Casting Workbook

Casting Workbook is Canada's premier digital casting platform, serving as the primary tool through which Canadian casting directors find, evaluate, and submit talent for film, television, and commercial productions across the country. The platform occupies the same essential role in the Canadian market that Casting Networks fills in Los Angeles or Spotlight fills in the UK — it is the industry-standard infrastructure that professional casting runs through. Casting Workbook has been a cornerstone of the Canadian entertainment industry for many years, building deep relationships with casting directors, agents, and production companies in the country's two major production hubs of Vancouver and Toronto. The platform handles the full casting workflow from talent search and submissions through audition scheduling and callback management. Canada's thriving production industry — fueled by competitive tax incentives and world-class production facilities — generates enormous demand for local talent, and Casting Workbook is the primary pipeline through which that talent is discovered and booked.

What makes Casting Workbook essential for Canadian actors is its near-monopoly position in the country's professional casting infrastructure. The vast majority of casting directors working in Canadian film, television, and commercial production use Casting Workbook as their primary or exclusive talent search and submission tool. This means that not having a profile on the platform effectively makes you invisible to the professional Canadian casting community, much the same way that not being on Spotlight locks you out of the UK market. The platform serves both the English-speaking Canadian market (centered in Vancouver and Toronto) and to some extent the French-speaking market in Quebec, though Quebec has its own casting infrastructure as well. For American actors interested in working in Canada — which many are, given the volume of U.S.-developed productions that film in Vancouver and Toronto — understanding Casting Workbook is important, as your American platform profiles (Actors Access, Casting Networks) do not automatically translate to the Canadian market.

Creating a Casting Workbook profile involves signing up on the platform, paying the annual membership fee, and building a comprehensive profile that includes professional headshots, your full resume or CV, demo reel clips, voice samples, and detailed information about your skills, training, and physical characteristics. The platform is open to all professional-level actors, including both ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) members and non-union performers. Once your profile is live, casting directors can find you through talent searches, and your agent (if you have one) can submit you for roles through the platform's electronic submission system. Self-submission options are available for some breakdowns, though the majority of submissions flow through agents. The platform also supports audition scheduling, so when you are called in for an audition, the logistics are managed through Casting Workbook's integrated tools. New users should invest time in creating a thorough, professional profile, as this is how casting directors will evaluate you.

The daily experience of using Casting Workbook depends on whether you are represented by an agent or self-submitting. For represented actors, much of the platform's value is delivered through your agent, who receives breakdowns, submits you for appropriate roles, and manages audition scheduling on your behalf. Your primary responsibility is keeping your profile updated with current headshots, credits, and reel material. For actors who self-submit, the experience involves browsing available breakdowns, submitting for roles that match your type, and monitoring for new opportunities. The platform's search and matching tools help casting directors find actors based on specific criteria including physical type, skills, languages, and union status. Audition notifications and scheduling details are delivered through the platform, streamlining the logistics of the audition process. Casting Workbook also serves as a record of your submission history and booking activity within the Canadian market, creating a professional track record that casting directors can reference. The platform has evolved to support virtual auditions and self-tape submissions, adapting to the industry's shift toward remote casting.

Casting Workbook's user base consists primarily of professional actors working in the Canadian film, television, and commercial industry. The platform is heavily used in Vancouver — North America's third-largest production hub after Los Angeles and New York — and in Toronto, Canada's other major production center. Both ACTRA members and non-union actors maintain profiles, though ACTRA membership is increasingly important for booking work on major productions in Canada. Talent agents across Canada use Casting Workbook as their primary submission tool, making it the backbone of the agent-casting director relationship in the Canadian market. The platform also serves voice-over artists, commercial performers, and actors who work across both Canadian and American productions. International actors who relocate to Canada to work in its thriving production industry typically set up a Casting Workbook profile as one of their first steps, alongside securing immigration work permits and potentially joining ACTRA.

Casting Workbook charges an annual membership fee of approximately C$129 per year for actors, which provides full access to all platform features including profile creation, talent directory listing, submission capabilities, and audition scheduling. There are no additional per-submission fees — the annual membership covers everything. The pricing is competitive compared to similar platforms in other markets (Casting Networks at US$299.90/year, Spotlight at £216/year) and represents a straightforward, predictable annual expense. Agents do not charge actors for submissions made through Casting Workbook — the cost to actors is limited to the annual membership fee. For professional actors working in the Canadian market, the C$129 investment is modest relative to the value of being visible to every casting director in the country. The fee is typically tax-deductible as a professional business expense for working actors in Canada.

If you are a professional actor working in Canada, Casting Workbook membership is non-negotiable — it is the primary tool through which casting is conducted in the Canadian market. Vancouver and Toronto-based actors should set up their profiles as soon as they are serious about pursuing professional work. If you have a Canadian agent, confirm that they submit through Casting Workbook and that your profile is optimized for their submissions. American actors interested in working in Canada should understand that their Actors Access and Casting Networks profiles do not transfer — you need a separate Casting Workbook presence for the Canadian market. If you are considering relocating to Canada for acting work, budget the Casting Workbook membership as a core startup expense alongside headshots and ACTRA eligibility research. Actors focused exclusively on markets outside Canada will find no value in the platform.

Keep your Casting Workbook profile synchronized with any changes to your primary headshots, reel, and resume — Canadian casting directors may see your profile independently of submissions, so it should always reflect your current look and credits. If you work in both the Canadian and American markets, maintain separate profiles on Casting Workbook and Actors Access/Casting Networks, as these systems do not communicate with each other. Ask your Canadian agent how frequently they check Casting Workbook breakdowns and how they decide which clients to submit for each role — understanding their process helps you ensure your profile is optimized for their workflow. Upload multiple headshot looks including commercial, theatrical, and character options to maximize your appeal across different casting types. Research ACTRA membership eligibility and benefits, as union status significantly affects the volume and quality of opportunities you can access through the platform. Keep notes on which casting directors you audition for and the types of roles you are called in for, as this intelligence helps you refine your type and targeting over time.