Your Best Portfolio Is Already on IMDb
Before an actor books a headshot session, they ask one question ahead of price or location: who else have you shot? Your portfolio answers it with photos. An IMDb list answers it with proof, because every name links to that actor's own IMDb page, on the site casting directors use every day.
Photographer Jonathan Vandiveer does this well. His public IMDb list names 100 actors he has photographed, each with a short, human note such as "I've shot with Frida several times, she is always a joy to shoot with." Here is how to build one of your own.
1. Start with the people you have actually photographed
Only actors you shot yourself, and only those who have an IMDb page. A list padded with names you never worked with falls apart the first time an actor asks a friend on it about you.
2. Ask before you add anyone
A one-line message is enough: "I'm putting together a list on IMDb of actors I've photographed. Are you happy to be on it?" Most say yes, and some will share the list themselves.
3. Create the list on IMDb
Make it a list of people, not titles. Give it a name a stranger understands, such as "Jane Smith Photography: Headshot Clients", and a one-sentence description saying who you are and which city you shoot in.
4. Write one honest line for every actor
When you shot them, what the session was for, what they were like to work with. These lines are what make the list read like a reference instead of a roster. Keep them warm and specific.
5. Put your strongest names first
Most visitors read the first ten entries and stop. Lead with the actors who are working the most right now, then keep the order fresh as their careers move.
6. Make it public and link it everywhere
Link the list from your website, your Instagram bio and your listing on Headshot List, so an actor comparing photographers sees it at the moment they are deciding.
7. Keep it alive
Add every new client after their session, while it is fresh. A list that grows every month tells actors you are busy, and busy photographers get booked.
Where actors find you in the first place
The list backs up your portfolio: the photos show your style, and the list shows working actors chose you. But actors still have to find you before they can read either. That is what Headshot List is for. Actors search it by city to find a headshot photographer near them and browse actor headshot examples from the photographers listed.
A listing is free. Add your headshot business to Headshot List, then put the link to your new IMDb list in it.
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