We’re constantly improving our services for you, our members. As part of our dedication to supporting you as you use Spotlight, we continually work to improve Spotlight.com and how you use it. If you’d like to keep updated with the changes we’re making to Spotlight, then check this page regularly, as it’s where we post the latest updates.<\/p>\n
If you have any suggestions for further improvements, please\u00a0let us know<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Date: April 2026<\/p>\n A new look and feel profile was released in April, with the media section taking a more prominent view.<\/p>\n New functionality includes a new dark\/light mode. A place to add pronouns and name pronunciation and the About me section has been replaced with a new highlights section right at the top of the profile.<\/p>\n Vertical shorts\/short dramas have been released as a product type on Spotlight.<\/p>\n March 2026<\/p>\n Further improvements were made to the self-tape system, including the ability for a Casting Director to extend a self-tape request.<\/p>\n Date: Feb 2026<\/p>\n Performers (18+) can now add Instagram to their Spotlight profiles. Please note that a Professional Instagram Account is required; however, switching your account type is free of charge. Adding social media to your profile remains entirely optional; maintaining an online presence is not mandatory for performers.<\/p>\n Date: Feb 2026<\/p>\n We are launching our Self-Tape<\/a> tool wider to CDG and CDA Casting Directors. After extensive feedback and testing, we are looking forward to widening the scope of casting directors who use it. We will, however, continue to make improvements to this tool and hope to offer it to more casting directors in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n Date: September 2025<\/p>\n We have streamlined our graduate joining pages to align with the improved application process across the platform. The application form is now faster than ever, taking less than 10 minutes to complete.<\/p>\n Date: April 2025<\/p>\n We are excited to launch our first version of Self-Tape requests on the Spotlight platform. We\u2019re initially rolling out this functionality to a select group of casting directors in a beta phase. This allows us to gather feedback and ensure a smooth, reliable experience for everyone. Read more about our Self-Tape feature<\/a>.<\/p>\n Date: March 2025<\/p>\n Edit Your Profile Anytime, Anywhere \u2013 No more waiting until you’re at your laptop! Now you can update your profile straight from the app, whether you’re between castings, on set, or submitting for jobs on the go.<\/p>\n We’ve introduced a new member assistance programme, brought to you by Wellbeing in the Arts<\/a>, which grants you access to:<\/p>\n Spotlight has always championed the role of casting directors, and over the years we\u2019ve had the opportunity to speak to the best the UK and Ireland has to offer. We have interviews, advice articles, videos, podcasts and more in our News and Advice<\/a> section \u2013 full of valuable tips and advice for our actor members.<\/p>\n To make it easier to look through this wealth of knowledge, we\u2019ve put together a Casting Director Index of all the content we\u2019ve done with every casting director we\u2019ve spoken to. You can find everything from what they want to see in auditions and self-tapes to how they cast internationally, their preferred approach to networking, and their experience casting your favourite productions for the stage and screen.<\/p>\n You never know who your next audition will be with, but if that casting director is on this list, hopefully our content can help share some insight on their preferences.<\/p>\n Date: November 2024<\/p>\n We launched a new feature to allow performers to showcase where they legally have the right to work. This can be really important for the casting of productions internationally. Performers can now add up to 10 locations where they have a legal right to work, and decide whether they want to have this posted on their public profile or just have it be searchable by casting directors.<\/p>\n Date: October 2024<\/p>\n Our Industry Resources<\/a> hub was launched to give Performers quick access to more information on:<\/p>\n Date: September 2024<\/p>\n In 2024, we introduced an exclusive opportunity to our members to extend the reach of their skills and experience to Europe with our partners Filmmakers<\/a>. You can now purchase an add-on for Filmmakers Premium+, to allow you to be showcased for further opportunities with a Filmmakers profile. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of profiles on both platforms without having to pay the full subscription costs separately.<\/p>\n Date: 21 May 2024<\/em><\/p>\n Spotlight has now launched a single ‘Voice Types’ field, which has replaced the ‘Voice Type’ and ‘Voice Character’ fields that we previously had. We have also updated some of the language and terminology used to reflect changes in the wider industry.<\/p>\n As we continue to have more casting professionals casting for voice over roles, we hope this change will make it easier for them to find the right voice for the job.<\/p>\n Whatever you currently had on your profile will have been moved over to the new field, but it’s a good idea to check your Spotlight profile to ensure the right type is selected. Also ensure you have appropriate voice skills selected and a voice reel uploaded so that you’ll come up in the searches carried out by all the top casting studios looking for voice actors.<\/p>\n Date: 24 April 2024<\/em><\/p>\n With our new tool, ‘Mark Role as Cast, casting professionals can now instantly show agents and self-represented performers when a role has been filled. This new feature is all about saving time, maintaining clear communication, and keeping everyone in the loop with real-time updates.<\/p>\n Updated: February 2024<\/em><\/p>\n We’re thrilled to launch our new Member Assistance Programme, bringing a range of wellbeing and support benefits to all members aged 18+ who are residents of the UK and Ireland. This service will be provided by <\/span>Health Assured<\/span><\/a>, and is completely free to use.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of the key benefits you\u2019ll be able to enjoy include:<\/span><\/p>\n Health and Wellbeing Support<\/strong><\/p>\n Health and Wellbeing Portal<\/strong><\/p>\n My Healthy Advantage Plus Mobile App\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The app will give you access to tools to help you:<\/span><\/p>\n Financial and Debt Information<\/strong><\/p>\n Financial support via a freephone helpline will provide information and guidance on a range of issues, including:<\/span><\/p>\n Legal Information<\/strong><\/p>\n Legal consultation and information on a range of issues, including personal, financial and legal matters with in-house legal professionals, including:<\/span><\/p>\n How to Use Your New Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n To start using all of the above features today, all you need to do is:<\/span><\/p>\n Take a look at our Health and Wellbeing Member Service Terms<\/a> for more information and a list of the full services available.<\/span><\/p>\n Updated: November 2023<\/p>\n Spotlight launched a new iOS App<\/a> for our Performers, giving members the freedom to apply for roles on the go!<\/p>\n Updated: October 2023<\/p>\n We are very excited to launch our new ethnicity or heritage feature, which allows performers to more accurately self-identify. Based on feedback from members, this has been a big piece of work under consultation with many industry parties, such as Equity, The PMA and the CDG. We believe this gives the power back to performers in presenting themselves how they wish to be portrayed and drives the opportunity for everyone to be found based on their lived experience, should a role require authentic casting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To access the ethnicity or heritage feature:<\/span><\/p>\n You can choose whether to display your ethnicity or heritage information on your public profile or not. If you choose to not display this publicly, it will only be available to casting directors who specifically search for this term on the platform. <\/span><\/p>\n This feature is also available as a filter for casting professionals to search for performers by, so make sure you’ve filled it out to avoid missing out on opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n Whilst this new feature is in beta mode, we will be reviewing the options available on a regular basis. Should you feel an option is missing, you can firstly add this to your profile in the free text box, and secondly, provide us with direct feedback using <\/span>this form.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Visit our <\/span>help centre<\/span><\/a> if you have any questions or need any further assistance.<\/span><\/p>\n Updated: September 2023<\/p>\n Talent Scout allows self-represented performers to flag if they\u2019re looking for representation. Agents will be able to search for these performers and contact them directly. The feature is aimed at making the process more efficient and streamlined for all. This feature is only available to self-represented talent.<\/p>\n How do I opt in?<\/strong><\/p>\n Updated: August 2023<\/p>\n We’ve made it easier than ever for you to share your voice skills on your Spotlight profile, and for casting professionals to find you.<\/p>\n When you sign in to your account, you’ll notice all your existing voice and audio skills now sit under the \u2018Voice Over\u2019 skills section.\u00a0We’ve added a whole host of new skills from\u00a0ADR\u00a0to\u00a0Voice of God.\u00a0We’ve also updated the set of options for artists who can record at home.<\/p>\n We have also moved voiceover-specific existing skills from the \u2018other\u2019 section into this new Voice Over list.\u00a0See below for the full list of updated skills now available on your Profile editor:<\/p>\n *indicates existing features that have been moved into the new skills section<\/em><\/p>\n Updated: January 2023<\/p>\n We introduced new features to empower our members who do not have representation. Instead of appearing as \u2018Care of Spotlight\u2019, these performers are listed as \u2018Self-Represented\u2019 and casting professionals registered on Spotlight can complete a short form on the platform to email the performer directly, ensuring that self-represented performers get any queries directly and promptly. You can find more\u00a0information about changes for self-represented performers here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Membership group: Casting Directors and Self-Represented Performers<\/p>\n Updated: 2022<\/p>\n We have changed our Direct Debit subscription from a fixed contract to a flexible plan, and the monthly option has now been made available for new joiners as well as current members. Work continues in updating our external communications to reflect the flexible monthly subscription. The monthly option is currently only available for UK bank accounts but our team are working on expanding this to other regions in the very near future.<\/p>\n Membership group: Performers<\/p>\n 18+ Performers are now\u00a0automatically\u00a0transitioned onto the Performer subscription at the point of renewal removing the need to reapply with a brand new profile. Your profile will now be carried over for you.<\/p>\n In addition to this, we introduced a new look and feel for parent\/guardian applications for Young Performers.<\/p>\n When: September 2022<\/p>\n Membership group: Performers<\/p>\n Our team carried\u00a0out\u00a0a review of all feedback and requests regarding adding new descriptors and skills to profiles and introduced many new features. Increases and improvements to filters for casting directors and agents followed this.<\/p>\n When: July 2022<\/p>\n Membership group: Performers, Agents and Casting Directors<\/p>\n We recognise that one of the biggest barriers to entry into our industry is financial. We introduced our\u00a0bursary scheme<\/a>\u00a0to help with subscriptions for those struggling financially.<\/p>\n When: July 2022<\/p>\n Membership group: Performers<\/p>\n After various consultations with performers and groups in the industry, we changed the process of applying for our subscription discount to remove any access\u00a0barriers\u00a0for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent performers.<\/p>\n When: May 2022<\/p>\n Membership group: Performers<\/p>\nNot yet a Spotlight member?<\/h4>\n
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New Look Spotlight Profile<\/h3>\n
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Spotlight Self-Tape<\/h3>\n
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Instagram Integration<\/h3>\n
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Spotlight Self-Tape<\/h3>\n
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New Grad Joining Process<\/h3>\n
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Self-Tape<\/h3>\n
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Edit your profile on the iOS App<\/h3>\n
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New partnership with Wellbeing in the Arts<\/h3>\n
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The Casting Director Index<\/h3>\n
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Work Permits<\/h3>\n
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Industry Resources Hub<\/h3>\n
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Filmmakers Add-On Introduction<\/h3>\n
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New Voice Facets<\/h3>\n
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Mark Role as Cast<\/h3>\n
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Introducing the Member Assistance Programme<\/h3>\n
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Spotlight iOS App<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Introducing the \u2018Ethnicity or Heritage\u2019 feature<\/b><\/h3>\n
How do I update this on my profile as a Performer?<\/b><\/h4>\n
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My Ethnicity or Heritage is missing from the drop-down list<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Introducing Talent Scout<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>New Voice features and skills launch<\/h3>\n
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Self-Represented Performers<\/h3>\n
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Monthly Direct Debits<\/h3>\n
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18+ Young Performer to Performer Transition<\/h3>\n
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Profile \u2018Detail\u2019 Review and Filter Changes<\/h3>\n
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Bursary Scheme Introduction<\/h3>\n
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Discounts for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent performers<\/h3>\n
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Expansion of Performers Criteria and New Performer Application Pages<\/h3>\n