Timing of Audition Invite Emails

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ToeKneeArmAss
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by ToeKneeArmAss »

ClosingTime wrote: Sun Jul 02, 2017 8:05 pm
ToeKneeArmAss wrote: Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:31 pm
ClosingTime wrote: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:24 pm After doing well on several previous tests, I was finally selected for an audition!

Online test date: May 30, 2017
Audition Invite email received: June 23
Audition date: Friday, August 11

I live in Dayton, OH and Pittsburgh, PA is my audition location.
Congratulations!! What was your test score?
41
Terrific - thanks for sharing and best of luck at the audition!
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by spunkypreppy11 »

ClosingTime wrote: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:24 pm After doing well on several previous tests, I was finally selected for an audition!

Online test date: May 30, 2017
Audition Invite email received: June 23
Audition date: Friday, August 11

I live in Dayton, OH and Pittsburgh, PA is my audition location.
Did you get your confirmation email yet? I also got the invite on June 23rd for Pittsburgh and it said we would get confirmation info. within 10 business days (tomorrow), but I haven't gotten any yet?
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by morbeedo »

Takeaways from today's NYC audition (my first)
  • There were 20 people in my group and there were 2 groups today
  • I didn't count how many men and women were in my group, but it seemed like an even split. Lawyers were well represented !
  • I think I did as well or better on the 50 question test as on any online test
  • Be prepared to answer 'tell me about yourself' and 'if you win a lot of money, what would you do?'
  • They didn't ask anyone about their 'stories'
  • Get ready to be interrupted. I had prepared a great little spiel for tell me about yourself, but quickly realized I wouldn't have time to get through all of it, so I changed my bio on the fly and Corina jumped all over something I said that I wasn't planning to talk about at all! So be careful what you say! Luckily she pivoted to "what do you do for fun?" And I got to segue into other stuff.
  • After I sat down, a few different people talked about crossword puzzles and knitting as hobbies. Interesting stuff, but less interesting after you've heard it once already. Someone mentioned quilting but from a unique angle so he stood out
  • Best answer to 'what would you do with the money' - shipping container swimming pool. Google it
  • Be prepared to talk fast and think faster
  • Be prepared for an intense level of TV game show energy from the casting people
  • There was NO HUG :cry:
  • 100% of my audition preparation was focused on the interview and application. I made no special attempt to 'study' other than watch Jeopardy! per usual
  • It's a very different feeling to stand up and play the game with a real buzzer in your hand, 2 opponents and a room full of people watching. Feels like an out of body experience
  • I was called up in the first group to play the mock game
  • I got super serious when we stood up to play. They asked me 'are you having fun?' and I thought uh-oh, better turn up the charm! So smile :)
  • I totally bombed the mock game (2 right, 3 or more wrong). When I finally gave a correct response Maggie said, 'feels good doesn't it?' I think what matters most here is energy and volume and quick clue selection
  • When you play the game, you're standing in front of 2 contestant coordinators and then someone else (Maggie at my audition) is sitting on the other side of the room, watching, listening, taking notes and asking questions. There's a lot going on at once, but you have to roll with it
  • When it's over they rush you out of the room and everyone disperses, so I didn't get to catch up with anybody. If anyone from this audition wants to chat, PM me
  • Wear nice clothes
  • I am officially swimming in the Jeopardy! pool for the next 18 months ;)
Last edited by morbeedo on Fri Jun 15, 2018 10:44 pm, edited 11 times in total.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by twelvefootboy »

morbeeto wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm Takeaways from today's NYC audition (my first)
  • There were 20 people in my group and there were 2 groups today
  • I did not count how many men and women were in my group, but it seemed like an even split
  • I think I did as well or better on the 50 question test as on any online test
  • They didn't ask anyone about their 'stories'
  • Be prepared to answer 'tell me about yourself' and 'if you win a lot of money, what would you do?'
  • Be prepared to be interrupted. A lot. Be prepared to talk fast and think faster
  • Be prepared for an extremely intense level of TV game show energy from the casting people
  • There was NO HUG
  • 100% of my audition preparation was focused on the interview and application. I made no special attempt to 'study' other than watch Jeopardy! per usual
  • It's a very different feeling to stand up and play the game with a real buzzer in your hand, 2 opponents and a room full of people watching. Feels like an out of body experience.
  • I got super serious when I stood up to play the mock game. They asked me 'are you having fun?', and I thought uh-oh, better turn up the charm! So smile :)
  • I totally bombed the mock game (2 right, 3 or more wrong), but I think all that matters here is energy and volume and quick clue selection
  • Wear nice clothes
  • I am officially swimming in the Jeopardy! pool for the next 18 months ;)
Big congrats - you can take a breath now. It seems overwhelming to me just watching from the sidelines. I'm going to adulterate your screen name in my replies just for good luck! Hope you get on the show and it's all fancy French Lit questions!
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by morbeedo »

twelvefootboy wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 12:43 am Big congrats - you can take a breath now. It seems overwhelming to me just watching from the sidelines. I'm going to adulterate your screen name in my replies just for good luck! Hope you get on the show and it's all fancy French Lit questions!
LOL thanks! It WAS a bit overwhelming for this first timer. You get a month to anticipate the audition, then I had all day to think about it - would've preferred the 10am slot. I had manic energy all morning and then faded a little in the afternoon. The contestant coordinators have insane energy and I was a little bowled over by it at first, but had a great time :)

Maggie greeted me "hello, handsome" but she probably says that to all the guys. Corina liked my socks. That's all she wrote!
Last edited by morbeedo on Fri Aug 11, 2017 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by alietr »

morbeedo wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm Takeaways from today's NYC audition (my first)
  • It's a very different feeling to stand up and play the game with a real buzzer in your hand, 2 opponents and a room full of people watching. Feels like an out of body experience.
Now imagine that you have studio lights on you, a much larger audience, Alex reading the questions, and cameras rolling. It's another order of magnitude higher.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by Bamaman »

alietr wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 7:31 am
morbeedo wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm Takeaways from today's NYC audition (my first)
  • It's a very different feeling to stand up and play the game with a real buzzer in your hand, 2 opponents and a room full of people watching. Feels like an out of body experience.
Now imagine that you have studio lights on you, a much larger audience, Alex reading the questions, and cameras rolling. It's another order of magnitude higher.
It would be great to find out what it is like. Even if I bombed and didn't make FJ.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by morbeedo »

alietr wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 7:31 am
morbeedo wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm Takeaways from today's NYC audition (my first)
  • It's a very different feeling to stand up and play the game with a real buzzer in your hand, 2 opponents and a room full of people watching. Feels like an out of body experience.
Now imagine that you have studio lights on you, a much larger audience, Alex reading the questions, and cameras rolling. It's another order of magnitude higher.
If I get the call, 90% of my prep will go towards getting ready to be on stage

Audition went well. I spent yesterday obsessing over it, but now I need to forget about it :)

How about a "swimming in the Jeopardy! pool" caption?
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by Golf »

morbeedo wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:18 am If I get the call, 90% of my prep will go towards getting ready to be on stage
You'll have hundreds if not thousands of hours of prep time before taping, if you have 500 hours for example you're going to spend 450 of those hours on stage preparation?

It's a game, you play the game to win. And if you're doing it right, that's all you're thinking about when on stage.

Good luck in the pool.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by doihavetoreally »

morbeedo wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm Takeaways from today's NYC audition (my first)
  • There were 20 people in my group and there were 2 groups today
  • I didn't count how many men and women were in my group, but it seemed like an even split. Lawyers were well represented !
  • I think I did as well or better on the 50 question test as on any online test
  • Be prepared to answer 'tell me about yourself' and 'if you win a lot of money, what would you do?'
  • They didn't ask anyone about their 'stories'
  • Get ready to be interrupted. I had prepared a great little spiel for tell me about yourself, but quickly realized I wouldn't have to time to get through all of it, so I changed my bio on the fly to something like "I'm a Jersey boy but I live in NYC" and then Corina jumped all over NJ and I didn't want to talk about that at all! So be careful what you say! Luckily she pivoted to "what do you do for fun?" And I got to segue into other stuff. I got a big laugh on my cat's name, so that was a win. I brought a picture of him and they asked to see it at the end of the audition. Surprised more people didn't talk about their pets
  • After I sat down, a few different people talked about crossword puzzles and knitting as hobbies. Interesting stuff, but less interesting after you've heard it once already. Someone mentioned quilting but from a unique angle so he stood out
  • Best answer to 'what would you do with the money' - shipping container swimming pool. Google it
  • Be prepared to talk fast and think faster
  • Be prepared for an extremely intense level of TV game show energy from the casting people
  • There was NO HUG :cry:
  • 100% of my audition preparation was focused on the interview and application. I made no special attempt to 'study' other than watch Jeopardy! per usual
  • It's a very different feeling to stand up and play the game with a real buzzer in your hand, 2 opponents and a room full of people watching. Feels like an out of body experience
  • I was called up in the first group to play the mock game
  • I got super serious when we stood up to play. They asked me 'are you having fun?' and I thought uh-oh, better turn up the charm! So smile :)
  • I totally bombed the mock game (2 right, 3 or more wrong). When I finally gave a correct response Maggie said, 'feels good doesn't it?' I think what matters most here is energy and volume and quick clue selection
  • When you play the game, you're standing in front of 2 contestant coordinators and then someone else (Maggie at my audition) is sitting on the other side of the room, watching, listening, taking notes and asking questions. It's a little jarring at first because there's a lot going on at once, but you have to roll with it
  • When it's over they rush you out of the room and everyone disperses, so I didn't get to catch up with anybody. If anyone from this audition wants to chat, PM me
  • Wear nice clothes
  • I am officially swimming in the Jeopardy! pool for the next 18 months ;)
Congrats and thanks for the details. Looks like you did what you had to... Keep floating.
Good enough to lose on Jeopardy!
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by morbeedo »

Golf wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 10:32 am
morbeedo wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:18 am If I get the call, 90% of my prep will go towards getting ready to be on stage
You'll have hundreds if not thousands of hours of prep time before taping, if you have 500 hours for example you're going to spend 450 of those hours on stage preparation?

It's a game, you play the game to win. And if you're doing it right, that's all you're thinking about when on stage.

Good luck in the pool.
Yeah! and the other 110% on studying ;)

I worked for someone once who told me 'you're only giving 100% in this job.' It was absurd because I was getting paid by the hour, so I said I don't really follow your math here? LOL
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by badgerfellow »

morbeedo wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm
Post
Congrats on your audition, morbeedo! If it helps, I had bombed on the mock game as well (3 wrong in a row in fact!) and still made it to television. As long as you kept playing the game and you showed that you enjoyed playing with passion, you should be fine.

I wouldn't worry too much on "stage presence" for the show at this point, unless you're talking game and wager strategy. The only people who will care about "stage presence" are Twitter trolls who have nothing better to do.

One thing that really fascinates me about the contestant coordinators is how they keep positivity and professionalism together in those auditions. They probably hear a lot of crazy things, but they would never laugh at or discourage the poolees.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by morbeedo »

badgerfellow wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 4:12 pm I wouldn't worry too much on "stage presence" for the show at this point, unless you're talking game and wager strategy. The only people who will care about "stage presence" are Twitter trolls who have nothing better to do.
Good advice! I'm talking more about preparing for the experience of playing the game for real, under the lights, camera rolling. It's something I think I should at least try to prepare for. And stuff like deep breathing and creative visualizations... anyway, time to forget about the audition and just keep swimming :)
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by triviawayne »

Golf wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 10:32 am
morbeedo wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:18 am If I get the call, 90% of my prep will go towards getting ready to be on stage
You'll have hundreds if not thousands of hours of prep time before taping, if you have 500 hours for example you're going to spend 450 of those hours on stage preparation?

It's a game, you play the game to win. And if you're doing it right, that's all you're thinking about when on stage.

Good luck in the pool.
Now is the time to study, that call can come anytime. Deal with the stage prep only about a week before you actually go, other than playing along every night while standing and buzzing in while someone else tracks your score.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by morbeedo »

triviawayne wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:09 pm Now is the time to study, that call can come anytime. Deal with the stage prep only about a week before you actually go, other than playing along every night while standing and buzzing in while someone else tracks your score.
Great advice! Except that I don't have a 'someone else', and I don't think my cats could keep score :lol:

My original post about preparing for the lights was meant to be a private message to alietr but I messed that up and triggered this thread, but I appreciate the pointers. When I went to a taping last December, I was so excited I couldn't think clearly for the beginning of the first game, but then settled into the zone (as much as you can as a spectator). Hopefully, the rehearsal would help with getting me ready - as many people have described, but if anyone has any recommendations on books about sports psychology / performance / competition, let me know

There are books on auditioning for actors that could help people who have an audition looming. I forgot about these resources until after the fact, but have been looking at them now and thinking oh yeah, that makes sense:

Audition, Michael Shurtleff

Confessions of a Casting Director, Jen Rudin

There are so many resources out there, and much of it comes down to just a few basics.
http://www.nycastings.com/20-film-audition-tips/

I listened to Randy and Dr. J's audition webinar a few times, and my biggest takeaway was to make your #1 goal for the audition to have fun. Bring your best self and focus on the elements you can control. I would add that it's really important to dress the part, because first impressions count for a lot.

I think I got in my own way a little bit when I was preparing for the audition, though to be fair, a friend gave me a good quote: "Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth." It really comes down to this: what are 1 or 2 compelling things about me that I want to communicate to the CC, and find a way to put those front and center in your interview

Also when you walk into the room, take a seat in the front and stay engaged the whole time! Don't pull out your phone! You can go 2.5 hours without checking messages (I really hope you can) ;)

During the mock game, if you're not playing, be quiet! You'll get a chance to shout out the question only if the 3 players can't come up with anything, even with help from the CC

The only thing that gave me pause is there was another guy at the audition with the same name, and he was perfectly castable, but from another state - thankfully :)
Last edited by morbeedo on Mon Jul 10, 2017 2:05 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by AFRET CMS »

triviawayne wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:09 pm
Golf wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 10:32 am
morbeedo wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:18 am If I get the call, 90% of my prep will go towards getting ready to be on stage
You'll have hundreds if not thousands of hours of prep time before taping, if you have 500 hours for example you're going to spend 450 of those hours on stage preparation?

It's a game, you play the game to win. And if you're doing it right, that's all you're thinking about when on stage.

Good luck in the pool.
Now is the time to study, that call can come anytime. Deal with the stage prep only about a week before you actually go, other than playing along every night while standing and buzzing in while someone else tracks your score.
I second the "standing and practice buzzing in." I also recommend doing at three taped shows at a time, standing during commercials without fast-forwarding, and wearing the same shoes you plan to wear on stage. If all goes well, you'll be on your feet for multiple shows with very short breaks in between, so practicing for best case could be helpful -- you don't want to find out in the middle of your second game that your "TV shoes" pinch your feet.
I'm not the defending Jeopardy! champion. But I have played one on TV.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by twelvefootboy »

AFRET CMS wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2017 1:24 pm
I second the "standing and practice buzzing in." I also recommend doing at three taped shows at a time, standing during commercials without fast-forwarding, and wearing the same shoes you plan to wear on stage. If all goes well, you'll be on your feet for multiple shows with very short breaks in between, so practicing for best case could be helpful -- you don't want to find out in the middle of your second game that your "TV shoes" pinch your feet.
This is great advice - El Morbeeto (sic) definitely knows about wearing broken in shoes for a marathon, but who woulda thunk about standing. I think that learning to keep/imprint the category in the sub-conscious before you finish reading the clue (and thereby get distracted by possible Pavlovs) would be my first skill I'd work on. Watching the game on TV, I frequently wish I could look above the TV and see what the freakin' category was because of my CRS syndrome. It would be smarter to just pay attention in the first place...

Good luck in the pool! Don't get pulled out of the water by the kayak like I did with my first and last attempt at a Triathlon! Skinny guys don't float so good!
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by AFRET CMS »

morbeedo wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:53 pm
[*]I am officially swimming in the Jeopardy! pool for the next 18 months ;)
... and we'll be watching for you to post your taping date sometime in the next 18 months. I remember you mentioning that you were in the studio audience for my taping; I'll keep my fingers crossed that I may be able to return the favor. Best of luck!
I'm not the defending Jeopardy! champion. But I have played one on TV.
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by ClosingTime »

spunkypreppy11 wrote: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:50 am
ClosingTime wrote: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:24 pm After doing well on several previous tests, I was finally selected for an audition!

Online test date: May 30, 2017
Audition Invite email received: June 23
Audition date: Friday, August 11

I live in Dayton, OH and Pittsburgh, PA is my audition location.
Did you get your confirmation email yet? I also got the invite on June 23rd for Pittsburgh and it said we would get confirmation info. within 10 business days (tomorrow), but I haven't gotten any yet?
I received the confirmation email the day after I responded to the initial notification email. Hope your confirmation finally arrived!
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Re: Timing of Audition Invite Emails

Post by John Boy »

ClosingTime wrote: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:24 pm After doing well on several previous tests, I was finally selected for an audition!

Online test date: May 30, 2017
Audition Invite email received: June 23
Audition date: Friday, August 11

I live in Dayton, OH and Pittsburgh, PA is my audition location.
Well, I'm bursting with mixed emotions. I'm always pleased when I see a boardie get a chance to be on the show, so YOU GO, GUY! do us all proud.

That said, I'm imagining that also means I am NOT getting an invite to Pittsburgh, so it's wait-until-next-year once again. Since 2009 this is the 7th time I've gotten what we believe to be a passing score, without getting an invite to an audition. The disappointment stings a bit more each time.
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