Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Angus Robertson, joins us to discuss supporting homegrown talent, the magic of the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, and how Screen Scotland and Outlander helped the screen industry boom in Scotland. 

Angus talks about creating new opportunities for performers following the cancellation of iconic BBC soap River City and his priorities for culture in the year to come. He also shares his insight into the new multi-annual year funding for major cultural organisations aimed to support creatives building sustainable careers in the sector.

Whether you’re a performer, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of the arts in Scotland, this conversation offers invaluable insight into how culture and creativity are being nurtured.

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

 Join Spotlight to be discovered by casting professionals working in theatre, film, tv, voice over, commercials and more! Find out about our membership options and start looking for auditions today. Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Apply today.

In this episode of the Spotlight Podcast, Business affairs consultant and professional coach Kelly Andrews joins us in the Spotlight studio to shed light on all the work agents do behind the scenes to look after their performer clients and find them work. With 30 years of experience in the industry, Kelly previously worked as an agent and was the Co-Chair of the Personal Managers’ Association (PMA).

Join us as she discusses everything you ever wanted to know about how agents operate. From researching new production rumours to maintaining relationships with casting directors, take a listen to Kelly’s insight into the working life of an agent. Plus there’s advice for establishing an effective relationship with your own agent.

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Spotlight to be discovered by casting professionals working in theatre, film, tv, voice over, commercials and more! Find out about our membership options and start looking for auditions today. Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us 

Spotlight’s Managing Director Matt Hood answers your questions about Spotlight and the wider creative industry. From making the most of your Spotlight profile and new platform features to membership costs, auditions, and advice for performers, Matt covers a wide range of topics to help you navigate your performing career. Tune in for insider insights and practical tips straight from the top!

Show Notes

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Spotlight to be discovered by casting professionals working in theatre, film, tv, voice over, commercials and more! Find out about our membership options and start looking for auditions today. Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

Stefan Szwarc from 2020 Recordings offers a wealth of practical advice for actors and voice performers aspiring to break into audiobook narration.

Get an insight into the audition process, the importance of preparation and knowing your vocal instrument, and how to tailor voice reels and your Spotlight profile to help be discovered.

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Join Spotlight to be discovered by casting professionals working in theatre, film, tv, voice over, commercials and more! Find out about our membership options and start looking for auditions today.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

We’re joined in the Spotlight Voiceover Booth by Adam Bambrough, founder of Wellbeing in the Arts, to talk about mental health in the creative industries. 

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.

From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry. Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators.

It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

The Rt. Hon. Stuart Andrews MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, joins us in the Spotlight studio to discuss how cultural policies impact performers. He talks about engaging with industry professionals to help inform policy development and his role as a “constructive opposition”, raising issues that are important to our sector, supporting the government's efforts to bolster the creative industries while also challenging them to do more. 

Stuart shares his enthusiasm for the performing arts, from high-profile events like Eurovision to local community productions and discusses why the availability of grassroots training is essential.

He explains the importance of finding a balance between supporting the industry and being realistic about public finances and also touches upon the significance of protecting intellectual property in the age of artificial intelligence and maintaining the UK's reputation in the creative industries. 

This episode is part of a series of interviews with politicians who shape policies that affect all of us working within the creative industries. 

Take a listen.

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.

From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.

Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators.

It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

We’re joined by injury prevention consultant, Tome Levi, to talk about the stark findings revealed in the Impact of Injury report about the human toll and economic impact of injury for performers and crew working in film, television and theatre. The report highlights the reality of cast and crew injuries caused whilst working on production and calls on the industry to improve safety at work and create safe spaces for concerns to be voiced.

Tome talks through the key findings in the report, what can be done to challenge the operational norms of production so we can create inclusive work environments and better conditions for performers to do their jobs safely. 

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.

From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.

Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

Casting Director Kharmel Cochrane joins us to talk about her three year casting journey for ‘Bob Marley: One Love’, with a search spanning the UK, USA and Jamaica to find the 70+ cast members.

Kharmel also took questions from Spotlight members and covers topics like:

Take a listen!

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.

From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.

Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

Esteemed casting director Kate Rhodes James discusses her process for assembling the stellar cast we see on screen in Gladiator II. Listen to Kate answer questions from Spotlight members about the intricacies of casting a blockbuster film, self-taping and the importance of making connections through work.

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.

From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.

Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us

Tips for making your Spotlight profile the best it can be to help casting directors discover you.

Join us as we discuss what to include on your Spotlight profile – along with expert advice on showreels, headshots, special skills and the best way to contact casting directors.

If you've just joined Spotlight and you're not sure where to start – or if you feel your profile isn't working hard enough for you – this is the episode for you.

The topics we cover include:

Take a look at the full episode transcript and discover more profile tips and advice on Spotlight.com.

Never miss an episode: subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, supporting the careers of performers since 1927.

From our beginnings as a printed directory where talent displayed their headshots, Spotlight quickly became a cornerstone of the performing arts industry.

Today, our cutting-edge software service takes our directory online and empowers performers to showcase their talents by creating dynamic profiles, making them accessible to a vast network of casting directors and independent project creators. It’s our mission to simplify the discovery of new talent and ensure the continued vibrancy of stages and screens worldwide.

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Find out more at https://www.spotlight.com/join-us