Something special happens around this time every year, and if you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time you already know what I’m referring to...
Shark Week!
It’s an annual, can’t miss tradition that I had been looking forward to since last year’s Shark Week.
It’s always a lot of fun but this year in particular was important for actors.
While I always get a kick out of watching new shows about new sharks being discovered, or ancient sharks that were thought to be extinct being rediscovered, what I found most fascinating this year had nothing to do with sharks at all.
If you were just casually tuning in, you should have still picked up on it but no one would have blamed you for missing it.
However, if you were watching through the lens of someone who truly wants to be a professional actor then something in particular should have definitely caught your attention.
It serves as confirmation of the incredible opportunities that are available for actors to make huge career progress.
This is what was so important and how it affects you as an actor...
For many years now, Discovery has used celebrities to help boost viewership and this year certainly had a lot of them.
However, did you notice the YouTube stars all over Shark Week this year?
On the surface it doesn’t seem like a big deal, so you have to look at it through the lens of a professional actor and industry participant.
During a scene with David Dobrik the host said something that was meant as a joke but nonetheless there is a lot of truth in the statement.
He said, ``You don’t have to be here with me. You are kind of slumming it on TV now.”
He was referring to the size of David’s following and the amount of views he gets on his videos, which is far larger than the television audience.
Attention-getting can take you far in the industry if it is executed purposefully. Whoever can generate attention and direct it somewhere methodically can basically write their own ticket in the industry.
In fact it’s the secret ingredient to succeeding as an actor. Why?
When putting together a film or show, there are two things to consider. Production has to create a quality product so that viewers will tune in or show up at the box office.
But, before that happens, they have to make the audience aware of the production’s existence.
Traditionally this meant buying airtime on TV and even on the radio to play advertisements but the industry is relying on that less and less.
It is favoring an organic reach because it’s much more powerful. Think about it. Would you be more likely to watch a movie because an ad told you to, or would be more likely to watch it because your best friend said it was fantastic?
It’s always the latter and the industry has been struggling to figure out how to do that for years.
They are finally starting to crack the code and that’s why you are seeing many more Instagrammers and YouTubers crossing over into the “mainstream.”
More on that in a bit...
I’ve been encouraging actors to get in on it and put a focused effort into building an online following for a long time. I get emails all the time from some actors who think it may be too late.
In fact, right now is the perfect time.
See, with anything you choose to do there is always an element of timing involved.
The bigger the pond, the bigger fish has to be to attract attention and stand out. We’re at an inflexion point with many things right now.
I first started encouraging actors to get on Instagram when there were about 100 million users on it, compared to the over 1 billion users today.
The reason I say now is the perfect time, is because of what I just mentioned: the industry is just now starting to catch up.
Comedians are using YouTube to launch their careers into the stratosphere, and some are even able to release their own comedy specials without having to rely on HBO, Netflix, or anyone else.
Actors are using YouTube to showcase their talents on their own terms and to create new and exciting opportunities for themselves.
Even accomplished actors like Kevin James and Will Smith have launched their channels in an effort to connect with their audience on a different level and to reach new audiences.
Most people see that as a bad thing but the reality is that you are not competing with them for an audience. You can actually catch some of the “spillover” from their audiences and content.
Getting started on this is simple. You just have to create content that hooks viewers.
Here’s how that works...
Look to other successful channels and study Instagram feeds to get ideas about what’s working.
Take their best ideas and make them your own. Modify them to fit your personality, expand on the idea and make it your own.
This will make it so that you are leveraging what is already working, instead of starting from scratch every time.
Studios and networks do this too. It’s a practice called drafting. Rather than coming up with brand new ideas and rolling the dice, they piggyback on productions from other studios.
They use the buzz generated around those films or series as a tail wind that will propel them.
You can do the same with your content and shortcut your way to success.
That’s not to say you will immediately go from zero to one hundred.
It’s easier to scale than it is to get started but the entire journey is all about putting one foot in front of the other.
The first step will always be the hardest.
It’s kind of like skydiving. If you’ve never been, it truly is a bucket list item.
Getting ready for the jump is exhilarating. Your heart skips a beat when you get the “ready” signal.
Walking up to the door is usually not a problem and most people let out a big “woohoo” and walk right up to it.
The adrenaline rush you get when the door opens and you see the earth thousands of feet beneath you is indescribable...but then something happens. A little bit over half of the people that walk up to the door never take that next step.
Taking the leap is the hardest part of that and so the majority of people don’t do it. The ones that do have the time of their life.
The ones that don’t end up sheepishly taking the plane ride back to the hangar thinking about what a great time they could have had. Usually, they don’t get out there fast enough and they still get to see how great a time was had by the people that did jump
Regret typically sets in shortly thereafter.
I talk to so many actors that know the importance of building a following and being able to get attention to their projects, but most of them are the kind that would get to the door and freeze.
If you truly want to be a professional actor, you have to take that next step. Let me be your jump buddy and I’ll help you take the leap.
The truth is, if you don’t figure out how to do this, how to get and control attention, the industry will leave you behind. That’s why I created a tool to help you get the ball rolling.
If you are tired of spinning your wheels and want to finally make real progress in your career, this has to be a central focus for you.
In today’s industry environment it is one of the most important things. As all the Instagrammers and YouTubers that are crossing over into the mainstream industry have shown, if you can master this, the industry will come to you.
That’s what I want for you: to have the ability to call your own shots and have more than enough opportunities to showcase your talent.
So get started on this now, and remember I’m only an email or a comment away and I’m always happy to help however I can so that I can...
See you at the top,
Scott