Hello from February!
At the time of this writing, we are already a couple of days into February...That’s already the second month of 2020 and so many of the actors I’m hearing from are already falling behind on their career progress.
They set big goals on the first of the year, went all in and then, crickets. 2020 is already soaring by and if plans are not put in place right now, they will find themselves right back where they started.
On the flip side, we have the actors that are brand new to the industry making incredible strides. They are literally leapfrogging actors that have been in the industry for many years.
So what makes the difference? What is the difference between someone who is a complete industry newcomer, but is able to go on a handful of auditions and land the second lead in a big studio picture?
What about those that are cast as part of a star studded ensemble, effectively making them the 3rd lead in a promising pilot?
How is it that they are able to accomplish, in weeks, what so many actors spend years trying to do?
Remember, these are industry newcomers we are talking about. They didn’t “know someone” to get ahead in the industry.
After seeing it happen time and time again, there is definitely a pattern and a formula you can follow.
Whether you are looking to get your first few credits or looking to hit the next level in your career, you can do it quickly and a lot easier than you probably ever thought possible.
Here’s how...
You have to stop thinking of yourself as an actor and realize that you are much more than that. The industry has changed dramatically over the last several years and it’s more important than ever that you see yourself as an entertainer.
Here’s what I mean by that.
An actor will show up on set, perform their lines and call it a day.
On the other hand, an entertainer realizes that their performance is irrelevant if no one watches it. So, they have a vested interest in attracting attention to themselves, which will in turn get attention to their project.
Don’t mistake this kind of “attention getting” for simply chasing vanity numbers in terms of likes and views on social media.
Entertainers, know that they have to curate their audience in order to have a great performance.
After all, if you put a phenomenal intellectual thriller in front of an audience who was expecting an Adam Sandler type of comedy, it will fall flat.
This is what those actors who become sensations almost instantly are able to d: they expose their projects, performances and talents to the right audiences.
Think of it this way....
If you have a leaky faucet do you call a mechanic? Of course not!
However, almost every actor does this when it comes to the industry, not realizing that just like anything else, Casting Directors specialize.
A CD that constantly casts for horror projects, is not going to be effective in casting romantic comedies and vice versa.
The same is true for screenwriters, directors, and just about everyone else in the industry.
Yet, as actors, we tend to be scatterbrained when it comes to our work and we chase anything and everything.
When you do this, it becomes extremely difficult to gain traction.
So what does this have to do with being an “entertainer” VS being an actor?
Remember, as an entertainer you would be going beyond just the screen and building an audience that is interested in the roles you play.
This requires you to “specialize” in a certain type of role as well. Look at any successful actor and you will see that they tend to stick to the types of roles they do best.
Jennifer Aniston has been playing the same role since the mid 90s when you think about it. Even those that don’t appear to have specialized in a category, really have done so, when you dig a little bit deeper.
Take Robert Downey Jr. for example. Sherlock Holmes and Tony Stark have a lot more in common than it may seem. When you start to peel back the character’s layers and identify their core traits, the similarities are plentiful.
Actros tend to resist doing this because, as creatives, we want to be all over the place. It’s understandable.
However, to be a working actor, you have to specialize first. After all, there’s a reason that passion projects are called that. They are the exception.
When you do this, you will build a body of work that shows your talent in the best light. You will also start to network with other industry decision makers that also specialize in your same category.
This makes it so much easier to be recognizable, and the more familiar you seem to a CD, the easier it is for them to feel comfortable in casting you.
This is how those outliers are able to make such incredible progress very quickly.
Rather than casting a wide net, they go deep in one category. Also, they put a lot of effort into building a quality support team.
A key part of that is signing with a good agent. That doesn’t mean you have to sign WME to get ahead.
In fact, you will find some of the most talented agents elsewhere.
You need to make sure that they believe in you and your talent and see you as a partner, rather than just another name on their client roster.
If they do, then they will go to work for you. Instead of just submitting you for projects randomly, they will actively seek out opportunities that you are well suited for.
Client-agent relationships work really well when they are built as a solid partnership. Make it clear, when you are interviewing agents that you see it this way.
Any good agent (one that you want to sign with) will have criteria that their talent must meet before signing.
They look at your body of work, study your materials and of course they dig into your industry reputation. Most of the top tier agents won’t even consider talent whose reputation falls below an acceptable rating, so be sure that your reputation matches your goals.
A good agent doesn’t want to be tasked with doing all the heavy lifting, because they know this is a recipe for disaster.
They will already be versed in the actor VS entertainer dynamic that is at work in the industry and will ask you to do your part.
One of the most important things for you to do is to put work into your social media. This shows them that you are serious about having a long term career, and it gives you the chance to build an audience that wants to see you be successful.
Click here to get the ball rolling on that too.
Putting the pieces in place to make quick progress in the industry is all about putting forth a focused effort and it’s what allows an actor to go from zero to the silver screen in the blink of an eye.
This is an overview of what you need to do and next week we’ll dive deeper into all of the concepts.
If you have any questions about how it all works, shoot me an email or let me know if the comments below. I’m always happy to help however I can because the goal I don’t want to fall behind on is to...
See you at the top,
Scott