How To Build Your Acting Career Through Summer Blockbuster Films

I don’t think I’m the only one that totally geeks out on seasonal retail displays! Over the last several years. It’s become a bit problematic though. 

Sometimes I wish things would just slow down a bit. When I was growing up, everything ran “on time.” 

Today, it’s like the ball drops at midnight on NYE and you walk into a store the next morning and the aisles are covered in a mix of valentine’s decorations, and “Spring is here” signage is everywhere. 

However, the entertainment industry has always been this way out of necessity. 

They start promoting the summer blockbusters heavily over the spring and carefully plan it so the anticipation hits a fever pitch by the time the film is actually released. 

For actors trying to breakthrough to the next level, remarkable acting careers can be made during this time, even if you had nothing at all to do with those summer releases. 

Here’s how… 

See, a giant portion of the industry’s profits comes from the summer season. 

Kids are out of school, people are on vacation, and are generally out spending money. During the height of summer, they move to indoor activities to battle the heat and movie ticket sales increase dramatically. 

It used to be that, studios would pump advertising money into TV and radio to generate a buzz for their releases. 

Today, it is moving to social media. 

People search for movie reviews from people they trust, they discuss online why they want to see a certain film, and post and share the trailers. 

This is what can make the summer blockbuster season the most productive time of the year for you as an actor…if you play your cards right. 

There is already a built in audience and a lot of buzz that you can hitch your wagon to, rather than trying to start from scratch and catch people’s attention. 

Don’t fight for their attention, join in the conversation and you will see people flock to you. 

Start a “coming attractions” podcast and provide commentary on the new releases. Blog about them instead if that’s more your style. 

You could even bypass that altogether and simply post your commentary on YouTube videos or Instagram videos. 

When you join the conversation about a film, you become associated with the film itself and also the industry as a whole. 

If you think that no one will want to listen to what you have to say about it, think again. 

You are an actor and that trigger’s the “insider’s bias” in people’s mind and lends more credibility to your commentary. 

When you are part of the conversation and buzz around films you will inevitably be getting more attention from Casting Directors and industry decision makers than ever before. 

They are always keeping tabs on how the projects are performing even if they didn’t have anything to do with those projects. 

This helps them pick up on trends and see what audiences are craving. 

They notice which casting decisions were a home run and which ones the audience didn’t exactly resonate with. 

You know how you sometimes watch a show or a movie and immediately know the casting was spot on, or you know that someone else may have been a better fit for a role, even though you were nowhere near being involved in the production? 

Casting Directors pick up on this too of course and there is very much a “gut feeling” they listen to when it comes to making casting decisions. 

However, remember that the entertainment business is just that: a business…and it is a big business! 

This means that they like to see charts, graphs, analytics, projections, etc. to back up the decisions being made. 

That is why it is important that you have a great social media standing and a stellar industry reputation. 

Attention begets attention, so I put this together to help you get the ball rolling on that.

The summer blockbuster season is hands down the best time to grow you platform because of that built in audience and buzz around the new releases. 

With the right strategy in place you can grow your social media status to stratospheric heights almost overnight and absolutely explode the size of your loyal fan base. 

We’ll talk more about that in the coming weeks. For now, I want you to get the ball rolling on this, improve your numbers, and make sure your industry reputation is top notch.

In the coming weeks, I will tell you step by step how to turn that attention into a lucrative and long term acting career. 

First, you need to lay the foundation so that we can build everything else on a solid footing. 

Remember that the industry runs a season ahead, so don’t let this opportunity pass. After all, you owe it to your fans and supporters to let them… 

See you at the top,
Scott

The Night That Changed Everything

Grasshopper, I don’t need all of the fingers on one hand to count the number of times I have told this story. 

Honestly, if there were some sort of “secret sauce” that would help you make it in the industry this is probably it. 

You know that we do here at Boost My Star is pull the curtain back and reveal everything about the industry that no one else dares talk about. This time, I guess I’m pulling the curtain back on myself? 

In retrospect, it ended up being one of the most important nights of my career for many reasons, but what’s even more important is that I was not alone in that. 

It was completely crazy and I still have to pinch myself to wrap my mind around everything we were able to pull off. 

The great thing about this was that, anyone could do it. It wasn’t difficult at all and all you would need is to put in a little bit of “elbow grease” and think outside the box and in just one night, your career could literally shoot towards the moon. 

Here’s why… 

A couple friends and I had been working on a film for a long time. My schedule was packed at the time, so I mostly worked on the production side. 

If you have ever undertaken a project as big as a feature film and taken it from a simple idea, to production, you know that something strange happens when you finally wrap up post. 

Everyone kind of mentally shrugs and shouts “what now?” 

We decided to get outside of the box a little bit. What most people would do is then show the film to friends and family and ask them for critiques. 

We put that concept on steroids and asked ourselves, what we would like to have happen next. 

In a perfect world, we would like to get feedback from the actors, directors, and other industry decision makers we admire, have a big premier with press, paparazzi, a red carpet, the works! 

Our mission then became to see how close we could get to achieving that. 

So, we decided to throw a highly publicized launch party for a tiny production no one had ever heard of, involving no name actors and that no one gave 2 thoughts about at the time. 

Remember, this is LA where launch events happen all the time so it wasn’t anything special that everyone in town was just dying to go to. If anything, it made things harder because we had to fight for attention and rise above the rest of the noise. 

We set our sights high on who we wanted to invite. We invited some people that we knew would never show up, yet a couple of them actually did come by. 

Of course, we also had friends and fellow actors there too, as well as some that we hoped would come but knew that it was a very slim chance that they would actually come. 

Many of them did! 

That one night led to one of the stars of our film landing a recurring role in a hit Amazon Prime series. 

Another one of us landed a recurring role in what is quickly becoming a cult classic series and best of all, from the connections we made at the event, we were given introductions to some of the most important industry decision makers. 

To pull this off, we created the perfect combination of intrigue and combined it with exclusivity. 

Our friends got a text message invitation of course, but the people that people we never thought would come, got a special invitation. 

We shipped them out a series of 3 packages. The first package was to let them know that another package would be on its way soon and that it would have some great news and to keep an eye out for it. 

The second package, gave them a little bit more. It told them about a special project in town that had just wrapped up and that was super secretive and that only they and a handful of their peers would be receiving a 3rd package soon with the full details. 

When the 3rd package arrived, it told the recipients that the full details about the project would be revealed in a top secret private screening, and gave them the date, time, and venue info. 

We sent these out to 30 people and a handful of them showed up. Some even sent a note back saying they were sorry about not making it. 

I’m not saying you have to do this exactly. 

In fact, that’s why I don’t tell this story often. The “big idea” is not about throwing an event. It’s about thinking outside the box and considering what you can do differently. 

If you want to make it in the industry, you have to always be doing something. 

It’s a Newtonian thing. A career in motion will stay in motion, and if you are going to be doing things to propel you forward in your career, then you might as well be doing things differently than everyone else. 

This event succeeded and actually exceed what we had hoped to accomplish with it because we acted as if we were a force to be taken seriously by the industry and had some credentials to back it up. Here’s a great place for you to start with this.

Had we pulled off the event successfully, gotten the people there that we hoped would come, and then they looked us later and realized we were at 500K on IMDb, the industries marker for success and credibility, that’s where the story would end. 

There’s a screening process that always happens, but you don’t have to throw a launch party for it to happen. It happens all the time! 

The same screening process happens when you have an audition. They are judging you based on who they think you are, your credibility and your social standing.

When you meet a CD, you are attempting to cultivate a relationship and for any relationship to work it has to be a 2 way street. 

There must be something in it for the casting director, for them to pull the trigger and book you for the role. That could be, a pat on the back for finding such a great, new, rising talent. 

It could be the expectation that booking you will lead to a long term casting relationship with you (adding you to the infamous rolodex), or maybe its as simple as they like you and your industry reputation is in order so they feel ok with taking a chance on you.

So start brainstorming how you can approach your career differently. 

How can you put your career in motion so that it “stays in motion?” 

Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email and run your ideas by me. I’m always happy to help however I can, so that I can… 

See you at the top,
Scott

How To Get Featured in the Press and Book Acting Jobs

Consider this to be the official pulling back of the curtain on one of the best kept secrets of the industry. 

We’ve all heard that making it in the industry is all about “who you know.” In reality it’s about who knows you. 

Most actors get it and know that the tides have shifted, however hardly any of them know how to actually pursue this. 

I’m inundated by requests to follow someone on Instagram or to give feedback on what they could be doing better. 

So, I end up reviewing tons of profiles and I what I usually find are duck faces and cocktail selfies. There’s nothing wrong with that, let me be clear, but there is a difference between entertaining your followers and growing your follower count. 

The right action taken at the wrong time will not produce the desired result. I learned this from one of the highest level strategic minds at WME, arguably the most effective agency in the world at launching talent. 

What is contained in this report is straight out of their playbook.

As someone trying to break into the industry and become a professional, full time, working actor you should study the show Entourage. 

You may not enjoy the subject matter and in fact you will likely be offended by some of it at some point. 

Pay it no mind! 

That’s why you should “study it” rather than simply “watch it.” There’s a distinct difference and goal when you study something. 

It is the most accurate portrayal of how the business side of the industry works. 

Most actors think that if they can simply get a well known agent with tons of connections, they will be set. 

If you were able to sign an elite agent, there are only so many calls they can make to get someone interested in you and there are only so many favors they can call in. The rest is up to you. 

If you are currently shopping for new representation, you should be asking everyone you interview about their launch plan for you if you decide to sign with them. 

And, as a side note, you should always be the one interviewing the agents not the other way around (that’s a topic for another day). 

All of the top tier agencies have a launch plan for new talent, whether they are brand new to the industry or making a comeback. 

No matter where you are in your career, if you were to sign to an elite agency like WME, the first order of business would be to get you in the press. This is where that network of contacts comes in handy. 

Most actors would simply throw up their hands say “I don’t know any journalists” and go back to doing the same things they were before. 

That begs the question. What can you do to get attention from press outlets and be featured so that you can launch your career the way the big agencies launch big name actors? 

Before we get to the how, I want to be clear that you don’t necessarily have to be featured for your acting work. In fact, that’s a tough way to get press even if you have the contacts and backing of a WME. 

Why feature you and your work, when an A-lister would pull thousands of readers or viewers? 

It’s much easier to “sneak in the back door” through something else. Are you a great cook with awesome recipes? Are you competing in a horse back riding event? Do you run marathons? 

See, when you are featured for subjects like that, not only is it much easier to get these kinds of features, they will still refer to you as “Katie, a professional actor…” 

Take a few minutes and come up with a list of things that you could possible be featured for or topics for articles that you could provide quotes for. 

Then, simply contact people that are writing about what you want to be featured for. 

Find similar articles, interviews, etc. that are about the same topic and write to the author. They are super easy to find online! In fact, many of them will have their contact information listed right there in the article. 

Start by providing an insightful comment about their article or interview and then mention what you could do. 

Here’s a tip: food features are incredibly easy because everyone is looking for something new and they are starved for content. One of our tribe members was featured in a handful of national magazines for a New Years Eve Dessert. 

It was a chocolate lava cake with golden colored sprinkles and a sparkler on top. What may surprise you is that, she is not a great cook…in fact, it wasn’t even her own recipe. She simply added the gold sprinkles and a sparkler which it made New Years Eve themed. 

The article received tons of attention. 

After you are featured, don’t just sit around and wait for the phone to ring. Ride that wave as long as you can by forwarding that article, interview, etc. to others using the same strategy of “maybe I could something similar for your story and your audience.” 

Most of us don’t let things like this cross our minds. Of course we all want to be featured for our roles in the productions we are working on but that’s not the only way to get your career off the ground. 

In fact, this is how the big agencies launch their own acts they just have access to different tools. This is why you might watch a music video and see someone playing a prominent role in the video, then 6 months later they are playing a supporting role in the summer’s biggest release. 

It’s a different path down the same road. 

This also happens when already established actors are in the launching phase of something new. Do you think Morgan Freeman became the official narrator of the world by accident? 

It’s all part of a carefully designed launch plan. 

When you have successfully been featured a few times, you want to start getting them in front of Casting Directors (or agents and managers if that’s what you’re after). Mail them a hard copy of the magazine with a tab to your feature and a hand written note that says “I Thought you would enjoy this article!” 

That’s it. 

CDs are always looking to hire actors that are up and coming, with some momentum behind them. This will show them that you have that momentum and they will be chomping at the bit wanting to have you read for them, especially if them actually enjoyed the article! 

They will of course still do some back work on you to see “where you came from” so make sure that what they find about you matches your goals. Here’s a quick way to make sure they find something positive.

Nobody wants to hire an actor that is just looking for any type of work. They come a dime a dozen. 

How you differentiate yourself is by getting some momentum going. This why Youtubers and Instagrammers are crossing over into the industry in droves. 

CDs are literally begging many of them to read but they are having trouble finding ones with enough of an acting ability to build a career. 

That’s where you come in. With your acting ability you could fill that gap, if you take the steps outlined in this report to get some momentum and attention around you and your career. 

Here’s another way to add fuel to the fire and skyrocket your efforts.

I have shared this with dozens of actors before now, and they either love the idea, run with it and get results or they like the idea, dismiss it and go back to doing what they were before and approaching the industry in a way that has the least chance of success. 

Don’t follow the crowd, because that’s a sure fire way to end up the same place they do. Pave your own path to success, even if it might look a bit different that what you had originally imagined and make sure that you stand out above the rest where it counts.

This is one of those areas that no one else in the industry dares talk about because it’s not what the masses want to hear. However, I’m committed to bringing you what actually works so that I can… 

See you at the top,
Scott

A Michael Keaton Character Breakdown and How to Succeed as a Professional Actor

Because I’m touch with so many actors on a daily basis, I have a unique perspective of which way sentiments of the industry are going. 

Recently it seems that many actors are becoming increasingly concerned with not being “good enough” to land the roles they desire. 

Last week, we talked about how being a successful actor has little to do with talent. However, part of the insecurity of not being “good enough” stems from not being totally confident in your ability to perform. 

It’s been a while since we’ve done a case study and I watched a film a few days ago that was really impactful. Not only was the acting great, there were several lessons that if you apply them to your acting career will send your career skyrocketing. 

I’ve compiled a couple of my favorite scenes from the movie so we can breakdown what makes the performance stellar. 

Fair warning! It will not be what you think…

The film I’m referring to is “The Founder” starring Michael Keaton. If you have watched the movie, watch the following scene as if you are watching for the first time. 

It’s about 1 minute long. I don’t want to steer you in any direction so watch it first and then, let’s break it down.

What was the first thing that came to mind after watching the scene. It probably wasn’t “wow, that was great acting” and that’s the point! 

Great acting is meant to suspend reality and blend with the real world. You should feel as though you are the fourth person in the room listening to his impassioned speech. 

Notice how he made several exaggerated movements with his hands? This is something most actors shy away from because they feel that it will look too unnatural in the scene. 

It depends on the character and in this case, Ray Kroc is a salesman and sales people talk a lot with their hands, to put emphasis on what they are saying. Because things play differently on screen than they do 

in the 3 dimensional world, you have to do some calibration on this and find a level that works for your character. 

You typically have to amp up your movement for the screen but you have to find the sweet spot so as to not over do it. Michael Keaton does that masterfully in this scene and that’s why it blends into the background. 

As for what was said about the golden arches, it 100% applies to your acting career. You must have a symbol for yourself so everybody you come across anchors that little symbol and thus, remembers you. 

It could be something as simple as always wearing teal sunglasses on your head. That’s a real life example by the way, and she became known as the girl with the sunglasses before they remembered her by name. 

Think about it. What can your “golden arches” be? 

The following scene is actually the final one in the film and I want you to pay particular attention to the words being spoken. There are a couple of golden nuggets in this one. Let’s unpack them after you watch.

The cadence of the speech is impeccable. It flows naturally and there is a meticulously planned out rhythm and even a slight tremble of the voice at the point in which he says $700 million dollars. Even the way his eyes darted down and to the right, was spot on. 

His character, had a history of exaggerating or misrepresenting facts, and sometimes just downright lying about things throughout the film. In this case though, the eyes darted down and to the right, which signifies that he is remembering facts. 

Now that he “made it” he was finally telling the truth. 

Had his eyes gone up and to the left, that would have been a sign of digging through his memory to come up with something and that would have been broken the rapport with the audience. 

It’s these small details that really add layers and depth to your performance. Think of how differently this would have played out if his eyes were locked in death stare rather than taking that small break and looking down. 

It also plays to the power dynamics, which fit this character. Dominating personalities will eye contact for much longer periods of time than someone who is insecure. Consider how this fits the character you are preparing for. 

As for the message in that speech that actors can use…Never give up. He was down and out, and when anyone else thought he was done for was when he swung for the fences and hit it out of the park in a much bigger way than even he (Ray Kroc) had ever imagined. 

The final clip is in my opinion the most powerful. Let’s watch and then breakdown why. It starts about the 56 second mark. Watch until the 2 minute mark.

This is something that, without an ounce of exaggeration, nearly all actors suffer from. 

Ask yourself, “What business are you really in.” 

You are in the entertainment business, and that comes a whole set of implications beyond acting. You are an entertainer first and foremost. That’s your golden ticket. 

McDonald’s didn’t take off until Ray Kroc, shifted into focusing on real estate and your career will not reach it’s potential until you make the shift into being a part of the entertainment business. 

Not acting. 

It’s no secret that McDonald’s didn’t thrive because they served the best burgers ever. It was the experience. They served fast food at a time when the thing to do was stop by the drive in if you wanted some food to go. 

They focused on the entire package rather than just making a good burger. In the same way, your acting career goes way beyond just delivering a good performance. 

You also have to build a following, here’s something that will help you with that, and you have to connect with them so that they support you in whatever you do. 

You must be in charge of your destiny. Agents, managers, etc. may have your best interest at heart but no one will ever care more than you about making yourself a success. It’s an inherently flawed model. 

If your career fails to take off, your agent can simply sign another client and try again, then again, then again. 

You get one shot at this, so take charge of your own destiny. Give your agent tools to work with. This one, is a fantastic one that will help your industry reputation and credibility match your goals, while giving your reps another tool to work with when trying to book you.

Lastly, think outside the box like Ray did. Team up with people that have a different perspective than you. If you are going on auditions for small scale independent films and having mixed success, what about getting outside the box and producing your own films? 

It’s not difficult and you will meet tons of like minded people that will support your mission. Remember, the acting business does not exist. You are in the entertainment business and to succeed in this business takes a certain amount of doing whatever it takes.

So what will you do first grasshopper? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. I always read and respond to every one that comes through because my goal is to… 

See you at the top,
Scott

The Secret Language and Science of Casting

People in charge of making decisions all have a similar quality that has a lot to do with how they landed that position. It doesn’t have anything to do with their circle of friends and acquaintances, and it even has little to do with how good they are performing their job. 

Shocking but true! 

Casting Directors fall into this group. It’s not only helpful if you think of how they got to be a CD, it’s necessary, if you want to build a long and satisfying acting career. 

See there’s something called A Castability Index, that largely determines whether or not you will be booked for a role. 

Few actors have ever even heard of the castability index and even fewer of them know what goes into it. 

Since it basically determines whether you have a career or not, shouldn’t you learn what it is inside and out? 

This is what the Castability Index is and how CDs use it to determine whether or not to book you…

The index takes several factors into consideration. All of the factors are weighted and a computerized system comes up with a “score” for how castable you are. 

I know it sounds crazy, but remember that I told you about a similar system being implemented in the music industry to scout for talent. It too sounded crazy at the time, then CNBC did an entire show about it with a top music executive. 

The industry is looking for ways to streamline everything and one of the biggest things they are focused on is the casting process. It’s incredibly time intensive for the Casting Department and for actors alike. 

I like the idea of the Castability Index. For actors, it would help us save time by not being called in to audition for roles that we are simply not a fit for, allowing us to focus on the roles that we really are a fit for. 

In its current form the index is highly subjective which presents a flaw in the system but also an incredible opportunity for you to “hack” the system. 

This is why I mentioned decision makers a moment ago. Stick with me because there’re a couple of moving pieces to sort through. 

The Castability Index relies on human input to determine a large portion of your score. The rest of it comes from things like your online presence, social following, history, etc. We’ll come back to that in a moment. 

Because talent is subjective, the nature of the data that the CDs enter into the system is also subjective. This is why I said that talent only makes up a fraction of the casting decision…the proverbial stage is set before you utter a single line. 

The way you enter the room and greet the CD will predetermine how they perceive your audition. 

Let’s say you are up for a Miranda Priestly, or James Bond type of character: someone with a high level of importance guiding their actions. 

If you walk in and excitedly greet the CD with the same tone of voice used by Chick-fil-A staffers to welcome you in, the CD will have a problem acknowledging your switch into character. 

What will stand out most to them will be the switch, not how nice you were before you started, or even how you nailed the character. It will be how you were not in character, then all of a sudden, you were in character. 

Our brains are wired to look for dramatic changes like this. 

You probably have something you default to in these situations. Stop it! Modify it to fit whatever you are auditioning for. 

There are 3 vocal tones in which to communicate when you are meeting someone. They are 1. Rapport Seeking (the Chick-fil-A greeter) 2. Neutral and 3. Breaking Rapport. 

Your character will also have a vocal tone in which they default to. Use this tone when you enter the room and the believability of your performance will skyrocket. 

This is incredibly important in casting decisions because the most successful actors play roles that are an extension of who they are. The Meryl Streep you get on screen is the same you get off screen. 

This means that you have to be in character from the moment you enter the room. We all do this to a degree, we get mentally prepared, pick the perfect outfit to wear to the audition and then when we enter the room, everything goes out the window as we default to the Rapport Seeking Chick-fil-A greeter vocal tone. 

If your character calls for this, then by all means use it. If you are reading for a character that has a certain status and air of importance, then the Neutral tone is what you should use. If the character is arrogant and talks down to those he meets, then you should use the Breaking Rapport tone. 

Don’t overthink it. The Neutral tone is one where there is inflection in your voice but you end on a neutral tone, rather than on a high note. 

The Rapport Seeking Tone has you ending on a high note, and hitting several other high notes throughout your sentence (CFA greeter style). 

The Breaking Rapport Tone is neutral throughout and then ends on a down note. 

This is how you become unforgettable to a CD. You will not have just read well for the part, you will have lived the part and the CDs will have no choice but to give you a callback. 

It also adds a layer of experience and depth to you as an actor, so even if you only have a handful of credits to your name or if it’s been a while since you have added anything to your resume, you will be giving off all kinds of subtle signals that you are an actor with a lot of experience and that you know your craft. 

The CD will gladly invite you in for a call back, but the other part of the equation still has to be a fit: the Castability Index. 

That’s where this comes in to play.

Since the CI measures your online presence and combs through your social media you want to make sure that what is found is representative of your goals as an actor. 

If you have 26 followers on Instagram and the only person liking your posts is your sister, this won’t bode well for you if you are auditioning against someone that has 30,000 engaged followers and gets hundreds of likes and comments. 

The index will also take into account your industry reputation. Make sure that’s in good shape as well. Here’s how.

There’s so much that goes into your IMDb ranking now that casting departments can’t ignore it anymore. 

It’s why high level agents and managers require a certain score before they even consider taking on talent. 

It’s a measure of how the industry sees you as well as the experience they’ve had with you. Take what you learned here today about tonality and you will see your bookings increase, as long as you also do this to make sure your index is well rounded.

Use this on your next audition and then shoot me an email or hop into the comments below and let me know how it goes. 

I’m always here to provide feedback and help however I can because my goal is to… 

See you at the top,
Scott

The New Standard for Auditioning

It’s not surprising that this type of audition is becoming the most common one so quickly. 

Honestly, I’m a little bit shocked that it didn’t happen a few years ago. It has been a long time coming and since there hasn’t been much resistance to this, it’s about to hit the point of no return. 

I’m talking the self taped audition. 

What comes to mind when you get a call from your agent telling you that you have to do one of these? I get emails from actors everyday. 

Many want to know the latest tips and tricks they can use to stand out in audition and ultimately book more jobs. 

While that’s certainly something you should devote time to, you have to notice where the industry is going and adapt. 

In terms of casting, the industry is quickly moving towards the self taped audition, as the audition method of choice. It’s happening so fast that, the next generation of actors to enter the industry will find the traditional audition and casting approach somewhat unbelievable. 

There is such momentum behind this, that it can’t be stopped. Even with its inherent flaws, here’s why the industry is adopting this so quickly and how you can be miles ahead of everyone else.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is treating the self taped audition as if it were a traditional one. 

If you asked your agent, that’s probably what they would instruct you to do. The problem with this is that it is kind of like treating a stage performance as if it were an on camera performance. 

Think about the difference that makes! 

How do you act when you are on stage vs when you are in front of the camera? 

Your vocal projection is much more important, your movements are bigger, and your facial expressions must be enhanced for the stage. 

The same is true when you compare a self taped audition to a traditional (in person) audition, though to a lesser degree since you don’t typically audition in an auditorium). 

After all, during a traditional audition the CD gets to meet you and see your performance come to life live and in person. Nothing beats the energy exchange that happens before a live audience (even it’s just the casting director and an assistant) and it’s one reason that seasoned actors return to the stage. 

The trick to an effective self taped audition is to ensure that this energy exchange happens through the screen as well. 

You do this by making sure that your environment adds to your performance instead of detracting from it. 

So, when you are doing a self taped audition, make sure you are in a well lit room and preferably against a bare wall or at least one that isn’t cluttered. 

Since your audition will likely be seen on a computer monitor, the lighting in the room is important. 

Don’t overthink this and if you have a self taped audition coming up, don’t let it distract you either. You can accomplish adequate lighting with a just 3 lights. 

One of them should be placed directly in front of you, and the other two should be placed to the left and to right, at approximately a 45 degree angle. 

Do your best to minimize the shadows. A good way to do this is by placing the lights up high and shining them downward. Like I said, don’t overthink it. You also don’t have to invest in intricate lighting set ups either. 

A couple of scoop lights and tripods can work wonders. 

An easy hack to soften the light and minimize glare, is parchment paper. It doesn’t take well to glue, but paperclips will do the trick. 

After you have your lighting set up and ensure that you can be adequately seen, it’s time to be heard. 

Sound is a big “watchability” factor. It’s why studios go back and remaster films. 

A simple lav mic from Amazon will take care of this for the purposes of your self taped audition. Corded ones can be about ten bucks, and since these auditions tend to not have much action, you can simply plug it into the camera or your phone and you’re set. 

Cordless lav mics are just a few bucks more, work just as well, and are very convenient for times when you need to move around a bit. 

If you take care of these 2 factors, you don’t have to invest in fancy camera equipment. Whatever smartphone you currently have will work well enough, since they shoot in HD quality anyway. 

If you do this, not only will you will be seen and heard, you will have put more thought and effort into your self taped audition than 99.9999% of the other actors. 

This will give you a distinct advantage. The reason that the industry is using the self taped audition as the new standard, is that it gives CDs to work through the first round of auditions much more efficiently. 

They can watch several tapes, during the time when they would normally see 1 actor. 

See it’s much easier to hit the skip button on a self taped audition than it is to cut someone off mid-sentence, while they are reading for a role in person, and ask them to leave. 

If a CD has to struggle to hear the audio or has to squint to make out your facial expressions, the chances of them hitting the skip button on you is much higher. 

So if you are one of just a handful of actors that is putting in this much thought and effort, the deck is totally stacked in your favor. 

Since this is quickly becoming the standard for auditions, and if the odds are in favor, what could that mean for your acting career? 

The goal then becomes to get as many of these auditions as possible. You do this by making yourself highly visible to the industry.

Just like they are looking for ways to make the audition process more efficient, they are also looking for ways to make finding new talent more efficient. 

This means that your reputation and building your platform is more important than ever. 

In the age of social media, when a YouTube video can fetch 10X more views than a prime time show and a viral Instagram post can instantly put you on the map, it’s simply not an option. Being on social media is an absolute requirement to build your career. 

Getting off the starting line, so to speak, is the most difficult part of social media and that’s why I’ve created a way for you to get the ball rolling. 

Here are the details on that.

When you make yourself visible to the industry decision makers doors will open up for you. If they don’t know you they can’t hire you, so that’s half the battle. 

They other half is making sure that what they know about you matches your goals and potential. 

If your industry reputation is less than stellar, it will put you at a disadvantage and the industry starts to track it very early on in your career. Click here to give it a boost and give yourself a better chance at building a career that exceeds your wildest dreams.

After all, you and I share a common goal: we both want to… 

See you at the top,
Scott

Important Industry Changes

The only constant that exists in life over the long term is change. The industry is not different. It has traditionally been an industry of slow and gradual change, but that’s no longer true. 

The Entertainment industry is by standards, on it’s proverbial deathbed…at least in the old model, but what’s alarming is that almost everyone is still acting as if the old model still rules the industry. 

The industry isn’t just changing. It has already changed and those that haven’t embraced the new model fully are quickly being left behind. 

That begs the question: what is the new industry model and how do we as actors fit into it so that we can build rewarding careers. 

At the onset of the modern Hollywood era, actors were controlled by the studios and in many cases and contracts, they were actually considered to be property of the studios that employed them. 

They would work only on the projects they were told to work on, accepted whatever pay the studios offered, worked in whatever conditions the studios deemed appropriate and basically had zero control of their careers. 

Fast Forward a few decades and through many hard fought battles such as unionizing, actors were able to break free of this system and were finally in control again. 

They were then able to work on whatever project they desired, with whatever studio they wanted, and they were even able to determine their rate of pay, guided by minimum standards set forth by the union. 

However, while actors were now in control of their careers there was something they hadn’t been able to seize control of: distribution. 

While, what some called the Golden Age of Hollywood, made some of the biggest names the industry will ever see, unless the actors were to buy time on TV stations across the country or rent out movie theatres and sell tickets to screen their films, they were not in charge of distribution and had no say in how that was conducted. 

This left them with a very important tie to the studios. Sure, actors could protest, demand more money, better working conditions, even demand that the studios expand their slates to produce even more projects but in the end, the studios still controlled whether a project would ever make it out the cutting room. 

That brings us to present day where everything has changed. 

Not only do we have full and absolute control of our careers, we also control distribution. That’s what is making this the most exciting time to be an actor that we’ll probably ever see. 

This is a time when a Facebook live video will attract more viewers than an appearance on The Tonight Show to promote a new release. 

That is quickly turning the whole talk show circuit model upside down and it will make the press junket a thing of the past in the next couple of years. 

What’s great about this is that anyone with a smartphone and a Facebook account can do the same. You don’t need contracts, and high level contacts to do this. 

This is also a time when a well publicized new release on Netflix or Amazon Prime will dwarf opening weekend box office numbers or Prime Time viewer numbers. 

Everything is going digital and digital has no boundaries and the barrier to entry is so low that it’s basically nonexistent. 

This has left the studios scrambling to come up with new ways to put the ball back in their court. 

It’s why they are working feverishly to sign up and coming talent from social media. They understand that in today’s industry environment it’s all about distribution and if you have a large social following, you control a big portion of distribution. 

A big social media following does not mean it has to be millions of followers. It’s all about the connection that you create with those followers. 

When you get into the 5 figure follower range, a world of opportunity opens up. 

That’s when, if you play your cards right, you start seeing interest from higher tier agents, managers, and even CDs will start knocking on your virtual doorstep asking you if you are available to read for roles they have available. 

This is why growing your following is so important, and I’ve even built something to help you get the ball rolling. Check it out here.

It goes beyond just having a large following, you also have to communicate with that following in a way that builds a connection with depth to it, or as I so “eloquently” say: duck faces and cocktail selfies won’t cut it. 

Your posts should use the CUP method. You should Capture the attention of the reader, Uplift their spirits, and Push the relationship forward. 

You connect by sharing building common ground, uplift by being genuine, and push the relationship forward by inviting them to continue sharing the journey with you. This is a can’t lose formula for posting on social media. 

See, when a CD or an agent hops on social to search for talent, they are not simply looking at the follower count, they also want to see depth and a connection to that following, and they are looking for talent on social more and more everyday. 

It’s a reality of what’s happening in the industry that won’t soon change, and it’s not something we should want to change anyway. 

Social is something you also have complete control over for the most part. 

It gives you the ability to “demonstrate your powers” as an actor which is something we’ll be going over in the coming weeks. 

Couple this with an industry reputation that matches your goals, abilities, and potential and your career will be unstoppable.

There is a degree of delayed gratification to this because, chances are, you won’t post something today and get a DM from Casting tomorrow. 

This is one of the reasons that so many actors continue operating in the old model of the industry. There’s an instant gratification. When you go to an audition, it feels like you accomplished something, even if you don’t win the role. 

While you shouldn’t stop doing that, you should also put just as much if not more time, energy and resources into building your career in a way that will set you up for long term success.

So what do you think grasshopper? 

What moves do you think the industry will make next? How will you stay a step ahead of everyone else? What will you do today to ensure that tomorrow is better than yesterday? 

Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. 

I read everyone that comes through and I’m always happy to help because my goal is to… 

See you at the top,
Scott

How to Stake Your Claim in The Modern Hollywood Gold Rush

Levi Strauss, the guy behind the popularization of blue jeans, became one of the wealthiest people in the world during the great American gold rush. 

However, he never discovered a single nugget of gold. More on this in a bit, because it’s incredibly important to your acting career. 

There’s a second great gold rush underway right now, except that this one is taking place in the entertainment industry and it has nothing to do with shiny metal. Yet, there are some incredible similarities between this gold rush (involving actors) and the original one. 

During this first gold rush, everyone with a dream and a few bucks in their pocket headed west in the hopes of striking it rich. 

With a pick axe and a shovel, they went to work, drilling holes and trenches across what we now know as the Hollywood Hills, among other places. 

Most found that prospecting for gold was not an easy way to strike it rich and soon quit, broke and with broken dreams. A few of them however, made it big time! 

They were not the ones swinging a pick axe. They were the ones selling those pick axes, shovels, wheel barrels and everything else the prospectors needed to dig for gold. 

The same thing is happening in the new Hollywood gold rush. This time around it’s us actors that are the prospectors. 

Here’s how you can make it big time, as actor in the modern gold rush…

During the first gold rush, it wasn’t the prospectors (which in this analogy is us the actors) that made it big. It was the guys supplying the prospectors with the tools they needed to do their jobs. 

It was guys like Levi Strauss. He saw the opportunity in the marketplace and delivered what the workers needed. The prospectors needed clothing that was tough and could take the abuse that came with swinging an axe and shovel for 12 hours a day. 

His jeans came with metal rivets at the stress points rather than thread, making them much tougher. 

Going back to your acting career, think of how you can differentiate yourself and create a market for what you have to offer (your acting skills). 

Levi jeans became the go to brand for gold prospectors. For whom do you want to be the go to brand? 

Do you want to specialize in comedy, drama, dramedy? Whatever you decide on, it doesn’t have to be what you stick with for the rest of your career. You will over time, branch out and take on roles in different categories, but it’s important that you first define your career and make it synonymous with one category. 

Levi is no longer simply a jeans company either. They have everything from jeans to shoes, and even accessories like earrings, necklaces, and men’s wallets. 

As an actor, you have to build your category and become the go to person in that category before adding on to it with other roles. 

Rather than going after anything and everything that comes your way, pick one thing, get really good at it, build a market around it and then branch out into other thing. 

The prospectors of the original gold rush, were not simply looking for anything and everything either. They were after gold specifically which required, specialized tools, digging in specific locations, etc. 

Your acting career is no different. 

There are certain “tools” you need to have in your prospector’s pack too. 

However, if during the original gold rush it wasn’t the prospectors that made it big time, that begs the question: should you be a prospector (actor) now? 

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know by now that the actors that we look up to, are not simply actors. 

They are entertainers first. 

Here’s where things get incredibly interesting. Just like prospectors during the Great American gold rush were a dime a dozen, actors come a dime a dozen today. Walk down Sunset, toss a ball in the air and chances are that it will land on an actor, and bounce off 3 others before hitting the ground. 

So, the industry doesn’t need more actors. They need actors that can bring an audience. 

This makes the tools in your prospector’s pack incredibly important. Rather than shovels, and pick axes, you should have Social Media and YouTube in your pack. 

Build your platform, I can actually help you get the ball rolling with this. Here are the details on that.

Once you do, you will see that an entire new land of opportunity awaits you in the industry because, while the industry is saturated with actors… 

What they can’t get enough of is content! 

That’s why I constantly preach about starting a vlog, a podcast, and chronicling your journey on social media. 

Just doing this is taking people from completely unknown to having audiences larger than Prime Time shows, on their YouTube episodes and Instagram stories. 

At no other time in history has this been possible for literally anyone on earth. 

Actors are vastly underusing or simply misusing this opportunity. Social media is effective when you share the journey, the struggles, and your triumphs. It’s not simply for duck faces and cocktail selfies. 

Remember the industry doesn’t want or need more “actors.” Just like during the gold rush, there were plenty to go around. 

What Levi Strauss did was give the gold rush of his time something it desperately needed. By doing that, he built an empire that has lasted well over 100 years. 

Your acting career can have the same kind of longevity and impact. Charlie Chaplin lives on in the hearts and screens of millions, to this day. 

If you want your career to have this kind of an impact, give the industry what it wants. Here’s how I can help you.

I chose to help in this way because it’s truly the most effective way. 

Not only does it help you get the ball rolling on social media, it also puts control back in your hands in terms of how the industry sees you. What they use as a way to measure your credibility and reputation has been out of reach, but if you use this, the power to shape your destiny is back in your hands.

The question that remains is, will you choose to wield it? 

Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. 

I read every one that comes in and I’m always happy to help in any way I can because my goal is to… 

See you at the top,
Scott