Russell gives cues to aspiring actors

Casting director Paul Russell shared his personal "freak file" with an audience of aspiring actors and actresses last night at the Penn Bookstore. The portfolio of head shots and resumes exemplified some of the most heinous mistakes made by individuals hoping to break into the entertainment industry.

A Philadelphia native, Russell boasts over 30 years of experience in the film, television and Broadway industries. Still involved as a casting director, Russell wrote "ACTING: Make It Your Business, How to Avoid Mistakes & Achieve Success as a Working Actor!" as a step-by-step primer for actors looking to market themselves effectively to casting directors.

Russell used his "freak file" and audience questions as his springboard into openly addressing the secrets of casting directors and successful self-promotion. Having experience as both an actor and a casting director, Russell explained that he wrote his book as a how-to guide for actors.

"Other actors should not have to follow the route that I did," he said. In fact, Russell admitted to the crowd that his own path to success included many of the pitfalls he now suggests readers avoid.

Despite the original title of the book, "Shut Up and Listen," the event served more as a workshop than a book tour. Participants were encouraged to bring their head shots and resumes as Russell doled out advice to individual attendees. He answered questions ranging from resume format and head shot framing to possible essay ideas for one graduate student actor.

The presentation, although targeted to actors, included advice on topics beyond the realm of acting. "You must throw the romantic career out of the window," Russell instructed. "You must treat this as a profession." Russell emphasized that the actors who receive the most call backs are those who approach casting directors with a marketing approach.

Russell also emphasized the paramount importance of presentation and confidence, even if just an allusion. He explained that casting directors typically make the decision on a given resume in less than seven seconds.

He suggested that aspiring actors brand themselves through cover letters, resumes and head shots done by an external professional service. "You must represent who you are or who you portray," he stressed, "without falling into the trap of stale and transparent gimmicks."

From the start, the author candidly admitted to the audience his general ambivalence towards acting guides and lamented the number of contradicting opinions among casting directors.

Despite the fact that he penned his own book, Russell warned, "I'm basically a glorified human resources; everything I say is right, everything I say is wrong."

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