If you have just graduated from a film school and looking for the best-paying jobs in the entertainment industry, Mandy is a wonderful resource for finding relevant jobs. Whether you’re an actor, music professional, dancer, or voiceover artist, this site can land you your desired job.
But is Mandy legit or a scam? In this Mandy.com review, we will discuss the company, its pros and cons, and whether or not you should use it.
What is Mandy?
Mandy is a great website committed to bringing together the largest network of music experts, theater production professionals, actors, and employers from the entertainment sector. It is one of the world’s top career and job networks. With more than 3.19 million members from all sections of the entertainment field, the Mandy Network can be your one-stop shop for finding a wide range of high-paying acting jobs.
Mandy is also an online job platform for people with little knowledge of making contacts and finding paid jobs. The focus of this site is to offer paid work or opportunities to people building careers in the entertainment sector.
Be it actors, film & TV crew, backstage theater, voiceover artists, dancers, singers, or others, all creative professionals can use this great resource to receive job alerts and emails. Join this amazingly working platform and be ready to network and find your desired work in the entertainment field.
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The Mandy Network History
Mandy.com, or the Mandy Network, was founded by Mandy (its creator). In 1990, Mandy formed a directory of TV technicians in the United States to assist producers who wanted to film internationally. In 1996, the directory went online as mandy.com.
After that, in 2003, a young graduate actor from the UK asked her brother for assistance getting an acting job. This gave his brother an idea, and he teamed up with a colleague and developed the CCP (Casting Pro Call) series of casting websites under the Blue Compass corporate banner during the next few years.
The casting sites included Total Talent, Stage Jobs Pro, KCCP (Kids Casting Call Pro), Dancers Pro, Singers Pro, Film and TV Pro, Music Network Pro, and Voices Pro.
There were many noteworthy developments between 2015 and 2017. Blue Compass, a UK corporation, purchased Mandy and renamed it The Mandy Network Ltd. Simultaneously, the new suite of mandy.com sites replaced the outdated Mandy.com and CCP websites.
Early in 2021, Mandy and StarNow were acquired by a leading private equity company, TA Associates, and the executive management of the New York talent platform Backstage.
Mandy.com Reviews: Products and Services
Mandy is a platform that helps connect dancers, singers, actors, theater professionals, voiceover artists, and other performers to professionals looking to hire people to work on movie sets, TV studios, theatrical organizations, training facilities, and more.
Employers do not pay any fee to Mandy to advertise so many jobs or utilize any of the platform’s services. Additionally, agents and other individuals get access to thousands of exclusive opportunities on the Mandy portal. As per the information provided by the platform, more than 2.3 million professional creatives use the site to find work.
The Mandy Casting Quality
You can access the Opportunities page through the free membership option; this platform for low-paying castings and employment is open to every individual with a free account. As you can anticipate, the casting here is of low quality.
However, if you are a paying member, you can access all the job positions in the directory. Professional organizations or large-scale productions rarely list major or minor roles on Mandy.
Instead, you will discover low-budget feature and short films, student productions, commercial work, and independent projects. Large organizations may frequently offer listings on Mandy for general call-outs not specific to the website.
You may also find corporate employment, which we usually call “acting lite” work. This employment includes coordinating a kid’s birthday party, resenting TikTok content, and acting in promotional videos.
How Much Does Mandy Cost?
Unlike other casting websites, Mandy has not clearly stated its membership fees. You can create a free profile with them before unlocking their membership fees. The reason for this is still unclear. However, you have nothing to worry about, as Mandy is a legitimate platform and is not a scam.
Sometimes, the website gives out special offers. For instance, if you recommend a new subscriber to the service, you may receive a certain period of free membership.
You get to try it out for free for 30 days after signing up without giving your credit card information. You also get the option to retain your free profile after the trial has expired. Alternatively, you can subscribe for a specific time before returning to the free profile.
Mandy’s monthly fee becomes less expensive if you sign up for a one-year membership than if you take a one-month subscription separately. New members get a cooling-off time based on the stated Terms and Conditions.
Additionally, you will receive a discount if you wish to subscribe to more than two websites inside The Mandy Network Ltd family. They give you this option to address the issue of performers having to pay separately to avail of acting and voiceover jobs.
To request information about this discount directly, you have to send an email to the company. It is unclear why. Ultimately, you can subscribe at any time as per your requirements.
Why Opt for Mandy.com Premium Membership?
With the free version, you can create a personal profile and include a photo, showreel, measurements, and skills. You can also add training, credits, and other details. On the other hand, as a premium member, you can add up to 20 media files and 20 images.
As a free member, you will see the headline of the job post on your jobs board, together with the age and gender requirements. In addition, you will automatically receive email job notifications. However, you must have a premium service to click on these positions and go through the job details.
The numerous top-notch guides offered on the website are all accessible for free. You will also find plenty of fascinating news articles and information about producers, actors, cinematographers, and directors on how their careers began.
But you need a subscription if you want to use the directories. You can receive frequent discounts offered by professionals like in these directory listings.
Remember, subscribers receive some extra attention on the website. On the right-hand side of each page, you will see a detailed explanation of the subscriber’s name displayed beneath one headshot and one link to a showreel. You never know when your information gets displayed on the employer’s or a casting director’s screen.
Subscribers will also receive detailed information about who viewed their profile. You can see the number of views on your free profile, but you will not get any information about the viewer.
Additionally, Mandy organizes many networking events exclusively for premium members. These members can also use the website to look for an agent.
How to Get Work Through Mandy?
Having updated and accurate profiles is one thing professionals can do to improve their chances of landing jobs on Mandy. So, do you have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that will help you stand out from the competition? And does it appear on your profile?
To get the right and high-paying job, you must have good training, experience, credentials, a strong showreel, and the appropriate qualities. Once you’ve checked all these characteristics, you can apply to the right advertisement or brief based on what you can offer.
Some artists create their Mandy profile, pay the monthly subscription fee, and then have their agent submit their work for any matching briefs. This is how other platforms like Spotlight often operate. However, unlike Spotlight, Mandy allows everyone to submit their profiles, regardless of whether or not they have an agent.
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Pros and Cons of Mandy
Every job network has advantages and disadvantages, and Mandy is no exception. Whether you’re an actor, voice artist, or dancer, you must know the pros and cons of this job site before making an account.
Pros of Mandy
- A great resource for finding recent acting work.
- Quite easy to use with no complicated attributes.
- Comes with multiple in-built site features that help professional performers create impressive profiles to get lucrative offers.
Cons of Mandy
- Members must pay a hefty amount to upgrade to a premium account to get relevant auditions.
- Poor customer service.
When to Be Cautious of Casting Websites?
One should approach free casting call websites with the same caution they would while looking for any other source. Always remember, like other aspects of the entertainment industry, casting also plays a crucial role.
Firstly, remember that the word “free” doesn’t always imply all services are entirely free. Several websites do charge for their premium services. Although these services are frequently well worth the cost and abide by the minimum industry standard rates, don’t be shocked if you eventually reach some limit. Like many other things, nothing is ever truly “free.”
Furthermore, it is crucial to know that not all free casting services employ a rigorous verification procedure. Therefore, both an actor and a performer should be careful about who and where they send their portfolios. Here are some red flags to look out for on casting websites:
1. Promising Stardom
Even though you might not want to hear, reliable casting platforms do not ensure success or fame. Of course, they want to offer all the beneficial resources they can, but they also realize it is reckless to make such fake promises. This applies to both free and paid casting platforms. So be aware that all the sites make fake promises of stardom.
2. Promising High Salary
There’s a strong chance that an advertisement that says, “Earn $500 each day as an extra, no experience necessary,” is a scam. These assurances are warning signs for casting websites, so proceed cautiously.
For instance, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) salary for extras is around $150 per day in Los Angeles. And that is the due-paying members’ rate. Non-union positions can substantially have lower pay. You can visit the SAG-AFTRA website to receive further details regarding daily acting fees.
3. Craigslist Casting Call Ads
In major markets, production companies utilize casting agencies with a solid reputation to find extras for their productions. These organizations do not run classified advertisements, Craigslist ads, or street corner flyer distribution campaigns. For example, you shouldn’t pursue a Craigslist ad claiming to represent Universal or NBC.
4. Calls for Urgent Casting and Immediate Auditions
While reputable casting websites and agencies may sometimes conduct last-minute casting calls, they often request resumes and headshots from actors before the actual audition. Always watch out for postings that do not adhere to this process.
5. Suspicious Identities
Run away if you find an advertisement saying, “Amazing casting company recruiting in a haunted, abandoned warehouse after 10 pm.”
Big and legitimate market agencies will never go undercover, make themselves available in the middle of the night, or conduct auditions in an abandoned warehouse.
Additionally, unclear contact details are typically a solid indicator of fraud. Always remember casting firms have trustworthy websites. You can enter a casting website’s URL into Who Is Hosting This if you’re unsure.
Through this service, you can find out when and who built the site. If the casting agency is trustworthy, you will never have an issue connecting with people in the industry.
6. WANTED: All Types, Ethnicities, and Age Groups
Most roles call for a certain appearance. No one would likely be a good fit for the role of a free-casting website that says it would be right for everyone. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the opportunity you are interested in clearly describes the role you’ll give auditions for.
Final Thoughts
It’s no surprise that Mandy is the world’s number 1 job and career network for people in the industry. And most mandy.com reviews you will find on the internet have something positive to say about the website.
Millions of employers and job seekers use this platform to network and find jobs. Though Mandy has some negative sides, it still makes it easy for everyone to reach the best talent worldwide and access thousands of jobs and castings.
However, like any other job platform, there’s no guarantee of success. Doing your research and taking the necessary steps to end up with quality job postings is recommended. As mentioned above, you must upgrade your account to access the best, high-paying opportunities.
FAQs
Is Mandy free?
Well, Mandy offers both Free and Premium memberships. People with free membership can create an account and access the Opportunities section. However, those who have direct access to all jobs and apply for listed castings must upgrade to the premium membership. Everyone has to pay a certain amount for that.
Who owns the Mandy network?
The Mandy Network has become a member of the Backstage family since 2021. However, services are separate. Also, you need to invest in each platform separately to get access to more features and opportunities to help you boost your career.
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