Well thanks for the kudos and the GREAT question!!! LOL…I only “LOL” because I’ve entertained this question a lot recently and I don’t know if I have a “perfect” answer…but I do have my 2cents, and it’s probably  more like a bucks’ worth… so here we go…

Let’s start with the affirmations…”yes”; for the most part postcards are popular in the US. Dozens of the US casting directors I’ve worked with are fans of postcards, tell me they LOVE them because they take a moment to read, provide a quick visual reference/reminder of an actor, typically provide an update or info, don’t involve time lost to opening envelopes, are environmentally friendly and are relatively cheap and efficient for actors…makes sense. And true enough, there’s the odd US Casting Director that doesn’t like nor want them.

And, and unfortunate negative affirmation is, “yes”, the Canadian Casting Directors I’ve asked tell me they “hate them”…”I don’t have time”, “I don’t have space and resources to deal with incoming mail”, “they go right in the trash” etc. I honestly have yet to hear one Canadian Casting Director say “Great! Love postcards!”.

As I like to do, let me reframe this situation; if all the companies that deliver promotional flyers to my home asked me if I actually wanted their flyers…I’d probably say no to 90% of them, or be very selective about the ones I wanted to get.  As much as I hate those junk-flyers that come to my house…I do look, albeit quickly, at most of them and they do indeed (most of them) go in the trash. But, after a number of repetitions of seeing the same branding or message, I may actually purchase a product or service. At the very least, the availability of these products or services sits in recesses of my mind until needed. Sometimes, I’m even grateful for some of this material because it comes just as I am trying to deal with an unexpected or unusual household repair for example.

So, it’s interesting to me that on the one hand we’re constantly reminded by teachers, agents and even Casting Directors about how actors should behave like a small business and we’re reminded of all the various things we need to do to be professionals. But then we’re asked (or told) not to market ourselves?!?!?! Something’s wrong with that picture. What entrepreneur, small business owner doesn’t promote themselves?  If a professional dentist sets up a clinic in your neighborhood…he/she is going to at least make you aware of their services through various means.

Many a Casting Director would probably say, “…save your money and put your money and effort into seeking a great agent who will create a relationship with me and make me aware of you…”. To some extent, depending on where you are in your career (ie agent-less and at the beginning of a career), I agree with this advice. If you don’t have an agent, there is probably little use or value in sending materials to a Casting Director.

But what if you do have an agent?  I find many actors I work with find, and many agents will agree, that agents simply don’t have time to do much more than deal with the current role submissions and related booking communications.

So I’m in the camp of feeling that actors need to market to Casting Directors. Relative to self-marketing materials in general, I personally feel there needs to be a cultural shift in the Canadian industry. I long for Casting Directors to accept and expect that we are going to market to them. Every uncast role is a “problem” looking for a solution…what if that solution just happens to cross your desk? Doesn’t that make the job of casting a solution a wee bit easier?

When you ask a Canadian Casting Director if they want to receive something, especially marketing materials, I think their reflex answer will always be “no”.  And, I think the answer will be “no” because some of what they say is true (no time/space etc). But really, not enough Canadian actors are sending postcards so that the CDs can actually start to appreciate their efficiency and content value.  Moreover, we actors aren’t using them properly or in a way that makes them effective.

So to quickly and simply answer the question; Don’t not send postcards because a Casting Director says they don’t want them.  If you want to send postcards, and if postcards are the right vehicle for you at this time in your career, send postcards. There is absolutely no denying the value that US casting directors see in postcards: they take a moment to read, provide a quick visual reference/reminder of an actor, don’t involve time lost to opening an envelope, environmentally friendly and are relatively cheap and efficient for actors.

But with that said, I feel there are some important caveats and we need to set up realistic expectations around the outcomes of sending postcards.

See Part 2 of:  My thoughts on Postcards.