At Fishpond, we understand how important it is for actors to have a strong profile that showcases their talent, experience, and unique qualities. That’s why we were delighted to have casting director Ali Coffey judge our latest showcase challenge, focusing on what makes an acting profile stand out to industry professionals.
Ali challenged actors to take a closer look at their Fishpond profiles and think about how they could best present themselves, from their headshots and showreels to their credits, skills, and overall profile.
From a wealth of thoughtful and engaging profiles, Ali has selected eleven standout actors whose Fishpond profiles most impressed and inspired her. Congratulations to all for putting the time and care into showcasing yourselves and your work. We can’t wait to see where your talent takes you next.
Keep your eyes out details for our live chat with Ali, where she’ll offer further feedback, share her thoughts on what makes a strong acting profile, and give tips on how actors can make the most of their Fishpond profile and future opportunities.
SHOWCASE WINNERS AND FEEDBACK
While all actors who partook in the showcase will get personalised feedback, Ali also had some general feedback:
“I have to say, I was so impressed by the standard of the profiles entered. There were far more brilliant profiles than I could possibly include, so the people I’ve chosen are simply a selection. If you haven’t been mentioned, please don’t think that means you aren’t doing an excellent job. So many profiles stood out to me across every category.
As a casting director, I really can’t overstate the difference a full, thoughtfully put-together profile makes.
When I open a profile, I’ll usually look at the photographs first, followed by training and credits. If somebody has strong training and professional credits, that means something to me. I’m taking all of that information in.
If somebody is newer to the profession and has very few credits, or none yet, I’ll always look for a scene. That’s my opportunity to see what they can do, so it is genuinely worth having one. You don’t need an enormous CV to make an impression, but you do need to give me something to work with.
Then, depending on the job, I might be looking at height, hair colour, eye colour, playing age, accent, location or a very particular skill. Every job is different, but a complete profile, a good range of current photographs and material that lets me see and hear your work will always give you the best possible chance.
It’s also really important to remember that I don’t send every opportunity out as a full brief to actors and agents on Fishpond. Sometimes I’m looking for something very niche. Sometimes I’m trying to find somebody who could conceivably be related to an actor who has already been cast. Sometimes I suddenly need somebody with a very particular accent, skill or appearance. In those cases, I’ll go straight into the database and search.
So you need to make sure you’re appearing in those searches. Fill in every relevant detail and keep your photographs, credits, measurements and other information up to date. Your profile can be quietly working away for you even when you haven’t actively applied for anything.
Many of you will already know that you’re ticking all the boxes, and it was fantastic to see just how many people are. I hope these examples are useful to anyone who might still have a little work to do. Overall, though, I was genuinely delighted by the care, quality and professionalism across all the entries.”
New to the profession
Shannon-Ann Gormley
“Shannon-Ann’s profile is a great example of how to present yourself when you’re relatively new to the profession. She has completed full-time professional training and is already building a lovely range of credits.
What I particularly like is how much material she has given me. I can watch her acting reel, hear her speaking voice and listen to her really distinctive singing voice across several different songs. She isn’t waiting for a huge list of credits to tell me what she can do. She’s showing me.
Her physical information, locations, skills and practical details are all filled in too, so she has given herself every chance of appearing when I search for something specific. At 5’10”, with red hair, a broad playing age, singing ability and bases across several counties, there are lots of different details here that could bring her into consideration.
This is a full, useful and very casting-friendly profile.”
Heidi Sampaio Kokkonen
“Heidi is right at the beginning of her professional journey and doesn’t have any credits yet, but you can immediately see how much effort she is making to give herself the best possible start.
She has trained consistently, moving through several courses at The Lir before completing the six-month programme at Bow Street. That tells me she’s serious about this and actively putting the work in.
Crucially, she has also included her Bow Street showcase scene. When somebody doesn’t yet have professional credits, that is exactly what I go looking for. It gives me the chance to see her work and begin to imagine where she might fit.
Her Finnish-Brazilian background, mixed accent and range of languages also make her distinctive and very searchable. She has made sure that if I’m looking for something specific, I have a chance of finding her.
This is a really good example of how to build a useful profile before the professional credits arrive. Heidi is showing me who she is, the work she has already done and what she might be able to offer. She can now keep building on that as her experience grows.“
Young Actors
Alison O.
“Alison’s profile gives me a really clear and immediate sense of her, while also showing that she already has substantial experience for her age.
She has a lovely range of photographs and, importantly, three different acting clips. That is so useful with a young actor because I can see her emotional range, her natural screen presence and how she handles different kinds of material. I’m not simply being told she can act. I can watch her for myself.
Her ongoing training in acting, singing, dance, acrobatics and gymnastics gives me an even fuller picture of what she can offer. Her playing age, measurements, appearance, skills, availability and passport information are all there too, making the profile genuinely practical from a casting point of view.
With young actors, it’s especially important to keep photographs, height and playing age updated because they can change approximately every five minutes.
Alison’s guardian has done a brilliant job here. I can understand both the experience she already has and the range of parts she could potentially be considered for.”
Isabelle F.
“For somebody with a playing age of just seven to nine, Isabelle already has an extraordinary amount of professional experience.
Her range of material is fantastic. I can watch scenes, see her commercial work and listen to both a monologue and an introduction. It gives me a very clear sense of her screen presence, voice, confidence and versatility.
Again, I’m not just reading that she can do these things. The evidence is sitting right there on the profile.
Her training, accents, languages, dance styles, sports, locations and physical information are all included, giving her every chance of appearing in the right casting search.
This is a very complete and professional young actor’s profile. As with Alison, the main thing is simply to keep the photographs, height and playing age current as she grows.”
Working Actors
Lee Brophy
“Lee’s profile has personality from the very first line. “Rhymes with trophy” is memorable, and “former zoologist turned actor and comedian” immediately makes me want to know more. He has managed to be funny without letting the joke get in the way of the useful information, which is quite a skill in itself.
There’s a lovely range of photographs, screen material and separate voice reels for narration, animation and commercial work. His training, credits and current projects are clear, and I can immediately see that he is properly equipped for remote voice work.
I also love how specific his skills are. Animal handling, aerial work, hurling, lifesaving and zoo keeping may not come up every day, but when I do need one of them, Lee has made sure I can find him. This is exactly why filling in every section matters.”
Sorcha Brooks
“Sorcha has a substantial and varied body of work, but the whole profile still feels very current. Her recent work is right at the top, her training is ongoing, and I get an immediate sense of an actor who is still developing and expanding what she can offer.
Her voice material is beautifully organised, with separate reels for character work, gaming, commercials, audio drama and animation. Her professional studio setup is clearly detailed too, so I know straight away that she is ready for remote voice work.
Then we get to the specialist experience: motion and performance capture, audio direction, archery and a wide range of accents. Those are exactly the kinds of details that can suddenly become incredibly important on a particular job, and Sorcha hasn’t left me to guess about any of them.
This is exactly what a strong working actor’s profile should be: experienced, current, distinctive and extremely easy to cast from.”
Lemelen Palad
“Lemelen’s profile feels full of energy and intention. She has given me lots of different ways to experience her work, with acting scenes, singing, an introduction and commercial voice material. She isn’t expecting her credits alone to do all the talking.
Her recent training shows real commitment across acting for camera, musical theatre and stage combat. Then there are the skills that make her particularly searchable: Tagalog, Philippine English, singing, boxing, kickboxing and stage combat could each be the very thing I need on a particular job.
I also like that she has listed her self-tape equipment. She may not have a full home studio, but I know she has a backdrop, tripod and ring light and is ready to tape.
This is a warm, distinctive and hardworking profile that gives me a strong sense of Lemelen and what she can offer.”
Jackie Milne
“It’s very easy to see why Jackie stood out. She is clearly a busy working actor, particularly in voice, but she has presented the full range of what she can offer across screen, stage, audiobooks, animation and gaming.
There is so much useful material here. I can hear her natural voice, French and German, alongside dedicated animation and commercial reels. Her professional home-studio setup is clearly listed, and she is continuing to invest in her training, most recently at Bow Street. Nothing about the profile feels like it has been left sitting there gathering dust.
There is one important little searchability point. Jackie describes herself as multilingual and has French and German recordings, but those languages don’t appear in her Languages section. I would add them immediately, at the correct proficiency levels, because the database can’t listen to her reels and work that out for me. Clever though Fishpond is, it isn’t quite that clever yet.
Jackie has done a fantastic job of showing not only that she works, but exactly what she can be hired to do.”
Sorcha Dawson
“Sorcha’s profile knows exactly what it is selling. “Theatre, sketch comedy and dark comedy” gives me an immediate sense of where her particular strengths lie, and the separate comedy and acting reels let me explore both sides of her work without having to hunt around.
Her training and credits are strong and current, and she has also included an introduction, a Gaeilge voice reel and her home-recording setup. The practical information is all there, so the profile is genuinely useful as well as engaging.
Her additional skills are wonderfully specific. Writer, children’s entertainer, balloon modeller, face painter and qualified paediatric nurse is quite a combination, but any one of those details could be precisely what brings her into a search.
This is a confident, characterful profile that makes Sorcha’s particular casting very easy to understand.”
Seasoned Professionals
Kathleen Warner Yeates
“What I really like about Kathleen’s profile is that she isn’t relying on her very substantial CV to do all the work. Her experience goes back many years, but the profile feels completely current, with recent photographs, an up-to-date reel, a clearly titled television clip and dedicated commercial and animation voice reels.
Her opening summary gives me the important information immediately. She is a dual Irish and U.S. citizen, has worked extensively in New York and Ireland, and has experience across screen, stage and voice. I understand very quickly who she is and what she brings.
I particularly like the title “The Rainmaker TV Clip as Edie Williams.” I know exactly what I’m about to watch. It sounds like a tiny thing, but when you’re looking through a great many profiles, clarity is a beautiful quality.
This is a polished, current and highly professional profile that properly reflects the calibre of the actor behind it.”
Paul Wilkins
“What I really like about Paul’s profile is that, although he has this brilliant musical theatre background, he brings me straight up to date with the screen work he is doing now. I don’t have to go searching through the credits to discover what’s happening in his career today.
He gives me lots of different ways to assess him too. I can watch his screen work, hear his commercial voice reel and American accent, and listen to his singing. Then there is the fantastic collection of additional skills, covering instruments, dance, military experience, stage combat and mixology.
So if I’m ever looking for a tenor-baritone who can wield a rapier and make a decent cocktail, Paul has very helpfully ensured that I can find him.
The practical side is all there too, including his bases, driving licence, passport and home-studio setup. It is a really complete and usable profile.
Overall, this is a really strong seasoned professional’s profile. It shows the depth of Paul’s experience, but it also tells me very clearly who he is and what he can offer right now.”
Thank you again to all who took part, and to Ali for taking the time to offer so much feedback. Keep an eye out for our Autumn Showcase, coming very soon.