UK Actors' Survey 2019:
Industry Health Check in the age of #metoo

Be in to win £500.00 and have your say on the state of the industry!

We need you! Surviving Actors are taking the pulse of actors, in the wake of #metoo - what is it like to be an actor in 2019, and what can we do to best support a healthy and robust industry? Please take 7 minutes to complete this anonymous survey - we'll send you a summary of findings and you'll be in to win £500.00

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* 1. Which age group are you in?

Under 18

18-24

25-39

40-54

55-69

70 or above

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* 2. How do you define your gender?

Male

Female

Transgender

Non binary

Other

Rather not to say

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* 3. How would you describe your experience level?

None - but I'm interested to have a go

Beginner - just starting to audition/have done a few small jobs

Up and coming - gained some experience/booking paid jobs, keen to progress

Professional - trained/very experienced - I'm a full time actor

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* 4. How did you get started in the industry (auditioning for paid or unpaid work)?

Found work via an agent

Found work via a online casting platform

Found work via social media

Networking

Other (please specify)

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* 5. What kind of industry training have you had?

None

Part time acting class

Full time drama school

Film School

University Arts degree

Other (please specify)

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* 6. Do you have an agent?

Yes

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* 7. If you have an agent, do you feel the commission you pay is worth the work they do for you?

Yes

Sometimes

Mostly

Not Applicable

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* 8. Are you a member of Equity?

Yes

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* 9. Do you feel Equity provides a valuable service?

Yes

Mostly

Sometimes

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* 10. How do you find auditions?

An agent

Online casting platforms

Social media

Networking

Other (please specify)

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* 11. How often are you auditioning (on average)?

Regularly - more than once a month

Around once a month

At least once during a three month period

At least once during a six month period

At least once during the last 12 months

Have not auditioned in over a year

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* 12. How often are you booked for work (on average)?

Regularly - more than once a month

Around once a month

At least once during a three month period

At least once during a six month period

At least once during the last 12 months

Have not been cast in over a year

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* 13. What is the biggest barrier to you getting work?

Cost of materials - headshots/showreels etc

Not having professional training

Not getting enough auditions

Not having an agent

Not enough relevant roles

Not being able to get time away from a day job

Cost of travel to auditions or shoots

Lack of opportunities for BAME performers (black, Asian and minority ethnic)

Cost of online casting platforms

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* 14. Which online casting platforms are you currently using?

Backstage

Casting Networks

Mandy

None

Spotlight

StarNow

The Stage Castings

Other (please specify)

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* 15. Which online casting platforms are you currently paying for?

Backstage

Casting Networks

Mandy

None

Spotlight

StarNow

The Stage Castings

Other (please specify)

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* 16. Which three things are most important to you, when choosing a online casting platform?

Quality Customer Service

Competitive subscription costs

Appearing in a public Talent Directory

Information about the person listing the job

Education resources for members

No criteria for entry

Paid and unpaid jobs to gain experience

Paid jobs only

Ability for agent to submit you

Events for members

Criteria for entry (e.g must have professional credits to join)

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* 17. Which online casting platforms have you used in the past but have stopped using?

Backstage

Casting Networks

Mandy

None

Spotlight

StarNow

The Stage Castings

Other (please specify)

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* 18. Why did you stop using the casting platforms above?

Could easily find the same jobs elsewhere

Not booking any auditions

Not enough paid jobs to apply to

Got an agent

Agent didn't want you to self submit for work

Gained enough experience to find work in other ways

Didn't feel safe using the site

Poor Customer Service

Found more work through social media

Rates of pay for paid jobs too low

Other site users not reliable - no shows/late payment/last minute changes to pay rate etc

Too expensive

Other (please specify)

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* 19. At what career stage would you recommend the following online casting platforms?

	People with no experience at all	Beginners	Up and coming actors	Professionals	Suits a wide range of performers	Would not recommend
Backstage	Backstage People with no experience at all	Backstage Beginners	Backstage Up and coming actors	Backstage Professionals	Backstage Suits a wide range of performers	Backstage Would not recommend
Casting Networks	Casting Networks People with no experience at all	Casting Networks Beginners	Casting Networks Up and coming actors	Casting Networks Professionals	Casting Networks Suits a wide range of performers	Casting Networks Would not recommend
Mandy	Mandy People with no experience at all	Mandy Beginners	Mandy Up and coming actors	Mandy Professionals	Mandy Suits a wide range of performers	Mandy Would not recommend
Spotlight	Spotlight People with no experience at all	Spotlight Beginners	Spotlight Up and coming actors	Spotlight Professionals	Spotlight Suits a wide range of performers	Spotlight Would not recommend
StarNow	StarNow People with no experience at all	StarNow Beginners	StarNow Up and coming actors	StarNow Professionals	StarNow Suits a wide range of performers	StarNow Would not recommend
The Stage Castings	The Stage Castings People with no experience at all	The Stage Castings Beginners	The Stage Castings Up and coming actors	The Stage Castings Professionals	The Stage Castings Suits a wide range of performers	The Stage Castings Would not recommend

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* 20. How would you rate your mental health over the last year?

Good

Mostly good

Occasional difficulties

Regular difficulties

Critical difficulties

Rather not say

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* 21. Do you think working in the performing arts has put pressure on your mental health?

Yes, definitely

Somewhat

No, it hasn't

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* 22. Have you encountered any of the following while working in the entertainment industry

	Not an issue	Has happened once	Has happened more than once	Frequently an issue
Felt unsafe during an audition or at work	Felt unsafe during an audition or at work Not an issue	Felt unsafe during an audition or at work Has happened once	Felt unsafe during an audition or at work Has happened more than once	Felt unsafe during an audition or at work Frequently an issue
Asked to do something inappropriate during an audition or at work (e.g remove clothing)	Asked to do something inappropriate during an audition or at work (e.g remove clothing) Not an issue	Asked to do something inappropriate during an audition or at work (e.g remove clothing) Has happened once	Asked to do something inappropriate during an audition or at work (e.g remove clothing) Has happened more than once	Asked to do something inappropriate during an audition or at work (e.g remove clothing) Frequently an issue
Been touched inappropriately during an audition or at work	Been touched inappropriately during an audition or at work Not an issue	Been touched inappropriately during an audition or at work Has happened once	Been touched inappropriately during an audition or at work Has happened more than once	Been touched inappropriately during an audition or at work Frequently an issue
Bullying	Bullying Not an issue	Bullying Has happened once	Bullying Has happened more than once	Bullying Frequently an issue
Nowhere to report concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work	Nowhere to report concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Not an issue	Nowhere to report concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Has happened once	Nowhere to report concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Has happened more than once	Nowhere to report concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Frequently an issue
No action taken when concerns reported concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work	No action taken when concerns reported concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Not an issue	No action taken when concerns reported concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Has happened once	No action taken when concerns reported concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Has happened more than once	No action taken when concerns reported concerns about personal safety during an audition or at work Frequently an issue

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* 23. How safe do you feel these online casting platforms are?

	Not safe	Mostly safe	Safe
Backstage	Backstage Not safe	Backstage Mostly safe	Backstage Safe
Casting Networks	Casting Networks Not safe	Casting Networks Mostly safe	Casting Networks Safe
Mandy	Mandy Not safe	Mandy Mostly safe	Mandy Safe
Spotlight	Spotlight Not safe	Spotlight Mostly safe	Spotlight Safe
StarNow	StarNow Not safe	StarNow Mostly safe	StarNow Safe
The Stage Castings	The Stage Castings Not safe	The Stage Castings Mostly safe	The Stage Castings Safe

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* 24. Pick the three most important things online casting platforms could do to protect actors?

Allow members to complain about each other

Allow members to report suspicious casting calls

Check experience level of people who place casting calls and include this information on the listing

Criteria for entry for all members (industry experience)

Customer Service on hand for prompt response to concerns

Member education about common scams and unsafe situations

Member forums

Verify casting calls are genuine

Other (please specify)

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* 25. Do you take on unpaid roles?

Never

Sometimes

Regularly

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* 26. At this stage in your career, which kinds of unpaid work would you consider?

Extra work

Fringe theatre

Independent feature film

On-screen work for small companies to build experience

Student short films

Work that will only appear online or on social media

I would not consider any unpaid work

Other (please specify)

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* 27. Do you have a day job to help support you financially?

Occasionally take other work

Regular part-time work

Regular full-time work

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* 28. How much do you earn from the Arts industry a year?

Under 5,000 pounds

Between 5,000 and 9,999 pounds

Between 10,000 and 14,999 pounds

Between 15,000 and 25,000 pounds

Above 25,000 pounds

Rather not say

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* 29. How are your Arts industry earnings usually made up?

A couple of big jobs

A steady stream of little jobs

Regular or ongoing work (recurring screen role, theatre run, weekly gigs)

A mixture of small, medium and larger jobs booked throughout the year

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* 30. Where do you earn the most money?

From jobs booked via an agent

From jobs booked via a casting platform

From jobs booked via social media

A mix of all of the above

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* 31. How much do you spend each year to get work (headshots, showreels, agent fees, platform fees etc) ?

Up to 500 pounds

Between 500 - 999 pounds

Between 1000 - 2,999 pounds

Between 3,000 - 4,999 pounds

Between 5,000 - 10,000 pounds

Above 10,000 pounds

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* 32. In your opinion, what one change to the industry would make the biggest positive on the lives of performers?

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* 33. Please enter your email address if you would like to receive a summary of the results of this survey and go into the draw to win £500. Entries close 28 February 2019.

Email Address

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