The Spotlight Podcast is for actors and performers navigating the performing arts and entertainment industry. Brought to you by Spotlight, the home of casting, our monthly podcast shares practical tips and expert advice for building and sustaining a successful performing career. Every episode we invite a guest to the studio to shine a spotlight on topics that affect the everyday work of actors and performers. Join us as we chat to casting directors, industry experts, performers, actors and agents about topics as varied as performer working rights, audition tips, how to make the most of your Spotlight membership through to an insider look at how projects are cast. Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927. From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry. Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.
Episodes
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
We’re joined by injury prevention consultant, Tome Levi, to talk about the stark findings revealed in the Impact of Injury report about the human toll and economic impact of injury for performers and crew working in film, television and theatre. The report highlights the reality of cast and crew injuries caused whilst working on production and calls on the industry to improve safety at work and create safe spaces for concerns to be voiced.
Tome talks through the key findings in the report, what can be done to challenge the operational norms of production so we can create inclusive work environments and better conditions for performers to do their jobs safely.
Show Notes
Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.
From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.
Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.
Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Casting Director Kharmel Cochrane joins us to talk about her three year casting journey for ‘Bob Marley: One Love’, with a search spanning the UK, USA and Jamaica to find the 70+ cast members.
Kharmel also took questions from Spotlight members and covers topics like:
- What to expect in an audition with Kharmel Cochrane.
- Adding your skills and accents to your Spotlight profile.
- How casting directors work with agents.
- In person auditions versus self-tape.
- Advice for performers auditioning for TV, film and commercials.
Take a listen!
Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.
From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.
Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.
Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Esteemed casting director Kate Rhodes James discusses her process for assembling the stellar cast we see on screen in Gladiator II. Listen to Kate answer questions from Spotlight members about the intricacies of casting a blockbuster film, self-taping and the importance of making connections through work.
Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.
From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.
Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.
Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tips for making your Spotlight profile the best it can be to help casting directors discover you.
Join us as we discuss what to include on your Spotlight profile – along with expert advice on showreels, headshots, special skills and the best way to contact casting directors.
If you've just joined Spotlight and you're not sure where to start – or if you feel your profile isn't working hard enough for you – this is the episode for you.
The topics we cover include:
- Setting up your Spotlight profile
- What to write in the ‘About Me’ section
- What to include and leave out of showreels
- Selecting the best pictures to represent you
- Reaching out to casting directors and agents
- When to add a skill to your profile
- How to refresh your profile
- Returning to Spotlight after a hiatus
Take a look at the full episode transcript and discover more profile tips and advice on Spotlight.com.
Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.
From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.
Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.
Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) takes an increasing role in the creative arts industry, we look at what a performers legal rights are and how performers can safeguard their likeness and their work.
In this episode of The Spotlight Podcast we’re joined by Tony Morris, a solicitor who has worked in the entertainment industry for many decades. A partner at entertainment and performing arts law firm Level Law, Tony specialises in contractual, commercial, and intellectual property issues. He also happens to be the author of The Filmmakers’ Legal Guide - a non-legal legal guide on how to navigate the complex legal landscape of the film industry. So we thought, who better to talk to on the subject of AI and a performer’s legal rights?
We tackle a number of topics and in the episode such as:
- Understanding copyright for performers
- Legal issues arising from AI’s use of performances to generate other work
- What you can do if your work or likeness has been used by AI without your consent
- Licensing and contract considerations if a performer works on an AI project
- How to safeguard your identity and creative work
- The ethics of AI
- What performers can do to protect themselves in an ever-changing landscape.
Show Notes:
- In response to the question: "If a performer's characteristics have been used without consent for performance cloning, what would the legal course of action be for them?" Tony would like to add that "Where an unauthorised performance is used online, the performer may issue a takedown notice to the website or hosting company and that may or may not work."
- Link to the interview mentioned with Ben Affleck's comments on AI and the film industry.
See the episode transcript and find out more about AI and performer’s rights on Spotlight.com.
Never miss an episode - subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us
Rooted in the tradition of serving the performing arts industry, Spotlight has been at the forefront of connecting performers with the world’s most successful casting professionals across film, television, and theatre since 1927. Today, our cutting-edge software service empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.