How to become a casting director favorite, what to prepare for a commercial audition and why some agents get all the appointments

I’ve always been fascinated with the commercial world because while most actors come to Los Angeles to pursue work in film and television, many get into auditioning for commercials as a way to supplement income and get experience. I love when my actors call me after their commercial auditions to describe what crazy things they had to do to convince the casting director and clients (advertising execs, brand execs) that they were right for the role. I also know that the commercial industry is a high volume, super fast-paced, high-stake industry, so when I was introduced to Laurie Records, I couldn’t wait to ask her all the juicy questions. Laurie is such a joy to be around and I can see why her great reputation precedes her. She’s a beautiful, intelligent woman running her own commercial casting business with McDonalds, SONY, Nike, Jet Blue, Infiniti, Range Rover, Toyota, FedEx and American Express being a few of the campaigns on her resume. Since we’re both DTLA residents, we met at my new favorite restaurant, Manuela, and got to talking…