It a good site to gain experience but most jobs are not paid. It is no good for people looking for jobs on crew like make-up because you still have to put in your head shot and playing age, even though it is not relevant to you.
I'm very disappointed because it could be so much better if done properly. I've asked them to close my account. I hope they can do that right!
Please read reviews before purchasing subscription to this site. I have not received any auditions on his site... same listings posted on other sites Ive been called in for. Customer service is horrible, they are only interested in getting your money. BeWARE of this SCAM site.
Literally any other casting site is better than Backstage. Actor's Access is amazing and so is Casting Networks- they have legitimate projects, they check who's posting beforehand and their customer service is truly helpful. Backstage allows projects that have not been checked yet to publicly post. I've had so many unprofessional experiences and interactions on Backstage and since sharing this with more people, have been told by those more experienced than me, that Backstage is a total waste of time. I think it used to be good back in the day, but now it's associated with non-professional postings and roles. They also automatically enroll you in a following year after signing up, just like a really bad gym membership, whereas after each year, Actor's Access does not charge you, they contact you to let you know your year is ending and to see if you would like to renew. You can find the same postings and better on AA and CN.
Hi Jessie,
We’re sorry to hear that you’ve had experiences like that in the past. At Backstage we try to provide access to all types of casting opportunities ranging from roles for the beginner to the experienced, and look to get them in front of actors ASAP. Generally, all notices on Backstage are reviewed and go through a vetting and approval process by our Casting Team. If there is ever a particular casting notice on Backstage that you would like to verify before our Casting Team is able to, you are always welcome to reach out to the Customer Support Team (at customers@backstage.com) and we'd be happy to investigate further. We’re also happy to help you with any billing issues you encounter.
As a producer rather than an actor, this website used to be amazing until recently.
Customer service WILL NOT respond to you. If they send you an email asking something, they'll pretend that they never saw your response. It seems like a big mess, where multiple people are sending you emails, but they never go back and read the whole conversation.
If you're someone looking to cast people for a job, Backstage is not the site to use.
Hi Jimmy, I'm sorry to hear that you've had an unpleasant experience using Backstage. We're disappointed to hear that you did not hear back from our Customer Support team, as we pride ourselves on answering emails within 48 hours - even with a busy workload. Can you email us again at customers@backstage.com with the subject line 'Sitejabber' so we can investigate further and resolve this issue for you?
Backstage will charge your card because they assume that you want their services. They charged my card an additional 150 dollars for a renewal that I didn't authorize, even when I told them that I wanted to cancel. I would just stick with Actors Access. Or Casting Networks
Although the people posting jobs are legit, the actual company itself has terrible customer service. I signed up for one year in order to take advantage of the discount instead of paying a monthly rate. The customer service was terrible, they do everything by email and don't call you back, which is extremely unprofessional. So I decided I did not want to renew my subscription for another year. They charged my card with out asking for my permission, I found out about it on my bank statement at the end of the month and when I called to cancel and get a refund they said I only had 5 days after they charged my card to cancel. If they had sent a receipt like they are supposed to I could then have cancelled in the 5 days following. Save your time and money and use a more professional services like Actors Access, I know I will be.
Hello Jazmin,
Thanks for your feedback, we certainly appreciate listening to customers, even when it’s hard to hear. We will attempt to make the fact that Backstage is an automatically renewing subscription service (similar to Netflix, Spotify, or a gym membership) clearer in the future to stop these kinds of misunderstandings from happening.
Thanks again, and take care.
So we went to one class, did nothing for us. They snuck in an auto-renew on the credit card. I called the DAY I got the statement and they said SORRY you needed to call within 10 days (of course planned perfectly by them since the statement in monthly and didn't even show up within 10 days of the charge.) Pretty much just an unethical company that preys on people assuming they wont read fine print.
Hello Dwight,
I'm sorry if you were disappointed with your time at Backstage. We offer subscriptions that auto-renew like most subscriptions nowadays. We also email all Annual and Semi-Annual users a month before their renewal, letting them know it's coming up. If you'd like to email us at customers@backstage.com we'd be happy to review your request.
Best, Anna
To make a long story short. The platform has major issues. You submit to a project with resume attached. The platform asks you to add photos and videos to each submission.
The photos and videos and already in the resume.
Not a friendly site needs updating.
Hi Willy, your photos and videos should not be hidden in your resume, nor is this the typical way talent submit their material. A casting director will not know to open your resume to find your media and instead likely pass your application. I recommend uploading your videos and photos to the appropriate section of the profile to avoid confusion and missed opportunities.
They are highly professional and respond quickly to clients! Website is very intuitive and easy to navigate. The secure system they have also allows clients to pay you directly (and quickly) through their partner site!
I highly recommend!
Hi Franklin, thank you for sharing your experience using Backstage! Please feel free to reach us at any time at customers@backstage.com.
I've never had an issue with customer service. A representative has always reached out to me in a timely manner if I needed to cancel my account or get a refund. I believe Stephanie and Ben are the two most recent team members I've spoken to.
I Love Backstage! I've used them for over 15 years and worked with many of their Actors. Some are celebrities now. They always have up-and-coming Talent to choose from and the web-site is so easy to use and sort through. 5 Stars! It's a KEEPER!
I have been using Backstage for a few years. I get lots of work. I only do work in Arizona but they keep me busy. I've worked with the Travel Channel, History Channel, Strawberry Fields Entertainment, and many more. Love it :)
Hi Fred, thanks for your feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you've been able to book a lot of work through Backstage. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions by emailing customers@backstage.com!
There are several different services to become members with to support your acting career. Hands down i really value backstage for the insight and range of industry news and information. It seems as if any question or concern you have has been or will be addressed by a knowledgeable team member. Thanks for the help and the advice backstage!
Great site, defiantly worth using for castings if you are are in the US. Unfortunately I am not, so I requested to cancel my membership. Expecting difficulty (which is usually the case with cancellations) I got a friendly and understanding response from the team and full refund.
Will carry on using the free subscription but gutted I can't utilise it's full membership cause of being UK based.
For the second time in a week I needed to clarify something on one of my backstage applications. It was a very important question regarding whether or not one If my invites for an audition was fraudulent. Stephanie my backstage customer service representative spent a long time searching the title and producer and found it even though I kept giving her the wrong spellings. She gave me spot on advice of what to do. She saved me a three hour trip, a lot of money and what would've been a horrible experience if I went on the audition. Very good customer service at Backstage.
Seems geared toward the beginner or those willing to work for free. Little value to the working or semi working professional. Further, in an industry clearly defined by Union, Non, Theatre, Film, TV, Commercial, etc., this site is awfully vague and offers little in the way of filtering unwanted material.
It's great to have an affordable casting service which also provides good advice from reputable people already in the industry about how to handle various aspects of the industry, and even debunking misconceptions I had. I really value the resources the platform provides, such as being able to look for agents/managers or even monologues. Another thing I like about this platform is that I can put myself forward for castings.
I've been using Backstage for years. Actually have received many offers from this sites. It's also awesome when casting directors find you and call you in for dream roles which has happened to me many times! Its a little complicated at times but in my opinion you get what you put into this site. I wish it was a little more cost friendly for my actor's wallet lol but other than that I really enjoy and recommend this site!
Thanks for the service! I honestly didn't even wait for a response after requesting that my backstage membership be cancelled. They were quick and understanding. Hopefully I can get back on very soon! Thanks for everything :)
The Backstage site was brilliant - I was able to refine the search for jobs near me, which is important as a young person in full time education. It was easy to apply to roles, and I was notified whenever casting directors had shown interest in my profile. However, I had problems uploading videos to my account, so was never able to showcase footage of me performing online. I would say that though the emails I received were tailored to my playing ability, some were not completely suitable based on the information I entered into my account, and the emails were far too frequent, flooding my inbox with sometimes 4 or 5 a day. Had I had time, I'm sure I would have made the most of the information, but it was too much to sift through every day, and many potential opportunities probably slipped my notice as a result.
Overview
Backstage has a rating of 2.6 stars from 291 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Backstage most frequently mention credit card, free trial and last year. Backstage ranks 3rd among Talent Agency sites.
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Hi London,
Thank you for your feedback - we apologize if you were unhappy with our service.
I just wanted to clarify a few things about scams.
In 2017 almost 40,000 casting calls were posted on Backstage, and only an extreme minority (~1%) were possible scams, all of which were removed within a few hours of going up. When a casting call is posted on Backstage, it's automatically labeled as being an un-reviewed 'Instant' item with a scam-prevention warning. Then Backstage's team of casting specialists check every item for authenticity, at which point potential scams are promptly removed. Additionally, Backstage carefully monitors for suspicious site activity and examines feedback from the acting community to identify and eliminate any potential scams that may have slipped through the cracks. Backstage is successfully used to cast more than 100,000 legitimate roles every year, and has been the most trusted name in casting for more than 50 years.
If you are interested in learning more about our scam-prevention process, we'd be happy to discuss it at customers@backstage.com. We'd also be give you any other feedback or help regarding your subscription.