Being the Guy Who Makes Showreel Scenes For Actors

The behind-the-scenes job that introduced me to hundreds of brilliant actors

“My job probably shouldn’t exist,” I’ve said to maybe a hundred clients over the years. I’ve recently stopped saying it, because it does me a disservice, it belittles what I do. And, I’ve come to learn, it absolutely isn’t true.

For more than a decade, I’ve made a living writing and directing showreel scenes for actors. Weird way to make a living, because I’ve had to explain what it is to nearly everyone I’ve met who isn’t in the industry (and many who are!).

PERSON: “What do you do?”
ME: "I’m a filmmaker, and writer.”
PERSON: “What kind of stuff?”
ME: “I write and direct showreel scenes from scratch for actors.”
PERSON: “What’s that?”

Then would come a long-winded, rambling explanation:

ME: “Oh, so— for actors who perhaps don’t yet have TV and film credits, I write scenes for them, based on what will suit them, and then I direct them on a filming day.. and then edit them. And also for more established actors - perhaps someone who gets cast a lot in dramatic roles and wants to get into comedy, I’ll make a scene for them— or for a comedic actor who wants to get into drama… or a theatre actor who wants to do more TV…”

Now, in the age of influencers and YouTubers, there are a plethora of ways where creative people make a living with digital video. But starting out, my niche often didn’t make sense to people.

On top of that, the way the industry feels about showreels is ever changing.

“Showreels should only include actual TV and Film work…”
“Showreels from scratch look really fake and the scripts are awful!”
“Showreel scenes are a great way to show what you can do!”
”Have a montage, using music.”
”Never use a montage!”
“Showreels are pointless, just use self-taped scenes of yourself!”
“Film it yourself.”
“Don’t film it yourself, it’s amateur!”

Opinions on showreels change as much as the weather, but I’ve tried to stay consistent throughout in what I do.

My Unique Selling Point in the showreel world is that I write every single scene that I shoot. At this point, I’ve worked with hundreds of actors, and it’s all been material that I’ve written. This focus on originality is what has kept me fresh—- it’s a joy to meet new actors because it means I get to write for a new person.

Not to say it hasn’t been challenging over the years—— there’s only so many ways you can write a break-up, or a police interrogation— but that focus on short bursts of dialogue and conflict has really helped me hone my craft as a writer. It is this focus on short content that helped me when I went on to create comedy sketches for social media that would be viewed by hundreds of millions of people.

SIDE NOTE: You never know where your creativity will lead you.

I was making short films before YouTube existed. You used to have to right click on videos on my website and download the films, it would takes hours on a 56k modem!

When I made short films, actors would say to me “I really need some more showreel material of me playing a doctor/teacher/parent, can you film something for me?”

It was helping those actors that led to me forming the showreel service.

Doing the showreel scenes for years trained me in short form writing, which led to me doing comedy sketches.

It’s hard to know where each step will lead you, but it’s important to take the step anyway.

The Best Part of the Job?

Is that it has introduced me to hundreds of brilliant actors. I could probably be a casting director at this point, because if you need a specific actor, to do a specific thing, I probably have a good idea of who you should hire.

For most actors I work with, the dream is to get more work in Film & TV. But a deeper, less consciously understood goal is often; to be more fulfilled by the material they put out into the world, to have more autonomy in their careers, to step forward confidently in the pursuit of their acting ambitions.

…The Hardest Part of the Job?

It’s wondering if I’ve stopped short of my own career goals in service of helping others with theirs. Don’t get me wrong— I enjoy the showreel work, it pays me, and it’s fulfilling to write and direct scenes for actors who trust me and believe in what I do. But with each passing year, there’s a nagging feeling I should be focusing more on writing longer form content— to have my material serve a bigger purpose for me as a writer.

Another hard part is knowing that —

The Showreel Guy Never Gets Any Credit

Partly, it’s my fault. I have never put my name on any part of a showreel video that I’ve created. There are hundreds of videos out there that nobody knows I filmed.

This is by design - you want the scenes you shoot to look like they’re from film and TV. You want people to say:

“What happens next?” - or
“What is this from?”

It ruins things for the actor if they have to say “Oh, it’s the work of some showreel guy.”

The successes of most showreel makers happen quietly. It’s not meant to be about us.

A sadder part of this is another common factor - that actors will disown that they ever had a showreel made from scratch, once they’re getting regular work as an actor.

I can understand the reasons why, but it’s hard when you’re the guy who created the material, the applause is never for you.

Showreel Creation Has Led to Many Great Experiences

I feel very lucky, and privileged, to have been able to write and direct showreel scenes for some top drama schools, including Guildhall School of Music & Drama, ArtsEd, and most recently, East 15.

What I am most proud of is that all of the above mentioned schools approved of me writing the scenes specifically for each actor I worked with. For me, this is crucial, because the worst thing an actor can do on a showreel is rip off some copyrighted TV show or play and use that material. It rarely suits a reel, it often looks like impersonation - and it’s unlikely to impress the people who are going to be watching the clip.

Drama schools tend to focus on well-known writing for most of what they do. For good reason, too - of course actors need to learn Shakespeare, etc!

But I think it can be a jolt in the real world once performers leave the safe walls of their school, and find themselves contending with real world script material. That’s why it has been such a joy to write scenes for students in drama schools; because it mirrors what they’ll be facing when they’re out in the industry.

I’ve also appeared on many podcasts, spoken at colleges, been invited to many industry events — all from the very unexpected beginnings of making bespoke reels for friends, back when I started making short films.

What does the future hold for Showreels?

Showreels change, much like actor headshots. There’s always new advice and ideas.

“A showreel must be less than 3 minutes!”
“A showreel must be less than 2 minutes!”
“A showreel should have as many scenes as possible!”
“A showreel should only be one or two scenes!”
“The characters should be wildly different to show versatility!”
“The actors should be quite similar so people get a sense of your casting type!”

The opinions are relentless.

If you’re interested in my hard-worn knowledge (aka: yet another person’s showreel ideas; Buy My Book on Amazon.)

As long as actors are getting new agents through showreels, as long as casting directors are watching them, and as long as actors continue to get new work through their demo reels, showreels will stick around and be a very crucial tool for professional actors.

The Job That Shouldn’t Exist

Given the mixed opinions on showreels from industry professionals over the years, I think my quips about how ‘my job shouldn’t exist’ became a defence mechanism. I was in some ways apologetic for what I was doing.

I got started doing this job because actors would be waiting years to get material back from filmmakers they’d worked with. If they hadn’t been forced to wait, there may not have been room for me.

But, there was room for me.

Now, I have clients on Netflix. On Prime. On Cinema screens and on the BBC. What I do is a success, it’s meaningful, and it’s leading me towards ever more exciting things.

If you’re interested in working with me or finding out more about showreels, head to my website.