The holidays are here! Learn how you can benefit from the seasonal casting boom!
By Wyatt Elling
The holiday season is upon us, and its one of the busiest times of the year for both the retail world and the entertainment world! Everywhere you go people are getting ready for the festive winter season, and as an actor or model you can pick up extra work and gain vital exposure.
December is the month for holiday specials on many television channels from major networks like NBC down to lesser known cable stations. There are plenty of holiday films released every year, but they are usually filmed in the Spring or Summer, so it's more difficult to get onboard the December boom in the film industry.
Just about every channel has its own parade or holiday special. There are plenty of casting opportunities available for this type of special programming, much of which is either live or filmed in the winter for effect. They also backfill certain material that will be filmed closer to the holidays even if most of it was filmed in previous months. It can work the other way around too; Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve special frequently cuts to a room full of attractive people dancing and having fun as they wait for midnight. What they don't tell you is that this scene isn't being shown live, but was filmed weeks before New Year's, and was professionally cast!
There is also a huge amount of seasonal stage work to be had during the holidays. Nearly every town and city has a live event or holiday festival, and hires many local performers to sing and act. Professional and amateur choirs and singers also find themselves in high demand during the holidays, as live holiday revues on TV and on stage seek talented voices to get viewers in the holiday spirit. Most large regional theater scenes, like Broadway, have seasonal shows like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. These larger shows cast and rehearse for a few months ahead of time, but run primarily between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
If you're a model, commercial or otherwise, the holiday season is very fruitful. Many clothing companies and retail outlets produce special holiday editions of their catalogues, and holiday-themed fashion shows are common. There are also many jobs to be had as a promotional model working on special live holiday promotions and television commercials on a local and national level. And performers of all type can get extra work at the thousands of private and public holiday parties around the country.
The holidays are a time of celebration, and you can pick up extra money and experience during the season by spreading good cheer. You don't necessarily have to dress like an elf or Santa Claus; you can find work that helps you fill up your resume and reel with great credits. Now that sounds like something to celebrate!
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