Everyone in the industry wants to know how to “get to the next level.”
Whether they are just starting out and are still jet lagged from when they landed at LAX, or if they’ve been in the industry for over a decade and have made significant progress, everyone wants to reach higher.
In order to reach the next level in your career, you have to first measure where you are, so you can determine what the next level in your career actually is.
Is it going to entail going from one liners and bit parts to supporting roles, or are you trying to go from supporting roles to leading roles?
Whatever career stage you currently find yourself in, the way to get to the next level is practically the same…
Most actors think they have to do a thousand things all at once to move their careers forward.
In reality, you only need to choose one thing that will give you an edge.
The path of least resistance tends to be social media, but there is proper way to approach social media, if you are looking to use it as a tool to move your acting career forward and get you booked.
Your strategy must be different than if you are simply using it to keep in touch with your friends.
Make that decision first.
If you are using it as a career tool, the most powerful thing is to go deep on a relationship with a lot of people. This is what social media provides, and the reason it’s so powerful. It works extremely well, as long as your posts are of value.
What keeps actors from being successful on social is they treat it just as if they were simply posting to keep in touch with friends.
Anytime you post on social, ask yourself if the post you are making would be the start of a conversation if you were at a party across from the person viewing the post.
Would showing them a photo of you and a cocktail be of any value or would they simply say “you look good” and move on to the next topic?
When we approach social, most of us are looking for that vanity validation from others, but the people that really take off and succeed on social media are the ones that can make you feel like the post you are looking at was sent directly to you.
They are also skilled at making their posts conversation starters.
Whether their posts are starting a conversation in your own head or you’re talking about the post with a friend, it’s the start of something bigger. The goal then becomes to post something that will have a life in the real world, not just on social.
Here’s the kicker!
Before you are selected for a callback, casting goes through a process of reviewing or creating your Castability Index to make sure there are no red flags, before moving you along in the casting process.
Meaningful content, and a highly engaged following will give you a much better shot at being memorable with casting.
It was only a few years ago that social media became something you were asked about at auditions.
Now it is starting to become a question during the submission process.
So, if you are being submitted to a ton of stuff and not getting so much as an audition, that may be a symptom of something being off with your social efforts.
If on the other hand, you are going on a ton of auditions but you’re not being booked enough, then start to troubleshoot that problem.
It is rarely about you not being good enough.
We all have bad days and bad auditions of course, but how many times have you knocked it out of the park and didn’t hear anything back?
How many times have you followed up on the project, seen who was cast and thought you would have done better?
The entertainment business is not so much about talent as it is about having an edge over the competition (the competition being other films, other shows, etc).
That edge typically comes in the form of attention. If casting has a reason to believe you will give the production an edge, game over, you’re in!
This is what must come across in your auditions. What kind of an edge can you provide that no one else that will read for the role is able to match.
What casting is looking for is the same thing elite agents, managers, and practically everyone else in the industry is looking for.
So, if you want to attract high level reps, ask yourself, what kind of an edge do you bring to the table. My favorite, and the simplest way to do that is this.
Even elite agents still need some kind of leverage and tools to be able to book talent successfully.
Many actors think, “If I can just get signed by a better agency, I’ll be set.” That’s not the case at all.
Also, remember that your reps work for free until you’re booked. That’s why they are selective about who gets added to their roster, and it’s why they pour their efforts into talent that is already succeeding or that has an identifiable edge with casting.
Otherwise, it’s simply a waste of time for them.
Either create something for yourself, or just leverage what I have already created to give you an edge.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
While everyone is looking for the “magic pill” that will make them an overnight success, you can use simple, tried and true methods that have made actors successful forever.
The same principles that made Charlie Chaplin a one of the most successful actors ever, are the same principles you can leverage to skyrocket your own career.
Sure, the mediums may be different but in the end it’s all about making yourself visible to the industry, communicating that you have a competitive advantage they will benefit from, and making sure that your reputation matches your goals.
When you have those things in place, it won’t be long until we…
See you at the top,
Scott