The smell of Golden Statues is in the air! It’s award season.

I always found it interesting that it happens at the same time that pilot season kicks off. As actors all over town are scrambling to get their foot in the door, you also have actors who have reached the pinnacle of their career, being recognized for their achievments.

The thing is, they started right where you are today, and their journey wasn’t all that different from the journey you are on right now.

What has fascinated me for a long, long time is what makes the difference.

Where along the winding path to success do those who end up at the awards shows go the right way, and the rest take the wrong path?

Many actors will say things like “they got lucky” or “they knew XYZ person.” Sure there is some of that, but when you start to really break down a successful actor’s career and get to the root of where everything started to change for them, you find many common threads.

In other words, they are all doing many of the same things at the same time (on the timeline of their careers) to achieve the kind of success every actor is after.

This means, that becoming a successful actor has a method. It’s not just about knowing someone or being “discovered.”

Pilot Season 2020 is incredibly important, if you want to have be a successful actor. You have to make the most of it!

The industry is going throught a perfect storm in 2020. An opportunity like this hasn’t come along in a really long time and who knows when it will happen again..

Here’s how to make this the pilot season that changes everything...

I sat and thought about this one for a long time. In fact, I wrote and rewrote this about a dozen times trying to make it sound...nice.

None if really got to the point of what I wanted to say, and this is to important to worry about sugarcoating it for you.

As you go from one audition to the next, this pilot season (and really any time) you have to leave the desperation at the door.

I know! I know! It sounds harsh, but I meant it with love and respect. Sometimes, being direct is the best thing for everyone.

When you go on an audition, certain that you are going to get booked you must let that confidence shine through. Casting Directors love it!

But, there is a fine line between coming off as confident and coming off as desperate. It’s difficult to stay calm and collected, particularly this time of year when you have several things you are waiting to hear back about.

Isolate each audition and don’t let your mind do the thinking for you. Act and perform with your instincts to let your talent shine through without being clouded by nerves.

When you interact with CDs and decision makers, treat them as an equal. Most actors are quick to place them on a pedastol, but that’s the exact opposite of what they want from you.

Treat them with respect, but keep your composure. Subtle things like saying “it was a pleasure to come in and read” rather than cheerily saying “thank you for your time” have a profound impact.

Look at it this way. When Scorcese sends Leo a script, how does he respond?

When interacting with decision makers, actors have a tendency to put them (the decision makers) on a pedastol and as if they have something you want.

While this is true in a sense, you don’t want to build a relationship with them, having this paradigm. It simply won’t work.

Instead come from a place of service and look for ways you can help and what gaps you can fill. This is how you get on their good side.

You can be the nicest person in the world to them, but if they don’t have a need for an actor like you, then there’s nothing you can do.

That brings me to the next part of how you can crush pilot season 2020.

Don’t go out on random auditions just to see what you can “get.” Go out and fill a need.

Do your homework and see what projects are casting and what kind of actors are needed. I’ve seen the right actors pitch themselves the wrong way so many times.

If your headshot is currently a glamour-style shot, but you see that productions are leaning mostly towards girl or guy next door type of characters, you might be the right actor for the job but in the worng packaging, so to speak.

There is always an underlying them or trend to pilot season. Get with your agent and plan out what you are going to be submitted to, then make sure your materials all align with those choices.

You may not have evrything in 1 category, but you should atleast have a majority direction to go in.

This is how you move from going on auditions to being booked: by giving CDs and decision makers what they want.

Most actors think that what they are looking for is “the best actor” for a given role. In reality, they are looking for the most saeable actor in that role. They need audiences to fall in love with the actors and tune in over and over again.

Talent plays a big part in this of course but it’s not the entire equation. That’s why 2020 is so important and why this pilot season presents an opportunity like no other.

The industry is at a crossroads where they are using technology in just about the right balance as human intuition.

I’ve talked about this before and it’s coming to fruition right now. ​The industry is using technology and tapping places like IMDb to discover and vet talent.

In the not so old days, CDs would sit at a table and flip through headshots. There would be a “yes” pile where they place the headshots of the actors they definitely wanted to see.

There would also be a maybe pile for the actors that they would see if there was time or if too many of the yesses became unavailable.

Lastly there was the trash bin.

Today “the pile” is laragely digital and to even make it to a CD, actors are being preemptively screened and prequalified.

The specifics are a topic for another time, for now suffice it to say that ​if your online presence doesn’t match your talent and goals, it will get much harder to even get in the room.

My inbox goes crazy this time of year with actors quietly freaking out about pilot season. My response is almost always to step bakc, take a deep breath and focus on the right things.

Everything else will fall into place.

What you can’t do, is repeat last year’s efforts. ​Here’s how I can help you make a crucial move right now that can help you open more doors and unlock new opportunities.

Leave me a comment or shoot me an email and let me know how things are going so far. I’m always happy to help however i can because my goal is to...

See you at the top,
Scott