How To Use Social Media to Advance Your Acting Career

Recently we talked about how having social media influence can impact your acting career and why Instagrammers and Youtubers are crossing over into the mainstream industry.

It’s not something that actors can ignore any longer and having a strong social media is quickly becoming a necessity for anyone trying to build a successful acting career.

Here’s why...

It’s not difficult to see that social media is much more powerful and has a much bigger reach than traditional channels.

See, before social media became what it is today, studios relied on traditional methods of advertising to get the word out about their new project. The problem was that it was expensive and inefficient.

Now through social media, they can get the same or better results, at a lower cost, by simply having the cast post about their involvement in the project.

This is why Casting Directors often ask for your follower count before you speak a single word in an audition

There is a big benefit that comes with social media and actors hardly ever take advantage of it properly, even though it can be one of the biggests boosts to your acting career...

Right now, you can get into an A list decision maker’s inbox through social media. This means that you have direct access to them, often without a “gatekeeper.”

In case you’re not familiar with what that is, a gatekeeper is someone who is charged with managing the people who get to speak to industry decision makers.

They screen calls, filter emails, schedule appointments, etc.

However, gatekeepers don’t typically have social media duties because most high level decision makers aren’t doing outreach on social media. There are some that do it, so it’s still important to be prepared for it. We’ll talk more about that in just a moment...

What this means is that, through social media, you have a direct line to someone you may not otherwise be able to get a hold of.

What’s best is that you don’t run the risk of being off putting. It’s a direct way to get in touch, but it’s not an interruption the way a phone call, or a “door knock” would be.

It doesn’t get any better or more effective than that, so don’t let the opportunity go to waste. The window for you to take full advantage is closing.

We’ll talk more about that in a sec. First, let’s talk about the bigger picture.

Everyone knows that you have to be using social media to advance your career, but hardly anyone knows how to do this correctly.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and just post haphazardly, but it can be really simple if you keep a few things in mind.

Remember that you are using social media to push your career to the next level, not just to gather likes.

So, treat it like an extension of professional self.

If you wouldn’t do something in front of a Casting Director or industry decision maker, then don’t post it. At some point, if you are going to move forward in the casting process, they are going to look at your social media and what they find has to be a positive for you.

Even beyond CDs and industry decision makers, you want your followers to get to know you, but you have to ask yourself what side it is that you want them to see.

You should want them to see a professional and passionate actor.

They should also see someone they would ​want ​to get to know. That’s what creates social media accounts that grow like wildfire.

When you walk into the room, you want your social media presence to precede you. When you leave the room, you want it to be another asset that improves the perception casting already has of you.

When casting is interested in you, they look you up and build a profile on you. What they find will either be to your benefit or to your detriment and it will move the needle in one way or the other, so b​e sure that your online image puts your best foot forward. Here’s how I can help with that.

If you are going to use social media to advance your career, remember that success on social media is about the way people interact with your content.

So before you post something ask yourself whether what you are about to post would make someone stop scrolling and pay attention?

Does it give additional information about who you are as a person? Will anybody care about what you are posting?

People tend to post without putting much thought into it. Put yourself in the viewer's shoes for a change. If your post showed up on your feed, would you give it a second thought?

For 99.99% of the content I see from actors on a daily basis, the answer is no. So how do you create content people care about?

You should only post things that your followers can consume. There has to be more to it than just a pretty face or a cool sunset.

That doesn’t mean you have to overwhelm them with heavy content. If you do post too much of it, your audience will get overwhelmed and tune out after a while. So, use the rule of 1 in 5.

Plan out 5 posts at a time. It would be great if you did more, so you are never at a loss for what to post, but batching them into groups of 5 should be the minimum.

Here’s why...

80% of your content should be “personality” posts.

The remaining 20% should be directly related to advancing your career. That doesn’t mean you have to directly post that you are an actor for hire, though that can work and we’ll talk about that in a bit.

What I mean is that, this 20% of your content has to solidify your professional image. So what are some things you can post to do that?

Post about the things you do as a professional actor. Things like your acting classes, clips from your reel, or your audition prep. You could even post scenes and ask your followers for feedback.

You can catch them up on your career progress and talk about what it’s like to be an actor. Don’t be shy and feel free to get creative with this!

This mix of content creates a strong bond between you and your audience and they will be in your corner one hundred percent. That can be a big factor that extends way beyond your social media feed.

The mistake people make when trying to use social media to advance their acting career is that they try to do what the big accounts are doing, thinking it will get them the same results. There will come a point where doing that can be effective, but starting from where you are now is not the right time.

Right now, it’s all about forming a relationship with your audience. Otherwise, they won’t share your content, they won’t tag their friends, and your account growth will always be at a crawl.

It’s a lot like how things happen in your career as well. Things start slow and you make some progress, but it snowballs when you start to get industry people in your corner.

That’s why​ it’s so important for you to be visible where industry decision makers are looking.

Your career will really start to skyrocket when you have casting directors that want to see you succeed and go to bat for you with decision makers, and try to find projects for you even when they don’t have anything to gain from it.

Your career goes to unbelievable heights when Directors, Producers, and industry decision makers want to work with you over and over again.

You don’t have to already be a star for this to happen. It’s how you get to the next level. We’ll talk more about that part next week.

The first step to making huge career progress is to build a solid reputation as a professional actor.

That, combined with the power of a social media presence built correctly could open many, many doors.

So, get started on this now. Everything we talked about today is something you can do immediately and if you have any questions or if you’re having trouble wrapping your mind around something, remember I’m always happy to help.

Shoot me an email or leave a comment below. I’ll help however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

How The Industry Really Works and How To Build Your Acting Career

Have you ever watched a movie or a tv show and thought to yourself “how in the world did this get the green light?”

Creativity falls under the category of being art and art is subjective.

What may be genius to one person may be considered a complete atrocity to someone else, so there is not a single formula that studios and networks follow when it comes to what projects are green lit.

They do have some guidelines so to speak, and if you want to be a professional actor it’s important that you know them.

For example, the industry tries to find a middle ground for their projects so that they appeal to a wide audience, and they tend to green light projects that fit right in the middle of a given category.

It gives the project a bigger chance of being successful when it appeals to a large number of people. That’s why the biggest box office hits might have some violence but not gratuitous violence.

They may have some profanity, but they will lean towards playing it safe when it comes to language. So on and so forth.

In the early stages of development, production tries to pull the project into the middle and away from any extremes that may be called for in the project.

The goal throughout the entire process is to produce a project that parents and their teenagers could watch together.

That’s what makes the biggest box office hits.

If you want to build a successful acting career you have to know how you, as an actor fit into that big picture...

Even a fantastic project will fail miserably without the right cast on board and that’s where you come in.

Before we get to that I do have a side note: what we’re talking about today are projects that have a mass market commercial appeal. There are outliers that fall outside of what we’re going through but treat them as just that: outliers and not the norm.

Something that you have to get really familiar with, if you want to build a successful acting career, is that no one puts a project into production without thinking of the financial side of the equation.

Even an independent “art house” project on a tiny budget will take this into consideration.

Whether the project has a twenty thousand dollar budget or a twenty million dollar budget someone, somewhere wrote a check to fund the production and they hope to see a return on that investment.

That will allow them to fund another project, then another, then another. You’ll see why this is important to you in just a moment...

See, most actors never consider what this means and how it affects the industry’s decision making. If as an actor, you choose to acknowledge that this side of the business exists, you would be a rarity in the industry and knowing things like this will give you a huge advantage.

Why?

It’s simple. When you know why the industry does what it does, you can give decision makers what they need so they can accomplish what they need to accomplish.

Here’s what I mean...

You could be the most talented comedic actor a Casting Director has ever seen, but if they are looking to cast a dramatic role it’s not the right fit.

Most actors think it’s about being in the right place at the right time. It takes much more than that to be successful of course, but to keep it simple let’s say that you have to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right skill set.

Having those 3 things in line will help you make incredible career strides.

The thing is, most actors have the skill set handled, because it’s the one thing they put a ton of effort into.

It’s what you do best and it’s the fun part of being in the industry: getting to show off and refine your talents.

With this being handled, the question is then, how do you ensure that you can be in the right place at the right time?

What keeps actors from making the kind of career progress they should be making, is not having a good grasp on these factors.

I could literally write an entire book on this subject, but as always let’s keep it simple.

If you want to be a successful, full time actor but the only time you are in front of a CD is at an audition, you are going to have a really hard time building a career.

That doesn’t mean you have to be physically present, but you do have to be at the forefront of their minds as much as possible and ​you have to be visible to industry decision makers. That’s why I created this to help with that.

Going back to the previous point about funding a project and how you fit into the bigger picture...

If you have been around the industry for any length of time, you have likely read for a role in a project with XYZ actor attached.

The industry often works backwards and they start to attach talent to a project before securing a studio. They hope that a particular actor’s involvement will lead to interest from studios, financiers, and other actors of a similar caliber.

It’s a common practice, but for an actor to carry that kind of influence in the industry, it’s typically a long and hard journey that few will ever make it through.

However, because the industry is a business that needs to turn a profit in order to stay in business they aim to tilt the scales in favor.

That’s why, as I mentioned before, they pull projects into the middle of a category and attach talent that will hopefully bring an audience to the finished project.

It’s getting increasingly difficult for this to happen for actors through traditional means and that's why you’re seeing YouTubers, Instagrammers, and even bloggers crossing over into the mainstream industry.

Someone with enough of an audience that can bring that influence with them to the industry could basically be handed a career on a silver platter.

I have an incredibly detailed breakdown of ​how you can get started on building that influence to help your own career get to the next level and I built this to help you get the ball rolling.

The full breakdown will be ready next week, but for now check out what I put together for you and get the ball rolling so you can get started on a solid foundation with what I’m bringing you next week.

See the industry has been heading towards a day of reckoning and I’ve been sounding the alarm on this for a long time.

It’s getting more and more difficult for traditional projects to get the attention they once did. Today there are so many more options for entertainment, than there were just a few short years ago.

This has caused the industry’s business models to change but actors have been really slow to change with them.

That’s where your advantage comes in. Now that you know what the industry wants and needs (talented actors that can bring attention to a project) you can begin to work on building your career in a way that fills that need for industry decision makers.

Here’s a great place to start.

I know I threw a lot at you just now and we went through a ton of high level stuff. Most actors get a headache when they start to unravel how the industry really works and never really figure out.

That’s why most of them never end up accomplishing the things they set out to accomplish.

They quickly go back to just taking another acting class or going to a workshop, but building a successful acting career takes a lot more than talent.

So, if you feel like your head is spinning a bit shoot me an email and let me know how I can help. I’m always here for you, even if you just want to bounce some ideas.

If you have the drive, then I truly want nothing more than to...

See you at the top,
Scott

The 2 Paths All Actors Travel

It happens every year. Starting at about the second week of January, my inbox starts to flood with emails from actors with a similar question.

It may even be something that is currently running through your mind, or that at least crossed your mind over the last few months.

Actors tend to have one of two “philosophies.”

They are either the type that never quits or the type that gets discouraged when things don’t go as planned.

It goes without saying, that the second type tend to have rather short and uneventful careers.

What’s troubling and pretty unique to the industry is that the first type, the ones that never quit, tend to have longer but still uneventful and unfulfilling careers.

So, what do you do if you want to have a long and prosperous acting career?

Bear with me for a moment...

Think of 6 industry friends or contacts. Don’t “filter” them in any way just pick them at random.

Now, put them into 2 categories. In one category put the three actors that have been in the industry the longest. In the other, put the actors that haven’t been in the industry quite as long.

Then, compare their careers. What do you notice about them?

You will probably see that their careers are incredibly similar. When you look at what most actors accomplish throughout their time in the industry, you will see that most of them don't move very far past the starting point.

They tend to get stuck in their careers. Every now and then, they might catch a break, but that’s usually short lived and they quickly get back to where they started.

So, the majority of actors end up doing the same things over and over again until the day they formally decide to leave the industry.

So what makes the difference?

What makes someone go further in their acting careers and actually reach the goals they originally set out to reach?

If you want to be one of the actors that builds a long and rewarding career, instead of just spinning your wheels, this is something you should be thinking about.

Over the years I’ve realized there’s something each of them do, and surprisingly it’s not all that different from what the rest do.

This may come as a shock, but a big factor in the success that some actors experience is knowing when to say no.

Walking away from a project, or deciding not to be involved in it at all, is a truly powerful thing. You can even do this when you are first getting started as well.

When I bring this up to green actors or even to seasoned actors, I get the same puzzled responses.

Stick with me for a sec...

Imagine that you are asked to read for a role. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is. What would happen if you simply declined?

Put yourself in the Casting Director’s shoes. What would you think you asked someone to come in and read, and they simply told you they were not interested in the project?

At the top levels of the industry, this sort of thing is commonplace. For everyone else, declining even the opportunity to read is out of the ordinary.

Because bookings tend to be few and far between, actors will jump at the slightest whiff of an opportunity.

So, when you go against the grain and start to filter your opportunities, you immediately stand out.

The industry will begin to wonder why.

At first blush this can sound like a stretch but the reason this is so effective is that it's rooted in a fundamental human need: the need to know what’s going on.

Imagine that a friend walks into the room and says “you will never believe what just happened” then gets a phone call and walks right back out.

How eager would you be to find out what they were going to say?

It’s called closing a mental loop, and humans are literally wired to do it. CDs are no different. After all, they are people too.

What makes it even more powerful with them is that they are accustomed to having actors comply with their requests.

That’s where your opportunity is.

When you shift the power dynamic, and treat them as equals and peers instead of someone you want or need something from, you will immediately stick out like a sore thumb.

There’s more to it of course, we’ll dive into this a lot more in the coming weeks. Start with filtering your prospects and you will see just how powerful this can be.

It’s part of acting as if.

Everyone in the industry is well aware of what it means to “fake it ‘til you make it” but hardly anyone goes about it the right way. It’s not about simply pretending like you’re a big shot. It’s about creating the allure of someone who knows how to operate within the industry’s inner circle.

Here’s a great place to start with that.

See, when you want to move to the next level in the industry, you have to be prepared to be at the next level, before you actually get there.

A big part of that is having the industry reputation and credibility to back up your aspirations. This is why actors get stuck. They don’t stop to think about where they want to go and map out how they will actually get there.

So, they end up spinning their wheels without having a plan in place.

For example if part of what you want to accomplish in the industry is to be a respected actor, then you want to work backwards from that and ask yourself “how do I become respected as an actor?”

You would probably wind up with a list that includes working on sharpening your acting skills as well as networking and meeting industry decision makers.

All actors know that this is something they have to do but don’t really have an idea of how to go about it.

It can be as simple as being present where Casting Directors and industry decision makers are already looking.

That’s half the battle. The other half is catching their attention on favorable terms.

Even when they do find you and decide they want to see what you can bring to the table, they will still want to look into you.

I’ve seen incredible actors fail miserably at this point, because they never put effort into making sure their industry reputation was up to the standards that would be expected of them.

When you side step mistakes like that, ​you can fast track your way to success. Here’s how I can help.

Like I’ve said, we have barely scratched the surface of what it takes to be successful in the industry and we’ll get into it further over the coming weeks.

For now, do what I’ve talked about today. If you are unsure about the direction you should go, I’m always only a comment or an email away.

I’m happy to help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

A 2021 Game Plan for Aspiring Actors

Flipping the page on a calendar is always an exciting time, but it’s nothing like flipping over to an entirely new calendar.

There’s such great energy in the air. Everyone’s desire to leave the past in the past and move on to creating greener pastures is palpable.

Actors are no exception, except that I’ve noticed something after talking with so many actors over the years.

The ones that go on to build successfully acting careers are the ones who always have a sense of urgency.

Whether they are flipping the page on a calendar month, or crossing off a single day, they always act as if time is running out.

It has always served them well, but especially after the year we just went through.

Some of them made incredible career progress while everyone else sat back and wondered what was going on.

If you didn’t make the kind of progress you should have made over the last year, close out the distractions and give this your full attention.

Consider this a special message for aspiring actors who want to make 2021 the year that changes everything

If you truly want to be a successful actor there is something you have to do, no matter what...

Keep your momentum going at all times. Successful actors don't look back.

Whether you've made some mistakes while trying to build your career or if you're struggling to get things off the ground, today is a new day and so is tomorrow.

Maybe you waited around for too long in 2020, waiting for things to go back to "normal" and let the industry move on without you on board.

Maybe you realized that you've been trying to build your acting career without having a real plan of action.

Whatever the case is, you can rewrite your story starting today. Take an honest look at your career thus far. Ask yourself, what were your missteps?

How could you have avoided them?

A misstep doesn't have to be a bad move. It can also be not making a move at all, which is what most actors found themselves doing for the majority of 2020.

Some action is better than doing nothing at all, but that doesn’t mean you have to go in blindly. Study the actors you look up to and see what they did right.

This would have been tough, back when you needed to have access to them in order to get some insight, but you can find tons of information about them online.

Through interviews, podcasts, and social media you can get tons of first hand information about them.

Find out what led to their breakthrough moment and how you can replicate that.

You won't be able to do it exactly of course because the circumstances will be different. but you can use their experiences and actions as a model for what to do.

For example, if they focused on building a creative team that actively searched for projects they all partake in together,you can do the same.

Instead of going it alone and going on auditions, what if you were to bring together writers, producers, directors, and even other actors and put together projects with all of you attached?

I’m not saying this is what you have to do. It’s an example of what has worked for some of the greats like DiCaprio and Scorcese or Hanks and Spielberg.

Before you get started on something like that, you have to draw up a detailed plan for what you want to accomplish in the industry. This will help you identify the things you need to do in order to reach your goals.

For example, if what you want to accomplish is purely about commercial success and big budget franchise films, then would auditioning for arthouse type films make a lot of sense?

The opposite is also true, if you are going after an Oscar, would auditioning for budget horror-slasher films be the way to go?
Would it even make sense to book yet another commercial or would it make more sense to step back and search for an agent that is better positioned instead?

When you map out your career, it will keep you from wasting time and spinning your wheels on things that may not serve to move your career forward in the direction you intended.

Regardless, whether you want to build a team that puts together or projects or if you decide to go it alone and follow the more “traditional” route, find a supportive group of actors and industry people.

The keyword there is “supportive.” Not all industry friends are the same and it’s important to surround yourself with positive people that truly want the best for you and themselves.

Actors are a special type of people and go through things that only fellow actors and industry people truly understand. At some point in your career, you will need someone to lean on. It could be that you need a supportive shoulder to lean on and a boost to keep going when things get tough.

It could be that you need someone to guide you as you shatter even your own expectations and succeed quickly.

Your family and your non industry friends will try to relate, and as well intentioned as they may be, it’s difficult for someone who hasn’t experienced the industry first hand to relate.

That’s why this is one of the most effective things you can do and why the industry is built on trust.

Something that successful actors do is act now. We just started an entirely new calendar year and we're already a few days in.

What has changed?

How many of your friends went to bed after celebrating new year's eve and woke up the next day only to do the same things they did before?

Maybe they set some resolutions but without acting on them immediately, they almost always become useless and tossed aside within days.

So let me ask you, what did you resolve to do with your acting career this year?

Act on it today! Start on what I’ve shared with you here and​ before you even leave this page, do something that moves your career forward in some way and give yourself every advantage possible to succeed.

Make this your year!

Never again let another day pass without doing something that will move you closer to your career goals. That's why​ I created this to help you, so you can focus on doing what you do best.

So what are you resolving to accomplish in your acting career this year? What is your first step going to be?

Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. I’m happy to help you get the year started on the right foot, because I would truly love to...

See you at the top,
Scott

How to Succeed As An Actor in 2021 and Beyond

Well Grasshopper, we are finally in the last few days of 2020. While it has been a year full of unique challenges, and certainly one we will never forget, it’s time to look ahead to what’s coming in 2021.

Just a few short months ago, the industry was very different, but many actors haven’t really adapted to the changing times.

After speaking with many of them, I can see why...

There is so much confusion swirling around the industry and what’s going on, that most actors don’t really know what to do next. So, they have simply gone back to doing the same things they were before.

However, times have changed and if you want to be a successful actor, you have to change with them.

To help simplify things, I put together a list of the best strategies that worked in 2020. If they could advance an acting career during these times, imagine what they could do during "normal" times.

Let’s start with something that is incredibly powerful and very effective at moving an acting career forward quickly...

Because creatives have a need for tons of variety in their creative pursuits, actors tend to go from one extreme to the next, when it comes to the kinds of projects they work on.

What has worked for a long time and particularly in 2020 is specializing and creating a category of one. That happens when you dominate a genre and your presence is such that when a project in that category comes along, you are the first actor that comes to mind.

I’m a big proponent of this because being a part of the conversation from the start gives you a distinct advantage. It’s almost like the part is yours to lose.

Here’s how to use this strategy in 2021 and beyond.
Sit down and take an honest and introspective look at where you are in your career and where you want to go. Ask yourself what category you really excel at.

Remember, you are only trying to determine a starting point. You can always expand into other categories down the road. For now, you just want to laser focus your efforts.

Another powerful strategy that really took off this year, out of necessity, was using social media to advance your acting career.

The key to using social media successfully is to use it to generate attention and interest in your projects. Likes, views, comments, etc are not your main goal. I know that sounds kind of backwards but stick with me for a sec...

I’ve been talking about Instagrammers and YouTubers crossing over into the mainstream industry for a long time.

Casting Directors and industry decision makers seek them out, not because they are “undiscovered” talent, waiting to be thrust into the limelight, but because they can bring something to the table.

The YouTubers and Instragrammers have a built in audience that will attract attention to the project, increasing its chance of success.

It’s the same reason that A listers are cast in a given project.

While I’ve been talking about this for quite some time, it has really accelerated this year and there is no sign of it slowing down.

It’s accelerating because industry decision makers can’t find enough talented actors that can also bring loads of attention with them, when they sign on to a project.

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that when it comes down to it, unfortunately the actor who can bring more attention to the project usually wins over the more talented actor that can’t bring the same level of attention with them.

So, make this a core focus in 2021. Remember, you are trying to use social media to advance your acting career. So, anytime you post, ask yourself if your post would help you do that.

HINT: if you find that you are mostly posting selfies and “glamour” shots, you’re probably on the wrong track.

Let’s talk about self taped auditions. They were already becoming more common, and the events that happened this year really made them take off. I don’t see that changing any time soon, and it could actually become the standard way to audition in the future.
So, if you master this now, you could position yourself ahead of the curve. Most actors treat a self taped audition like any other audition. In reality, it’s very different in multiple ways.

You can’t just hop in front of the camera, do your scene and call it a day.

Actions can often seem dull on camera, particularly when it’s a single, still shot. This means you have to calibrate yourself to compensate for that. Here’s how...

Record a scene then go back and watch yourself.

Were your actions understated? Were they a little bit over the top, as you tried to overcome that?

Redo your scene until you reach the right balance. This is a bit instinctive and you will “feel” when your scene presents itself the way you intended. It may not be the way you would play it on set, with multiple angles and other action around you, so it may seem unnatural at first.

Don’t be afraid to get someone else’s opinion on this. What looks understated to you can be just right to someone else and vice versa.

Also, because of the different dynamics at work when you are submitting self taped auditions, unsolicited submissions can work.

Steven Spielberg got his start in the industry by sneaking on the lot. Similarly, I’ve heard from several actors who talked their way into auditions, even though they weren’t scheduled to read.

This is the same concept, except you will be doing it from a distance, which typically makes things easier.

See, when casting sits down to go through the submissions they try to get through them quickly.

Think about it this way, if they are tasked with reviewing 200 submissions (not uncommon at all) and they spend just 3 minutes (total) on each one, that’s equal to 600 minutes: a full 10 hours.

If they like what they see, great! You will move forward in the process. They won’t all of a sudden toss your submission aside because you weren’t on “the list.” It’s much more likely that your submission would be seen as a great discovery.

This is a distinct advantage that exists with self taped auditions compared to in person ones. It’s easier for someone to simply click play, than to squeeze you into the calendar.

Similar to this, something else that is quickly becoming the norm in the industry is the zoom follow up meeting.

Just like self taped auditions, doing follow up meetings over zoom is efficient so it will remain in place and become even more common in 2021, so prepare yourself for it so you can be ready at a moment's notice.

Put together a decent background with adequate lighting, quality sound, and that is free of distractions.

If your sound sucks and your lighting is unflattering, you will be fighting uphill from the start.

These are some of the top strategies that made 2020 a banner year for some actors. However, as you work on planning your next career move,​ keep in mind that when it comes to the industry there is something that is at the core of everything else...

The industry is built on trust. That’s one thing that will never change. So, if you want to advance your career you have to put some thought into how you come across as trustworthy to industry decision makers.

This is how the industry can, at a glance, measure your industry reputation and determine whether you are credible and trustworthy as a professional actor.

See, most actors only focus on sharpening their skill set, and they all but ignore everything else that comes into play, before they can display their talent to decision makers.

That’s a big part of why even the most talented actors often stay stuck and never make the kind of career progress they should.

Instead of making the same mistake, use tools like this to give yourself every advantage possible to succeed as an actor.

As we head into another year, remember I’m always only a comment or an email away. I’ll support you however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

The Most Important Skill Actors Need Right Now

Let’s cut to the chase and close out 2020 by focusing on the most important thing you can be doing right now to make it in the industry.

Looking at production slates and taking into consideration all that has changed in the industry over the last few months, something has become incredibly clear, to those that were paying attention.

Some of the changes have been production related. Other changes have been around the industry culture as a whole.

What most actors have missed, is that industry has also changed artistically, out of a necessity to evolve with the times.

That’s why this one skill is so important. If you want to succeed as an actor, you must be working on it right now.

Even though it’s something every actor learns, very early in their career, it tends to be tossed aside soon after.

But, like all things, it has come full circle and if you want to be a professional, full time actor, you have to become world class at it.

Otherwise, you could end up being passed over simply for not having polished this skill.

Here’s why...

If you were paying attention over the last few months and if you were able to connect the dots, it would have been easy to see why monologues are a coming trend.

In this environment, there are so many advantages that come along with a production that is heavy on monologues.

For starters, there are fewer moving parts during production. When monologues are used to move a story forward everything is streamlined.

There are fewer locations to scout or fewer sets to build, and there are fewer production staff necessary because of that.

That has its pros and cons of course, which we can get to another time. What’s important to understand now is that it leads to being able to trim some line items on the production budget.

That alone would be a big deal for the studios at any given time, but it’s more important than ever before.

See, production budgets are being stretched by increased costs on things they never had to consider before.

The most recent film in the Jurassic Park franchise reportedly spent over ten million dollars on precautions, preparations, and equipment that would allow them to resume production over the summer.

In other words, that cost would have been much higher, if they had to implement everything from day 1.

These costs aren’t going away anytime soon, so productions will have to adapt to allow for them.

Instead of splurging and taking a trip to a faraway island to recreate the “authenticity” of a scene, for example, they have to make room in the production budget to hire expensive experts like The Mayo Clinic to come up with safety plans and protocols.

Insurance companies are also being more cautious nowadays. Halting production because an actor is sick can be very expensive for them.

That means it costs more to insure a production, and they also demand a ton of safety conditions be put in place before they agree to insure the project.

That too, drives up production costs.
All of this is causing the use of monologues to be much more prevalent.

The problem is that monologues are challenging. They aren’t the best fit for film and tv, since those mediums are driven by on screen action.

Some projects try to keep the audience’s interest, during a monologue, by playing flashbacks or whatever the scene calls for, over the monologue.

This is footage that can very easily be cut out of a project and replaced with a monologue done simply.

The problem for actors is that long stretches of dialogue are always challenging, because it’s easy to overplay the scene, in an effort to make up for a lack of action.

When all eyes are on you, and there is no other background action to help drive the story, the tendency is to over do it.

Also, when there isn’t much else going on in the scene, everything you do can be amplified in the eyes of the audience.

Someone you should definitely be studying and modeling for this is Brian Cranston.

He’s a terrific all around actor and has a fantastic range, but what really sets him apart and puts him in a league of his own is his ability to captivate an audience through monologuing.

The greatest characters he’s ever played have all had very powerful monologues. Study his work and you will see that he is masterful at varying his pace and pitch.

Many of his characters “take their time” with their words and have a roundabout way of speaking. Even so, the degree to which he can vary the speed of his delivery is absolutely amazing.

Watch some of his work and pay close attention to that, and work on incorporating it into your scenes.

After you work on your pace and pitch, you can start layering the scene.

Because there may not be much else going on during your monologue, your hands are great props and can help you with emphasis. Identify places where you can use hand gestures instead of changing up your tonality or vocal patterns.

This will keep the audience engaged and keep you from becoming too rhythmic with your speech.

Doing just these few things will set you miles apart from everyone else who tries to work out a monologue all in one go.

The key is to layer the scene piece by piece.

Mark my words, monologues are set to become an integral part of the industry and mastering this skill now is very important, if you want to build a successful acting career.

Of course, you can become great at this but it doesn't matter ​if you don't have enough opportunities to showcase your skills on set, so make sure that you are also making yourself highly visible to industry decision makers.

Being talented is only one part of the equation.

As we talked about just a moment ago, the industry has to deal with all kinds of things that have nothing to do with “talent.”

Ignoring that fact is what keeps most actors stuck. The ones that are able to recognize everything else that goes on in the industry, change how they approach it and are able to make huge career progress quickly.

That’s how you recognize industry trends and give yourself a competitive advantage.

For example, getting really good at monologuing can help your booking ratio but ​CDs will still want to look into you and know what you're all about. That's where this comes in.

See, nobody wants to stick their neck out for someone they don’t fully trust.

Most actors don’t realize it but that’s really what you are asking CDs to do when you go in for an audition. The way you get them to trust you is by having an extensive body of work to point to or by ​having a stellar industry reputation. Here’s how I can help with that.

Hardly anyone looks at it that way, and that’s why most actors struggle to make any kind of real career progress. Don’t make the same mistakes as everyone else.

Sidestep them and focus on what truly works and let me know how I can support you.

Remember, I’m always happy to help however I can, so feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

I’ll do what I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

The Counterintuitive Way to Make It As An Actor

Have you ever wondered how some actors go from zero to being everywhere seemingly overnight?

Why is it that some actors get their pick of the best projects while everyone else struggles to book a few lines every now and then?

What makes the difference?

The ones that succeed at the highest levels of the industry do something counterintuitive.

Even though it may go against what you have probably been told, if you want to be successful as an actor you have to follow the clues that success leaves behind.

You have to follow in the footsteps of those that came before you and paved the way. Doing otherwise opens you up to making all kinds of unnecessary mistakes.

That’s where so many actors go wrong. They are told that things like “paying your dues” are just part of being in the industry and building an acting career.

In reality, you can side step most of that by simply looking to what successful actors have done and doing the same.

Before we dive in, I have to warn you...

What we are about to go through is not for everyone and it will definitely ruffle more than a few feathers.

But, If you would rather succeed quickly, instead of struggling to get ahead in the industry here’s where to start...

First, you have to pick the right actors to model.

We all have actors that we look up to and who would switch places with in a heartbeat.

However, don’t look to those that are a flash in the pan. Instead focus on finding actors that have been in the industry for some time, then do a deep dive on their careers.

When you study their past projects, you will discover something surprising.

Actors start to have success and make meaningful progress in their careers when they do less.

Here’s what I mean...

They focus on going deep into a given genre and they create a category of one.

They create a category and enter a genre that they absolutely dominate, so much so that not a single project comes up without them being a part of the conversation.

They become the only logical choice for a given role in that category.

For example, think of Robert Downey Jr. What is he really good at playing?

If you look at his body of work in its entirety , you will see that he actually has a pretty good range that he can play in very well.

He plays the charismatic, loose cannon better than anyone else. If a project calls for a charismatic leading male with a bit of an unpredictable nature, he is always in the conversation and many projects are developed with him in mind.

This is what makes him a good fit for projects like Iron Man, Dr. Doolittle, and even Sherlock Holmes.

On the surface those projects are in are different categories, until you break down the characters he plays. They all share some common traits that make Robert Downey Jr. the only logical choice to be cast.

That’s what it means to be in a category of one.

That’s where you want to get to, and it can actually happen faster than you might think, if you focus your efforts.

See, most actors take a general approach to building their careers, meaning they try to go after anything and everything they come across. This scattershot approach to the industry actually ends up hindering you in many ways.

Even when you do book something, when you are not actively building a category of one, the impact it will have on your career is only a fraction of what it could be if you were building a category of one for yourself.

Why?

Just like actors can dominate a category, successful people working on the production side of the industry do this as well.

CDs tend to cast for projects in a given category and they build a reputation for putting together a cast that works in whatever genre they specialize in.

Successful directors also work on projects in a single genre. M Night Shyamalan doesn't go from horror and suspense to romantic comedies. He may be able to pull together a romcom well enough to make it a success, but it’s not what he is world class at.

Instead, he stays in his lane and that has allowed him to become synonymous with horror and suspense projects.

Here’s how that would affect your acting career. Let’s say that you are also focusing on building a category of one for yourself as an actor in horror and suspense.

By focusing your efforts and working on making a name for yourself in one category you will get to know the decision makers well and you will have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships.

Even audiences work the same way because everyone has a favorite genre. So, when you go deep into one category, you will also be able to forge deep connections with an audience that will then want to follow your projects.

To create your category start with what you enjoy working on the most.

Look at where you are in your career, and see if you are already on a path to creating a category of one. Some actors realize they are already well on their way into creating a category of one for themselves but it isn't always in the genre they want to focus on.

So, they then switch things up and jump into a different category, which can be a huge career mistake. More on that in a bit...

The category that makes the most sense isn't always going to be the one you want to start with. That's ok...

When you master this, you will open yourself up to almost any genre you can imagine.

The goal is to make yourself synonymous with a category first, then move into others when the time is right, once you have endeared an audience that will take that journey with you.

Think of Jim Carrey, when his career really took off. He branded himself in what turned out to be a brand new category of comedy.

It was an overplayed and almost slapstick form of comedy that worked for him because no one else was doing it.

It doesn’t always have to be this “different.”

Going back to our earlier example. Robert Downey Jr. chose to operate within an existing category but he played it so well that he virtually made anyone else trying to pursue projects within that category irrelevant.

If you find yourself in a room with a 100 other actors that all look and act similar to you, you are spinning your wheels. ​A big factor that will determine whether or not you will be successful as an actor is whether you can differentiate yourself.

You have to make yourself indispensable to the projects you work on and to the industry. You never want to be one of many actors being considered for a role.

It's about giving yourself every advantage possible to succeed as an actor.

That goes way beyond just refining your talent. You have to build your career methodically.

The industry is about relationships first and foremost. That’s why creating a category of one for yourself works so well.

Just keep in mind that the people you need to build relationships with only want to work with other professionals. ​So, make sure that your industry reputation matches your goals. Here’s how I can help.

So what category will you tackle first? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.

If you're unsure of where to start, remember I’m only a comment or an email away and I’m happy to help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

One of The Most Powerful Ways to Build Your Acting Career Quickly

When I talk to actors about their favorite types of characters to play, I always get a multitude of answers.

However, there is always a common thread. Just about everyone likes to step outside of their comfort zone and play a character that goes against their nature and against their “type.”

It’s fun and provides variety, the spice of life.

What most actors fail to realize is that playing against type can actually be a death sentence to your acting career.

But, if you play your cards just right, it can quickly send your career skyrocketing to levels you never imagined.

So, while it’s a lot of fun and most actors pursue roles that go against type daily, you have to be sure to do a few key things so it doesn’t backfire on you.

If you want to be a professional actor and go to the next level in your career, this could be the thing that gets you to where you want to go faster than just about anything else.

Here’s why...

Playing against type allows you to showcase a wide range of your talent, within a single project, and it can be incredibly helpful if you want to break out of a character type and move into a new category.

For example, just a few years ago John Krasinski wouldn't even be in the conversation for action movies.

He was always cast as the “do gooder” type that was unlikely to ruffle any feathers.

He made a name for himself in that category and took the next steps, to move out of the “do gooder” category, very well.

After teaming up with Michael Bay on 13 hours, a military action film, he proved that he was able to play against type.

Actors who can do this convincingly are a favorite amongst top level directors and they typically have their pick of the best projects and most interesting characters.

CDs love casting actors against type because when they pull it off, they deliver incredible, Oscar worthy performances.

Why?

Because great characters are dynamic and to convincingly pull off going from one extreme to the other, your true nature has to come through at some point.

A jerk can't be a jerk 100% of the time. The character wouldn't evolve through the story if he were.

At some point he must show some vulnerability, compassion, or other emotions that change things up. John Krasinski was able to move into action movies, against type, convincingly because he tapcan tap into the “do gooder” nature on set to layer his characters.

For example, in the series Jack Ryan, he plays an intelligence analyst that is assigned to “desk duty.” When he is reluctantly pulled into the field, he often shows a lot of apprehension, second guessing every move, and even jumping at loud noises.

The first time, he even holds a weapon, the fear that he feels is palatable as he fumbles with it.

World Class actors layer their characters by including a small piece of their "type" that sits at the core and influences their character choices.

They then pull at that thread, when the scene calls for it.

So, when you pull at the thread that connects back to your true nature it's a powerful and moving experience for the audience because it's extremely authentic.

That’s the mark of a remarkable actor.

For those that are able to successfully pull off playing against type, what typically happens is that they find themselves playing in their new type for some time and start the process all over again.

A small percentage of those actors can slip into the next category because it’s a natural progression. They become the top 1% of the 1% of actors.

For example Don Cheadle has almost always played a character with an edge, but he never went fully in action hero mode until he was cast in the Avengers.

It made sense for him to go into the action category as Capt. Rhoades in the Avengers franchise. When you look at his career and body of work, he becomes the obvious choice, since he often plays characters that are the reluctant hero or the reluctant action takers.

Rhoades is a military man that doesn’t want to be one of the Avengers. He is satisfied with being a military liaison, until his hand is forced and he has no choice but to join the ranks of the Avengers.

A deep sense of patriotism and responsibility leads him there.

This is true in another of his iconic films, Hotel Rwanda. He plays a hotel manager that is thrust into the center of a civil war that he wants no part of. However, that same sense of responsibility that most of his characters display, he can’t sit idly by and takes action to protect people.

That film served as the bridge between playing characters with an edge and playing a full blown action hero.

It was a brilliant career move, and something that is almost always missing when actors try to play against type of move into a different category. Sometimes, they try to take too big a leap one time.

Most recently, you saw this with Kevin James. He’s very talented and he actually performed very well in the film “Becky.”

It goes completely against type for him and he did a phenomenal job in the movie. However, seeing him go from being “Paul Blart Mall Cop” to a murderous neonazi in one leap was too much of a shock.

Audiences often don’t know how to feel about the new you, when they have been accustomed to feeling a different set of emotions when watching you perform.

The same happened to Ed O’neill and he was even recast in a project when trying to make the leap from comedy to drama in the 90s, after wrapping Married With Children.

Of course most actors won’t have to worry about that until down the road.

The most immediate thing is to establish yourself in a category, master it and then move on to the next.

We’ll go into that in more detail next time.

For now, what I want you to consider is your starting point. If you want to stick with playing your type. Great! Go for it.

If you decide you want to start by playing against type, you now know just how powerful it can be and how to do so effectively.

No matter at what stage you are in your career, it can be a powerful next step.

Whether you have an extensive body of work to reference or whether you are just starting out, Casting Directors and industry decision makers will want to know that you can deliver on set.

Playing against type, can take a lot out of you so ​before making a decision they will want to look at your industry reputation to make sure you won’t drop the ball on set. I created this to help you be sure your reputation is in good shape.

If you’re on the fence about which way to go, with type or against type, try out both ways and see what you prefer.

The most important thing is to get out there and build relationships with Casting Directors and industry decision makers. They tend to have project “types” they cast for also, so it’s important for you to go deep into a given category.

Again, we’ll go deeper into this topic next. For now, remember that ​you have to be highly visible to the industry if you want them to cast you.

Give yourself every advantage possible to be successful. Ironically that goes against type for most actors since nearly everyone in the industry tells you that you have to “pay your dues.”

While there is some truth in that. It doesn’t mean that you have to make things harder on yourself than they have to be. ​Using things like this can make building your acting career easier and faster.

Use it to help your career get to the next level.

So what do you think grasshopper? Are you going to go with type or against type? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.

If you're undecided and want to bounce ideas, I’m happy to help with that as well because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott