Is Mandy worth it?

Dd
Actor

Hey I wanna know if you guys think a subscription for Mandy is worth it. I had it for 3months and realised I've applied for almost everything in eligible for, but I've only had two auditions and I've sent in a bunch of self tapes but didn't hear anything back.
Is it really worth the £20.40 per month?


  • 5 years ago
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I've been with CC/Mandy on and off for the last 5 or 6 years. I've sometime's applied for lots of paid jobs and got a handful of Auditions and other time's I've applied for one job and walked out with it a week later.

As with all acting jobs, along with talent, and looks, there's always an element of luck involved. Some month's you'll be lucky and then you may go through a dry spell. I can tell you, I pay a lot more for spotlight and never got anything particularly good from it.
Where as on here, two years back I got an awesome theatre tour on here which paid well into the double figures. So I'd say yes but you just have to be persistent through the downturns.


  • 5 years ago
  • 1

Been with CCP/Many since 2005 and its where most of my work comes from


  • 5 years ago
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i fully agree with you Tom Tumkin Jones, you get spells of been viewed and better still under consideration the another time your still plugging away and still applying with no joy so overall Mandy is a great tool for our career, you have to keep plugging away but and its got to still be good for the small outlay, when i first finished training i competed two courses and hadnt done a full year and had only one credit to my name, i attempted to get on spotlight and they said i hadnt qualified as i would need to have done a full year or have four credits even though it would cost then £140, ive now got more than enough credits including IMDB mainly thanks to Mandy but ive no intention of waisting any hard earned money on spotlight.


  • 5 years ago
  • 3

For me, definitely. Looking at this year alone, I had a theatre job in January/February from this site, in the summer I had an outdoor theatre job (I worked for them last year having got the audition from Mandy) and am about to do a sixth pantomime season for a company who I auditioned for after seeing it on Mandy.. The previous were all paid jobs. In addition, I also got two filming jobs on here, which were only expenses, but good for my showreel. I've also had a communication today re ongoing work based on an application I sent yesterday on here.


  • 5 years ago
  • 4

I've been with Mandy (or CCP as was) for a few years now and I think the quality of jobs offered and of course the associated fees has really deteriorated. There are very few jobs that are remotely of interest to me a the moment. . I've kept up my subscription just for the occasional (fringe) theatre job but that's it. I do have a commercial agent so get most of my work for them. But have in the past wanted to balance their primarily commercial work with other things - like theatre. But ...not sure it's worth it for much longer.


  • 5 years ago
  • 5

I should also say, Joshua, that 3 months in the grand scheme of things is a relatively short time so don't lose heart quite yet! Let the year's membership run its course .... and hope something comes through. I decided when I first joined that it would be worth it for the 'shop-window' it offers... if I just broke even or even came in at a very small loss. Good luck!


  • 5 years ago
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Vicki Glover
Actor

I get most of my work from here and it's paid for itself ten times over for me - but I do know actors who aren't fans and say they get nothing. Overall, I think it's fantastic, although there have been a lot of tech-related issues recently that are making it less user-friendly and causing me some problems when trying to use it to further my career. As Meryl says, it is deteriorating, although I feel that's more down to the technical issues with the site than the quality of jobs - there's a lot of not great stuff advertised, but there's also a few gems, which I think are worth the fees. If you have the money to spare, it is cheaper overall to subscribe for the year, although that does mean you can't cancel halfway through. And (also as Meryl says!), three months is not that long overall - it could take you a few months or even a couple of years to build up to the kind of work you want. Speaking as someone who's been plugging away for around ten years now and is currently enjoying a decent amount of success, it's worth keeping going. Keep on trucking!


  • 5 years ago
  • 7

Hey again Joshua
Just had a quick peek at your profile page. You do have a fabulous face (am I allowed to say that!!!) but you really do need to get yourself a show-reel. I know it's a bit of a catch 22 in that the best show reels will show you doing 'real' work but you might consider investing in a one through on of the companies that offer that service. There are a few in the resources page. I used Mark Kempner for mine (albeit to edit existing footage I already had). Have a look at what he offers - and there are others I am sure if you want to use one local to you.


  • 5 years ago
  • 8

Sure I'm the same. Not sure what to think, but there are some gems out there - that no doubt I mightn't get once I mention my disability.

Mandy.com should have a section for that, because otherwise the jobs I get are weird. Weird for me, that is.

I dunno either, but you might get a break. You might not. I know it does take a while, and I'm looking into other things; applying for the things I like the look of, and just crossing my fingers.

I know it's difficult, and it's even harder when 1) disability isn't really represented on screen, and 2) patience is not a word in my vocabulary!


  • 5 years ago
  • 9

Hi,

From all websites similar to Mandy, I think mandy.com is the best. I got a few jobs via mandy but never via spotlight.. What do you think about spotlight?


  • 5 years ago
  • 10

Last I heard of Spotlight was they won’t take you unless you’ve done broadcast work, and there’s a list of ‘accredited schools’ that if you go to them you’ll get on.

Needless to say, N. Ireland doesn’t really feature. And Spotlight is quite expensive, too...


  • 5 years ago
  • 11
Gary Birch
Actor

I think that it all depends on what you are after:
I think this is a fair way to break it down.

Mandy : jobs that do not get vetted properly, Everyone can apply and be seen, but there are so many that it may be the case that numbers will be in your favour

Spotlight: The main casting database - if you have a mediocre or slightly less competant agent, you won't really get much from it also - but it is a requirement now in the industry to be taken seriously

Most actors who are steadily employed get their work through their agent. The ones with the really good agents dont even need use these sites period.

So it depends on what sort of work you want to do, do you want to do low budget films/ corporate jobs then mandy is fine, it beats doing a day job anyway.

But if you want to be on stage in a west end theatre doing a 3 month run of a play, then I'm afraid no casting website will help you - those jobs go straight to agency and then in most cases someone will take it. It probably won't even trickle down to the smaller agents.

You have to remember that in this business everyone knows everyone - if you want the good jobs, make yourself known to the right people

Hope this helps


  • 5 years ago
  • 12

Well is Mandy.com worth the money ,for me absolutely I work nearly all the time ,happy to say had some ( big ) paying jobs but then I’m a hustler looking for work going to Auditions Taping,etc .Im dedicated to my job as an Actor ,have to say I also have a awesome Agent


  • 5 years ago
  • 13
Private User
This profile is private

I've been applying for all kinds of things on Mandy for the past three months, so similar to your situation. I really plugged away at applications for the first month, as it was a free trial period - I ended up doing 4 things (all student productions, one was a main role), so I decided to pay for a whole year in advance, as it works out cheaper.

I've since done another 6 things which I got through Mandy, so it's not all that bad. One was a paid job (£60, but it was for just 4 hours' work), but they were all speaking parts. I'm just building up footage that I can then put together as a show reel.

Good luck... I recommend you just go for a whole year's subscription because three months isn't really representative of what's going on in the real world.


  • 4 years ago
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Adrien Liss
Actor

Well, from my experience, Mandy it's ok if you're looking for low budget films, and honestly I 've chosen not to upgrade. It's simply not worth to me spending money in so many websites that at the end of the day, do the same exact thing. Spotlight it's a different story, if you're serious about your career, it's an industry requirement, every decent agent will require you to be on Spotlight. So I wouldn't look at it like a place to get jobs but rather a place you want to be if you're serious about your career. Spotlight works in layers, and in general so does the industry. As an actor you'll only see the public breakdowns, then there are different layers for different types of agents, the low tier agents will get only casting calls for very small/little roles, a mid level agents will get some more, and the one in the Personal Manager Association etc will get casting calls that most of the others wont. Different story for main roles in big movies or tv series, the main roles are often cast by agents and actors that don't even need to be on spotlight. So my suggestion is, if you have to choose...I'd go with spotlight first cause it's an industry standard. If you have money to spend, then maybe try Mandy or Backstage or similars and see what works best for you.


  • 4 years ago
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Artie Carden
Actor

I’m new here myself and was using it free for a while and got a week free premium trial and saw loads of cool things I wanted to apply for but once I committed to paying for the membership is seems like there’s not a lot out there for acting/modelling/extras that suits me at all. I mostly use Facebook groups and other social media for work. Most people don’t want to pay is the issue. But I’ve found it’s good to have a profile on mandy as it seems a bit more legit than not having one at all.


  • 4 years ago
  • 16
User Deleted
This profile has been archived

I've unsubscribed and just do a combination of looking for the same posting either on social (twitter), star now and backstage. I didn't think it was worth it in the end because a lot of is like commercials or education videos, not a good variety on here. I also don't think that they should have low paying roles when we have to pay a subscription.


  • 4 years ago
  • 17

I find it hard to say as I've never paid a subscription for Mandy (or CCP, as it was when I first joined) but I've found a number of gigs and been seen for a handful of jobs by simply looking at the opportunities section as a free member. What I find difficult to swallow and strange to hear from people when they say they won't fork out for Spotlight, is Mandy is far more expensive, month to month. Even yearly it's a bit more expensive. But each offers something a little different so I'd say it's down to what you are willing to put out there. And again, don't lose heart during a dry spell, just keep plugging. Something will come your way eventually.


  • 4 years ago
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Had to unsubscribe. Can’t afford the £20


  • 4 years ago
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Ashley Pekri
Actor

I definitely recommend Mandy, you can get one job that will pay the whole year's subscription fee and then its already totally worth it. I've been on and off for the last however many years and every time I've managed to make more money than I spend on it! It's great for networking and learning how to sell yourself, which is invaluable experience really. A showreel will get you most places, I didn't have one at first so recorded myself performing a monologue (which I still use), this has helped more than you can imagine. Low budget and not particularly well produced, but it's something, which gives you the edge over others who have nothing to show! Laziness has stopped me producing an updated showreel but I have plenty of material now thanks to Mandy.


  • 4 years ago
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