One week down and only 51 to go in 2019. Honestly, I forget who it was that I first heard this from but it stuck with me. “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year but they underestimate what they can do in 10.”
I don’t fully agree with that. Because I’ve seen it happen time and time again, I truly believe that you are always only one audition or one booking away from your wildest dreams coming true.
2019 is already well under way and most of us are back at it, well rested after the holidays. This could be your year to shine, if you play your cards right and follow a step by step plan to get your big break and finally succeed in the industry to the level you know you deserve.
You know I’m always here to help in everyway I can. Here’s how…
Last week, we talked about how to get in touch with just about anyone you want in the industry. We also talked about how to layer your performances and deliver an Oscar worthy performance every time.
Today, in part 2 of this special report, we’ll dive into the mechanics of how to fill your schedule so that you have as much work as you can handle.
Some actors go from one production to the next, to the next, to the next, while others (who may be just as talented) are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring.
What those actors, the ones that go from one production to the next, understand is how to turn one acting job into many. See, the best time to get another job is while you still have one. Not only do they stay in marketing mode, continuing to seek out opportunities while working on a production, they also leave an indelible mark on the current production.
Think of what happens when the director calls it a wrap.
Everyone cheers, hugs, high fives, goes out for a drink and then parts ways. Sure, everyone will mingle and deliver the niceties of “it was great working with you I hope that we get to work together again sometime, etc.”
However, the actors that have mastered how to turn one job into many, know that they must stay Top Of Mind, not to the other actors, but to the production crew, namely the director, the assistant directors, casting, and any production executives they may have met along the way.
They do things like have a bottle of champagne delivered to the director on the day production is scheduled to wrap, send flowers to the CDs office thanking them for the opportunity to be part of the production, and I’ve even seen an actor deliver Oscar-Like trophies to the crew and executives that read “Best Director, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Ensemble Cast, etc.”
The more elaborate or thoughtful the gesture, the longer you will stay top of mind. The next time the CD is casting for something you are even remotely a fit for, you will get a call to read for the role. When a director commits to a project that has yet to be cast, they deliver a list of actors they would like to have on the project.
Guess whose name will be on that list. Screenwriters, will keep you in mind and literally subconsciously write roles that would be a perfect fit for you and ask that you be seen for the role. That’s if you effectively stay Top Of Mind.
That’s not to say that you have to spend hundreds of dollars getting trophies made. It truly is the thought that counts. Does the director always go for pizza from craft service? Send a pizza and tip the delivery guy a couple bucks to put a note in the box.
Even a thank you card will go a long way, because hardly anyone in the industry ever sends one.
Use any excuse to send a card. Send one when the project is finished going through post, send another when the trailer is released, send another when it premieres, another on everyone’s birthday, you get the idea.
The easiest and fastest way to get another job, is to tap into the network of people you have already worked with.
Chances are you probably haven’t executed a plan like this so far. That’s ok. Start from where you are. If you recently wrapped something, send some cards. Did you recently go on an audition? Send the casting director a card thanking them for the opportunity to read.
Were you passed up for the part? That’s ok. Send a card wishing them luck with the project and gratitude for having the opportunity to read. End every communication with an offer to help.
It could be an offer to make an introduction, join the marketing team and flyer every post on Sundance, anything to stay top of mind. Sometimes they may take you up on the offer to make an introduction. Other times you may be asked to provide feedback for an advanced screening, attend the premier, or even step in for reshoots.
This is what “paying your dues” is supposed to be like: doing anything and everything to stay top of mind.
When you go the extra mile, everyone will want to work with you over and over again. Also, consider that a CDs job is to source talent. None of them want to start from scratch every time they are casting. They want to flip their “rolodex” make a few calls, see a handful of actors and call it a day.
When you knock it out of the park on set (with your performance, your attitude, your work ethic, etc.) the casting office will hear about it and put you on the shortlist for the next project that you may be a fit for.
This is how you fill up your schedule so you too can go from one production to the next.
Because most actors know that Casting Directors hold the key to your career, it surprises me to see how few of them make a concentrated effort to build a relationship with CDs and stay Top Of Mind.
This effort should start from the moment you meet the CD. You should never leave an audition room without first making an unforgettable impression on the CD.
Remember the goal is to be unforgettable so whatever you do should be out of the ordinary.
One of the most effective things I heard a member of our tribe do was the palm reading trick. Anytime he walked into an audition, he would enter the room with loads of confidence, walk straight to the Casting Director and shake their hand while introducing himself.
As he pulled his hand away, he would gasp, turn the CDs hand over (palm side up) and read their palm. Let me be clear, this actor has no known psychic abilities and isn’t particularly skilled or even interested in palm reading. He simply learned a couple of things that palm readers look for and how they interpret them.
If you adopted this as your way of being unforgettable, no CD would ever forget you. Even if they didn’t believe in palm reading, you would be the talk of the office for the next several days. Follow that up with a thank you card and the memory of you would be forever anchored in their mind.
The palm reading trick is only one way to become unforgettable. Get creative and think outside the box. I received an email a few months ago from an actor that researches the CD before every audition and sends something ahead of her audition time.
She once researched a CD and found from her Twitter account that she loved Red Velvet cake from a specific bakery in town. So, she ordered the CD a small red velvet cake, had her (the actor’s) photo printed on the icing along with “see you at 3:30” and had it delivered to the CD.
The CD was so tickled by this gesture that she was waiting on pins and needles for that actor’s scheduled time to read. She just had to meet the person crazy, yet thoughtful enough, to send her favorite cake.
The actor was ultimately passed over for the role in that production, but she was now on the CDs radar and was called to read consistently. Not just for her, but the CD also told her colleagues about this actor and they wanted to have her read too.
She booked more jobs that year than in the previous 4 years combined and to this day, she continues to take on bigger roles in bigger productions, all stemming from that red velvet cake.
Again, it doesn’t have to be as elaborate a gesture as that. It could be a candy bar with a business card sized headshot and a hand written note.
Whatever you decide on, as long as it’s witty, funny, ironic, or thoughtful, you can’t go wrong. Don’t try to buy the CD by sending an expensive floral arrangement or concert tickets. It’s offensive and will backfire every time.
Keep this in mind as we head into pilot season.
Things can get out of hand pretty quickly if you don’t organize it, so keep track of everyone on a spreadsheet and set reminders of when to send things out on a calendar.
Something I want to be clear on is that, CDs will still do their research and look into what you have going on.
In order for anything you do to be effective, you have to make sure that your industry reputation matches your goals. Here’s a quick and easy way to do that.
As humans, we are wired to lead with emotions and back up our actions and decisions with logic.
The strategies you have discovered in this special report are incredibly effective at accomplishing the emotional appeal and getting your foot in the door.
That’s only half the battle and you must ensure that you are also the logical choice. So, if you do the first part well, stay Top Of Mind, while also having an outstanding castability index (which is determined largely by this) you will leave Casting Directors no choice but to hire you.
Once you are on set, follow what I have outlined here to turn one job into many and you will soon find yourself achieving the things you always dreamed of.
If you are committed to something, it means that you erase any possibility for the opposite to occur. In other words, you go all in, never look back, take the leap and build a plane on your way down.
So, if you are committed to making 2019 your year to shine, then I want to share with you something that some of the most successful actors in our tribe used to make themselves visible to the industry and put their efforts to “be seen” virtually on auto pilot.
You can get the details on that here.
Tell me what you will do next grasshopper. What plans and goals have you set for 2019? Most importantly, tell me how I can help you achieve them because my goal for 2019 is to…
See you at the top,
Scott