Editing a Young Performer's Spotlight Profile

What you need to know to make the most of a young performer's profile and get cast. 

Spotlight is a casting platform that all leading professional casting directors use to cast their productions, be it a TV drama, a feature film or West End show. They send their casting breakdowns (i.e. job post requirements) out to agents, who will then suggest their suitable clients for the role/s. They can also search our database to find performers by the details provided on their profiles. Therefore, making sure your profile is up to date and has all your correct details is very important.

Agents all work differently, so it is best to have a chat with yours first to see if they prefer to edit your profile or if they're happy for you both to work on it. Agents have vast experience in knowing what details casting directors are interested in seeing, so it is always best to seek their advice in the first instance - before editing your or your child’s profile. 

What information do I need to keep up to date on my profile?

Everything! All the details that are listed on your Spotlight profile are important as casting directors can search via 'gender',  'skills', 'appearance', 'credits', 'accents' etc. Children are constantly changing therefore it's best to make sure that their height, weight, hair length/colour and playing-age range are always up to date.

We have more specific information on all the editable features on a Spotlight profile in our Updating Your Spotlight Profile FAQs including gender, disability, updating an agent, and adding photos and media.

How confident do I/does my child need to be in a skill to list it on a profile?

If you are going to an audition or to the set of a film, you need to be able to confidently and competently produce the skills listed on your profile as you may be asked to perform it. For example, if you list that you can play the piano, you need to be at a level where you can confidently play with or without sheet music. If you have only taken one or two lessons, we would not advise listing this as a skill.

How do I know what photo to upload to my/my child’s profile?

Photos should always be checked by an agent first before uploading to Spotlight. The most important thing about headshots and gallery photos is that they look exactly like the child, so it's crucial that they have a photo on their Spotlight profile that looks the way they do currently, so the casting director immediately recognises them when they are attending a casting. 

How many photos can we upload to Spotlight?

Our advice is to keep it to 3 or 4 maximum – they should be professional and natural. If a child wears glasses all the time then they should definitely display a photo of them wearing glasses on their profile.

Should my photos be in colour?

Yes, colour photos are the norm now so should always be included on your profile. An additional black and white photograph can be added to the gallery if required.

What are credits and what information should we provide?

Credits are the professional jobs that you/your child have completed. If a project is currently being filmed or is in post-production, do not list this as a credit, instead put it in the ‘about me’ section.

As our young performers don’t always have professional credits to list when they are first starting out in the industry, it may be best to leave this blank or speak to your agent. See if they would be happy with you listing amateur dramatic work instead although we find that generally, this isn't useful for casting directors.

What is a showreel and should I upload one?

A showreel is an edited video that shows clips of any work you/your child has appeared in, either on TV or screen. There is space to upload up to five minutes of video for your showreel, however, two minutes is plenty.

Showreels have become very popular, allowing a casting director to see what a child looks like on camera before they see them for an audition. They aren't a necessity though, so please do not spend hundreds of pounds on one! We would suggest editing together a showreel only if you have done professional filmed work. Please do not upload any home video footage. A casting director can always ask for a self-tape to be sent to them if they require a video.

How do I edit my profile once I sign on to Spotlight?

Once you have agreed with your agent that you will make amendments to your/your child's profile, log on to your account then navigate to the tab named ‘Update my Profile’ in the menu on the left OR view/update my profile from the quick links on the right. Then use the pencil icons to guide you to edit different sections of the profile.

Need some more advice?

If you have any queries about your profile or about how to edit it, please do not hesitate to contact our helpful membership support team who will be happy to guide you through this over the phone 020 7437 7631 or by email [email protected].