How to Write an Acting Cover Letter

If you need help writing your acting cover letter, follow these free acting tips and look at these samples cover letters for acting agents, talent management companies and acting auditions.

There are 2 types of acting cover letters: the audition cover letter for when you submit to a casting call and the acting agent cover letter for when you are looking for representation from an acting agent or talent manager. Let’s look at how to write an actor cover letter that works in each of these situations.

Acting Cover Letters for Acting Agents and Managers

Whether or not you’re starting an acting career, writing a letter to an agent or talent management company is never easy. Here are some acting tips when writing cover letters for agents and managers:

  1. Make sure your letter is typed but signed by hand.
  2. Your name and contact information should appear at the top of your acting cover letter, along with the date.
  3. Your letter should be addressed to a particular acting agent or acting manager within the agency or talent management company you’re writing to. Do your research ahead of time and find out the name of the person you should submit to. If you’re looking for acting representation in theater, film and television, ask for the name of the acting agent in charge of the adult theatrical division. If there is more then one, pick one. You don’t have to include the agent’s name in your salutation, but avoid using the impersonal phrase “To Whom It May Concern”.
  4. If you were referred by a casting director or a client of the acting agent or manager, mention that right away in your acting cover letter (and note it on the envelope too). If you are submitting your headshot and resume to this particular acting agency or manager because they are looking for your type or a special skill you possess, also mention that right away.
  5. Briefly mention that you are looking for representation.
  6. Give a quick highlight of your most impressive credits. If you can be seen on stage or on screen in the near future, make sure to mention that (along with an RSVP number for complimentary tickets). If you’re starting an acting career and don’t have any credits yet, give the most impressive recent highlights of your career, whether it’s an important callback, audition, actor showcase you appeared in, or even a workshop you took with a casting director.
  7. Wrap up your letter on a positive note, repeating your contact information.

You can view a sample cover letter for agents and managers here.

For more help on how to write YOUR unique actor cover letter, read the DOs and DONTs of cover letters on our acting cover letter examples page.

Too many actors have a pleading tone when they write their first agent acting cover letter. When you’re writing to an agent, remember you’re the one who has a product to offer. The agent will make a commission on the roles you get, so avoid any begging and write with the confidence that you have a great product to sell.

For more acting tips on getting an agent, check out my e-book, Become an Actor. I encourage you toclick here to discover how this guide can help your career.

Acting Audition Cover Letters

When you submit your acting picture and resume to an acting audition, your audition cover letter doesn’t really need to be a letter at all.

Actually, most casting directors won’t have time to read a long casting cover letter and it can be in the way of your acting picture or resume.

In most cases, the best way to submit for acting auditions is to label your headshot and the envelope you send it in with the name of the project and the character you want to audition for. Printing that information on address labels works great, but you can also use a post-it on your headshot and write on the outside of the envelope you submit in.

If you’re applying for a casting call online, you don’t need to do anything because the casting director automatically knows which role and project you’re applying for.

There are some cases though where you will want to have a short acting cover letter to accompany your submission. Here are some things you would want to mention and create an audition cover letter for:

1) The acting role requires a special skill or acting strength that you possess (for example, it’s a martial arts movie and you’re a black belt in karate).

2) You want to point out a new credit that doesn’t appear on your resume yet.

3) Anything else that may give you a better shot at being called in to audition (for example, you recently received a best actor award at a film festival or you’re appearing in an upcoming TV show).

Feel free to click on one of these sample cover letters for auditions (you may need to zoom out to see the actual size of the samples):

Audition Sample Actor Cover Letter #1

Audition Sample Actor Cover Letter #2

 

Looking for more tips on acting cover letters? Click here.

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