mark Sikes have blogs dedicated to helping actors, with tons of secrets and tips:
Bonnie’s blog: The Actors Voice
Mark’s blog: The Casting Corner
I also highly suggest checking out Bonnie’s article “The Delicate Art of Self Promotion”.
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