ACTRA launched the online version of its catalogue Nov. 12, a service the performers guild says will not only lubricate the casting process but could further forward the cause of Canadian talent in the international market.

Face to Face With Talent Online, created by actra and Toronto Internet company Casting and Media Online, features photos and text detailing over 2,000 actra and Canadian Actors’ Equity members across the country. The service is free of charge to production companies, casting directors, talent agents and other industry professionals.

The online service features all the performers listed in the 1997/98 Face to Face With Talent book and is updated daily to include new members, who are charged a fee of about $90 to have their information entered in the online database.

Performers submit eight-by-10 photos, an application form outlining their specifications, a resume and any additional information, including audio or video clips, to be entered. Users can input casting breakdowns, including physical types and skills, and can search by a number of criteria including 31 talent categories, credits and contacts. Casting directors can also direct online breakdowns to a particular geographical area or to specific agencies.

actra communications director Alex Gill says users can conduct as detailed a search as they require. ‘If someone needs a woman over five-feet-10 with brown hair who can sing and juggle and do magic tricks and lives in Kenora, if someone who meets all those qualifications is in the system, you can find them,’ says Gill. Talent agents can place rosters on the system and read breakdowns posted by casting directors.

The service is touted as a time and money saver in the casting process and as another marketing tool for Canadian talent.

The database is owned by actra and hosted and managed by Cameo, which was formed in 1995 to develop software solutions for the industry. Cameo uses a custom software package from Markham, Ont.-based Softarc.

Cameo cofounder Oliver Kenkel says the system provides more speed and a better interface than a Web browser solution including facilitation of multiple windows and multiple tasks. ‘It’s a software package that’s designed for groups of people to exchange information,’ says Kenkel.

Cameo uses a dual T3, or very fast Internet connection, and QuickTime for video clips. The system is accessible on Mac or Windows boxes with ordinary Internet connections, and data is encrypted in both directions and is protected with passwords and user ids.