Saying that nothing is the way it seems in this town, is a gigantic understatement.
After all that's what we do here. We literally make things seem differently than they actually are.
This time we are experiencing has put us all on a level playing field, or as Madonna put it, it has "equalized" us.
Here's what I mean...
At no other time in history would you and Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel, etc be broadcasting at the same level of quality and with access to the exact same content.
What this has shown us is that watching Ellen kick back in her living room is not nearly as interesting as watching her on set.
We'll come back to that in a moment because it's very important and has huge implications for your acting career.
The same is true for Jimmy Kimmel and everyone else, and there is a big lesson to be learned about how to succeed as an actor.
As the old Hollywood cabal withers away, and the stars of yesterday try to cling to relevance desperately, many of their secrets are being put on display.
More on this in a moment...
There has never been and will probably never again in our lifetime be a better time to make huge career progress than right now.
Mark my words...the stars of tomorrow are being made right now and if you truly want to be a successful full time actor then you have to seize the moment.
You can literally use the cabal's secrets to take their place in the spotlight. Here's how...
First, I want to be clear on something. I'm as big an Ellen fan as anyone else. She's had a long and successful career doing many different things in the industry that most actors strive for.
So making her the face of the Hollywood cabal for this report is nothing personal. It's just kind of an easy example of someone that we are all aware of can all relate to.
She also represents the old Hollywood system that is being replaced.
One of the reasons that she is struggling at this time is that she has lost on one of the biggest differentiators that makes watching her show and consuming her content desirable.
The same is true for practically everyone else in Hollywood.
It's also one of the biggest levers of power used by the old Hollywood system: perception.
Without the big sets, audiences that laugh and cheer on cue, and everything else that comes along with a bloated production budget, audiences are much less interested.
The perception of being a star and commanding attention is often easier when you can take advantage of things like this.
So, when an actor is signed to a major agency, like WME, their first order of business is to build up the perception of that actor being in demand.
That could take many forms. Sometimes, you might see an actor on red carpets and at A list industry events without any meaningful credits to speak of.
Why? That's the agency, trying to build the perception of their talent being a big part of the industry. It works because demand often comes from the perception of something being in demand. This is how humans are wired and it's not limited just to the industry.
Entire companies exist just for this purpose.
They hire crowds to be present at ribbon cutting events, restaurant openings, and will park dozens or even hundreds of cars at shopping malls to create the perception of those places being popular and in demand.
Have you ever been to a mall where you couldn't find a parking spot but not many people were there shopping?
Most people see the crowded parking lot as a good sign, because nobody would be there if nothing good was going on.
Here's what this means for you as an actor.
Right now, no one is winning at the game of perception so you can build a platform solely based on you and your talent.
The old disadvantages of being the underdog, clamoring to get attention when trying to build a platform have been fading for a long time.
Now that's pretty much obsolete.
And, if you want to be a successful actor, you have to be building a platform.
This too is about perception. Attention begets attention, and it's so important that I built this to help you get the ball rolling.
Under the old Hollywood system, this was almost automatic for those that were a part of that system.
They were promoted heavily and built huge audiences, even if their content wasn't great.
Now, because content has become a much bigger part of the equation, they are able to hold their audience's attention just by simply showing up.
This means that if you have better content that an audience actually wants to interact with, you can win them over.
This is incredibly important, and it's one of the biggest secrets of success for members of the cabal.
It's why they focus so highly on creating a certain perception too.
They work really hard to generate a market for their talent before actually launching them.
This is something most actors don't understand. To a large extent the old Hollywood system remained in power through misinformation.
Actors were told and made to believe that if they would just get “good enough” they would be discovered and handed their big break.
In fact, what matters is having people that are interested in you and your talent. In essence that's what a market is.
Most actors never gave this a thought or at best they left it as an afterthought, when really this has always been the most important part of building a successful acting career.
You could be among the most talented actors in the world but if no one knows you no one will hire you. You have to dedicate time every day to making yourself highly visible to the industry.
Having a platform, the right perception, and being visible will get you a long way And the differentiator from that point is just your talent.
With those things in place everything else will fall in line.
The right people will find you and want to work with you. You will get to know other actors and industry professionals that are just as ambitious as you are.
Then the final thing is for your reputation to match your goals.
This is how successful actors are building their careers today. If it sounds overly simplistic that's because it is.
The most complicated things are the things that are most easily broken and the most difficult to execute on.
If you look at what successful people do in any industry you will see that a big key to their success is keeping things simple and doing them consistently.
So don't over think things. Take action on one part of the success formula we just went over and start doing it now.
Whether you start working on your platform, your marketability or anything else, feel free to reach out.
Leave me a comment below or shoot me an email and let me know how I can help. I'm always happy to lend a hand however I can because my goal is to...
See you at the top,
Scott