What does a hockey puck, an alligator, Valentine’s Day, and a swordfish have to do with your acting career?
Before we descend down that rabbit hole and go over what it has to do with your acting career, I want to ask you a question…
What if the world we live in was nothing more than a mere simulation, a matrix of sorts? Yes, I know that’s an even bigger rabbit hole but stick with me for a minute.
If it were a simulation would you play the game differently than you have been to this point, knowing that failure was not an option?
Let me be clear: I’m not saying that it is! I am merely posing a mind-stretching question.
Now, that your mind is in motion here’s another one that’s a bit more practical.
If you had a way to see into the future, and you saw that whatever action you took next (pertaining to your acting career) could not fail, what would you do next?
What if I said I could get you that looking glass to see into the future?...
I’ll give you a peek through the looking glass in just a moment.
First I want to give you the answer to the question I posed earlier.
What does a hockey puck, an alligator, Valentine’s Day, and a swordfish have to do with your acting career?
If an alligator or a swordfish want to eat, they don’t swim to where their prey is. They attack, where the prey is going. Otherwise, they miss the opportunity.
A hockey puck can exceed speeds of 100 miles per hour, so great hockey players doesn’t skate to where the puck is. They skate to where it is going. Otherwise, they too miss the opportunity.
Successful actors don’t operate within the industry as it is today. They focus on where it is going.
At the time of this writing it is the end of September. Are you thinking of the changing leaves and Autumn or are you forward thinking to Valentine’s Day?
Here’s that peek inside the looking glass I promised…
Why do you think so many actors have hopped over to online distribution? Billy Bob Thornton, Giovanni Ribisi, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Stana Katic, the list goes on and on.
Why do you think that the streaming networks are working so hard trying to get top tier actors to do exclusives with them?
Why did Amazon purchase IMDb? Why are they quietly looking to acquire Rotten Tomatoes too?
If they controlled massive distribution, the reviews of the content they distribute, and one of the key things that the talent pool relies on to build their careers, what could they do with that?
Why do streaming services dump entire seasons online at once, instead of dripping it out weekly as has been the model for decades?
What do they know?
See, in an age where attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter and there is increasingly more content available every day, they had to do something to differentiate themselves from the mainstream.
YouTube TV is quietly pursuing this as they negotiate with the networks to allow streaming of entire seasons too. Once they do that, it’s game over for the networks.
If you had any idea that YouTube would have become an entertainment industry behemoth, poised to reshape the entire landscape, wouldn’t you have started a channel way back in 2005?
What does this have to with your acting career?
Knowing this can give you a huge advantage in any casting situation. See, when you go in for an audition you can either greet the CD with pleasantries just like everyone else or you can appeal to them in a way that no one else can.
Casting Directors all know this and they are seeking cross platform talent. So, if you put yourself at an advantage by becoming “cross platform talent” then your chances of being cast are far greater.
Most actors go into an audition with a job interview mentality, when really it’s far more than that. It’s not just about a resume and reading a few lines, you are asking someone to place trust in you.
Even if you are not playing a leading role, it can still be a multimillion dollar responsibility you are asking for.
You can make this decision easier on casting directors by displaying your trust worthiness, and there is no better way to do that than this.
Because of their immense size, I submit to you that the next major networks will be Amazon and YouTube, in that order.
Facebook has potential but they have a lot of ground to make up for, as these two companies are far ahead.
So if that’s the future of the industry, where should your attention go?
Remember, skate to where the puck is going not to where it currently is or you will miss the opportunity.
When YouTube started to produce its own content, the first place they sourced talent was from within its ranks.
How do you think Amazon selected actors to recruit when they first began producing their own content?
Amazon didn’t buy IMDb because it was a big money maker for them, they wanted access to the talent for their content and there was no better way for them to get it virtually overnight.
History is kind of cyclical and we’re nearing the studio system age again. Back then, actors could seldom find work if they were not signed to a major studio.
This time around will be different because the technology, the distribution, and the times are different.
But one thing is for sure, if you are prepared for the coming wave of change, you can ride it. If you are unprepared, it can wipe you out.
Here’s an easy way to make sure you are riding the wave when it hits.
I sincerely hope you do ride the wave so that I can…
See you at the top,
Scott