What the New Spotlight Profile Design Means for You as a Performer

Our team brings over 30 years of industry experience to everything we publish. As talent agents, casting professionals and training providers, we have worked on both sides of the audition panel throughout our careers. The guidance shared in our articles reflects our professional opinion and is correct at the time of publication. We always recommend consulting your own agent or industry professional for advice specific to your circumstances.

If you’ve logged into Spotlight recently, you may have noticed things look a little different. The platform rolled out a significant profile redesign on 20 April, and while the changes might seem cosmetic at first glance, they have real implications for how casting professionals experience your profile and therefore how likely you are to be considered for work.

We’ve been guiding performers through every version of Spotlight, from the days when it was a printed book to where it is today. And this update is one of the most transformative to date. Here’s everything you need to know.

Dark Mode and Light Mode

A Small Change with a Bigger Message

Spotlight now allows casting directors to toggle between dark and light mode when viewing profiles. The platform defaults to dark mode and their preference is saved each time they log in.

This matters because it means your headshots, showreel thumbnail and overall profile presentation will be viewed against a dark background by default. If you haven’t checked how your profile looks in dark mode, it’s worth doing so now. Strong, well-lit headshots will read beautifully. Poorly lit or low-contrast images may not.

Pronouns and Name Pronunciation Are Now Visible

Spotlight has introduced an optional field for pronouns and the phonetic spelling of your name, both of which appear right next to your name on your profile. For casting professionals, particularly those working across large volumes of submissions, this is a thoughtful and practical addition.

We would encourage all performers to complete these fields. It signals professionalism, and it ensures casting can address you correctly from the very first interaction.

The ‘About Me’ Section Is Now Called ‘Highlights’

The section previously known as ‘About Me’ has been renamed ‘Highlights’ and redesigned to sit prominently near the top of your profile. It is now intended to showcase reviews, awards and current productions with a ‘More’ button appearing if the text is longer.

Think of this as your professional headline. It should be concise, compelling and current. If you have a recent credit, a strong review, or a production you’re currently involved in, this is the place to lead with it.

Credits Now Display as Individual Sections

The Credits section has been updated so that each heading — theatre, television, film and so on — displays as its own distinct section, making it much easier for casting professionals to navigate. This is a welcome change, particularly for performers with a broad range of credits across different disciplines.

It’s a good moment to review your credits and ensure they are accurately categorised, up to date and presented in the order that best reflects where you are in your career.

The Media Section: A More Seamless Experience

The media section has been significantly refreshed. Here is what has changed and what it means for you:

• Photos now scroll through as a gallery without automatically opening a full-screen overlay. A smaller gallery view sits underneath the main image for easier browsing. Every headshot needs to earn its place. A focused, considered selection will always serve you better than an extensive one.

• Videos and audio clips are now grouped into one unified media section. The first six clips are displayed prominently, with a ‘Show More’ option for additional media. Casting can view in grid, full-screen or picture-in-picture mode, and media continues to play as they scroll. This means your strongest content should be in those first six slots.

An important note: if you have an audio reel without an accompanying image, casting will see a blank screen. Ensure every audio clip has an image attached, a professional headshot works perfectly if you’re unsure what to use.

🎥 If your showreel or media content isn’t currently doing you justice, we can help. Our showreel development service supports performers in creating footage that is current, compelling and casting-director-ready. Launching soon, subscribe for updates to be the first to know.

The Skills Section: Cleaner, Clearer and More Visible

The skills section has been visually updated for greater clarity. Skills now appear as clean labels, and a star symbol next to a skill indicates a high level of proficiency or native ability. The underlying data hasn’t changed but the presentation is sharper and it sits higher up the profile than it did before.

This is a reminder that every skill listed on your profile is a searchable data point. Casting directors filter by skill every single day. If what you can genuinely offer isn’t reflected, you simply won’t appear in those searches.

If a skill is listed at a high level, use the star to indicate this. And if there are skills you’d love to develop so that you can list them with confidence, that’s a conversation worth having.

🌟 Our training programmes at TMA Collective and Tucker Arts are designed to help performers at every stage continue developing, building new skills, refining existing ones and preparing for industry opportunities. Explore what’s available.

Our Overall Advice

Log into your Spotlight profile this week and look at it with fresh eyes, ideally in dark mode, as casting is likely doing. Ask yourself whether it reflects who you are as a performer right now, whether your media content is doing you justice and whether your Highlights section makes a strong first impression.

The platform has done its part. Now it’s over to you.

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