Video: Jen Rudin Celebrates 5th Anniversary of Her Book CONFESSIONS OF A CASTING DIRECTOR

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of her book CONFESSIONS OF A CASTING DIRECTOR, Jen Rudin held a Facebook Live event. See the video.

Jen Rudin began acting professionally at age 8 following her childhood obsession with The Brady Bunch. Now, as an award-winning Casting Director with over 30 years in show business, she is often asked the same questions from aspiring actors:

Do I need an agent?

How do I nail an audition?

Are classes or degrees important?

How do I build my performing arts resume?

For the first time, Rudin answers these questions and many more in Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room (It Books; trade paperback original; $19.99; on-sale: December 17, 2013). Rudin's first book is an informative, comprehensive guide on how to succeed in the film, television, and theatre businesses, as well as commercials and voiceovers, reality television, and the growing trend of web series and instant YouTube fame.

Confessions of a Casting Director is packed with information that aspiring actors clamor for. This up-to-the-minute advice from an expert who has worked in every facet of the entertainment industry is essential for anyone pursuing an acting career, or for stage parents with children who are interested in acting. The book covers such topics as:

• finding an agent or manager and the difference between the two

• detailed audition preparation with tips for musical theater, television (including commercials and reality TV) and film, voiceovers, animated movies, and web series

• using technology and social media to your advantage

• the demanding world of child acting and how parents can help their children thrive

• the pros and cons of living in New York versus LA

• and how to turn a call-back into an offer for the role.

Every actor should walk into an audition room feeling confident and prepared, and Rudin's book is full of the dos and don'ts and insider secrets to help turn rejection into that first big break. Complete with checklists, easy-to-follow game plans, and advice from real actors, agents, and industry professionals, Confessions of a Casting Director is like having a private audition coach in your back pocket.

Jen Rudin is an award-winning casting director who began her thirty-year career in show business as a child actor at age eight. As a casting executive at the Walt Disney Company, Jen conducted extensive talent searches all over the United States, identifying and hiring actors who went on to star on Broadway in The Lion King, Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid and in beloved Disney movies like The Incredibles, The Princess and the Frog, Chicken Little and Brother Bear. Her company, Jen Rudin Casting, casts projects in New York and Los Angeles.