Spotlight Admin

369 articles
Spotlight
Find Out About Our Refreshed Platform

Designed to Help You Get Cast: New Tools for Performers and Agents We’ve launched our refreshed platform, which is the culmination of a huge piece of work for us, based on all the feedback we’ve received from the industry over the last few months (and in some cases, years!). You’ll see some big improvements now, […]

news
Spotlight
The Spotlight Prize Winner 2020

Nimshi Kongolo, a graduate of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, has been named Best Screen Actor for this year’s Spotlight Prize and will receive the £2000 award. Nimshi was one of 20 students nominated from the UK’s leading drama schools who competed for the Spotlight Prize 2020. Huge congratulations to Nimshi – we look forward to seeing […]

graduates
news
spotlight prize
Lifestyle & Wellbeing
Putting the Spotlight on Mental Health

Raffaella Covino, actress and Founder and Director of triple award-winning organisation Applause for thought, talks about mental health awareness, support and training as a mental health first aider. Mental health should be at the forefront as we navigate our way out of the turbulent waters of 2020 Back in December 2017, after four years working […]

mental health
raffaella covino
No Agent? FAQs for Self-Represented Actors and Performers.
FAQs for Self-Represented Actors & Performers

How to navigate the world of performing when you don’t have an agent, either through choice or circumstance Whilst young performers must have an agent to appear on Spotlight, not every performer needs or wants an agent. So how do you use Spotlight if you’re self-represented? These FAQs should help answer any questions you may have. […]

Young Performers
Casting Young Performers

Ruth O’Dowd, Daniel Edwards and Catherine Willis discuss their approaches to casting children and the best way to make an impression in the room. As part of our Digital Summer School, we hosted a panel with casting directors Ruth O’Dowd, Daniel Edwards and Catherine Willis. They shared their advice about self-taping, dealing with rejection and […]

auditions
casting directors
interview
Help for Spotlight Casting Users

Sending a Breakdown Step 1: Production details Step 2: Adding role information Step 3: Sending a breakdown Removing or amending a breakdown Agreement types: Which one to choose? Managing Your Suggestions How do I organise my suggestions? Creating a shortlist Sending a group message Marking role as cast Searching for Performers How do I use […]

A guide to Spotlight for agents onboarding new clients.
Help for agents using Spotlight

Managing agency user permissions and client access controls. General information Casting professionals have the choice to send out a casting breakdown to agents and/or performers via the Spotlight jobs feed. As an agent you can suggest your clients’ Spotlight profiles in response to suitable roles and monitor/control your clients’ own suggestions. Please note your clients […]

The Industry
Casting Directors on Diversity, Self-Taping and Auditions

Read what Aisha Bywaters, Lauren Evans and Kelly Valentine Hendry had to say about diversity in casting, what to do (and not do) in self-tapes and how they prefer to be contacted. We hosted a Zoom event for Spotlight members to hear from casting directors Aisha Bywaters, Lauren Evans and Kelly Valentine Hendry. Here’s a […]

auditions
casting directors
diversity/inclusivity
The Industry
Rachel Shenton on Short Films, Academy Award Wins and Audition Nerves

By Samantha Rea  “I get so nervous. I’m still just as nervous now as I was years ago.” With an Academy Award under her belt and a back-catalogue of ultra-confident characters on her acting CV, it’s surprising to hear that Rachel Shenton still suffers from the same audition anxiety as everyone else. “I do yoga […]

Training
How to Finance Your Training and Acting Career

Performer Michaela Bennison gives practical advice and tips for financing your training and acting career. Let’s not sugarcoat it: the acting profession is tough. And when you’re a working-class actor with no money or connections, it can feel even more daunting. But there are ways to overcome the hurdles we face in our profession. From […]

drama school
finances/legal
michaela bennison