Another informal session with commercial agent and Senior VP of the CESD agency, Billy Collura (pictured about center above). Sitting next to him at lunch one day (pictured right), I discovered we have a shared love of travel!
Here are some notes, rapid-fire:
- Don’t ask, just send the demo. Put your best stuff at the beginning of the demo.
- Casting directors are good to take classes with, but vet your coaches and agents. Some agents double-dip. 10% is all CESD takes.
- Tell them if you’re bilingual or have Source Connect.
- Don’t join SAG-AFTRA until you’re a Must Join. Do FI-CORE unless you’re working on camera, because most work is NU.
- If you have multiple agents, pick one to be your main. You may become a little less desirable, most big auditions go to all the big agencies.
- He needs more Black people in their 20s on their roster.
- Unlike some agencies, CESD don’t drop you if you haven’t booked for a year.
I read a script for Billy that you can listen to above, or watch below. (Billy’s session starts at 01:04:34).