what do pins, avail checks, and holds mean for actors?

Imagine with me: your email “dings!” with a new message from your agent. The subject line reads: PINNED: XYZ Project Name. 

Omg! Did I book something?! Can I celebrate? Cry? What’s happening?!?

When it comes to the casting process there are a few funky words and phrases that tend to appear, and they can get pretty confusing (especially because each casting director might use them a little differently!). 

We know you’re already on an emotional rollercoaster, so we wanted to help make the ride a little less bumpy and overwhelming by breaking down a few casting terms: Avail check, pin, first refusal, and holds.

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The tricky thing about these terms is that in the modern entertainment industry there could be slight variations in how and when each casting director uses them. One casting director might have a standard practice to pin 3 actors per role, while for another, it could be normal to pin 10. 

The common link between ALL of these terms? They do not mean that you have booked the role yet. However, they do signify that you delivered excellent work in your audition(s), and that you are good enough to make it to the hypothetical “final round” of consideration. So celebrate that you made an excellent impression on the casting director! That is a HUGE win! Just don’t start counting those dollar bills yet...

Like we mentioned before, these terms can be quite fluid from casting office to casting office, but here’s a good rule of thumb to follow: 

what are avail checks and pins?

An “avail check” quite simply refers to the fact that casting is double checking your availability for the shoot dates of the role you’re in consideration for. It’s a signal that you’re one of the top choices for the role and to keep an eye on your calendar as a courtesy to casting. You do not receive a contract or payment for being on avail.

The term “pin” originates from the days when casting would literally pin actors printed headshots to a bulletin board as part of their casting process. Similarly to an avail check, it means you are one of the top choices for the role, and you must notify the team of any potential scheduling conflicts within the dates given. You do not receive a contract or payment for being pinned.

Sometimes, casting uses these two terms equally / to mean the same thing, but simply prefers one of these phrases over the other. For example, Casting Director Tiffany might only ever give out avail checks, while Casting Director Jim might only ever give out pins. They use them in the same way, but stick to one name for it.

On the other hand, some casting directors might view the terms as two separate tiers. For example, Casting Director Jamie might give an avail check to 10 actors and then a few days later might narrow it down further and pin only their top 2 choices for the role.

Either way, it means your work was great, casting is happy with you as a serious contender for the role, and you might see a booking in your near future.

what is a first refusal?

In many markets, “first refusals” have the same meaning as avail checks & pins, but are used primarily for Commercial projects. When you get a first refusal you will also be asked to notify the casting team of any scheduling conflicts and are expected to keep them in the loop if anything changes. You do not receive a contract or payment for being on first refusal.

Important to note for all of the above terms: In a first refusal, pin, and/or avail check scenario, you may continue to audition and/or accept other offers in the meantime. However, it is best practice to alert the casting director who pinned/avail checked/first refusal-ed you of the new offer and allow them the opportunity to book you first. Casting ultimately are issuing these pins/avails/first refusals in order to cover THEIR backs, and make sure that they can deliver what the producers (who hired the casting director) want in the final cast list. Be courteous, always - you don’t want to burn bridges!

Now, let’s discuss the term that is MOST commonly mis-used in the business of acting…

What does it mean to be on hold for a role?

Being “on hold” for a role is the most solid you can get in an “almost booking” without actually booking. This term means that you are being seriously considered for the role to the point where the team wants to put you under a holding contract. This means that you’re holding the days of the shoot and must refuse other booking offers. Because of this, the producers will owe you a cancellation fee if they end up NOT booking you for their project. Straight from the SAG-AFTRA website, “If a performer has been put on “hold,” the producer has engaged the performer and a cancellation fee is due if the producer cancels the engagement.”

If there is ever any confusion over whether you’ve been offered an actual booking, be sure to have your agent ask casting directly. But if they don’t use the word “booked”, you likely have not yet been hired for the role.

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