Professional actors know that they have to dominate pilot season every year if they want to build their acting career.
There’s simply nothing else like it!
The thing is...how many actors do you know that have accomplished their pilot season goals? Probably not many.
I say that because after working with so many actors over the years, I’ve realized that not many of them have ever done it.
Very few actually end up making any progress whatsoever during pilot season.
That should be somewhat surprising, considering that pilot season is probably the biggest opportunity for most actors.
It’s a time when actors can be plucked from obscurity and cast alongside A list actors, in projects that just might turn out to be the next big hit.
If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that professional actors are really good at seizing big opportunities like this.
In fact, you can look back at almost any A list actor’s career and see that, somewhere along the line, a successful pilot season was instrumental to building their acting career.
That’s why, if you want to build your career as a professional actor, you have to learn how to dominate this upcoming pilot season. Here’s where to start...
First, it’s important to understand why most actors fail to accomplish their goals for pilot season. It actually starts to happen long before auditions begin. In fact, it starts right about now.
Here’s what I mean...
Pilot season requires preparation. That’s true of any audition but it’s especially true of pilot season.
You might find yourself auditioning for projects that are diametrically different, on the same day. You have to be prepared to handle anything that comes your way, and things just happen a lot faster during pilot season.
The problem most actors run into is that they treat pilot season auditions the same way they treat every other audition.
Remember, as an actor you have a couple minutes with a casting director. The CD may have a couple minutes with a couple hundred of you.
That can be extremely tedious, especially when you consider that most actors present themselves similarly.
Because of the sheer volume of actors they will be seeing throughout pilot season, Casting Directors mentally check out until someone piques their interest.
To do that, you can’t just blend in with the dozens upon dozens of other actors they’re sifting through.
You have to catch their attention by delivering an audition that is different from everyone else.
Sometimes, the key is to deliver something that even goes against what CDs and production may have in mind for the character you are reading for.
At this stage in the audition process, CDs are ok with actors that may interpret the character a bit differently.
If you’re too far off the mark, they’ll pull you back in down the road in the callback stage.
Most actors literally shiver at the thought of doing that but professional actors are comfortable taking calculated risks, creatively.
While this is a great strategy during any time of the year, it can be even more effective during pilot season. Projects evolve over time and when they are in the pilot stage, they are incredibly malleable.
When you’re reading for projects that are beyond that initial stage, it’s not the case so that’s an opportunity that is unique to pilot season.
Something else to keep in mind is that there is a lot of urgency during pilot season. This means that the casting dynamics are different.
During other times, CDs have the luxury of taking their time. However, during pilot season they can’t wait to make decisions.
The last thing they want to do is move an actor through the process, only to have them commit to someone else’s pilot.
So, they are always hoping that the next actor they see is going to be the one. That’s why, if all of the fundamentals of your career are in order, and you deliver a stellar audition that catches their attention and sets you apart from everyone else, things can move very quickly.
That’s why your headshots have to be top notch. It’s not uncommon for CDs to ask actors for a different headshot they can forward to production.
If your headshots don’t fully reflect the roles you are reading for, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to get a new headshot quickly.
Having multiple variations is always a good idea, and it can come in handy particularly during pilot season.
Of course your reel should also be current and reflect the character types you are reading for. The last thing you want to do is have an action reel, when you are reading for comedies.
These are things that you should start preparing now, well before pilot season is underway. Preparing them preemptively might even help to fill up your pilot season audition schedule.
That’s assuming that you and your agent have a solid plan in place and are on the same page. I could write a book on that topic alone, so we’ll go into the details on that another time.
For now, start with what we talked about today.
If what you are most concerned about is not having enough auditions during pilot season, check this out. I created it to help you increase your visibility where CDs and industry decision makers are looking for talent and it can be particularly useful during pilot season.
The time to prepare for pilot season is right now.
You probably have some down time coming up, as the year winds down, so it’s the perfect time to catch up on career things that you maybe haven’t thought about in a while.
That way, when pilot season is finally here, you will be a step ahead of everyone else.
Some things are even more thorough during pilot season. Casting Directors tend to do some research on actors before deciding who to move forward with in the casting process. That’s why you should always be sure that what they find about you is up to their standards.
That research can be more in depth during pilot season, so be sure that you are always putting your best forward.
Because there’s so much at stake during pilot season, CDs tend to be more thorough and cautious, so make sure that your industry reputation is in top shape. Here’s how I can help with that.
What we went over today can go a long way in helping you prepare for pilot season, so that you can be ready when the time comes.
Don’t leave things like this to the last minute. If you’re not exactly sure about what to start with, remember I’m always only a comment or an email away.
Feel free to get in touch anytime! I’m always happy to help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott