How to Get Noticed by Casting Directors - Talent Manager/Casting Director RJ Magee (Ep. 1)

RJ Magee, a casting director, talent manager, director, actor, and educator, shares his journey and experiences in the entertainment industry. He discusses his interest in casting and how he started as a casting intern at the Arden Theatre Company. RJ also talks about his work as a talent manager and freelance casting director. RJ provides insights into the auditioning process and the qualities that make an actor stand out. He also discusses the significance of networking and the difference between auditioning and performing. The conversation explores the synergy that happens when you show up to auditions, and the importance of getting representation, and of course, much more!

00:00 Introduction and Background
00:51 Interest in Casting
02:50 Partnership with Manager
04:17 Freelance Casting Office
06:12 Pursuing MFA and Teaching
09:01 Current Work at Longwood University
11:07 Motivation for Pursuing Multiple Roles
13:52 Transition from Actor to Casting Director
15:38 Challenges and Saturation in the Industry
16:53 Key to Longevity in the Acting Career
18:01 Importance of Having Other Skills
19:23 Getting a Degree in Business Administration
20:53 Bridging the Gap Between Graduation and Becoming a Working Actor
22:55 Changes in Auditioning Process
24:32 Standout Qualities in Auditions
32:11 Importance of Special Skills
38:02 Networking in the Industry
40:47 Auditioning as a Different Skill than Performing
43:18 Importance of Preparation and Doing Good Work in Auditions
44:50 The Synergy of Different Roles
45:08 The Importance of Having an Agent
46:52 How to Get Representation
47:28 Success Rate of Getting Representation
47:58 The Role of Agents and Managers
48:25 Tips for Getting Representation
49:46 Targeting Shows and Roles
50:42 Creating a Cover Letter
51:50 Casting a Wide Net
52:40 Building Relationships
54:11 The Difference Between Managers and Agents
54:43 The Financial Aspect of Representation
56:04 When to Get an Agent
58:09 Navigating the Non-Union World
01:01:02 The Role of EPAs and ECCs
01:02:09 Audition Opportunities Outside of New York
01:03:04 Preparing for Combined Audition Events
01:04:10 The Impact of Social Media
01:05:14 The Influence of Social Media on Casting
01:06:40 Using Social Media for Networking
01:07:50 Reaching Out to Industry Professionals on Social Media
01:08:24 The Importance of Being Social
01:09:53 The Value of In-Person Connections
01:11:18 Being Proactive in Networking
01:11:58 Balancing Multiple Interests
01:13:11 The Reality of Pursuing a Career in the Performing Arts
01:14:39 The Importance of Loving What You Do
01:15:30 Theality TV Show
01:17:20 Contact Information
01:17:53 Conclusion

James (00:00)
Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Actrazilla podcast. I’m James Larson and on the podcast today we have RJ McGee. Welcome, RJ. Thanks for joining me today.

RJ Magee (00:13)
Thank you for having me.

James (00:14)
Yeah, of course, RJ is super talented, and he is a casting director. He’s a talent manager. He’s a director. He’s a career coach, a creative producer, an educator, and I know he is a talented actor as well. Yeah, we were we were talking about how we met at auditions and I asked the question before about. Yeah.

how, you know, just about all these different roles that you do. It’s been fun to kind of see on Facebook, kind of the interplay between all of them. And I would just love to know more about your journey between them.

RJ Magee (00:50)
Yeah,

well, it’s a great question. And again, thank you for having me. So I finished my undergrad in 2012 at Temple University. And I was in a performance program. But while I was in that program, I sort of realized that I did have some interest in exploring what we call the other side of the table. I didn’t totally know what that looked like. I always knew that casting was something that interested me.

I don’t think I ever really knew what it truly meant to be a professional casting director. But while I was in school, I interned at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia as the casting intern for the summer, which was great because a lot of people were traveling during the summer. The Arden doesn’t produce during the summer. So I was given quite a bit of responsibility on setting up casting assignments.

and auditions for their upcoming season. And actually what was interesting about it was I sort of learned that I wasn’t really ready yet to fully divest myself from performing. So when I graduated, I sort of hit the ground running and that’s where you and I met. I was sort of just doing the New York pounding the pavement thing. I actually had lived in Philadelphia. It wasn’t until much later that I lived in New York City, but I commuted from Philadelphia to New York.

James (02:14)
Wow.

RJ Magee (02:19)
couple times a week, going out on auditions. I had representation, an agent and a manager, you know, and then like yourself, I did shows all over the country. And then concurrently, while all of this was happening, I met a manager actually for representation for myself, but we really just headed off immediately on sort of a personal level. And I said to him, I said, listen,

If you ever

have a need for an assistant or some sort of capacity that we could work together outside of you sending me out on auditions, I would love that. And a few months later, he contacted me and said, I have an idea. I think that we should partner up and you help me fill out my theater division. His office at the time was at 42nd and eighth, and he had never had a client on Broadway.

And so I just started really small. I just started pulling people that were friends of mine that I had acted with, classmates, people that I met at auditions and brought them to Jamie Baker Management is the name of the company. And I exclusively submitted them on Breakdowns Express for theater and musical theater. And then if they booked anything, then Jamie and I split the commission on that.

And that started in 2014, beginning of 2015. And so now we’re going on, you know, over 10 years, well, actually a little bit under 10 years of our work together. And the work is almost a hundred percent remote. I actually in 2023, I only saw Jamie once. I’m going to see him in March when I’m in New York city for spring break. So it’s a entirely virtual.

gig and it’s entirely commission based. So it’s 100 % based on if any of the people on my roster, any of the actors on my roster book a job and then we take 10 % of the gross of whatever salary they make, which is obviously pretty standard for New York representation, at least in theater.

And that’s sort of where I am right now with that in 2018. I came off of a regional contract where I was just so fed up with performing and I literally just made a LinkedIn and a Gmail account and started RJ McGee Casting, which is a freelance casting office. In a way, it’s like being an actor, you know, it’s contract work, bid business work. So a producer or a director or a playwright or a composer.

comes to me and says, hey, we have this role in this play or musical or TV show or movie or reality show that we need to fill or commercial that we need to fill. And so I’m sort of their personal shopper. I assess what they’re looking for in that particular role in that actor. And then I utilize my database of actors that I’ve met at showcases and who have auditioned for me previously. And I get.

submissions from agents and managers. And I try to narrow it down to who I think best represents my client’s vision. So not necessarily who I think would be the best for the role if I were directing it or producing it. I’m really trying to channel someone else’s vision for their project and find the right fit for them. And so I still do that on a freelance basis. And then in 2020, just as the pandemic,

excuse me, just

as the pandemic was starting, I went back to school to get my MFA because it had been a long time dream of mine to teach theater in higher education, specifically musical theater, and sort of marry the professional world and the academic world because I felt like there was sort of a disconnect between those two entities, right? So.

You know, a lot of students were going into conservatories and BFA programs and being taught by educators who maybe haven’t, you know, auditioned or done the New York thing in 25 years, you know? And so I felt like I really had a lot to say as an educator because I had done so much of just the boots on the ground, New York City, 16 bars, five, six, seven, eight.

headshot resume across the floor, you know, the stuff that James and I did for many, many years. And I wanted to sort of mentor the next generation and help better prepare them for that environment. So in order to do that, to teach at the college level, you need what’s called a terminal degree. And in theater, that’s a master of fine arts. So I got an MFA in theater with a musical theater concentration, and it was very pedigree.

pedagogy heavy the program was. So I taught quite a bit. And I had taught previously to grad school and coached professional actors. You know, I’m often asked to guest teach at Actors Connection and studios like that in New York and across the country. But it wasn’t until I got to grad school that I actually started teaching beginners, which was really interesting because every semester I taught acting for non -majors. So,

It was always interesting applying this kind of work to people who maybe aren’t as familiar with what we do. And it was also a class that was required for elementary education majors. So it was fun to try to create parallels for these students as to how and why they could use these skills once they enter their building as an elementary school educator.

And I finished my MFA in May and that brought me to where I am now, which is Longwood University in central Virginia. We’re about an hour and a half outside of Richmond. The 2016 vice presidential debate was held here. It’s a beautiful campus, a small school compared to many other universities that we’re familiar with. It’s about 4 ,000 undergrad.

And the

theater department is very small. We only have about 30 majors at any given time. And then we have quite a robust program in terms of other students and other majors taking our classes and auditioning for our shows. And we have a BFA in theater performance and a musical theater minor. So earlier today, I was on a call, a Zoom call, auditioning a student from Atlanta for our program. So that’s…

sort of what the work I do here consists of when I’m not in the classroom. And when I am in the classroom, I’m teaching acting and musical theater performance and movement and a class called Issues in Theater, where we examine how theater can be a vehicle for displaying and promoting and examining human issues that we struggle with every day, social issues.

personal issues, family issues, financial issues, political issues. And I also do quite a bit of administrative work for the program. And on February 28th and 29th, we have Kerry Butler coming to campus to do a master class and to give a concert. So it’s very busy here, but I do like the financial stability.

And we also get some nice time off because we’re on a university calendar. And our school is very supportive for professional development. So if I want to attend conferences or go to New York and take workshops and see shows, they can help fund a portion of those opportunities. And the students I teach are all over the map in terms of experience level. I have some students that I feel like I could take to New York right now. And

you know, get them cast in a tour or something. And then I have, you know, some students that have maybe never seen a play before ever in their life. So it’s really fun to work with all the different populations that we have.

James (11:07)
That’s awesome. That’s quite a resume. And I don’t know many people that do all that, you know, that have that breadth of experience. I’m just kind of curious what drives that? Like what drives you to have these different experiences in the industry?

RJ Magee (11:21)
Well, career has sort of always been the thing that’s driven me, sort of being able to level up in terms of whatever my profession is at any given time. So everything has sort of been a means to an end. And I would say for the most part, that end has been teaching in a prestigious musical theater.

college program in higher education. I’m a visiting professor at Longwood. That means it’s a fixed term contract. So there’s potential for me to stay here, and then there’s potential that I could end up somewhere else. So I’m always interviewing for other opportunities, applying for other opportunities. I just sort of want to be the best at what I do.

that I possibly can and have the most amount of connections and opportunities and the most robust resume possible. And I still act, I did Anything Goes this past summer. It was directed by Katie Huffman, who was the original Oola and the producers, won the Tony Award for it. And right now I’m sending out materials for summer performance opportunities because…

I do have my summers off, so I’m able to do that as well. I’ve always wanted to be an educator who can do everything that I’m asking a student to be able to do, which isn’t always the case with theater teachers. But I feel confident that I can execute most everything that I ask someone else to execute. And many times I do it for them so they can see how I want it done. And so…

James (13:10)
that.

RJ Magee (13:16)
Like a good example of that right now is I’m directing Little Shop of Horrors here at Longwood and we open on the 21st of February. So many times I’ll have to get up there with them and act out the scene with them so they get a sense of the energy and the quality that I’m going for. So it’s fun, but it is a lot of work and I don’t have much of a life right now outside of.

of my work because I’m just so dedicated to building this career for myself right

now.

James (13:52)
Yeah, so what surprised you the most about going from being an actor to being on the other side of the table? Yeah.

RJ Magee (14:03)
how much rejection there is. I mean, I knew that as an actor, but I kind of thought it was just me. And like I was the only one getting rejected for things. But looking back, I actually had a little more success than the average person. And it’s just unbelievable how many people we can submit for a project, how many people can audition, make a beautiful self tape or have.

very promising in -person audition and then they never hear anything, you know? I mean, it’s pretty staggering. So that is something that I have to sort of keep in mind every day. And now that we’re in this World War self tapes are so prominent, especially for the first round of auditions, I’m able to see…

the self -tapes before they go to casting. And I’ll watch them and be like, wow, I can’t imagine anyone else being more suited for this role. And then the person won’t even get a callback. So it’s an incredibly saturated market. And now it’s become even a little more national because of self -tapes, they’re able to consider people in other places a little bit more. And that wasn’t always the case. So.

It’s just really hard to get a gig. I mean, if you’re booking anything, you’re kind of one in a million right now, you know?

And there’s way more programs that are graduating actors than there ever were. You know, there’s almost 300 BFA programs in the United States. And when you and I were auditioning for schools, there was maybe a couple dozen at the most. So.

James (15:38)
You think, you think.

Right.

Right. So it’s gotten more saturated and it’s also, there’s other forces like COVID that has hastened the self tape. There’s the actor’s equity opening up. I think that was a big decision too. So.

RJ Magee (16:00)
All right.

Yeah, and you know, COVID closed some theaters. It also made theaters produce some smaller shows so they could recover financially. But yet there’s more actors than ever. So I sometimes feel a little bit bad and depressed for people that are graduating just because I know how difficult of a road.

James (16:26)
Yeah.

Yeah.

RJ Magee (16:38)
they have ahead of them. And as you and I know, you know, many people only stick with it for a couple of years, you know, but they still have this degree that’s very specific to one field. So then it can become very difficult to transition to something else.

James (16:53)
What do you think the key is to longevity in this career, as an actor especially? Yeah.

RJ Magee (16:57)
having something else.

You know, people used to always say, don’t have a fallback plan because you’ll have to fall back on it. But I actually don’t know any professional actors and including ones that are on Broadway and in TV and film that don’t have other things they do to make money. So having other skills is really, really important. And it’s also important that those are skills and jobs that don’t.

make it really difficult for you to pursue your acting career. So, you know, I’m not totally sure what kind of side hustles you’ve had. You know, I know you’re a musician, which is always a great extra skill. But, you know, waitressing and cater waitering and all those things can be tough because it’s late nights. Real estate can be hard.

James (17:59)
hurt. Yeah.

RJ Magee (18:00)
That’s

almost just as much rejection as being an actor. So I think it’s important to have other things that you do, which is actually why I’m kind of a proponent of people getting a minor or double major while they’re in school, because those can be really useful.

James (18:20)
I actually just got my BS in business administration management. Yeah, it was through equity, actually. So they had this program. I think they still have it, but it’s through Union Plus. And I was able to finish my degree. Because I went to acting school in New York. And I went to two years at university in Oregon. But I left to go to a conservatory in New York. And it wasn’t degree granting. So.

RJ Magee (18:25)
Oh, good for you.

Wow.

James (18:49)
But I told myself, so I didn’t finish my degree back then, but I always told myself if it was free and I could go back, like I wouldn’t have an excuse not to do it, you know.

RJ Magee (18:49)
Yeah.

That’s incredible. I’m not familiar with that program. I need to look it up.

James (19:03)
I know, I always tell people about it because I didn’t know and it had existed for five years, I think before COVID. And then obviously COVID kind of drove it up because it’s an all, it’s changed since I was in it, but it’s an all online program. It’s through the Ohio University system.

RJ Magee (19:22)
Wow. Well, congratulations.

James (19:23)
And I know many, thank you, thank you. So yeah, we both graduated in May and it’s, yeah, it’s a.

RJ Magee (19:29)
Awesome.

James (19:32)
It’s really great. And I totally agree about having different skills. And I always tell people the story of, I used to cater a lot too. But it was always like, you could be on Broadway one week and the next week you could be catering. It’s like, easily, this business is nothing if not humbling for people, for most people, I would say.

RJ Magee (19:48)
Easy, huh?

Oh my gosh. I know Broadway actors that take tables on Monday nights, you know, when they’re not on stage. But, you know, that’s a good point that you brought up about the conservatories, the two -year conservatories. And I have some clients from different ones that are amazing, you know, but you don’t have a college degree. So it can be limiting for pursuing other opportunities that aren’t performing, you know.

James (20:03)
Yeah.

RJ Magee (20:25)
I think you would be really well to get an MFA at some point. And there’s some programs that are only a year, so you could not get out in a year.

James (20:34)
Yeah, I think what you did is super smart getting your higher education because that opens you up for so many more things. And I guess like you said, most people go through BFA programs and they move to the city, which isn’t a bad route. I mean, a lot of people take that. But the question then

RJ Magee (20:42)
Yeah.

Right.

James (20:53)
is, and kind of what my site and my, I’m making a course right now for younger actors to kind of bridge that gap between, between,

RJ Magee (21:00)
Probably yes.

James (21:03)
getting out of, between graduating from college and then becoming a working actor. And like, just all the practical stuff about making your actor’s access look good and having an actor website and how do you get an agent and all this stuff. And, uh…

RJ Magee (21:17)
These programs don’t do anything with actors access. I’m like, are you crazy? That’s like the number one way that people get cast in a show.

James (21:24)
I know, I know.

RJ Magee (21:26)
I mean, that is the industry standard is when I’m submitting someone for Broadway, I’m submitting their actor’s access profile to casting. That is what casting is seen. There’s not really any other vehicle that’s currently used.

James (21:34)
Right. Right.

Yeah, and I was just coaching someone yesterday and they were like, do you think it’s worth it to upload to Actors Access or can I just do my website? I’m like, yeah, like totally, you have to, like everything’s done through there, you know? And it’s, you know, you have to deal with their pricing. I mean, it’s a one time, you know, everyone kind of bulks at the pricing of like uploading a minute of footage and stuff, but that’s the price. I mean, it’s a low price if you think about it in terms of.

RJ Magee (22:00)
right.

James (22:08)
what it can do for you if you have good clips.

RJ Magee (22:12)
Yeah, and it’s a very kind of antiquated software too. So people get really sick of having to wrestle with it, but it is the industry standard. If you want to be, especially if you have representation and they’re submitting you and you want to be on HBO or Netflix or Wicked or Disney or whatever, that is the tool that is used, the virtual tool that is used to.

submit actors and set up those auditions and submit the self tapes for the most part.

James (22:41)
Yeah.

I’m curious, because you are you’re an active educator, like, what do you tell your students that are that are moving to New York or another big market after they graduate?

RJ Magee (22:54)
Well,

you know, in New York, I feel like it’s kind of sad a little bit right now. And I don’t know what your experience has been like. But you know, those days of going from appointment to appointment don’t seem like they’re quite as consistent anymore because there is so many things that are done via self -tape. You know, there was nothing more invigorating back in the day than going.

James (23:17)
Right.

RJ Magee (23:22)
to an agent appointment at Ripley and then you have another one at Pearl and then you gotta go downtown for a TV and film audition and then you have your name on an EPA list or an open call. That was really fun. And I know the required calls are in person again, but it doesn’t seem like the initial agent appointments are as, they don’t seem to be happening in person as much.

For a number of reasons and I think one is they realized they could see a lot more people and consider a lot more people Virtually and not have it be Condensed to however many people you can see in a 10 to 6 Day session with an hour lunch break You know, so at Baker we have clients that you know are getting asked to tape for projects that back in the day You know, we were never able to get people seen for in person you know, but

James (24:06)
Right.

RJ Magee (24:19)
You can probably solicit self tapes from as many as three to five times the amount of people that you would have been able to see in person on a

James (24:30)
Yeah,

RJ Magee (24:31)
private invited.

James (24:32)
it’s kind of a double edged sword then because more people get seen but then that’s more people get seen. For every opportunity there’s tons more people being considered which, yeah.

RJ Magee (24:42)
Exactly. Yeah, you know, and it’s a it’s a live art form. So and I feel bad for the TV and film auditions. I don’t know how much you go in for those. But those are always so much fun because the casting people would always try to coach you a little bit and give you a couple of different takes and, you know, try to get takes that had different qualities and acting choices assigned to them. So, you know, you could.

James (25:00)
Right.

RJ Magee (25:11)
sort of give them a little bit of a taste of everything that you could do, but it doesn’t seem like that’s as much the case, at least for the initials. So I kind of feel bad. It’s changed. I guess in some ways it’s good, but I think it’s just a lot, the culture of it is a lot different. I mean, I think when you and I met, we were at agent appointments for something.

So if that were happening now, it probably would not have been the same.

James (25:43)
I’m, yeah. I remember the days where I would go, like you said, to basically five auditions in a single day. And in January, especially, you said six.

RJ Magee (25:51)
Yeah.

I did say that was the mother.

I hit six one day.

James (25:59)
Wow. But this January, I mean, and you know, there used to be a casting season of like January to, what would you say, April or so? I don’t know. Summer, for summer. And then, but this year, January.

RJ Magee (26:07)
Yeah, for summer. Summer won’t. Now I’ll say, or as a manager, sorry to interrupt, the casting season, there isn’t really an audition season. I mean, I’ve had people get called in for Wicked and Waitress, you know, the week before Christmas, you know, it’s just there is a condensed time of the year that’s for summer employment, you know.

James (26:32)
Right. Yeah. But it’s compared to what it used to be. I’m also coming from the I came I was in L .A. for a few years. So I’m kind of relearning the city myself and what comparing to what I used to experience in January. I was like January man there’s so many auditions every theater comes to New York. There was like there’s such a fraction of what there used to be in my from what I remember.

And I don’t know if that’s because of COVID, because all these theaters are closed. It’s because of self -tape. Like I’m trying to figure it out and trying to, yeah, trying to assess out what’s going on because it just seems so low compared to what it used to be. Do you experience that or is that, am I?

RJ Magee (27:16)
Um, I don’t find that the breakdowns are any more or less busy than they’ve been in the past. I can tell you that from a booking perspective, you know, I’m way down. I mean, my people are way down than we ever were. So that’s probably indicative a little bit. Um, but I also, I mean, I have a friend who runs, who owns an agency.

And I, you know, I’m a manager, so we’re a talent management company. So we’re not franchised through any of the unions, but I have a friend that owns a union talent agency. And I mean, they’re posting bookings every day, you know, six, seven people in one tour alone. I mean, that’s thousands of dollars in commission, you know? I mean, that can be very lucrative, you know, five or six people.

doing Grease on Royal Caribbean, just that one production, you know, probably a thousand dollars in commission each every week, just on those people. So if there’s anyone out there that’s looking to get into representation, you know, you really want to examine what the jobs are that pay the most and that are hiring the most and find actors that are competitive for those types of opportunities.

So right now, you know, cruises are a place where people can work and make a lot of money and they’re having auditions all the time. Non -union tours, you know, don’t pay that well, but if you can get a couple people in a non -union tour, then that could look kind of lucrative. But, you know, there’s only certain actors that will do either of those things and there’s only certain actors that are competitive for those kinds of jobs because they’re a very specific sort of skill set, you know.

in terms of look, in terms of vocal ability, in terms of dance skill, to be on the Mean Girls national tour, in the ensemble. I mean, that’s dancing that not any of just every, any old kid with a BFA musical theater can do. That’s very advanced hip hop and jazz choreography, at least in my opinion. So it’s tricky.

James (29:23)
Right.

kind of jumping from that, kind of going off that, like, I’m a big proponent of special skills, like you said, I’ve done music a lot as a musician and singer. And what is your view of that? Because I always tell people, like, you need to have as many skills as you can. I mean, think, what did you grow up doing? Did you grow up and did you go to dance class? Did you?

RJ Magee (29:44)
Yeah.

James (29:58)
playing an instrument? Are you an artist, like a visual artist? I mean, basically anything, but those two things are really big in the industry for musical theater, obviously.

RJ Magee (30:00)
Uh huh.

Well, you’re absolutely right. An actor musician is in fact the people that are actor musicians on my roster work the most out of anyone because those shows are continuing. They’re being produced often, probably for the same reasons that we’re talking about, because they are cheaper to produce because the actors are the musicians. You know, once it seems like I’m sending people for once, once every couple of weeks, you know, Buddy Holly.

James (30:34)
Right.

RJ Magee (30:37)
And then there’s all these revivals that are actor musician sort of generated. So it’s an amazing skill to have. Something that always hurt my acting career was I’m not a strong musician. I don’t have strong musicianship skills. So if you do, that can be an incredible asset.

You know, but also I’ve met a couple actors recently that are doing really well with being able to bring a little bit more to the table. Like they can do social media for the theater. They can do wigs for the theater. They can do seamstress work for the theater. You know, so anything that you can do outside of singing, dancing and acting can be really beneficial.

They can be a dance captain, they can be an assistant choreographer. They can help with music, they can help do sectional work. Take all the sopranos and sit down at a piano and go over their parts. So…

James (31:53)
And that’s part of making yourself indispensable to the company. Yeah.

RJ Magee (31:56)
Exactly, exactly.

James (32:02)
From being a casting director too, what makes an actor stand out to you during an audition?

RJ Magee (32:11)
Well, you know, I think the most common answer is preparation. And you would think that most people are really prepared, but that’s not always the case. And I think actually a lot of people are prepared, but then they get nervous and then they don’t look like they’re as prepared. You know, having this feeling of being seasoned and experienced, which is a difficult thing to teach.

But I try to do it with my students, even if they aren’t experienced, there’s sort of tricks to make an actor come across as looking like they know what they’re doing. It’s hard because it’s sort of a vibe. It’s an essence. It’s how you respond to the people in the room, how you introduce yourself, how you come into the room, how you work with the accompanist, what material you choose, how you present that material.

James (32:52)
Like what?

RJ Magee (33:10)
You know, I’ve just seen a lot of really awkward, like scared early career actors during my time as a casting director, you know, and it’s just really evident, even if someone has a pretty good voice, you know, it’s just evident when they don’t have a lot of experience, you know.

James (33:30)
Would you say that’s like confidence and being prepared as far as like even rehearsing the whole audition process?

RJ Magee (33:33)
Yeah, and, and it’s also like how you interact with the people behind the table, like not being weird and awkward. And I know, and again, it’s like, we say these things, but I think people think like, oh, duh, like, that’s really obvious. But, but then we continue to see it like all the time, you know, so, um, interpersonal skills are like really important. You know, honestly, the people who work the most are the people who are.

really easy to work with, kind, down to earth, just like real human beings. Yeah, not that weird actor, narcissism or neurosis. I mean, I’ve done a lot of shows with people who were very difficult to work with. And…

James (34:13)
Yeah, not always on, not performing as a person.

RJ Magee (34:30)
I wouldn’t bring them in for anything and I wouldn’t recommend them for anything. And in fact, there’s been a few people that I’ve reached out to producers and said, listen, it’s not worth it. Do not to hire that person. They’re going to end up causing way more problems for you than they would actually offering their talents to the show. You want to use them in, you know, I don’t know what your experience like that has been, but there’s a lot of actors that, that aren’t, that just aren’t that much fun to work with. You know, they make for.

James (34:43)
Right.

Yes.

RJ Magee (34:59)
annoying or unpleasant work environment.

James (35:03)
I say leave the drama on the stage. The process shouldn’t be dramatic. The result should be the drama on the stage. I’m always about just being a person. Just be a person. Be a good person. Show up. And I don’t know about you, but people have told me throughout my career, as a way to combat what you’re saying about coming into the room more confidently, some people say, oh, come in like it’s…

RJ Magee (35:06)
Yeah.

Exactly.

James (35:32)
like you’re having a good day, like act as if you’re having one of the best days of your life or, you know, it’s like, there are some tricks, I think some psychological tricks, because like you said, people get nervous in auditions. I get nervous in auditions. I don’t know if you ever did, but, or do, but like, it’s, it’s part of it, but you know, there’s, there’s a lot of like reframing that you can do of like saying, I’m not nervous. I’m excited and stuff like that. And I’m excited that it’s going to go well and stuff like that. And I think,

RJ Magee (35:55)
Yeah.

James (36:02)
those can be helpful to people.

RJ Magee (36:04)
Yeah, and being calm, you know, it’s interesting when people feel vulnerable and when they feel nervous, when they feel exposed, you know, they can say and do things that are just a little bit abrasive, you know, and so it’s important to honestly, that’s why a big part of my career when I graduated was I want to go to as many auditions as possible. So I get used to what.

nerves in my body and in my mind feel like and I’m used to that and I know how to sort of take those on and apply them to the performance that I’m doing, etc. So repetition, going on as many auditions as possible, putting yourself in that environment, you know, it’s a sensory experience as well, you know, I mean, Pearl’s being a Pearl Studios, I don’t know, whatever they use to clean it, there’s like a smell, you know, the

fluorescent lighting, how you sing with a live accompanist in specific spaces makes a big difference. There’s some rooms that are really live, there are some rooms that are really dead. And then being able to do your work regardless of what the energy of the people behind the table are giving you is also a big piece of it. Most of the time they look like they’d rather be dead than where they are at that moment. So,

you can’t let that inform your acting or singing choices either. So, and then there’s all the weird people you meet, you know, in the holding room and in line and so there’s just a lot that can easily throw you. And so I think going on as many auditions as possible is actually a good way to dissipate that a little bit, you know, but ultimately what stands out the most as someone who’s really, really right for what

my client is looking for, you

know, someone who’s really, really right for the role. That is, I think, what really grabs people the most. And that’s out of our control as actors.

James (38:10)
I was talking with, yeah, I had the chance to talk with Jamie Beth Margolis and she’s a great casting director, just did Harmony on Broadway. And she was telling me about how basically that, you know, obviously casting directors work on different projects at the same time. Like they can have one thing and you come in for that, but you’re not right.

RJ Magee (38:18)
Oh yeah.

James (38:41)
And I think people forget that. They forget I was talking with another actor and they were like, Oh, I don’t want to go to EPAs anymore. I don’t want to go to the ECCs. And I’m like, you’re not going for the show. I mean, you are, but you’re also going for the person that’s casting it and they could be casting something else. Like that, that is, I don’t know. I don’t know what your opinion is on this, but mine has always been like net people. Like, how do you network in this industry? And I’m like, you show up, you show up to auditions. You do good work. I mean,

RJ Magee (38:51)
Mm -hmm.

Right.

James (39:09)
What are you gonna do? Like, are you gonna, I mean, you can also do the extra, like, you can send postcards to people and you can, there’s events, I’m sure. I never was big into that. I don’t know. Parties, opening nights, yeah.

RJ Magee (39:16)
in.

Yeah, opening nights and stuff. Yeah, I mean, doing good work in the room is the most that you can ask for. Because then you know, if you don’t get the role or you don’t get a callback, that at least you did everything that you could do. And trust me, just because you give a lovely audition,

doesn’t necessarily mean that they liked it because this is such a subjective field. It’s not Jamie Beth who tells this story. There’s another casting director who always uses this analogy and I think it’s really good. She could show the same actor to three creative teams. One creative team says they sing sharp, one says they sing flat and one says they’re the best singer they’ve ever heard in their life. So people in our business,

in this art form for whatever reason are very opinionated. I mean, I had some colleagues come and watch my show the other night, a run through, you know, and, oh, I liked this person. Oh, I didn’t like this person. Oh, you thought she was good. I thought she was terrible. Oh, I thought she was amazing. You know, so that’s another part of our field that’s really difficult. You know, it’s art. So it’s super, super, super subjective. And so going in and doing your absolute best is…

James (40:41)
Right.

RJ Magee (40:46)
the most

you can do aside from keeping up your skillset, you know, as a singer, taking classes, seeing shows, that I think is always really, really helpful. Going to as many auditions as possible. You know, auditions are really the only thing that we have to keep up our skills as a performer, right? So if we’re not auditioning and we’re not doing a show, we’re not really doing anything, you know?

James (41:14)
Yeah, I mean, there’s classes, you can take classes obviously too. But auditions are, but the thing is that I’m always thinking about is like, auditions are a different skill than performing to me. Like it’s different than being in a show because you don’t have all the elements of a show. You don’t have lights and costumes and sound and weeks of rehearsal. You’re giving them a taste of what it could be like, you know, if they don’t know you already. And…

it’s so important to just show up and like, and that auditioning is a difference. It’s a similar skill than performing, but it’s not the exact same as being in a show. And you have to be able to compensate.

RJ Magee (41:56)
Yeah, I try to look at it as it’s my show. It’s like my solo show. You know what I mean? So this is the one time where I can do something that is very well prepared, especially if it’s from my own repertoire, material that I really believe in that I know I sound great on or that I know I’m super connected to. I have a usually a wonderful collaborative accompanist there. And I have people behind the table who have to sit there and watch and that

James (42:02)
Mm, right. Yeah.

RJ Magee (42:26)
I hope are like informed theater artists, you know, that enjoy seeing something presented for them that I have confidence in. So I think there is a way to sort of mentally make that connection a little bit. And then also on the flip side, you know, we see all these people lined up at these open calls and these EPAs and stuff. And I just have a really hard time believing that all those people,

James (42:43)
Right.

RJ Magee (42:54)
are ready to be showing their work to whoever it is that’s behind the table. In fact, I know that most of them are not actually ready for that. So I think that’s something you see a lot is, is people go to a lot of auditions, they do the whole thing, and really the work they’re putting out there is not…

it’s making a not a good reputation for them. Like, you know, they they’re doing things that is that they’re actually going to be counterintuitive to their career down the line. Like, it’s really difficult to get casting directors call to call someone in that they’ve seen before that they didn’t think were good. You know, even if it was at an EPA. I mean, people shoot themselves in the foot a lot by going to all these EPAs and giving mediocre auditions.

James (43:38)
Wow. Right.

RJ Magee (43:47)
because if I submit you to that same casting director and the EPA audition was pretty weak, they’re not gonna schedule you for an appointment for another project, you know? That’s actually to me where the required calls are the best. The most useful is you go in, you do something lovely, and then I submit you for a project that that casting director is doing, and Jamie Beth or Holly or…

James (43:57)
Right.

RJ Magee (44:13)
Rachel or Mary, they go, oh my gosh, I remember him. I think I saw him at something a couple of weeks ago. He was awesome. I’ll definitely schedule him for this, you know? So I think that’s more of a right.

James (44:21)
Right. So it’s synergistic in that way as far as I think even myself, I get into this frame, I’m like, I don’t want to go to EPAs or, you know, like it’s, but I know other people feel that way too, that they don’t want to do it and that it can all lead into something else and something better. Like it’s all grist for the mill as one of my acting teachers used to say.

as far as like, it all can feed into itself, you know, and like you going to the CPA could help you be called in for a different show, like you just said.

RJ Magee (45:01)
Yeah, but I think it is important to have representation for that synergy to kind of pay off.

RJ Magee (45:09)
So yeah, I’m a big proponent actually of required calls and open calls and pay to plays, but I think you need an agent submitting you concurrently for other projects that that casting director is working on because ultimately they don’t often, and this has changed with self tapes, they don’t often actually call in people who they haven’t seen before and whose work they haven’t responded to positively in the past.

Now I found with the self tapes, they cast a wider net, you know, and so they’ll take chances on soliciting a tape from someone that they’re maybe not as familiar with. But when it was scheduling, you know, appointments on a 10 to six audition day, it was most of people that they’d seen before in some capacity and liked. So I think it’s important that both of those things happen at the same time. You know, I’m not a big proponent in general. I think you asked, you know, what do I tell people?

they’re going to move to the city, you know, you really need representation. You know, I just don’t, I’m not really sure how it can happen for someone unless they have legit representation with an agent or a manager.

James (46:19)
and how do early career actors get them?

RJ Magee (46:23)
Well, they can email me at helpmehelpyougetrep at gmail .com and I can do it. I have a whole system that I’ve come up with that I’ve been doing this for over 10 years, coaching actors on getting representation. And I essentially chat with them about their career trajectory. And then we write a cover letter and then they submit that cover letter to about 200 agents and managers in New York city and New Jersey. And.

James (46:28)
There you go.

RJ Magee (46:52)

wait to see what kind of responses they get. But my success rate is about, it’s close to a hundred percent. I mean, it’s been rare that someone hasn’t gotten anything out of it. Now I don’t endorse or do anything like in terms of standing behind the representatives that they submit to. Like it’s just helping you get the deal with the agent or the manager.

James (47:22)
So by 100 % you mean they’ve been represented 100 % or like that you’ve gone,

RJ Magee (47:22)
What happens after that?

James (47:28)
is that what you mean?

RJ Magee (47:30)
100 % of the people who have done this have secured representation, close to 100 % have secured representation with an agent or a manager. However, that doesn’t mean that 100 % of those agent, client or manager client relationships have, you know, led to some fabulous Broadway or TV and film booking. You know, I can only help you get the representative to bring you on as a client.

James (47:34)
Wow. Right.

RJ Magee (47:58)

What happens after that is not something that I have any control over, obviously. Some of them have gotten agents and managers and it hasn’t, the relationship kind of fizzled out. But I just got a text from a client, someone that did this about a year ago who said they got a manager, they just got a self -tape for the Ann Juliet tour. It’s all of his dream.

James (48:12)
That’s awesome.

RJ Magee (48:25)

opportunities are coming to fruition. So I have a lot of success stories, you know, I don’t actually think.

James (48:31)
What are some tips that you would give someone?

RJ Magee (48:36)
you want to essentially outline all of the things that you’re right for that are actively casting. So that is both plays and musicals that are done often and then shows on Broadway and on tour that are not going away anytime soon, you know, or. Yeah, so.

James (48:59)
basically make it as easy as possible for them to know where to put you.

RJ Magee (49:04)
You know, let’s, I mean, I’m just going to spitball. What are some shows that are being done all the time right now, regionally? I’ll ask you, what are, throw a couple out.

James (49:12)
Um, I know, well for my niche, like million dollar quartet is done everywhere.

RJ Magee (49:19)
Yeah, that one’s not never going away once isn’t going away. Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals are not going away. Disney musicals are not going away. Waitress is now a title that a lot of places are doing. Beautiful is one that is never going to go away. Mamma Mia is never going to go away. So I would have you hairspray grease. I would have you in your cover letter, write all the tracks that you’re suitable for in those shows.

James (49:30)
Beautiful, yeah.

Hairspray, yeah.

RJ Magee (49:46)

Then we look at Broadway and touring wicked never going away. So can you be a role in wicked? I would have you write that down wicked is often in casting sessions They put out breakdowns every couple months usually Can you be in Lion King? Can you be in? What else is a lot well, I would have said Phantom but that’s gone now Book of Mormon, I go Hamilton

James (50:10)
Book of Mormon, I guess is long. Hamilton.

RJ Magee (50:15)
I would have you list all the things that you could do in those shows if there are tracks that you’re appropriate for. Then we also do what’s called your almost resume. So you list things that you’ve been up for that you didn’t get or positive relationships with other casting directors, people that are giving you good feedback, people that have called you in on a regular basis. And then I also have you list celebrities that you’re similar to. So they get a sense of

your.

essentially your brand, you know. So let’s say we were doing it for James, you know. We could say he’s got a little bit of Gavin Creel, but he’s also got a little bit of, you know, Brad Pitt, and he’s got a little bit of Chris Pine and Chris Evans, and also who’s the guy who is…

beautiful noise, playing that role. Audra McDonald’s husband, Will Swenson.

You know, that’s sort of, yeah, that’s how I would, you know, that’s how I write the cover letters, essentially, using information provided by, you know, the person that I’m working with. And then we just send them out. So it’s not very targeted though. It’s like to anyone who is an agent or a manager, because to me, it’s hard to do targeted when it comes to searching for representation, because you don’t know who’s actually looking at that moment.

James (51:24)
I’ll take those, those are very kind, yeah.

Yeah, that’s.

RJ Magee (51:50)

So I think it’s better to cast a wide net. I think in general, it’s better to cast a wider net as an actor than to be really targeted. I know that there are coaches and stuff who are like, let’s really get specific about what you want to do. And that’s fine, but it just seems like the more specific you are, the better chance you have of not working. You know, I was always this actor, I’d rather work than not work.

James (52:15)
Right, and people think, and, right, I mean obviously you want, ideally you’d have one amazing agent your whole career, but not everyone has that too, so it’s not like it’s a permanent decision, I would say, as far as like who you’re working with. It goes both ways, I mean they can drop you, you can drop them, I mean, you know, it’s a business of relationships, and what I tell people

is,

I mean, the way that I’ve gotten most of my agents is through friends, basically, you know, but your way is cool too. I mean, it’s all about who you know too, but the way you do it is very helpful as far as speaking their language, you know.

RJ Magee (52:55)
Yeah, I mean, that’s just one way that, you know, I work with actors that are looking for representation. But at Baker, I mean, I’ve gotten people from showcases, from referrals, from the best clients I have are people that I acted opposite. And most of the people that I work with, I’ve been working with for years, you know, and some of them haven’t booked something in years, but I know that they’ll always at least put together.

quality self tape. I know they’ll always go to the audition. They’ll be prepared. That is much more.

James (53:26)
Is that different as a manager versus an agent? Do managers mainly have more patience, do you think? Or what do you think the difference is?

RJ Magee (53:34)
Well, I would say really there is that much of a difference besides the union affiliations. I consider myself pretty hands -on with my clients. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t agents that aren’t hands -on as well. I mean, I’ll text with people about, what are you going to say? What are you going to wear?

James (53:54)
Right.

I would say it’s more, isn’t it more about a numbers thing? Like if you have 200 clients, or I don’t know how many agents have, but if they have a lot more clients, there’s less time to work with each client, right? But if you’re a manager, generally you have fewer

RJ Magee (54:00)
like this class.

Right. Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely we’re a boutique office for sure. So yeah, but I mean, the most that we do for people is get you an audition. That is like a primary goal. You know, how you do in the audition has we don’t have anything to do with that.

James (54:11)
clients.

But you would, yeah.

Right, it’s up to you.

Well, you only get, I don’t know what percent you take. Okay, yeah, so you take 10%, so you should do 90 % of the work, which is showing up and doing kick and

RJ Magee (54:34)
10%.

Yeah. And something people have to be cognizant of is 10 % of the gross of something doesn’t sound like that much, but it actually can be, after taxes and stuff, can be pretty sizable. And theater doesn’t pay that well. So if you’re going into that agreement with an agent or a manager, you have to be ready to pay. And.

James (54:43)
butt.

RJ Magee (55:09)
Theater salaries have really stayed the same in the last 20 years for the most part. I mean, a lot of the theaters are paying the exact same that they’ve been paying for years, especially for non -union. So, and in fact, a lot of the non -union tours, the salaries have gone down. So if you’re gonna work with an agent or a manager and try to get one of those gigs through us, we can be very helpful in getting you in the door.

but then you’re gonna have a big bill at the end, you know, because on top of taxes and union dues and all the things that get taken out of our paychecks, you’ll also be getting 10 % of the gross taken out and given to us. So it’s not easy, you know?

James (55:56)
It’s not easy, but for, like you said, do you recommend that early career actors, like, you should try and immediately get an agent, or you think build up a resume before?

RJ Magee (56:04)
Yes, I think you should always getting an agent should always be the first priority. In addition to building up your resume. I mean, it should be both, you know, and you can have an agent while building up your resume. I’m a proponent and I think you and I are different in that our trajectory was a little bit different. I think you’ve been a union member for a long time, haven’t you? Yeah.

James (56:04)
Okay.

True. Yeah.

Yeah, about 10 years, more than 10 years.

RJ Magee (56:29)
So I have never joined and I haven’t even gotten EMC points since I was in high school. So I have worked at Equity Theaters, but I am not a union member. For me, that has been the right choice because I always just wanted to work. I wanted to build up my resume, play roles, do professional theater, but I didn’t necessarily need to feel like I was.

only successful if I was in the union doing it, you know. So as I’m approaching, I’m turning 35 in May. I mean, my feelings on that are a little bit different, but on the flip side, they’re really not. I would rather do a production a couple of times a year with a great director and great cast and get to perform and get something on my resume.

James (57:01)
Yeah.

RJ Magee (57:25)
and not make as much money as my union counterparts, you know, but I’m also in a different demographic. You know, I get benefits through my job at Longwood, you know, so health insurance isn’t as important to me as it is to other, you know, union equity members.

James (57:43)
What do you tell early career actors in New York who, they just got to the city, they study musical theater or theater, and the non -union world, I’ve been told, is very difficult right now, as far as people signing up the night before on their lists, and they sign up all their friends, and they want to join the union just because

RJ Magee (58:08)
world is always like that.

James (58:09)
it’s true. That has been how it’s always been.

but I remember being on UNIT and it was difficult and it was, and I remember showing up to tons of EPAs and never getting seen and, or getting seen and never getting a role and what do you think they should do?

RJ Magee (58:25)
Well, I think EMC, the EMC program, which actually may not even exist. So I don’t know why I’m talking about it, because I know there’s been a lot of changes in the union. That was always great for me, because you could get seen at equity auditions ahead of non -union members, but you still were non -union. So it was sort of like you could have your toes in both worlds. I do know that that Agma loophole still exists, where you can join Agma and be seen at EPAs as if you were

and actor’s equity member, but you’re still non -union. And whoever pulled that off, you know, I’m a…

James (58:59)
It’s like the phi core of the equity world. Like I never heard of that actually.

RJ Magee (59:03)
Yeah, I don’t know how that got passed by whoever was in charge because I know people that, you know, did it and…

really, it really paid off for their career, you know, because they were getting seen at equity appointments for equity regional theaters that didn’t have time to see non -union that, you know, their appointment slots were full, their EPA, there was too many people, too many union members, they weren’t going to be able to see EMC or non -union. But as an Agma slash not an equity member,

these colleagues of mine were able to get themselves in front of these producers and thus be considered for that theater’s non -union contracts, which all equity theaters have non -union contracts. So the people that did it were really able to take advantage of it, but I’m not sure where it stands right now, but I think it might be now, you have to wait a year before you can take advantage of that.

of that benefit as an AGMA member. And again, it all costs money. Joining all these unions costs money. But anyone now can join equity. But I would advise against it for most recent graduates. I think the best thing to do is keep yourself as open as possible to getting any kind of performing job. And also, I think people think,

Oh, I need to join the union so that I can audition at EPAs and ECCs. Well, as we’ve said on this podcast, that’s not necessarily like the end all and be all to getting cast in a show. You know, it looks like that because that’s what’s publicized publicly. But it’s not really where like the real casting takes place for those projects necessarily. You know, it seems like more and more the EPAs.

James (01:00:58)
Right.

RJ Magee (01:01:03)
The required calls for the Broadway shows, when they are, doesn’t have any correlation to when the appointments for replacements are. I mean, it’s crazy to me. It’s like two totally different schedules. Well, the replacement casting process, it has no schedule, because it’s based on when people leave. So there isn’t necessarily a direct correlation between required calls and replacement agent appointments.

James (01:01:21)
Right.

RJ Magee (01:01:33)
So to join the union just for that benefit, I don’t think is the right path for most recent graduates. In fact, I think everyone should be going to like UPDAT, United Professional Theater Auditions in Memphis. That’s where most of my work as a recent graduate came from, all over the country, theaters all over the country. But it’s a non -union event for the most part. It’s not for non -union actors and non -union.

producing entities.

James (01:02:05)
I’ve heard of that, yeah. Did you ever do straw hats? Or do you know if straw hats is

RJ Magee (01:02:09)
I did Straw Hats once. I do not know if it’s still around anymore. I know Midwest Theater Auditions is gone. But then I know there’s some also there’s also some new ones that have popped up. But to me, UPDOT has always been sort of the gold standard. It’s the most attended because it’s like 80, 90 companies. And you can only do it. Yeah, definitely worth doing to any.

James (01:02:09)
still a thing?

It’s worth doing, for sure.

RJ Magee (01:02:35)
listeners, but I think it’s a senior year college and beyond. So if you’re looking to get summer stock, like as a freshman through junior, you have to look at some of these other combined audition events. But those are really interesting on their own in terms of how to prepare for them, because Upto is a strict 90 second song and monologue. So to find material that works in that abbreviated amount of time.

can be tough as well. And also I think there’s a temperature to those kinds of auditions that works better than doing really dramatic work. So if I’m coaching someone for one of those auditions, I say, what can we do to get them to really laugh? Because it seems like that catches people’s attention more than something that’s really grounded and vulnerable and exposed.

Also, those auditions are in theaters. They’re on a stage of a theater and the company reps are sitting in the audience. So there’s a level of sort of physical engagement and energy and aura that you need to have that’s different from auditioning, you know, in Pearl Studios. So it’s its own beast in and of itself.

James (01:03:57)
wanted to kind of change tacks a little bit and just ask you about social media and do you see like how that’s changed the landscape? Does that has that affected your how your clients book at all? Like if they’re a TikTok star or

RJ Magee (01:04:10)
Well, you know, it’s important when it’s important and it’s not important when it’s not important. I mean, yes, we’ve seen TikTok stars getting cast and shows and TV shows and Broadway shows. And I’m sure that isn’t going to be going away anytime soon. You know, I have worked on castings as a casting director looking for influencers and people that had large social media followings. That was sort of the specific.

James (01:04:10)
anything like that.

RJ Magee (01:04:41)
criteria for those castings, you know, but other than that, it doesn’t, I don’t notice it as something that comes into play very often, you know, so if you’re someone who isn’t into social media and getting thousands of followers, you know, I don’t think you need to feel like you’re not gonna book work, you know, because I don’t notice it being a huge deciding factor, except when they’re like, okay, we want like a,

influencer, you know, that’s

James (01:05:11)
Is there a certain type of project that looks for

influencers more?

RJ Magee (01:05:15)
Well, you know, hostane. I don’t know, I see them. I see them pop up once in a while, but not that often, honestly. Hostane is probably the biggest one.

James (01:05:27)
I don’t know if it’s, I’d be curious if it’s, because I was in LA and obviously I think it might be more of a thing out there, but maybe not, maybe it’s similar.

RJ Magee (01:05:37)
Yeah, and, you know, I am not a TV and film casting expert. Like, I’ve had clients on TV shows and in movies, but I am, you know, not super comfortable giving out like a lot of feedback and advice about like how to be on a TV show. You know, I know that I can submit you for one if you are represented by me on breakdowns express, you know, but beyond that, I’m not like an expert on

how all of that goes down. As an actor, I was on hold for a couple episodics and stuff. And I’ve been on TV and I’ve been on reality shows, but it’s just my knowledge base is definitely like theater and musical theater. And in that realm, I haven’t encountered like, oh, how many followers do they have? That hasn’t been a huge part of the discussion, except this one.

Casting job that I worked on that was not theater It was a talk show and they were looking for guests that had a lot of followers

So that was you know, a big part of the process so if you’re into social media and you want to like be Famous on social media go for it if you’re not but you still want to be a professional actor You know, I wouldn’t say that you’re gonna you know, I wouldn’t be like I wouldn’t discourage you Yeah

James (01:06:41)
Okay.

Yeah, it can’t hurt, you know? Yeah.

I would say focus on the basics first, right? Like, just get your materials up there.

RJ Magee (01:07:05)
Yeah, focus on being a great actor. And if your passion for social media evolves at some point, then that’s fine. But that’s not a prerequisite to being a professional actor, you know?

But I love, I think social media is good for networking, actually, keeping up with people, what they’re doing, you know, what they’re working on. I do, I mean, I’m on all of them, but Facebook and Instagram, I guess, are the ones where I really go to find out like, what someone is up to, you know, if they’re in a show. Yeah. A personal program. Facebook friends. Yeah, I mean, that’s how you and I connected to do this podcast, you

James (01:07:25)
Oh really?

Which one, LinkedIn or just Instagram?

like their personal profile or like a public facing? Oh, okay, okay. So Facebook friends basically, okay.

RJ Magee (01:07:50)
know.

That wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t Facebook friends. You know, we hadn’t seen each other in a long time. So that’s where it comes into play for me. And I do spend a lot of time on them because it’s important for me as a casting person to kind of know what people are up to, you know, who’s working, where are they working? What are they up to? Are they taking class? You know, and I know.

James (01:07:54)
Right. Yeah.

How do you recommend, do you recommend, do you recommend, I mean, like, LinkedIn, I think Michael Kisara made a joke about LinkedIn being like, that’s how I find all my cast, basically. Like, okay, I was

RJ Magee (01:08:22)
Oh, I love LinkedIn, but not for finding actors necessarily. Although a lot of actors.

James (01:08:24)
gonna ask, yeah.

Right. But is there a way that like, if it’s, if you don’t know someone personally, like, is there a way that’s not weird to reach out to someone on social media? Like do a casting or?

RJ Magee (01:08:38)
I think reaching out to them, you know, some people will respond well and some people won’t, you know. I’m never gonna think less of someone for reaching out to me on social media. I mean, on LinkedIn, I get a million messages from actors all the time. I don’t, and they’re usually voiceover people, which I don’t, I guess I’m not really sure why that is, but a lot of voiceover people have LinkedIn’s.

James (01:08:56)
Really? Okay.

RJ Magee (01:09:07)
LinkedIn has been great for me for like myself getting jobs in the entertainment industry, you know. You know, but if you want to try to get in touch with like a CAA agent or a UTA agent, I mean, they all have LinkedIn’s, you know, I have a feeling they probably get just as many messages from random actors as I do, they probably get a lot more. You know, but yeah, social media, it takes up a lot of time, you know, I’m

getting tired of everyone just being on their phones all the time. I mean, there’s a lot of things about it that are really depressing. I mean, we’ve totally lost our sense of social engagement, you know, and just being in the moment. But in terms of keeping up with people, I think it’s amazing.

James (01:09:54)
Yeah, I mean, the opportunity there to keep up with people is great. I’m kind of on Instagram more now, and I kind of like that too. I mean, the platforms are always changed, I think. I mean, there’s new ones coming up every day, and it’s just a matter of, you have to know, yeah, you have to get to know people on a personal basis. Like, I just try and talk to people at auditions that I don’t know, because, yeah, because you know that you have something in common.

RJ Magee (01:10:17)
Oh yeah.

James (01:10:22)
I mean, I talk to other actors and then you find out that they do more than acting and just be a person, I think.

RJ Magee (01:10:30)
I’ve had some amazing contacts from people that I’ve met at auditions. I’ve gotten people cast in shows that I’ve met at auditions. I’ve gotten referrals from people that I’ve met at auditions. You know, you’re sitting there, you go, Oh, you’ve worked there. I would love to work there. Oh, well, I know they’re still looking for so and so in this show, you should email them. Yeah, tell them, you know, that we met and I’ll get you know, you can use my name. That’s fine. I mean, that happens a lot, you know. So I’m all about.

James (01:10:34)
Yeah.

Yeah, I know. It’s a smaller world than people think, I think. And people usually, especially if you meet in person, it’s not just like you’re randomly sending a friend request on Facebook, you know? It’s like you were in the same place and I don’t know, it’s just more organic, I think. So, just about showing up.

RJ Magee (01:11:01)
Oh yeah.

Absolutely. So I encourage people to use social media to keep people informed about what they’re doing and, you know, what they’re up to. And, you know, I mean, honestly, I’ve seen people write, hey, I’m out of work for the next couple of months. Does anyone know of anything? And honestly, I’ve seen positive results from that, you know.

James (01:11:36)
I see that all the time actually, yeah. Maybe not just for actors, other people in the industry too though.

RJ Magee (01:11:42)
Yeah. Yeah. So use it all. Use every tool at your disposal, you know.

James (01:11:48)
Yeah, and be social. I wouldn’t say I’m the most extroverted person, but I try and be social, and just in your own way, I think. Be authentically you.

RJ Magee (01:11:57)
Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, going out and meeting people, which is kind of a lost art, especially in New York is still something that, you know, people do. I mean, New York is a city for people who are outgoing, you know, like people move to New York because they like meeting interesting, unique people, you know.

sort of like the impetus for why a lot of people end up in New York City. It’s for like the outcasts, you know, from everywhere else. So it’s a great city for networking for sure, you know, but it can be exhausting and not every, you know, networking opportunity is going to pay off and result in a job or something. But you know, again, you have to literally try everything and anything.

James (01:12:54)
You have to be pounding the pavement. And it means not just showing up to auditions, but your whole life. Structure your life in a way that, like you said, do a survival job that is flexible. Think about how you want your career to be.

RJ Magee (01:12:57)
Right.

Yep.

classes, marketing materials, you know, keeping up your skills, acting, singing, if you dance, if you do instruments, you know, getting making sure, you know, keeping up with private lessons or whatever, you know, and all that costs money too. So it’s like, I mean, this is not an easy gig by any stretch of the imagination. So you do really have to love it to do it. But I also think that people think you…

James (01:13:11)
Yep.

RJ Magee (01:13:38)
can’t do other things concurrently and I have found that not to be true. I think it’s actually right. Thank you. But I’m not the only one, so I encourage people

James (01:13:43)
Well, you’re proof of that. You do so much concurrently.

Yeah, well like you said earlier, everyone does something else, no matter where you are in the industry. I mean, Ryan Reynolds has Mint Mobile. He’s not just acting. And you know what, that can be a positive thing. It doesn’t have to be a negative thing. You can have so many interests.

RJ Magee (01:14:01)
Yeah.

I’ll never forget, and her name is escaping me, but she was in Beetlejuice and she was in that show that it was like a farce and Jason Alexander directed it over the summer. The name is escaping me. Anyway, she’s been original Broadway cast of a couple different companies. And I mean, I’m almost positive she still has her 20 hours a week.

James (01:14:27)
forget what it’s

RJ Magee (01:14:39)
like

personal assistant job throughout all of it, you know, there’s, I mean, a million, a million stories like that. So it’s important when you, you know, that you find something that you actually really love so that it doesn’t feel like it’s so much a diversion from performing, you know, like honestly, my survival job was talent managing for a long time. So that never felt like.

something I was doing that was just sort of wasting away my time and my abilities, you know? It was something that was inherently connected to performing.

James (01:15:23)
Awesome. Well, we’ve talked about so many amazing things and I really appreciate you coming on the podcast.

RJ Magee (01:15:31)
Thank you so much. It was so nice to reconnect with you. And I’m so proud of how well you’re doing. And I wanted to plug the reality show that I’m on. And it’s streaming on Broadway On Demand and Revry, which is actually a free streaming platform, R -E -V -R -Y. And it’s called Theality TV, T -H -E -A -L -I -T -Y TV.

James (01:15:35)
know. Thank you.

Please. Yes.

RJ Magee (01:15:58)
and it is a reality show about the making of an off -Broadway musical. We completed principal photography on Valentine’s Day of 2020. And so it is a great binge watch and it’s all the things that you would expect from a reality show about the theater business. It’s funny, it’s disturbing, it’s dramatic.

It’s all those things, Michael Mustos on it, Fred Rosser, first openly gay wrestler in the WWE, lots of familiar New York actors. So I’m trying to get more people to check out the show because if you like Jury Duty and Tiger King and Cheer, I think you’d really like Theality TV.

James (01:16:49)
check that out. Is there any other way for people to get in contact with you?

RJ Magee (01:16:54)
I can always be reached at rjmcgcasting at gmail .com, rjmcgcasting on Facebook, add me on Facebook, rjmcg, Instagram, rjforthewin, exclamation point, mcgrj at longwind .edu, careercoachane, helpmehelpyougetrep at gmail .com. They all go to the same place. So I would love to hear from anyone who’d love to chat.

James (01:17:21)
Awesome. Well, thank you so much. It’s really good to have. It’s amazing. I mean, yeah, I think your career has been just endlessly productive and fascinating. And I think the fact that you’re such a multifaceted person in this industry is a big reason why I wanted to have you on. So thank you so much for sharing.

RJ Magee (01:17:40)
Well, thank you. And I appreciate all of your listeners for checking in. And now I’m off to Little Shop rehearsal.

James (01:17:49)
All right. All right. All right. You

RJ Magee (01:17:51)
Have a good evening.

James (01:17:53)
too.