“Sing from the diaphragm!” yelled the teacher! You looked around you and everyone else seemed to understand what she meant. So you did your best to sing louder as your face got red and your veins popped out on the sides of your neck. But you lacked a couple of pieces of essential information – where the heck IS your diaphragm and how do you “sing” from it? Read more
Having a good reel is crucial to your hosting career. Good headshots and a strong resume will only get you so far. It’s your reel that Casting Directors use to determine whether or not they want to bring you in for an audition, or even better, a “general” meeting. I’ve cast several shows where I never held auditions – I only looked thru hosting reels to determine who I would then call in as a “callback.” Your reel is your calling card. If you don’t have one, make one!
Casting Directors have so much on their plates that they’ll determine in the first 15 – 30 seconds whether you’re right for their project or network. Yes, seconds! As a former Casting Executive at E! Entertainment Television and the Style Network, we’d receive hundreds of submissions, both in the mail and online. We’d devote time each week, ideally each day, to viewing the reels that came in so we could find the next Brooke Burke or Greg Kinnear. Thankfully we found Joel McHale.
