Why
Not You?

Who we are

WNU Studios is six people who decided to stop waiting for permission. Some of us are best known in front of the camera, some behind it, and most of us do both.

What football taught us about this business

Brandon came to acting from the University of Alabama football program, where he was part of the 2013 team that went to the Sugar Bowl. He'll tell you football has almost everything to do with acting: preparing when nobody's watching, taking hard coaching without taking it personally, being one part of a team, and getting back up after you get knocked down. Every one of us has learned that same lesson in our own way. In this business, most of the hits are quiet: a "no" you never hear back from, a callback that goes nowhere, a role that goes to someone else.

Learning the business the hard way

Like most of you, we started by building profiles on the casting sites, submitting to everything, and taping auditions in whatever room we had. Little by little the work came: bookings, union cards, representation and credits, including Brandon's roles in Tommy Karate (directed by Justin Chon) and the horror feature Out of Body.

We also learned the paperwork side the hard way. When Brandon started booking union work through his loan-out company, MooreWork Inc., a payroll accountant emailed asking for his articles of incorporation, because he'd typed his own name where the company name should go. Learn from us: keep a folder ready with your company documents, your EIN letter and a filled-out W-9 before you ever need them. Chapter 2 walks through it.

The film that brought us together

Years ago, Brandon and his dad came up with a story together. His dad was a pastor, a man who loved out loud and still cracked jokes on the hard days. He fought cancer for ten months, and the family lost him on May 12, 2026.

That story became The Book, a magical realism short film about grief, family, faith and the brothers we choose. It's the proof of concept for the feature we're developing, Leave the Light On. A lot of his dad's real words are in it, almost exactly as he said them. We shot it in Georgia in two blocks, with former Marines on set advising, and with a cast and crew who gave their time because they believed in it. We raised the money ourselves, through a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, local businesses, and executive producers who came in because the story moved them.

We're telling you this because it's the clearest proof we have that you don't have to wait for permission. Chapter 7 shows you exactly how we did it, step by step, so you can do it too.

Why "Why Not Us"

WNU Studios stands for Why Not Us. It started as the company behind The Book, and it's growing into a yearly program to get young filmmakers, actors and crews working on projects with positive messages that care about mental health. We're also developing more work together, including the military action feature Thicker Than Blood. This guide is part of the same mission: open the door, then hold it open for the next person.

Headshots: look like you on your best Tuesday

Your headshot's only job is to look exactly like the person who will show up. Not a glamour version, not you five years ago. On the casting sites, your photo first appears as a small square thumbnail, so make sure your face reads clearly even when it's tiny.

Pick photos as a business decision. Ask: "What roles would this person get cast as?" If the answer matches the roles you're submitting for, it's the right shot. New haircut, beard, weight, or it's been about two years? Time for new photos.

The resume: one page, honest, easy to scan

Put your name, union status, contact or rep info, and height at the top. Then list credits under Film, Television, Theatre and Commercial (a common line is "Conflicts available upon request"), followed by Training and Special Skills. Special skills book jobs. Never pad a credit. This business is small, and people talk.

Reel and clips: short beats long

A reel is a few of your best moments, cut together. Early on, you may not have footage yet, and that's okay. Start with two or three short, well-shot scenes of yourself in roles you'd actually be cast in. On the casting sites, short clips under a minute work best, because you can attach the clip that matches each role. Lead with your strongest moment. Casting may only watch the first ten seconds.

IMDb and your online footprint

Once you have credits, claim your IMDb page and keep your headshot current there. Make sure your social media looks like someone a producer would want on set. Casting does look.

Unions: SAG-AFTRA basics

SAG-AFTRA is the union for film and TV actors. Union jobs come with minimum pay, overtime, health and pension contributions, and protections on set. Many actors become eligible after booking a principal role on a union production. Joining has a one-time initiation fee and yearly dues, and the exact rules and amounts change, so check sagaftra.org for the current path. Don't rush to join before you're ready: as a member you generally can't take non-union work.

The business side: your loan-out and your paperwork folder

A loan-out company is a corporation you own that contracts your acting services to productions. Productions pay the company, and the company pays you. Many working actors use one for tax and liability reasons, and many don't need one yet. Talk to an entertainment CPA before you set one up. We're not tax advisors, and your situation will be different from ours.

Representation: agents and managers

Agents submit you for roles and negotiate your deals. Managers help guide your career and often help you find an agent. You don't need either to start, and you'll attract better reps once you're booking on your own. When you do look, research who reps actors like you, send a short personal email with your headshot, resume and reel links, and follow up politely. A legitimate agent or manager earns a commission from your bookings. They never charge an upfront fee to sign you.

Casting directors post a breakdown (a list of roles with descriptions) to one or more platforms. Agents submit their clients, and actors who self-submit apply directly. Casting reviews everyone, then requests self-tapes or in-person auditions. Your job is to show up in that pile looking ready.

Prices change often and run promotions, so confirm on each site before you pay. Union members: SAG-AFTRA has pushed for free ways to submit for union commercial work, so check what your membership includes.

Where to put your money first

1. Build free profiles on all three. Complete every field: sizes, skills, location, union status.
2. Start with Actors Access PLUS if you want film and TV. It's the best value for scripted work.
3. Add Backstage when you need credits, footage and practice reps fast.
4. Add Casting Networks Premium if you're chasing commercials or self-submitting heavily.

How to get picked out of the pile

• Speed. Breakdowns fill up fast. Turn on alerts and submit within hours, not days.
• Be specific. Only submit for roles you could genuinely be cast in. A smaller number of right-fit submissions beats spraying everything.
• Attach the matching clip and photo. Cop role? Attach the clip where you're grounded and serious.
• Write a real submission note. Keep it to one or two lines that give casting a reason to look.
• Set the right region. Choose the markets where you can actually work, like Atlanta and the Southeast. Only list yourself as a local hire where you truly can work as a local, because the production is counting on it.

A weekly booking routine

How an audition reaches you

An audition request usually comes through your agent or manager, or straight from a casting site like Actors Access. It will include the sides (the scenes you'll perform), a role description, the deadline, and instructions: in person, a live virtual session, or a self-tape. Confirm right away that you got it and can meet the deadline. If anything is unclear, ask your rep or the casting office once, politely, and then follow the answer exactly.

Break down your sides in 30 minutes

Before you memorize a single line, answer these questions. Write the answers in the margins of your sides.

1. Who am I talking to, and what do they mean to me? Be specific: not "my boss," but "the man who decides if I keep my house."
2. What do I want from them in this scene? Pick something you can play: to get them to forgive me, to make them leave, to get the truth.
3. What's in my way? Conflict is what makes a scene worth watching.
4. What just happened? The moment before the scene starts. Walk in already living it.
5. Where am I, and how does that change how I talk? A hospital hallway sounds different from a kitchen at 2 a.m.
6. Where's the turn? Find the line where something shifts. That shift is often what casting is watching for.
7. How does it end? Know your last moment, sometimes called the button, so the scene lands instead of fading out.

Make choices, not guesses

Memorizing fast

Aim to know the material well enough to play it, not just recite it. For a self-tape, be fully off book. For a quick in-person or cold read, it's fine to hold your sides as long as you're not buried in them. One trick our team uses: write out only the first letter of every word in your lines, punctuation included, and run the scene from that sheet. Your brain fills in the words, and you'll be off book faster than you'd think.

In the room

• Arrive early and sign in. Use the waiting time to stay loose, not to watch the competition.
• Dress to suggest the character, not as a costume. A cop role means clean, simple and pulled together, not a badge.
• Be warm and brief with everyone. Say hello, slate when they're ready, and do the work. The audition starts the moment you walk in and ends when you're back at your car.
• Use the space they give you. If there's a mark on the floor, use it. Keep your eyeline near the reader unless they direct you otherwise.

Live virtual auditions

More first auditions and callbacks now happen live over Zoom or a casting platform's own tool, like Eco Cast Live on Actors Access. Treat it like a real room.

Once you're in, remember the camera is always on. Casting is watching how you listen, how you take a note, and what you'd be like to work with, not just your scene. Stay engaged, sit up, keep it friendly and focused, and skip the long small talk. Their schedule is tight.

Taking a redirect

If casting or the director asks you to try it a different way, that's good news. They're seeing whether you can take direction, and they're interested enough to find out. Listen to the whole note, ask one clarifying question if you need to, then make a big, clear change. Don't apologize for your first take and don't defend it. Just show them you can go somewhere new.

Callbacks and chemistry reads

A callback means they want to see more, often with the director or producers in the room. Unless they give you new notes, bring back what worked: the same choices, the same energy, even similar clothes. They're calling back what they saw. A chemistry read pairs you with another actor to see how you play together. Be generous, listen, and make your scene partner look good. That's what reads as chemistry.

After the audition

Let it go. Log it in your tracker, note what you'd do differently, and move on to the next one. Don't email the casting office to ask how it went. Your rep will hear if there's news. A few words you may hear:

What casting directors want to see

• Framing: chest-up for most scenes, waist-up if you move. Shoot horizontally (landscape) unless they ask for vertical.
• Eyeline: camera lens at your eye level. Your reader stands right beside the camera so your eyes play just off the lens. Don't look into the lens unless they ask you to.
• Backdrop: solid, smooth and uncluttered. Gray or blue are the safest choices. Avoid black, which makes you look like a floating head, and stark white, which washes you out.
• Audio: your voice has to be clear. Casting will forgive average picture before muddy sound. Your reader should speak quieter than you, because they're closer to the microphone.
• Slate: name and anything they ask for (height, location), said naturally. Follow their instructions on where it goes and whether they want a full-body shot.
• Instructions win. Every casting office has preferences. Read the request twice, and follow it exactly: file names, length, format, deadline.

Light it right: three setups

Set every light to the same color temperature, around 5600K (daylight), so you never mix warm and cool light. Turn off overhead lights and close blinds so you control the light.

The gear: build it in three stages

You don't need everything at once. Start with what gets you a clean, clear tape, then upgrade as you book. Every item, with current links and prices, is on wnustudios.com/gear.html.

Your reader matters

A great reader gives you something real to play off. A flat reader drags your take down. Ask an actor friend and trade reads, book a live reader online (WeAudition offers free and paid readers).

Your self-tape checklist

• Read the instructions twice: slate, framing, length, file name, deadline
• Know the sides well enough to play them, not read them
• Plain wardrobe that suggests the character and doesn't match the backdrop
• Lights on and matched, overheads off, lens at eye level
• Mic clipped and checked, phone on airplane mode, room quiet
• Reader beside the camera at your eye height, speaking softer than you
• Do two or three takes, send your best one (or the number they ask for)
• Watch it back with headphones before you upload

Some of the best things that have happened in our careers came from a personal note: a producer who remembered us, a friend who made an introduction, a casting office that saw our work and asked to see more. Outreach isn't begging. It's letting the right people know you exist, kindly and professionally, over and over again.

Start with the network you already have

Before you email a stranger, look at who already knows you: old teammates, classmates, coaches, church family, people from your hometown. For Brandon, his Alabama football family has opened doors he never could have opened alone. Every one of us has a network like that. Tell them what you're doing. People love helping someone they're already rooting for.

Then find the right people

The rules we follow

1. One person, one email. Personal outreach goes to one person at a time, with their name in it. No mass blasts, and no BCC lists. People can tell.
2. Lead with them, not you. Mention something real: a project they made, a scene you loved, a reason you're writing to them.
3. Keep it short. Four or five sentences. Make it easy to read on a phone.
4. Make one small ask, or none at all. "Keep me in mind" is enough. Links, not attachments.
5. Be warm, and follow up. If you don't hear back, a kind check-in after a few weeks is fine. After that, only reach out again when you have real news.

Templates you can use

1. Start with a story only you can tellThe Book came from Brandon and his dad. That made it specific, and specific is what moves people, including the ones who fund films. Ask yourself: what do I know, and what have I lived, that nobody else could write?
2. Write the short that proves the featureA proof of concept is a short film that shows the world, the tone and the talent of a bigger project, without the big set pieces. Ours runs about 20 minutes. Bring in co-writers you trust, and do more drafts than you think you need.
3. Build your packageBefore you ask anyone for help, have a one-page pitch (a one-sheet), a short synopsis, a pitch deck with visuals, a treatment, and a simple budget. These answer questions before people ask them.
4. Assemble a team who believesA director, a director of photography, producers who can run the logistics, and actors who elevate the material. Many of our people gave their time because the story meant something to them. Honor that: make sure every volunteer is credited, fed well, and on the list to be paid when the money comes.
5. Get a fiscal sponsorA fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), that accepts donations on behalf of your project, so your donors can usually make tax-deductible gifts. The sponsor typically keeps a small percentage to cover administration. Ours is From the Heart Productions. This one step changed how businesses and foundations responded to us.
6. Raise the moneyWe combined individual donors, local businesses, foundations that give to causes our film touches, and executive producers who contributed in exchange for an honorary EP credit. Write down every promise you make (credit, thank-you, screening invite), get any producer or donor agreement reviewed by an entertainment attorney, and keep perks clearly separate from investment. A donation is not an ownership stake.
7. Handle the paperwork before day oneYou'll need a location agreement for every place you shoot, liability waivers or releases for cast and crew, a production insurance quote, and, if you're using union actors, the right SAG-AFTRA agreement for your budget. SAG-AFTRA has agreements built for shorts and low-budget projects, and you should apply early.
8. Run it like a real setBreak the script into shoot days and group them into blocks (we shot in two blocks in Georgia). Send professional call sheets and a one-line schedule. Have the right experts on hand: we had former Marines on set advising on military details. People rise to the level of professionalism you set.
9. Finish strong in postEditing, color, sound design and mixing, music and any visual effects all take time and money. Budget for post from the start. It's where a lot of indie films stall.
10. Launch itPlan a festival run, share a trailer and behind-the-scenes clips, and tell the story behind the story. Local press counts: we were featured on ABC 33/40's Talk of Alabama, and it brought new supporters straight to our website.
11. Use it to open the next doorA finished short plus a polished feature package (script, deck, budget, a clear chain of rights) is what you bring to producers, studios and investors for the feature.

Books worth owning

All of these are linked on wnustudios.com/gear.html.

Classes you can take live on Zoom

Every class below offers a live online version, so you can train with top coaches from Birmingham, Atlanta or anywhere. Schedules and prices change each session, so check the studio's site. Many offer a free audit, so watch a class before you commit.

Want more on your own time? MasterClass has self-paced acting lessons (not live) from well-known actors. It's a nice supplement, but nothing replaces live feedback.

Free and low-cost help most actors don't know about