With June now over, we are officially in the 2nd half of the year. Before you know if, we'll be ringing in 2023 and most actors will look back over the year and realize that they didn't accomplish anywhere near what they wanted to accomplish.

In other words, most actors will realize that they didn't do much other than pass the time, waiting for their "big break" to fall into their lap.

Unfortunately, the industry just doesn't work that way anymore.
It rewards actors that take responsibility for their success and actively work towards it.

That's not to say most actors don't think they are working towards success. It's just that most of them are using outdated methods and strategies to build their acting careers.

In doing so, they end up spinning their wheels and never really make any meaningful progress.

Successful actors figure out how to breakthrough to the next level, by focusing on what's working right now to make it in the industry.

If you want to build a career as a successful actor, here are 4 things you can do this week to take your acting career to the next level...

Most actors go wrong by trying to do a million different things they think will work to move their career forward.

That usually only leads to doing them ineffectively or it leads to getting tired and burning yourself out.

Instead of doing that, focus on just these 4 things. It's really only 3, because I can take one off your plate completely. More on that in a bit...

The point is to take a few minutes everyday and work on them consistently.

That will help you avoid burning out and you will benefit from doing them over and over again, since some of them have a snowball effect.

Whenever you do something and don't see results immediately, it's always demoralizing if you have your entire efforts focused on just that one thing.

However, if you have multiple things you are working on it's easier to stick with those things that have delayed results, because you will have momentum from the others to keep you motivated.

One of those things that has a snowball effect with delayed results, is industry outreach.

Start an outreach campaign to connect with industry decision makers. This isn't typical "networking."

You don't want to reach out to just anyone.

The goal is to connect with people that can help move your career forward. That could be agents, managers, producers, directors, CDs, screenwriters, etc.

Who you reach out to will depend on where you are in your career, so it's helpful to come up with your career roadmap.

That's item two.

Sit down and think about where you want to go with your career. Consider what types of projects you enjoy working on the most, and also think of the jobs you took just because it meant another credit on your resume.

This will help you get clear on the career you want to build. It also helps you determine whether or not it's time to make some changes.

If you decide you want to be an action hero but your headshot is that of a goofy nextdoor type of person, it's probably time to redo your headshot.

The same goes for your agent. If you're trying to get to the next level in your career, but you're signed with someone whose talent roster is only getting as far as booking regional commercials, it might be time to start looking for new representation too.

If that were the case, then your industry outreach would be focused on agents.

However, if you are already clear on your career goals and you just need to generate more opportunities, then reaching out to casting directors would be more helpful.

This is also something you should revisit often, to make sure you're on track and continuously moving towards accomplishing your goals.

The third item is something most actors spend a lot of time on, but very few see any results from those efforts.

I'm talking about social media.

There is a big difference between effective social media that helps your acting career and social media that just ends up being a waste of time.

Using social media to advance your acting career starts with knowing how to create effective content.

If your feed is filled with what you had for lunch and pictures of pretty sunsets, that's not going to do much to help you build your acting career.

Instead, showcase your talent and document the journey you're on.

Show people that visit your profile, that you are working towards becoming a professional actor and that you take it seriously.

Be genuine. If you have a bad audition, share it! When you book something, your followers will be as excited as you are, because you are taking them along and sharing the highs and the lows with them as well.

That's how you can grow your following quickly and build an audience of people that want to see you succeed.

When you do it successfully, you start to unlock opportunities and open doors that were previously closed to you.

This happens because casting directors and studios love to work with actors that can promote their projects to their own fanbase.

What we've covered so far has been about improving your visibility to the industry. Professional actors are very good at doing that because if the industry doesn't know you they can't hire you.

Most actors think this is done through social media and while that is a powerful tool, for the reasons we talked about a moment ago, there is something else that is even more effective because it makes you highly visible where CDs and industry decision makers are already looking for talent.

Just being visible isn't enough either. At the same time, you want to show casting directors and industry decision makers that you are serious about your acting.

That's why it's important to make sure your industry reputation matches your goals.

You can do everything else right, but if you’re not visible to CDs then booking is always going to be difficult.

Also, if you are highly visible to the industry but your industry reputation isnâ€TMt what it should be, then moving your career forward is going to be just as difficult.

That's why I created this. It helps you be highly visible to CDs and industry decision makers, while also making sure that your industry reputation is always in top shape.

So, those are a few things you can do this week to start moving your career forward and taking things to the next level.

As you start planning, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about what we went over.

Even if you just want to bounce ideas, shoot me an email or leave a comment below. I'm always happy to help however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott