In today’s digital age, anyone can create, edit, revise and send documents quickly from their computer or mobile devices. Unfortunately, these devices make it easy for people to slack and not take the time to label said file as requested or with their first and last name.
Why does labeling a document or photo matter? You see who it came from, right?
Yes, the receiver sees who it is coming from. Frequently the receiver needs to organize, edit and or send the document or photo received on to another company for a submission.
Example: You are submitting for representation and the agency says send two photos in. Even if they do not say to name them, always name them. If 1/2 of the photos arrive named and 1/2 do not, there’s a good chance the unlabeled photos will be trashed. Remember, not everything is viewed when receiving in emails… Many times said documents and photos are only downloaded and then sorted after receiving hundreds of submissions. The actual file name needs to always have your full name on it and in the requested format if listed.
So if the company receives two emails and one has a photo named: John Klein and another photo named 698385060835030, guess which photo carries more professionalism?
Even if you are submitting documents and images from your phone, your do have the ability to re-label these documents within your phone. Research your phone’s settings and you will find that you can indeed relabel anything.
Let’s talk about contracts and NDA’s.
In the entertainment industry, frequently a talent must review, discuss and sign an NDA, a release, a contract and potentially other paperwork. In this day and age, all documents should be filled out electronically. There’s a bunch of scanner apps, Adobe, DocHub and others that make life easier and also save on paper. Please label said contract or documents with your name and especially if fit’s a tax document, like a W4 or I9 form, please make sure the end file is in PDF format so it cannot be edited after you fill it out.
Your decision to present your photos and documents shows how professional you are about your business. A crumpled piece of paper in a diagonal pose with a cup next to it does not provide a professional look. Looks matter, even for documents. Labels matter, for everything. Labeling never means type said name on the front of your document, it means a file label for the computer.
If you do not know how to use a computer yet and you are in the entertainment industry, it’s time you took some classes.