The Secret Formula For Building Your Acting Career

Lately, we've been talking a lot about all of the pieces you have to put in place to build your acting career.

You know that I absolutely love going over the training side of things and what it takes to deliver a world class performance on set.

Aside from actually being on set, it’s one of the most satisfying things actors do.

The problem is that this is only one of several things that have to come together to build a successful acting career, but most actors only focus on this one piece.

Unfortunately it’s not even the most effective piece to be focused on.

I know that sounds a bit crazy and it probably goes against most of what you’ve been told about making it in the industry. There’s a lot more to that, so we’ll come back to it in a bit...

So, look past it for now because if you want to be a professional actor, you will have to put all of the pieces together and you have to focus on the most effective things first.

Here’s what those are...

It goes without saying, but we’ll be looking at this in a whole new way. One of the most important pieces you need to have in place to build a successful acting career is quality representation and an agent that understands your goals.

Here’s what I mean...

What happens when you and your agent are not on the same page is that your efforts will work against each other at times. There may be times when you go out and make a focused effort to meet decision makers and set up meetings.

If you and your agent are not on the same page about that, you could end up with meetings that don’t go anywhere.

You could even end up in a situation where your agent doesn’t want to accompany you to those meetings. That’s not a very good look and it happens more often than you would think.

It happens when an agent feels blindsided and in some ways, out worked and out maneuvered by your efforts. It’s nonsensical of course and it only happens when you and your agent are not on the same page.

When you and your agent work well together, you can take both of your careers to the next level. You will both be trying to succeed in the industry, without waiting around for the other person to bring things to the table.

You will both be working to make things happen. That’s why it’s important that you find an agent who is also trying to find their way in the industry.

So, sit down with your agent and come up with a game plan for your career. Plan how you will reach out to industry decision makers (outside of auditions), how you will create opportunities to grow your fanbase, and how you will take your career to the next level.

You will likely have to coach your current agent through any changes you want to make in the direction your career is going. If you have a good working relationship but just need a few strategic tweaks, this process may still be a little bit bumpy.

But, when you get through it you and your agent will be working phenomenally together and have a plan for how you will build your acting career.

You might also find that you and your agent can’t really get on the same page about how to build your career.

It sounds crazy, but a lot of agents are comfortable just submitting you to whatever they come across and hoping for the best.

Of course that’s not the kind of agent you want to be signed with, so what if you can't salvage that relationship for one reason or another?

Then, it’s time to go agent shopping...

When searching for an agent, most actors make a big mistake. They automatically try to set up meetings with agents that are at the top levels of the industry.

While that can absolutely work, it shouldn't be the only kind of agent you approach.

The agents that are already at the top levels of the industry, tend to sign actors that are also at the top levels or nearly there.

Instead, search for an agent that is also trying to get to the next level in their own career. That way they will be as eager as you are to make things happen.

Agents have to build their careers in much the same way that you do, as an actor. So, it makes sense that you work with someone that is at a similar level and that is very driven to get to the next one.

Look at it from the agent’s perspective. When they are already at the top levels of the industry, how would they benefit from signing someone who isn’t there yet?

When you have made it to the top levels of the industry, how eager would you be to sign with an agent that is still trying to get their own career off the ground?

You wouldn’t be very eager to do that, and it goes both ways. However, when you find an agent that is driven to make things happen in their own career, it is an absolute game changer, since the way they make things happen in their career is to make things happen in your career.

That’s why an agent is an incredibly important part of building your career.

They will impact your career tremendously, but any agent can only be as effective as everything else you put in place for your acting career. You need to give them the tools to help you be successful. That's why I created this.

I want to be clear on something, when things are not working out the way they should, it’s easy to look to your agent and point to them as being the root of the problem.

It’s important that you examine everything and make sure that you don’t stop at just one thing that could be the cause for a lack of progress.

Here’s what I mean...

See, you can upgrade everything in your career, but you still have to make sure that you are visible to the industry. This will help...

Why?

If you're not visible then your efforts could go to waste, even if everything else that you have put in place is just as it should be.

When an actor’s career stalls, it could be a combination of many factors and fixing one, won’t fix the rest. For example, what I see often is a combination of not having a solid plan for making yourself visible to industry decision makers and not having a solid industry reputation.

A new agent can potentially help with visibility if they are well connected and put you in front of decision makers, but the other problem would remain.

Typically, an actor either needs to have an extensive body of work that they can point to or show up in the best way possible, where industry decision makers are looking. That’s why this can be such a big difference maker.

When you have that in place, a good agent can help you take your career to the next level, because they will have the necessary tools available to help build your career.

So, what is your status with your agent now? Do you feel like you can work with your current agent to come up with a solid plan, or is it time to find a new one?

Shoot me an email or let me know in the comments below. I’m always happy to provide another perspective and help however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

How The Majors Relaunch Talent and What It Means To Your Acting Career

At some point in every actor's career, a decision has to be made about which way to go next. The industry is always looking for the next big thing and actors who don’t reinvent themselves will soon fall out of favor.

You will often see actors go from having mediocre careers, relaunch their career properly and go to entirely new levels of success.

Reinventing and relaunching careers is a conversation that happens almost on a daily basis in the offices of the majors, but hardly any other actors ever think about this.

I bring this up with actors often, and they typically think that it doesn’t apply to them if they don’t already have an established career. However, this also works if your career has stalled, or even if you are struggling to get it off the ground.

The same strategies that helped Chris Pratt go from playing a goofy, carefree guy to being a bona-fide action hero, without skipping a beat, are the same strategies that can help take your career to the next level regardless of where your career is currently...

Before we get into the specifics of how to do this, I want to be clear on something...

Sometimes, it doesn’t work and it’s usually because an actor’s instinct is to change things up too much.

When you are looking to reinvent and relaunch your career, it’s important that you don’t jump to another extreme from where you are now.

Take Chris Pratt’s successful reinvention as an example. There is still a thread of a carefree, goofy guy that is present in the other characters he plays.

Most actors go too far in the other direction. They want to go from playing comedic characters to action heroes, while leaving the comedy behind entirely.

Kevin James jumping from playing a mall cop to playing a psychopath didn't work because the character was completely disconnected from his signature comedic brand.

That’s not to say, it wasn’t a good performance. Personally, I think it showed an entirely new level of acting skills that no one knew he had.
It was an impressive performance, but not one that is going to be very effective in reinventing himself and relaunching his career.

On the other hand, comedian Kevin Hart can play dramatic roles masterfully because he builds his characters with a bridge to his comedic nature.

He won’t be passed up for a project, for a lack of believability in the dramatic parts of his characters, and that’s what you want to achieve.

Whether it’s through the projects you are going to work on, or through the characters you build within those projects, you need to have a believable stepping stone.

Here’s what I mean by that...

It’s possible to jump from one extreme to the other, as long as you choose the project carefully. It should have a character that you can bridge to whatever category you are moving from.

If you are working on launching your career and don't yet have a foothold in any particular category, then find the stepping stone from your personality.

Then, you just need to hone your skills in whatever direction your reinvention is taking you. Chris Pratt got some stage combat training so he could handle himself well in the action scenes.

The mistake most actors make is training for the sake of training. When you train without a specific goal in mind, you tend to be spinning your wheels.

It’s kind of like going to the gym, and wandering around aimlessly. Sure, doing a little bit of something is better than sitting on the couch, but the results won’t be very different.

However, training with a defined goal is completely different. It’s then simply a matter of coming up with a plan and executing that plan.

So what does a plan like that look like?

This is something you would work on with your management team, but let’s go over the most important part of that plan: building an audience.

The question most actors have when we discuss this is “how do you build an audience, before you even have any projects in the new category you want to focus on?”

Start by associating yourself with people who specialize in the category you are moving into.

There are a number of ways you can do that. These are just a few ideas...
You can launch a YouTube channel that focuses on what’s going on in the category you are training for.

You can start an Instagram channel featuring the events and developments of the new category.

Highlighting the category could even end up opening doors for you as decision makers start to seek you out, to help drive attention to their projects.

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that an actor that can bring attention to a project will always capture an industry decision maker’s interest.

Combine that with a solid industry reputation and you could soon be making huge career progress. Here’s the part I can help with.

When you are reinventing and relaunching your career you have to come up with a detailed plan for how you are going to go about building your career. That could involve new management, focusing more on your social media presence, or even putting together some projects of your own.

Whatever you decide to do, making yourself highly visible to the industry will be very important. This will help you get started on that.

Recently, I’ve heard from some actors that don’t necessarily want to become “world famous” and see their name in lights. All they want is to go full time in their acting career and to be able to do what they love.

Whatever you want to achieve in your acting career, you have to be sure that you are building your career on a solid foundation.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be talking more about that, and we’ll be getting into the specifics of how to build the career you actually want.

For now, get started on what we went over today because it’s truly foundational. Everything will build from here, regardless of whether you are just getting started or whether you are looking to take your career to the next level.

If you have any questions about what we went over, remember I’m only a comment or an email away and I’m always happy to help however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

Why Some Actors Succeed and Others Don’t

Have you ever wondered why some actors make it and others don’t?

Do you sometimes watch a movie and think of half a dozen actors (probably including yourself and others you know) that could have played the role better?

Every actor on the planet does this and with good reason... They typically have a point!

As much as I wish it weren’t this way, the industry isn’t built on talent alone, and being a great actor doesn’t guarantee success either.

Incredibly talented actors struggle to get ahead in the industry every day, while others make huge career moves.

I’m careful to bring this up around most actors, because they tend to get angry about it. Whether or not you agree with the way the industry works when it comes to this, is beside the point.

It’s not going to change anytime soon, soi what really matters is finding out what those actors are doing that others aren’t.

If you want to be a professional actor, this is something you have to figure out...

Let’s talk about two actors that are equally experienced and have equally experienced agents as well.

How they build a career is what makes the difference in whether they will succeed, all things considered being equal.

Here;’s what I mean...

Actors that succeed in the industry have a particular way of building their careers. They don’t go about it in the same way that everyone else does.

For starters (literally) they specialize in a category. Most actors never even give this a thought, but it’s what successful actors focus on first.

Instead of going out for anything and everything, they go deep into a category and try to make the competition practically irrelevant.

In business this is called the Blue Ocean Strategy. It’s all about going after opportunities where you can make competition nonexistent, instead of fighting over the few existing opportunities.

As an actor that means becoming synonymous with a particular category. For example, there was a long period of time when you couldn’t make a certain type of action movie without Steven Seagal being a part of the conversation.

Practically any role in the genre was his to either accept or turn down.

The same was true for Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, and just about any other A list actor you can think of.

With very few exceptions, if you study an actor’s career, you will see that their career tends to go to the next level when they narrow their focus.

It’s a simple concept that makes sense when you think about it, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

For one, it requires that you limit your opportunities. Saying no to a role goes against just about everything actors are taught.

You also won’t find many agents who will encourage you to do this, considering that booking you is how they earn a living.

That’s why it’s essential to build a team of people that will help you achieve your goals and that are on the same page as you are.

Have this conversation with your agent and determine if they are still the best fit, or if it’s time to go in search of a new one.

Agents dropping actors is commonplace in the industry, but almost no one considers dropping an agent for some reason.

If you decide that it’s time to search for a new agent, look for one that has a focused talent roster. Regardless of what role they play in the industry, people at the top levels always specialize.

Agents get really good at sourcing talent and develop good relationships with decision makers in specific categories, screenwriters get really good at writing successful projects in a specific genre and build relationships with producers that also specialize in that genre, and casting directors build a reputation for putting together great casts.

That also comes from getting familiar with actors that specialize in that genre and how they work with their castmates.

It’s a big network of people that are all specializing and working predominantly in a specific category, and your task is to find your way into that network.

Here’s where most actors go wrong when trying to do that. Fair warning, the following is going to sound a bit harsh...

People in the industry tend to be self serving, in the pursuit of their goals. That’s kind of human nature so it’s not only limited to the industry, but that’s a larger topic for another time.

What that means for you as an actor is that you need to align yourself with people that you are not in direct competition with, so that you can support each other and succeed together. Most actors don’t really think about it, but the way you build your industry circle matters.

Most actors tend to “network” with other actors because it’s easy and it feels like you are actually doing something. In reality it’s usually a waste of time.

Actors tend to fill their circles with other actors that are very similar to them. When you are in direct competition with someone, it’s difficult to create an environment where you can collaborate.

I know it sounds incredibly harsh, but understand that a lot of this is subsconscious. You may carpool to auditions and genuinely wish your friends good luck when you both read for the same role, but when casting decides your friend is the better fit, would they ever turn it down so you could have the role instead?

Would you turn it down so your friend could have the role instead? Of course not!

However, if you are not in direct competition for the same roles, there will come a time when you are cast and you can accept the role while also recommending someone to play alongside you.

Really you should focus on building a network of industry collaborators that can support your career and whose skills will complement yours. That’s usually more impactful.

That could include screenwriters, directors, cinematographers (we’ll come back to that another time because it can be incredibly powerful), and of course agents, managers, casting directors, etc.

The goal is to build a network of people you can collaborate with and who you are not in direct competition with.

That’s something successful actors do really well. If you listen to them talk about how some projects came to be, you will often hear them talk about how someone they met and wanted to collaborate with came to them with an idea that snowballed from there.

That’s why it pays off to have people in your network with different skill sets. Here’s how I can help.

I also want to revisit just how important it is for you to build your career on purpose. Carve out some time to sit down and really think about what kind of a career you want to have and how you will go about achieving that.

Most actors think if they just get “good enough” the offers will come. It’s simply not how the industry works, so you can’t ignore everything else that goes into building a successful acting career.

That is what will give casting directors and industry decision makers a reason to want to work with you, over all of the other actors they are going to see. This is another great tool that will help you standout.

We went through a ton of information today. Bookmark this page and come back to it from time to time.

If you are not sure of what to do next, start with deciding what category you will focus on.

Everything else will build from there. It will help you differentiate yourself during the audition process and it will give you a level of familiarity the other actors won’t have. Combine that with this: it’s another way you can make yourself visible to industry decision makers so you have a better chance of being on their mind during decision making.

Remember, you’re not alone in this! I’m always only a comment or an email away and always happy to help however I can, even if you just want to bounce ideas of where to go next with your career.

I respond to every message that comes through because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

How Professional Actors Build Characters

Because I work with so many actors on a daily basis, I have a unique perspective on what’s going on in the industry.

Seeing the kinds of projects they are reading for is a big clue about the trend of the projects that are moving through the production pipeline.

Right now, there are a lot of projects about historical figures in the works. For some actors, that’s the best news ever! They love playing these types of roles and will always jump at the chance to be involved in the projects.

Other actors don’t really care about those projects one way or the other. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, there’s something I’ve noticed over the years that could help take your career to the next level.

It is something that professional actors do, while just about everyone else is completely in the dark about it.

If you want to be a professional actor, you should be doing it too. Here’s what it is and what it has to do with the coming wave of historical projects that is about to hit the industry...

It’s about the way you build a character. Professional actors are able to deliver incredibly powerful performances because of the way they build a character.

They have a unique ability to get into their head and get to know what drives them to do what they do.

Their process is powerful, but incredibly simple. When building a character, you have to get to intimately know their backstory and how the events in their past influence your on screen actions.

Doing this is pretty much Acting 101, but even seasoned actors do it wrong... They focus on things that don't matter.

When actors do this, they have a tendency to focus on the smallest details, instead of working to get to the root of what drives them.

They do it because it’s easy. Understanding what drives someone requires you to dig deep. You pretty much have to embody the character you are playing and do some deep mental work.

When you are building a character, what you had for breakfast probably doesn’t fit into that category.

So what does?

There isn’t one single answer to this, because every character will be a little bit different, but there is a way to make things simpler.

This is where the historical characters come in...

Even if you don’t really have an interest in portraying historical figures, it is still important for you to master how to build characters that have a historical significance.

Learning how to play this kind of character can improve your acting skills immensely, even if you never go anywhere near this type of role.

Here’s why...

Regardless of the role you are playing, it all comes down to character building and preparation. The difference with historical characters is that you get “feedback” because you can look at what actions the person took and what drove those actions.

As you build your character and make your choices, you can run through what the real person did, when presented with a similar situation, and you can gauge the emotions behind their actions.

If they were prominent enough for a project to be made about them, there is going to be a lot of information about them available. That’s how you will be able to reverse engineer their decision making and get feedback as to whether or not you are on the right track with your character choices.

It’s as simple as finding a pattern. For example, when your character is faced with tough decisions, does she get introspective and shut out the world or does she seek out the advice of people around her?

Let’s say that she gets introspective. You then want to identify why she prefers that over the opposite.

Is it because of something in her past that led her to be wary of the council of others? Was it because she never had a support system growing up, so shutting out the world when things get tough just comes natural to her?

Those two things might seem very similar but they can actually lead to very different character choices on set.

Typically, when you are building a traditional character, from scratch , you are making an educated guess on things like this because you are filling in the blanks on most of it.

That’s why some of the most respected actors base their characters around historical figures or prominent present day figures.

People are people, so don’t feel like you have to build your characters starting with a blank slate.

Follow what successful actors are doing and you will avoid many of the mistakes that aspiring actors make.

There’s a difference in building a character when you are someone who acts as a hobby and in doing it as a professional actor. If what you want is to be a professional actor, this could be a big help...

It won’t take care of the character building for you, but it will take something off your plate so that you can better focus on it and the other, more fun parts of the industry.

There’s a ton of stuff that goes into building your acting career. Actors tend to shy away from a good portion of it and pass it off to an agent or just ignore it all together.

People who act as a hobby are perfectly ok with “winging it.” Professional actors know that preparation leads to a quality performance, but they don’t stop there. They also make preparations off-set, so they can build an acting career on a solid foundation. That’s why I built this...

Now that we’ve discussed the significance of building characters based on historical figures, I have a question for you...

Do you want to make history in the industry, or is acting something you just do for fun? When I ask actors this question, most of them say that their goals are somewhere in between.

Regardless of what you want to accomplish in the industry, it’s helpful to have some help in your corner. Here’s what I can do to help...

Remember, Boost My Star is all about bringing you what’s working right now to make it in the industry. I know how frustrating it can be when you have a question about how something might pertain to your specific situation, so know that I’m always only a comment or an email away.

Feel free to get in touch anytime and let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll do whatever I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

What Professional Actors Do That Others Don’t Even Think About

Have you ever noticed that most actors subconsciously do all kinds of crazy things with their hands?

They rub their foreheads when their character is thinking about something. Sometimes they point at the other actor in a scene during a confrontation, or they’ll make other hand gestures to emphasize their words.

But, have you ever stopped to think about how natural any of that even is?

How many times have you sat at the dinner table, rubbing your forehead when you are deep in thought?

Probably not many times...

It’s actually a pretty unnatural thing to do. When people are deep in thought, they tend to be rather still. Finger tapping is a much more natural action 99% of the time, but that doesn’t mean it should be your go to character choice.

It may seem like nitpicking, talking about what goes on with an actor’s hands in a scene, but things like this are what separates amateur actors from professional actors.

Professional actors get into the details, to be sure that performance is always the best it can possibly be.

So, if you want to be a professional actor too, shouldn’t you do the same...

Acting classes don't cover the topic of what to do with your hands very well, so most actors never give it a thought.

It seems reasonable to think that it’s such a small part of your character, that it should be dealt with on set.

For an amateur actor that makes sense. A professional actor knows that anything that happens on set, should already have been considered and prepared in advance.

From there, your castmates will pull other things out of you and help you layer your character with additional choices, and your director will take you the rest of the way. But, it all stems from already having your character built on a solid foundation.

I’m not saying that what you do with your hands will make your character, but it can certainly break it.

So how do you know whether what you are doing with your hands is layering your character or just distracting the audience?

The first thing that would alert you is your instinct.

If something doesn’t “feel right” for some reason, then it typically comes across that way on screen as well.

if you find that you are actively thinking about when to punctuate a certain word or phrase with a gesture, chances are, it looks unnatural to the audience as well.

Your character choices and their corresponding actions should always feel and look natural. Often, you will get through a take, watch the scene and notice that your hands just didn’t look right.

Resist the urge to plan something else. Instead, just let go and let it happen.

If it still doesn’t feel right after a couple takes, pull the director into your process and get their opinion. If they haven’t given you any direction to this point, they may not see an issue with it, but they will still be ok with giving you a few more takes to improve your performance.

When you go back for those additional takes. Try something completely different than what you have been doing up to that point.

Going back to the previous example, if you have been pointing or gesturing to your counterpart in an intense scene, escalating or relieving some of that tension would be a good step.

Instead of pointing, make contact. Putting a finger in someone’s face and putting a finger on them are completely different things and the audience reaction to that is different as well.

If escalating the tension doesn’t feel right, then try to relieve the tension by doing away with the hand gestures all together. Maybe a nod will suffice and do more in the scene.

There’s not a single formula for this, since every scene and every character will call for something different, but there are some tell tale signs to look for so you know when you are on the right track.

Just like we talked about before, when you are on the right track, things will just feel right. You will have that feeling of being in flow and your performance will reflect that when you watch the takes.

You will notice what your hands are doing, but they won’t be pulling your focus. If that’s the case, and no one else is focusing on your hands either, you’re good.

If you start mentally justifying why your hands did something, go back to the drawing board on the next take. follow the steps we outlined a moment ago.

Don’t go back and do it the same way again. change things up because if you are being distracted by what your hands are doing, the audience is being pulled out of the scene as well.

It may not cause a knee jerk reaction but even small, subconscious reactions stack up and that leads to a performance that is “ok,” when it could have been world class.

When the audience gets distracted by what you are doing and they get pulled out of the emotions you want them to experience, it’s almost like breaking the 4th wall.

This drives industry decision makers crazy! It screams “amateur” and “unprepared” to directors and even your fellow castmates, and that leaves a lasting impression.

You will leave some kind of an impression with every project you ever work on and it’s up to you to decide whether that’s a good impression, a bad one, or not much of one at all.

The last of those is probably the worst...

If the industry doesn’t know you, they can’t hire you.

See, you can be an actor, worthy of every award the industry has to offer, and remain stuck in your career if you are not visible to the industry. Here’s how I can help with that.

Everything we talked about today will do wonders for you in terms of delivering a world class performance on set, but that depends on you being able to get there in the first place.

That’s the part actors struggle with the most, and it’s why I built this to help.

I’m not saying you have to do things this way or that you even have to accept my help. You can absolutely do it on your own. You just have to hyperfocus on building up your body of work, so that you can get on the industry’s radar.

Then, you just have to be sure that your industry reputation matches your goals.

Decision makers want to work with actors that have a solid reputation. This is what makes them feel comfortable with moving forward with you and it’s what makes you visible to the industry.

If you are not making the kind of progress you should be making in your career. It’s time that you try something different, so ask yourself “if not this, then what?”

Let me know what’s on your mind, after going over this. Shoot me an email or leave a comment below. I read and respond to every one and I’m always happy to help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

What Would Jack Nicholson Do?

Because I work with so many actors on a daily basis, I have a unique perspective on the industry. I get to see what works and I also get to see what is giving actors a hard time.

What we’re talking about today happens a lot more often than you would think, and it’s something that most actors never give a thought to.

That’s a huge problem!

See, professional actors know how to leverage every opportunity they get and turn it into something that can really have an impact on their career.

If you want to make big career progress, then you have to be able to do this too.

So, what happens when you get an opportunity that looks really great but it turns out to be on a project that is not so great?

Here’s what Jack Nicholson would do...

Sometimes you will go out for a project that you know is going to end up...let’s call it “less than ideal.”

That puts actors in kind of a tough spot, because no one wants to be part of a bad project.

Let me be clear, nothing that I say here is intended to demean anyone’s work. The industry is all about art, and art is subjective.

That actually makes things simple....if it’s offered to you, take the job, regardless of how the project may turn out!

Jack Nicholson said “you can be in a bad movie, but you don’t have to be bad in it.”

So, when you get on set, do your best and understand that you may not have much to work with.

The script may be less than stellar, and your castmates may not be able to perform at the top of their game either.

Leave the details about how the project will turn out to production. Focus only on your performance and let the other chips fall where they will.

Doing projects that underperform is just part of being in the industry.

Everyone knows that, and decision makers won’t hold it against you. As your career develops, if you carry projects that consistently underperform, that could turn into a problem but that’s a topic for another time...

What we’re talking about now is building your career and how to handle something that just about every actor encounters.

So, let’s first talk about what it actually means to be in a “bad” project, because most actors don’t always get what that actually means.

A project that underperforms at the box office or in the ratings isn’t necessarily a “bad one.” The industry is very complex and not everything is written exactly in black and white.

Many, many projects are green lit for all kinds of reasons that most actors never even think of. In some cases the box office or the ratings aren’t even the measure for success or failure.

They could be put into production for tax reasons, because of support from financial backers who have an interest in a certain subject, awards and critical acclaim, or even branding.

Some studios and production houses want to become the go to place for a certain genre, so they will green light projects that most others wouldn’t. They do it to create a sort of omnipresence in that category, and they fully expect the project to underperform.

You will have to go through a few extra steps as an actor, when you are involved in a project like this.

As you start to build your character, ask yourself why the project was greenlit.

If it was a branding play by the studio, then you can build your character with that in mind. You need to run your character choices through that filter and decide whether they are in line with the brand the studio is trying to build.

If the project is about winning awards and getting critical acclaim, then your characters have to be really dynamic and well layered so that you stand out on screen.

The reason I even bring up this kind of project is that it is the most common project to be mishandled.

Going for awards and critical acclaim either ends with a terrific project that will go down in the history books and shape industry trends for years to come, or it will end up as a cautionary tale.

There’s not a lot in between the two extremes.

All things considered, when it comes down to it, your performance is what really matters. That should go without saying, but I’ve spoken with countless actors who think the opposite.

They think that having an adequate performance in a blockbuster film will elevate their career more than a stellar performance in an indie with a limited release.

However, if you can stand out on set, you can elevate your career, regardless of the project. Of course that all depends on having projects to work on.

If you don’t have enough opportunities to get on set, there may be some factors you haven’t covered yet. Here’s a great place to start.

The industry has a lot of moving pieces and most actors never consider how they all fit together.

Delivering a stellar performance on set is really only half the battle. The other half is simply about getting there. That requires doing more than what actors are typically trained to do. That’s why I built this to help.

Building an acting career can usually go one of two ways: follow the pack and try to build an acting career the same way everyone else does or look for ways to shorten your time to success, by doing what is working right now.

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that reputation can make or break acting careers and put them into overdrive. That’s where this comes in.

We’ll talk more about it over the next few weeks because even though it’s something that will never go away, the way you build your industry reputation does change over time.

In the meantime, remember I’m always only a comment or an email away if you want to go over anything we discussed today, or even if you just want to bounce ideas.

I’ll help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

What A List Directors Want To See From Actors

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with an incredible director. We talked about a ton of really incredible stuff that I’ll be sharing with you over the coming weeks.

What we’re going to start with today are your questions...

You know that Boost My Star is the only place you can find stuff about the industry that no one else even dares to talk about.

A few weeks ago, I asked you to send me your questions, so I could have a world class, professional director answer them for you.

His answers to your questions did not disappoint!

This is the kind of stuff that can make the difference between becoming an accomplished actor, with the kind of career that dreams are made of, or ignoring it could keep you stuck in a miserable career where you never make any progress.

A big part of becoming a professional actor is doing what successful actors are already doing. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, you just have to put your own spin on it.

Go back and look at the careers of the actors you most look up to. You will see that, at some point, they shifted from what they were doing to follow in the footsteps of someone that was already accomplished.

That’s what usually helps them get on the industry’s radar. What takes them to the next level, is learning what industry decision makers are looking for and becoming that.

The director I sat down with is one of those decision makers, so what you are about to get is a first hand account of what the industry is looking for and how you can use it to take your career to the next level...

I didn’t want to be a filter for what this director wanted to share, so the rest of this report is in Question and Answer format, with his answers being transcribed and in first person.

What is the difference between amateur actors and world class actors?

Amateur actors give you what they think you want to see, as a director. World class actors bring their own spin to the character.

Look at the actors you admire. There is a common thread that connects every character they bring to life. In some way, they all share a similar trait, no matter how different the actual characters may be.

It could be a certain “tick” or their manner of speaking. Some actors are masterful at bringing similar tonality and pacing to their characters and it gives their work a kind of recognition that becomes their brand.

They don’t do it on purpose, it’s just what they bring to the table.

They also don’t mindlessly nod in agreement with every piece of direction you give them. Sometimes, what I see and what the actor experiences are completely different.

What makes a great performance is being able to combine the two. For example, I was directing an actor in a scene where he was wearing an apron.

After a few takes, I asked the actor to rip off the apron before answering the knock at the door.

The actor declined and said “this guy isn’t the apron type so he either has to act like it’s not there, which is what we had been doing so far, or we have to connect the apron to somehow being out of character for him.”

What we ended up doing was having the actor catch his reflection in the mirror, noticing the apron, tearing it off in disgust, and throwing it in the garbage before answering the door.

After doing that take, the others (with the apron on) stood out as a complete character misstep.

An amateur actor would have gone with the direction without speaking up. That would have been ok in this case, but since when is the industry satisfied with something just being ok?

What makes you want to work with some actors repeatedly and not others?

Every director wants to work with actors that show up fully prepared to give it their all on set.

Hours can be extremely long, and the working conditions can be uncomfortable on some projects. Imagine being suspended on a harness in front of a green screen for 2 weeks, to simulate a zero gravity environment.

That would be uncomfortable for anyone, and it would start to show for actors that are not mentally prepared.

That’s an obvious thing, but I have seen extremely talented actors completely drop the ball, causing reshoots and production delays, and in one occasion even jeopardizing an entire franchise from moving forward.

Those are the actors that don’t often get a second chance with directors.

Actors that always have another take in them, no matter how long it has already been, always make a good impression.

As a director, you need to know that you can lean on the actors too. The creativity on set is a two way street. Sometimes, you know that you are looking for something different out of an actor but you’re not sure what it is.

You want to work with actors that can always give you another take and try it a different way, even when the production day is long past the scheduled wrap.

In the final stages of casting, what sets actors apart? How can an unknown actor catch your attention and make you want to give them a chance?

What stands out to me, above everything else, is the actor's reputation. There are some incredibly talented actors that every director refuses to work with.

Everyone in the industry has heard the stories and believe me, they don’t even begin to scratch the surface. Some actors are insanely troublesome and can bring down the mood on a project and the effects are noticeable in the final product.

As an actor, the trick is to find a way to let the industry know that you have what it takes, because until you establish yourself, everyone will see putting you on a project as a big risk.

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that there are really only two ways to show the industry that you are a professional.

You can either have an extensive body of work to point to, which takes time and requires that you have already worked on many projects, or you need to figure something else out.

What will help you stand out among actors that may be more experienced or better known, is having a terrific industry reputation. Here’s a great place to start with that.

Like I said earlier, this only begins to scratch the surface of everything this director and I talked about and I’ll be bringing you more it over the coming weeks.,

For now, take some time to think this over.

Everything we talked about today only matters if you have enough opportunities to get on set. A big thing that I want you to think about is what the director mentioned about establishing yourself in the industry.

I built this, to help you become more visible to the industry while you work on that.

Once you’re on set, you have to be able to deliver.

Do you ever watch TV or put on a movie and think to yourself “I could do it better.” Of course you do!

Chances are, you’re even right about it...

The difference between you, tuning in, and the actor on screen is that the actor who was cast had something that made them stand out to casting. This is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to differentiate yourself and stand out to casting.

is there a question you think I should have asked, but didn’t? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.. I’ll be doing a follow up with this director too, so I’ll get a chance to ask him then.

In the meantime, feel free to get in touch, even if you just want to bounce ideas. I’m happy to help however I can, because I truly want to...

See at the top,
Scott

How Professional Actors Build Successful Careers

Because I get to work with so many actors, at different career stages, I have a unique perspective on what’s going on in the industry.

I get to see what’s working and what’s helping actors make huge career moves...

I also get to see what is keeping them stuck and what is causing actors with so much potential and incredible talent to leave the industry once and for all.

Needless to say, I hate to see that happen and I do my best to spread the word and reach as many actors as possible, and share with them what professional actors are doing right now to build their acting careers.

See, over the years I’ve realized that there are really only two ways to build an acting career. There’s the right way and the way everyone else does it.
If you’re not sure whether you are building your career the way professional actors do...

Ask yourself if you are doing anything that sets you apart from your industry friends. Think about that for a second.

When I ask actors to do this, they typically come up with things like “I take more classes, I have better discipline, I have XYZ credits...”

While that may be good, it doesn’t set you apart from them, and it’s not what professional actors have relied on to build a successful career.

One of the most powerful things you can do right now to take your career to the next level is to narrow your focus. Decide what category you want to specialize in.

Most actors are happy to simply take anything and everything that they might even be a remote fit for. That typically ends up being the long and difficult way to try to build your acting career.

Instead, what professional actors do is focus on going deep into a single category. When you do this, a few things happen.

Highly focusing your energy, instead of taking a scattershot approach, allows you to actually build some familiarity in the industry.

It means that industry decision makers and fans of that category will actually be able to get to know you and that’s a very important thing!

Being visible to industry decision makers, instead of getting lost in the shuffle, is a complete game changer for your career.

It’s simpler than it seems, especially when you focus your effort. See, everyone in the industry wants to be the one to discover the next big thing and put them on the map.

Seeing you everywhere starts to create that perception in the minds of your audience, casting directors and decision makers.

At Least the ones that matter...

See, anyone operating at the top levels of anything focuses their efforts and the industry is no exception.

Do you remember what happened when Michael Jordan tried to play baseball? Let’s just say one of the greatest basketball players of all time, was less than stellar on the baseball field,

That’s what happens when you split your focus.

Casting Directors, screenwriters, agents, directors, producers, cinematographers, actors and just about everyone in the industry that has built a successful career has specialized in a particular category.

To do this as an actor, the first step is to look for an agent that has a track record of working well in whatever category you chose. They should also have a client roster that is actively working in that category as well.

You’ll see why that’s so important in a moment...

Most actors don’t think about what happens “behind the scenes.” When agents actively try to book their actors, they often end up packaging multiple actors on their roster and booking them onto the same project.

Why?

When a particular actor doesn’t work out for one reason or another, or if CDs are having a hard time finding the right actor for a certain part, they don’t want to start from scratch.

They reach out to agents that have that type of talent on their roster.

So, if your agent has talent that is focused in your same category you may end up on a project just because another actor on their roster was booked for it.

It isn’t always that easy, and until you build relationships with Casting Directors you would still have to audition, but it would be a completely different environment.

It would be one where you are likely the only one reading and the part is yours to lose...

This is only one reason why it’s so important that you specialize in a particular category. Even actors that already know they should do this, aren’t really sure how to go about doing it.

Today, it’s simpler than it has ever been.
You can reach out to decision makers on social media.

You can pick up the phone and give them a call. Nobody wants to do this anymore, so you just might be surprised at who you can actually reach.

You can even “casually” bump into them and anonymously buy their coffee, and slip the barista a few bucks to place a miniature sized headshot into a Casting Director’s cup sleeve.

That’s a story for another time...

The possibilities are endless, so spend a few minutes thinking of some ways that you can get in touch with decision makers that are working in your chosen category.

Once you start to gain some traction in that category you can then build an audience simply by being everywhere.

Think of it like this...

If someone is a fan of action comedies are they more likely to tune in to watch another action comedy or are they more likely to switch gears and tune into a heavy, tear jerking drama?

So when you become synonymous with that category, that group of fans and the decision makers involved with those projects will start to see you as an integral part of it.

In many cases. it would be a better move to take a smaller role in a project that is in your chosen category, rather than taking a bigger role in a completely different one.

Why?

Taking on the bigger role in an unrelated category would mean that you are starting over from scratch with that audience.

If you are staying within your category, you are putting yourself back in front of an audience that already wants to see more of you.

If you want to become a professional actor you have to create demand for your work. Demand comes from people wanting to see more of your work.

Then it turns into industry decision makers wanting to book you and involve you in their projects over and over again.

That means you not only have to deliver a world class performance on set (for the fans), you also have to build a world class industry reputation. Here’s a great place to start.

Most actors are really good at working on their talent, but they tend to ignore the other things it takes to make it in the industry.

That’s why it was so important for me to put this report together for you. Building your acting career is a huge undertaking and we’ll be going into more detail on creating demand for your talent, over the coming weeks.

Working on your craft is the fun part. I built this to help actors with the more monotonous part of building a career.

I’ve seen way too many actors leave the industry, before reaching their full potential. Many of them were really close to getting on the right track.

Becoming a professional actor is not as complicated as most people think...

That’s not to say it’s easy! The simplicity kind of makes actors feel like they need to do more and they get sidetracked with so many unnecessary things that ultimately don’t make much of a difference.

This is a logical next step towards getting your career to the next level.

Start there and remember that I’m always only a comment or an email away and happy to help however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott