Thread by @dedwardscasting

I’ve kept VERY quiet on the subject of #yesorno & have recently struggled to keep my cool by the constant vitriol towards CD’s on this subject.
I’ve always been very outspoken on lots of subjects related to our industry & always speak my mind & I’m going to speak it now ….

I can’t watch any more actors I respect & champion post on social media their focused rage towards CD’s on #yesorno My office has always had a notification system in place & we always notify agents of decisions, this is no easy feat as it sometimes takes weeks sometimes months …

To notify all actors who have met on a project , occasionally someone will slip through the net but on the whole our complex projects data base enables us to eventually notify and I know many of my CD colleague use similar systems….

What makes me so 🤯 is the lack of understanding of the chain of command. I appreciate you all think we are the autonomous gatekeepers to the industry (I wish it were so, then we might be able to make lasting change in areas we feel are lacking ) but we’re just so not !

Why is it on social media that I never see the target of this anger hurled directly towards writers & showrunners, networks, prod companies, execs, producers & directors ? All of these people make up the complex chain of command that trickles down to a self tape or audition..

ALL of these people are the people who will inevitability give you the job, CD’s are your wing people, we are the ones that champion, nurture, support & push & push & push for you. In the last terrifying & soul destroying 18 months of a pandemic & political mindfuckery …..

..Never has it been more so. We’ve not had the luxury to intro you in person ,we’ve not had luxury of doing what we do best in audition rooms so YOU can do your best. It’s been a f*****g shit show for ALL of us & zoom & self tapes have infuriated but ultimately saved us all…

In the last 18 months my office has cast over 400 actors & auditioned digitally either from self tape or zoom nearly 15000! I know many of my casting colleagues have also been fortunate enough to have remained working during these times & have kept actors working …

…But here we are day in day out with tweets & posts & codes of practice & raised voices all focused on one part of the industry who for the most part are also freelance (lest we forget) who also interview for jobs & don’t know if we can pay the bills from month to month…..

..& who care so deeply about the changing face of our industry & how we can collectively make change so that EVERYONE feels valued within it. This is not an easy task , it never has been , I’ve been in it for over 40 years !! Yes 40 years !….

And like so many of my amazing CD colleagues, love actors & love so deeply what we do & the changes we are trying to make from within.
But this drip drip drip of vitriol & it’s sole target on us has begun to take its toll for so many of us….

it’s time to look at ALL of us in the industry as a collective, and stop targeting sole departments, it’s grossly unfair.
It is not to undermine your legitimate frustrations, trust me as a former actor I know those well enough …..

But it’s time to support us supporting you & look at what we do …….I mean REALLY look at what casting directors actually do ! Do you know what we actually do ? Do you know how our offices function? Do you know what we do for sometimes 12 hour days 7 days a week? …

Do you know the risks we take In passionately vocally pushing actors we adore to the decision makers? Do you know how much info we have in our heads about each one of you ? Did you know we have to be Creative AND administrative ? have to be directors, lawyers & accountants?

…for most of us this is our 2nd career, we have had to retrain working our way up, it’s taken me 15 yrs to get to the position I’m in now, that’s 15 yes of hard graft, being broke insecure & stressed (familiar?) I’m still learning & I’m training 3 full time amazing people …

…to be the next generation! When did it become ok to lay blame of so much shit that actors have to face daily solely at our door?
Where is the COLLECTIVE responsibility of us as a industry to make sure we are ALL cared for that we are ALL happy that we can ALL do our best ….

Social media blessing & a curse, given actors a much needed voice but has allowed conversations that should be positive talk of change to manifest into a sort of bullying! 1 tweet too many today of this misjudged (in my opinion) focus of anger has forced me to break my silence…

..and I’m going to find it very hard to shut the fuck back up now ✌🏽