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Ever since the industry made a collective pledge to do better when it comes to hiring POC voices, I& #39;ve seen a quick increase in the diversity of VO casts and I think that& #39;s awesome. But I& #39;ve noticed that many black and indigenous actors are still being left behind.
There& #39;s a bunch of you out here thriving (which I am here for), but many still struggling to get themselves heard and get the opportunities they deserve, which causes a Catch 22 problem where they don& #39;t have the resume needed to apply for bigger jobs, despite being ready.
So, if you& #39;re an up-and-coming director, I thought I& #39;d slap together a quick set of tips for hiring to make sure you& #39;re not accidentally leaving anyone out in the cold. (And quick disclaimer that I& #39;m pretty white, so take what I say with a grain of salt--)
(--And if a bunch of black or indigenous actors contradict what I say here, be sure to LISTEN TO THEM and disregard me. I& #39;m talking from a place of best interest, but also a place of potential bias, and as much as I try to look at truth through my lens, they know better than me.)
Tip #1: Keep your database constantly growing. Seek out black & indigenous actors to send auditions to. Keep in mind that this DOESN& #39;T mean hiring underqualified actors-- far from it. It means finding professional actors who you just currently don& #39;t have on your list yet.
A good way to do this is to look back on things you& #39;ve watched, played, or heard that had great VO work, and checking to see if there& #39;s anyone on the cast who& #39;s work you loved, but who you& #39;re not hiring yet. Some may be retired or impossible to contact, but surely not all!
Tip #2: Send your actors ALL characters to read for, not just the ones that match their skin tone. You never know who& #39;s going to be the perfect fit for a role, so there& #39;s no sense artificially limiting which roles these actors get to read for.
ESPECIALLY since & this one& #39;s important: Tip #3, don& #39;t try & "save" actors to use on potential upcoming roles that MIGHT fit their background. Firstly, because even if a POC role does come down the pipe in whatever you& #39;re working on, that DOESN& #39;T mean actors you know will fit it.
And second, because if that role never comes, you& #39;ve now squandered the chance to use that actor at all. Instead, cast actors where they fit & keep your database full of other actors who can fill in spots that you& #39;re worried about having proper rep on. More actors, less problems!
