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SEAN PRATT:THE BUSINESS OF THE BIZ
Your Acting Resume: 102
By Sean Pratt [SeanPratt]02 Feb 2010
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– Why Your Resume Should Resemble the Front Page of a Newspaper
Actors should use the front page of a newspaper as a guide to both the layout and the presentation of their resumes.
Most actors use the same concept for creating their resumes that business people employ. That is, a simple summation of their experience, stats, education and skills, packed onto one page. Though that may work in their world, it’s a recipe for having a boring, unreadable resume in ours. There are two ideas that must be understood in order to create an actor’s resume. One, that it is a selection of your experience, stats, education and skills which not only tells the reader what you’ve done, but what your type is and where you’re going with your career. And two, that all this information should be presented in an eye-catching format and layout…like the front page of a newspaper.
Extra, Extra, Read All About It
Grab a newspaper and lay it out in front of you, we’re going to have a little tutorial. The top two or three inches, where the name of the paper is, along with their motto, weather report, contact info, etc., is called the masthead. Now, realize that when you bought this paper at the newsstand it was folded in half. And while all of the stories on the front page were deemed the important stories of the day, the editors still had to prioritize them. So, the most important ones, the ones that will help sell the paper, were placed at the top of the page; this area being called above the fold, with the remaining ones placed below the fold. Finally, notice that the font and the typeface size are such that the paper can be read while holding it 12 to 18 inches away from you.
The Sean Pratt Times
So let’s apply this to your resume. The space at the top, where you have your name, stats, contact info, etc., is your masthead. If that’s the case, then your name needs to be the biggest thing on that page; your name, stats, etc., being smaller than your name but bigger than your credits. Realize that this is the front page of the “newspaper” about you, not someone else. Next, if this is your theatre resume, then the first block of credits at the top of the resume, or above the fold, should show off your stage work. After that, below the fold, you can add any film, TV,
Actors should use the front page of a newspaper as a guide to both the layout and the presentation of their resumes.
Most actors use the same concept for creating their resumes that business people employ. That is, a simple summation of their experience, stats, education and skills, packed onto one page. Though that may work in their world, it’s a recipe for having a boring, unreadable resume in ours. There are two ideas that must be understood in order to create an actor’s resume. One, that it is a selection of your experience, stats, education and skills which not only tells the reader what you’ve done, but what your type is and where you’re going with your career. And two, that all this information should be presented in an eye-catching format and layout…like the front page of a newspaper.
Extra, Extra, Read All About It
Grab a newspaper and lay it out in front of you, we’re going to have a little tutorial. The top two or three inches, where the name of the paper is, along with their motto, weather report, contact info, etc., is called the masthead. Now, realize that when you bought this paper at the newsstand it was folded in half. And while all of the stories on the front page were deemed the important stories of the day, the editors still had to prioritize them. So, the most important ones, the ones that will help sell the paper, were placed at the top of the page; this area being called above the fold, with the remaining ones placed below the fold. Finally, notice that the font and the typeface size are such that the paper can be read while holding it 12 to 18 inches away from you.
The Sean Pratt Times
So let’s apply this to your resume. The space at the top, where you have your name, stats, contact info, etc., is your masthead. If that’s the case, then your name needs to be the biggest thing on that page; your name, stats, etc., being smaller than your name but bigger than your credits. Realize that this is the front page of the “newspaper” about you, not someone else. Next, if this is your theatre resume, then the first block of credits at the top of the resume, or above the fold, should show off your stage work. After that, below the fold, you can add any film, TV,
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