If you are still an actor in 2018, then you just might be in serious trouble! There’s too much going on in the industry and actors are becoming a thing of the past.
I know, it sounds like I’m crazy but would it interest you to know that Dwayne Johnson (the highest paid actor on the planet) said this himself???
Here’s why…
Actors are one dimensional beings in a 3 dimensional world. It’s been happening for a while and I’ve been personally sounding the alarm for a long time too.
Let me be clear, I do not mean that actors are disappearing and are will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence or something like that.
What I mean is that simply being a fantastic actor does not cut it in the industry anymore.
Walk down Sunset at lunch time, blindfolded, and toss a beach ball in any direction and you will hit a talented actor. The ball will then bounce off them and hit another 3 talented actors.
That’s why “actors” are a dying breed.
In today’s industry, you must be an entertainer and entrepreneur!
One of my favorite scenes in Jerry Maguire explains it very succinctly. In case you haven’t seen it: Jerry, a sports agent, is having a talk with a grumpy NFL Player client of his whom is having trouble getting a new contract.
Jerry tells him to be more jovial and play to the crowd. “You’re not a football player, you’re an entertainer” he says.
After a few more heartbreaks, he finally takes Jerry’s advice, becomes an entertainer-first and lands a great contract, better than what he was hoping for.
I know, that story was Hollywood-Perfection at it’s best, but it illustrates the point very well.
Here’s how it played out in the real world.
Whether you’re a fan of Dwayne Johnson or not, it’s worth studying the most in demand and highest paid actor on the planet.
His journey in the entertainment industry had a very rocky start.
After a failed football career, he went into wrestling.
As you might know, all wrestlers adopt a character and his first one was near and dear to his heart. It paid homage to Dwayne’s Samoan heritage.
He was expected to be a huge sensation and draw big crowds to the shows. It didn’t exactly happen that way.
Instead, he had a lukewarm debut at best and even that cooled off quickly, despite Dwayne’s wrestling talent.
Dwayne understood that he was not simply a wrestler. He was an entertainer first and decided to completely change his character.
Thus “The Rock” was born.
The crowds absolutely loved him and started fill the stadiums, setting record attendance numbers.
“I listened to the crowd” he says about the reason for changing his character.
His skills didn’t suddenly improve with a character change, yet his career went skyward!
The same thing happened when he started acting. He made several box office duds at the start of his career and almost everyone had counted him out.
The industry started to think of him as another failed cross over.
He “listened to the crowd” and changed up again. Dwayne’s acting career started to take off when he remade his image and showed a softer side with films like “The Game Plan” where he played a single father.
The audience loved seeing a giant, tough guy have a softer and more relatable side.
Even his public appearances showed a dramatic shift. He was once a man of few words, with a smile you would seldom see.
Contrast to what he’s like today: an animated, warm story teller with a huge laugh that fills the room.
Did his acting skills improve?
Sure, but how much? He’s experiencing 1000X the success that did early on but is he really a 1000X better actor?
Of course not!
But he is 1000X better an entertainer than when he started, and on top of that he learned to leverage his brand and platform.
That’s something I can help with. Get the details here.
That’s where the entrepreneurial part comes in. When you start to see yourself as an entertainer and entrepreneur, your character will take a giant leap.
Entrepreneurs are always thinking about their next opportunity and how to create it.
You should have the same mentality.
They relentlessly work on expanding their personal network and creating the next opportunity, knowing that it will not simply come to them.
Auditions are your opportunities and at the top of your mind should be a laser like focus on creating as many of them possible.
That begs the question: how are you currently generating auditions?
Are you simply waiting for them to come to you?
If the only time you go on an audition is when your agent calls and say’s it’s showtime, then you have not yet reached the entrepreneurial frame of mind.
You have to constantly market yourself to the industry in a super effective way that will also ensure you have the kind of reputation industry decision makers respect.
Once you have that, get out there and shake as many hands as possible. Doing this very thing, I have met industry movers, shakers, and decision makers. With very few exceptions, they were always happy and open to talking with me.
See, nobody ever approaches them out of them blue.
It’s intimidating and nerve wracking to get out there and force the industry to take notice of you.
Here’s a way that I can help with an efficient way to do this.
I’m not saying that my way is the only way to do it or that you need to accept my help, but you do have to do something if you want to dramatically push your career forward quickly.
So what will you do now grasshopper? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. I read every one that comes through.
I’m always happy to help in any way I can because my goal is to…
See you at the top,
Scott