Do General Meetings REALLY Help Actors Book Roles?

What is a general meeting, and how should you prepare when your agent or manager gets you one? In this episode of Take Fountain, veteran talent agent Anthony Boyer and talent manager Jess Canty break down what a general meeting actually is (and isn’t), how it differs from an audition, and why it can be a powerful step in building lasting industry relationships.

Whether it’s a meeting with a casting director, producer, or director, we’ll walk you through how to do your research, show up professionally, and make a lasting impression. For new actors in Hollywood or anywhere in the early stages of their careers, general meetings can feel mysterious or intimidating. But they’re actually a unique opportunity to connect, share your creative passions, and start planting the seeds for future collaborations.

This episode is full of practical advice on what to say, what to wear, and how to follow up - plus tips on using your personality, curiosity, and preparation to stand out in a meaningful way. Watch now to level up your networking skills and take the fear out of your next general meeting.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello from Hollywood.
My name is Anthony Boyer.
And I'm Jess Canty.
And today on Take Fountain we're gonna talk about audition
terminology,
But I do wanna talk about,
we've talked about auditions in particular.
There is another a format
by which you may have an interaction

(00:21):
with a casting director, with a producer, with someone.
And that's a general meeting. Yeah.
Now they don't happen as frequently as they used to,
but they do still happen fairly regularly.
Yeah. More regularly than I think a lot of people realize.
Yeah. Um, can we talk about sort of like, let's say
that your agent calls you
and says, Hey, great news, I got you a general with the head
of casting at A, B, C, and now you're like, W what do I do?

(00:45):
What do I prepare?
How do I, like, you have a million questions running
through your head, so let's answer a few of 'em.
Let's talk about what a general meeting is
and what it is not specifically.
Yeah. So in general, a general meeting is not an audition
At all. I would say
You, you are not going
to be coming in having prepared a specific

(01:06):
character, specific sides.
This is really about casting.
If it's a general with casting
or if it's a general with a director
or a producer that your rep thinks
that you guys would get along.
Well, you both like the same kind of movies.
A lot of times this will happen
with management companies in particular,

(01:26):
if they have a literary division
and a talent division, they want to match
their clients together.
They know they have a writer that is looking
to develop for an actor.
They have an actor that doesn't write
and they will try to pair you.
And so they'll set up a general meeting for the two of you,
it's kind of like a date.

(01:47):
It's kind of like a first date.
And so much of this business,
we talk about this all the time,
can be mapped onto relationships and dating.
Right. How would you comport yourself on a first date?
Right? You would dress nicely, you would share
interesting things about yourself without oversharing,
you would be excited to be there.
You would be engaged with the person that you're meeting

(02:09):
with and ask questions about them, ask
what they love about the business, ask
what they love about their job.
You are trying to forge what hopefully is going
to become the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Yeah. And this is your opportunity to do so.
So, you know, brush up on, if it's the head

(02:30):
of casting at a, b, c, um, brush up on the shows
that they have recently cast
and are on their particular credit list.
A lot of studios actually have multiple Yeah.
Heads of casting for different Right. Different divisions.
So, you know, do your research,
make sure you've watched their shows.
If it's a director that you're meeting with,

(02:51):
make sure you've watched their films
and any episodes of TV that they've directed,
specifically if it's a producer, know their filmography so
that you can go in there authentically talking about
what of this person's work has excited you. Yeah.
And the other thing I would strongly encourage you
to do is absolutely prepare with the work,

(03:14):
but also prepare with not work.
I find that the best general meetings, you
frequently don't talk about work at all.
Yeah, That's fair. Um,
so I think knowing like something about them
or just being curious, being genuinely curious is always a
good quality.
Yeah. Um, and so go in, you know,
understanding like we're gonna talk about work,
but also we're gonna talk about each other and,

(03:36):
and ourselves and be really, really, I want you to commit
to asking questions and learning about them.
People love talking about themselves.
Um, and you know, we'll,
we'll talk more about like proper networking, you know,
later on in another video.
But this is a really good opportunity, especially when,
when you're in the world where people want
to take generals with you.

(03:58):
That's a really cool place to be.
And like I would just say take, take advantage,
but also just like, just really appreciate what's going on
because not everyone gets to that level.
Yeah, absolutely. And the last thing I would say is know
who you are as a performer.
And this goes for all the time.
You might be out networking

(04:18):
and someone says, you know, well,
what kind of acting do you do?
You should be able to answer that question specifically.
You should be able to talk about what turns you on
as a performer, what kind of work you want to be doing.
And hopefully it aligns
with this person that you're meeting with.
You can do this
by just being authentically passionate about whatever aspect

(04:42):
of the business you ideally wanna work in.
If you are, you know,
if we're waving the magic Hollywood wand
and you get to choose the show you wanna be on for the next,
you know, 10 years or the kind of show you wanna be on
for the next 10 years, talk about those things
that turn you on creatively.
If they're a match with this person across the table, great.
If they're not no big deal.

(05:02):
You've made another connection
and we'll find you another general
where maybe it's better match. Yeah.
Thanks so much for watching.