CSA Information regarding Workshop Guidelines

The Casting Society Of America fully supports the teaching guidelines that govern
casting directors and casting associates in the state of California.

May 7, 2010

Dear Members:

Recently a number of us received letters from Carmen Trutanich the City Attorney of Los
Angeles regarding Casting Directors and Associates teaching Workshops.

To have a clear understanding of what the letter requires and the restrictions it could impose
upon the Casting Community, members of the CSA Board of Directors met this week with Mark
Lambert of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office and staff members from the office of City
Counsel Member Paul Krekorian, who were instrumental in the creation of the California State
legislation “The Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act of 2009”

The meeting was very positive and paved the way for continued co-operation between the City
Attorney’s Office and the CSA. As a result, we recently updated the 2002 Workshop Guidelines
as written below.

The most valuable thing that came out of the meeting was how Casting Directors and qualified
Casting Associates can continue to teach under the new California State Law.
The following is a sampling of rules that must be adhered to:

Classes taught by Casting Directors and Associates must be for instructional purposes only
and not a “paid audition.”

The workshop must clearly post that taking part in the class you are teaching is not a
guarantee of employment.

Casting Directors and Associates should pay strict attention to the 2010 Workshop
Guidelines as they stand now and teach only for companies who have secured a Bond
with the City of Los Angeles.

A letter from the City Attorney requires a Workshop Owner (not a Casting Director) to post
$50,000 Bond which costs a Workshop Owner a small and reasonable percentage of $50,000.

Casting Directors and Associates should be aware of how the Workshop Company
advertises the Casting Director’s participation - especially on the Workshop’s website. A
Casting office’s current projects must not be advertised.

Sides must be from past projects or material that has already been cast but can not be from
projects currently being cast.

Head-shots from the actors in the class can not be collected and taken at the end of the
class.

Casting Associates (and Assistants) must follow the guidelines and obtain a letter of approval
to teach from a Casting Director they have worked for within the last 18 months.

We will continue to keep you informed as further discussions take place.

Sincerely,

The CSA Board of Directors

---

CSA STATEMENT ON CASTING WORKSHOPS

The Casting Society Of America fully supports the teaching guidelines
that govern casting directors and casting associates in the state of
California.

These guidelines were created by the California State Board Of Labor,
the Casting Society Of America, the Screen Actors Guild, the American
Federation Of Television And Radio Actors, the City Attorney's Office
Of Los Angeles and the Independent Casting Workshops Of Los Angeles.

In brief, the guidelines were created to provide an instructional
environment taught by qualified professionals and eliminate
"paid Auditions."

The guidelines are listed below. If you require any further information
please feel free to contact me through the CSA Office.

Pam Dixon
President, Casting Society of America
323-463-1925/office
606 N. Larchmont Blvd., Suite 4-B
Los Angeles, CA 90004
California Workshop Guidelines

---

Guidelines issued May 2010



WORKSHOPS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IT IS PERMISSABLE FOR
CASTING DIRECTORS / CASTING ASSOCIATES TO RECEIVE A STIPEND FOR TEACHING SUCH WORKSHOPS IF
THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES ARE ADHERED TO:

1. The Casting Director/Casting Associate (and Casting Assistant) (CD/CA) may not use workshops for the
purpose of auditions, "pre-reads" or suggestions of future employment. The workshop may not be structured
so that the majority of actor-participants are given the opportunity to perform a scene, and provided only
simple redirect or feedback. The workshop shall be a real teaching experience and not resemble an audition.


2. The CD/CA may not retain a student/actor’s headshot, résumé, business card, reel, DVD, other electronic
media, other promotional material, or any links thereto.

- All such promotional material may be provided for use during the workshop only and must be returned to
the student/actor at the conclusion of that day’s workshop. (For workshops conducted online, the CD/CA
may not retain a copy and must delete it from his/her computer’s hard drive.)

- At the beginning of the workshop, the CD/CA shall read the following disclaimer to the CSA Information
on Casting Workshops class - exactly as written:

“This workshop is a learning experience. It is not an audition or employment opportunity.
As such, when this class is over, I will not be taking home, nor be given access to your
headshot, resume or any of your other promotional materials.”

- The CD/CA may not participate in any workshop which provides, or advertises that it will provide the
CD/CA with a student/actor’s headshot, resume, profile etc. (other than for use during the workshop only)

- The CD/CA may not participate in any workshop which provides, or advertises that it will provide the
CD/CA at any time with an electronic link or other access to the student/actor’s headshot, resume, profile etc.

- The workshop may provide a worksheet with thumbnail photos of the actors and space on the worksheet
to make comments, but is not required. The worksheet may not have any contact information other than
the name.

Note: No sooner than 24 hours after the workshop is completed, the CD/CA may
request the workshop provide the contact information (name, phone number, e-mail,
agent/manager) of a student/actor on an individual basis. However, this may not
include a headshot, resume, profile or other promotional information. Also, the
CD/CA and workshop may not publicize this to the class at any time.


3. The CD/CA must inquire whether the workshop has a bond posted with the State Labor Commissioner
as required by Labor Code section 1703.3(a), and may not participate unless it does.


4. The CD/CA may not use sides or materials from any show the CD/CA is currently casting or hired to
cast, except if the roles being read are already cast.


5. The CD/CA must provide the workshop and the students with a specific lesson plan and the CD/CA
must retain the lesson plan on file. The CD/CA should demand the workshop prominently display the
lesson plan in its advertisements, including but not limited to internet websites, email, Facebook pages,
Twitter, etc.


6. The CD/CA may not permit the use of the name, project information or likeness in any manner of
a current production she/he is casting without first obtaining written permission from that production.


7. The Casting Director who teaches at a workshop must have one or more of the following
qualifications:

- Member in good standing of the Casting Society of America; or
- Eighteen (18) months of experience as a Casting Director;

The Casting Associate who teaches at a workshop must have one or more of the following
qualifications:

- Member in good standing of the Casting Society of America; or
- Eighteen (18) months of experience as a Casting Associate consisting of active
participation in auditioning and presenting actors to producers and directors.
- Additionally, the Casting Associate must have written permission from a CD that
they have worked for within the last eighteen (18) months to teach a workshop and
the workshop facilitator must keep this on file.

The Casting Assistant who teaches at a workshop must have the same qualifications as a Casting
Associate, and must also have written permission from a CD that they have worked for within the
last eighteen (18) months to teach a workshop. The workshop facilitator must keep this on file.


8. Prior to the workshop, the participating CD/CA must access the workshop’s website (or
Facebook/Twitter etc if there is no website) and use all reasonable efforts to determine how the
workshop is promoting that event. The CD/CA may not participate in any workshop whose advertisements/representations are deceptive or otherwise violate the following guidelines:

- The workshop’s advertisements must conspicuously disclose the following:
(For websites and similar electronic advertisements, this disclosure must appear on the home
page):

“This workshop is a learning experience. It is not an audition or employment opportunity.
When the workshop is over, the casting director/casting associate/casting director
(whichever is applicable) teaching this workshop will not be taking home nor be given
access to your headshot, resume or any other of your promotional materials”

- The workshop’s advertisements may not state or imply that attendees have had success in
gaining auditions, interviews or employment as a result of meeting a casting director through
a workshop, nor that any CD or CA has a preference for hiring attendees at a particular workshop.

- The workshop’s advertisements may not state or imply that the CD/CA is using the workshop
to audition actors, using phrases such as “currently” casting, for example. It may otherwise list
the CD/CA credits, including current projects.
- The workshop’s advertisements may not use the name of a current production without
written permission from the CD (who must have written permission from the production
company)
- The workshop’s advertisement may not be misleading about the credentials of the CD/CA
participant


9. The CD/CA who participates in paid workshops is strongly encouraged to also participate
in workshops that do not charge actors a fee.

Contact the CSA, SAG., AFTRA and the SAG Foundation offices for more details.