“Can I have a few more copies of your reel?” 

That’s what my acting coach said to me after reviewing my first reel. 

When I came into the industry I knew that I needed a reel, but I didn’t have anything to put one together. 

It wasn’t until about a year later that I finally had a few scenes under my belt and had a friend help me put one together. 

Sound familiar?... 

Of course, I excitedly ran out to my car and grabbed another handful of copies. 

The entire time I was thinking about all of the people he might be giving my reel to and what that would mean for my career. I was envisioning Tarantino and Michael Bay being moved to tears by my masterpiece. 

When I handed my coach the copies, I felt like I had just #MadeIt. 

Here’s what he said… 

If you haven’t been asked to submit a self taped audition yet Grasshopper, chances are you will be soon enough. 

It’s the way the industry is going. 

Last week, I told you about a new digital wave that is hitting the industry that almost no one saw coming. 

Today we are going to talk about a different digital wave that hit a long time ago but that most actors simply ignored (to their detriment). 

It’s the self taped audition. 

Around the time that YouTube went mainstream, a lot of video contests came around. Fans of shows were being asked to submit their own skits for what would happen on next week’s episode, bands solicited fan made music videos and ran contests, and all kinds of stuff came about. 

That’s when the casting offices realized how they could make the audition process much more efficient by asking actors to do the same. 

That is how the era of self taping came to be. 

With all of its inherent flaws, self taping is not going anywhere and if you are serious about making it in the industry, you have to master the self taped audition. 

There is a formula to this and if you get it right, the sky is the limit. 

Get it wrong, and your natural talent will simply not shine through and your career progress could be incredibly hindered. 

Without further ado, this is how you master the self taped audition… 

Future proves past, or as Shakespeare would say “What is past is prologue.” 

Major industry moves have happened all year Grasshopper. If you haven’t yet noticed how different the industry is from just this time last year, pinch yourself! Look around. What did you miss? 

I’ve attempted to connect the dots on several key issues that affect your acting career, and one of the biggest ones has come to fruition just as I said it would. 

In fact, the splash was even bigger than I thought it would be. Over the last few months, I have received emails from a few of you that paid attention to this and have since made big moves. 

Here’s what’s going on and what it has to do with your career. 

They say you never forget your first time but the second time is even more memorable. 

Once is a fluke and you kind of get that feeling. Twice, is the start of something! 

So much changes when you get that call, inviting you to read. 

Usually it’s for a project you didn’t even know existed. 

Making this happen for your career is crucial, yet 99 actors out 100 don’t know how to do it. The process is simple, and once you figure it out, you can repeat it over and over again. 

Before we go on, I’m not talking about just any old kind of reading… 

My inbox has been completely flooded over the last week with tons of emails about my sit down with Cheryl. 

I was planning an extended series, down the road, because she revealed so much info. In light of your overwhelming requests, I decided to do a sequel quite a bit sooner than planned. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an avid note taker. While sitting down with Cheryl for about an hour and a half, I filled an entire notebook. 

There’s so much to sort through, that I haven’t even reviewed everything but I wanted to bring you what I thought was most important. 

See, Cheryl revealed one priceless piece of information after another, so it was incredibly difficult to keep up. 

Here is what she said about what Casting Directors want to see from you right now… 

Do you gamble Grasshopper? What if you could go to the casino and have the dealer tell you exactly which cards to play to beat the house? 

Would you do it then? 

With that kind of insider info, it wouldn’t really be a gamble anymore. 

A few days ago, I sat down with someone who has this kind of access to the industry and she is here to tell us which cards to play. 

Something that not a lot of actors realize is that the industry is changing right before our eyes. It is an incredible time to be an actor. For the first time ever there is a shortage of talent available! 

If that comes as a shock to you, then this just might be the most important thing you read all year, if not ever. 

Have you ever seen the movie Gladiator? 

There is so much hearsay in the industry. Honestly, it’s gotten out of control, but that’s the nature of the biz. 

The question is not why this happens. Rather, the question is why it matters. 

There’s something that I see almost every actor doing and part of my mission is to keep you from doing this too, because it’s a big mistake that will stall your career or worse. 

So, I hate that I have to cover this but I feel that it’s important to. 

Without further ado, let’s pull back the curtain and talk about Ent y…