Finding the Right Bait

As you know, I signed with a new commercial agent in February.  We have been busting our butts to get me out for commercial auditions.  In our initial meeting, we discussed how it would be an uphill battle because the market is trending away from my type at the moment.  My little brand of “Anony” is more wholesome and girl-next-door than it is edgy and Zooey Deschanel... which is what everyone wants to sell their products right now.  We tried my original headshots, but not many bites.  I went back to my photographer to see if we could pick up one that was a little more edgy… my agents laughed that the new shots were so adorable… but unsure if I could actually pull off “edgy”.  Grumbling, I went back and tried for shots with my hair straighter in case curls were the culprit.  I could do something radical (like change my hair color), but then I would need new shots AGAIN and my hair color and wholesome look get me out more theatrically (meaning TV and film) than anything else, so I can't exactly change that.  

Three bites in four months?  Needless to say, my agents and I are a tad frustrated.

We're uploading some new shots to start using this week.  I just spent the last couple of hours retouching and color correcting two new photos.  If you ever want to humble yourself, view a high definition image of your face at 500% magnification so you can really get in there.  This is Hollywood.  Can't have a single enlarged pore or stray hair when it comes to setting the bait. 

Because that's really what we're doing.  That perfect headshot is like trying to find the right lure so all the industry sea bass, I mean casting directors, start biting my line when they scan the thousands of thumbnails submitted for each role.

Here fishy fishy fishy...