Why Acting Isn’t What You Think
Actors are incredibly special people. Of course, I’m biased but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong...
Think about it, who in their “right mind” would choose a profession where, the longer you stick with it, the less likely you are to succeed?
Who would knowingly pursue a career where only the top few are able to book consistently, while everyone else fights for the leftovers?
Before we continue, I want to be very clear about something...
The industry was never designed to be a place where anyone and everyone could succeed, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult.
I think most actors know that on some level but they never really start to think about why that is...
See, few things stick around in the human mind in the same way that your work can. Think about it, how many times have you sat quietly sipping a cup of coffee, mentally replaying scenes from your favorite movie?
How many times have you sat on the couch after a long day and spaced out to a few episodes of your favorite show?
That’s why the industry is such a small and exclusive circle, at the top levels.
When you really think about it, that’s a lot of responsibility, so it makes perfect sense that only the most dedicated actors make it to the top levels.
If what you want is to be a successful actor, what I’m about to share with you just might be the thing that sends your career skyrocketing...
Actors are incredibly special people. Of course, I’m biased but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong...
Think about it, who in their “right mind” would choose a profession where, the longer you stick with it, the less likely you are to succeed?
Who would knowingly pursue a career where only the top few are able to book consistently, while everyone else fights for the leftovers?
Before we continue, I want to be very clear about something...
The industry was never designed to be a place where anyone and everyone could succeed, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult.
I think most actors know that on some level but they never really start to think about why that is...
See, few things stick around in the human mind in the same way that your work can. Think about it, how many times have you sat quietly sipping a cup of coffee, mentally replaying scenes from your favorite movie?
How many times have you sat on the couch after a long day and spaced out to a few episodes of your favorite show?
That’s why the industry is such a small and exclusive circle, at the top levels.
When you really think about it, that’s a lot of responsibility, so it makes perfect sense that only the most dedicated actors make it to the top levels.
If what you want is to be a successful actor, what I’m about to share with you just might be the thing that sends your career skyrocketing...
This labor day, I want to honor you for what you do because as rewarding as it is for you to get on set and perform, have you ever stopped to think about what it means for your audience?
Your performances may last for a few minutes on screen, when everything is said and done, but they can live in your audience’s mind for decades.
A century later, Charlie Chaplin’s work still delights audiences all over the world. Most actors don’t really think of it that way.
Sure, being an actor comes with a ton of struggles. On the flip side, when you book something it is rewarding on so many levels.
I truly believe that everyone has their time in the spotlight, but not everyone is ready when that opportunity comes knocking.
Sometimes it comes in ways you would never expect.
For example, several cast members of The Office had so many things that fell into place for them to make it on the show. Manyl of them weren’t even supposed to be recurring characters and the show itself wasn't even supposed to make it past it’s initial 6 episode run.
Season 2 was a big surprise to just about everyone. Looking at it objectively, several of the actors from the show (one of the most iconic shows in modern television) will never be heard from again, on screen.
That’s true for many projects and I don’t mean that in a negative way, at all. In fact, most of the actors I’m speaking of have informally retired.
What I’m getting at is how they were ready to seize the opportunity to do something great, when it presented itself and how it shaped the way their acting career turned out.
I’ve been nursing a sprained ankle for the last week so I’ve been catching up on my watchlist. I was watching an episode of a show and before the credits rolled there was an "in memory of" dedication for one of the actors.
This was an actor that didn’t have much of a career before that show. In fact, she only decided to become an actor after retiring from corporate america.
If I named her, you wouldn’t recognize the name and you would probably struggle to place her face, even if you knew the show.
But if you were a fan of the series, chances are, some of your favorite scenes involve her.
She was born to play the role and she absolutely loved it. I watched a few interviews she did and you could feel the absolute joy and privilege she felt about playing the character.
She got to do what she loved and it just made me stop and think about all the actors that don’t have that opportunity and leave the industry before accomplishing their goals.
That’s usually a choice actors make when they find themselves stuck in their career, not progressing towards their goals.
Like I said earlier, I firmly believe that everyone has their turn in the spotlight but not everyone is ready when that time comes.
The ones that are ready aren’t always the most talented. They’re not always the ones with impeccable stage presence and charisma.
It’s typically the ones that lay a solid foundation and take other factors into account, when building their acting career. Here’s what I mean...
At the end of the day, the industry is still a business and decision makers will always look out for the bottom line.
That includes casting.
You probably know several actors that are incredibly talented but struggle to book anything at all, while Instagrammers and YouTubers move right to the front of the line and have their pick of jobs.
That’s the business side of the industry at work.
It’s all about being ready when it’s your time. Actors tend to get distracted by a lot of things that make them feel good about their work but that don’t ultimately move their career forward.
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter all have their place and they should be part of your career strategy but the actors that are ready when their time comes are the ones that build a solid foundation.
Industry contacts will come and go, social media platforms will change over time and even the way audience’s view your projects will change too.
Being easy to work with, marketable, and a person that fans are rooting for are all factors that will stand the test of time.
The actor I mentioned earlier had a short career before her passing, but she accomplished more than most actors accomplish in their lifetime.
What made the difference for her?
Off camera, she was someone you wanted to see succeed and she had an X factor that set her apart from other actors.
She also built relationships with key people that were able to move her career forward quickly.
It wasn’t because they were well connected, industry titans. They were just people that were also invested in her success. Just having the right team in place can make all the difference in your career.
If you want to learn how I can be a part of your team, check this out.
Most importantly, if the industry doesn’t know you, they can’t hire you, so make sure that you are putting yourself in front of CDs and industry decision makers, where they are already looking.
That’s something she did very well too. When you put yourself in front of the industry, and you have all the other pieces in place, they know that you are dedicated to your career and that you’re a professional, not a hobbyist.
It makes them want to go out of their way to find projects and help you make big career moves.
So, if you haven't been making the kind of progress you should be making, maybe it’s time to go back to the basics and chase your dreams, while embracing what it truly means to be an actor.
That kind of passion is electrifying and will help you do big things! I want to be a part of your success, so shoot me an email and let me know what’s going on in your career.
I’m always happy to help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott
The 3 Types of Auditions and How To Dominate Each One
Did you know there are three different types of auditions you can have? Most actors only know about two of them, and they only recently became aware of the second one of those because of the changes that have happened over the last 18 months or so.
This is a problem, when you consider that the third type of audition is quickly becoming the most common one.
Something I’ve realized recently is that, even the actors that are aware of all three different types of auditions haven’t quite figured out just how different they are.
It’s fun to talk about acting techniques and the creative side of the industry but there is a lot more that has to happen “behind the scenes” if you want to build a successful acting career.
Professional actors put a lot of effort into that side of things, because without it, the creative side doesn’t matter.
If you want to be a professional actor, but you’re not making the kind of progress you should be making, the issue could be that you’re focusing on the wrong things.
Here’s what I mean...
When I talk to actors about what they are doing to build their acting career, they almost always say things like “I’m taking this class, I took a workshop, I’m thinking about redoing my headshot, I’m recutting my reel, etc.”
While those are all great things to do, everything should be done in its due time. What I’m about to say is going to be shocking and will contradict 99.99% of what you’ve been told about making it in the industry...
Did you know there are three different types of auditions you can have? Most actors only know about two of them, and they only recently became aware of the second one of those because of the changes that have happened over the last 18 months or so.
This is a problem, when you consider that the third type of audition is quickly becoming the most common one.
Something I’ve realized recently is that, even the actors that are aware of all three different types of auditions haven’t quite figured out just how different they are.
It’s fun to talk about acting techniques and the creative side of the industry but there is a lot more that has to happen “behind the scenes” if you want to build a successful acting career.
Professional actors put a lot of effort into that side of things, because without it, the creative side doesn’t matter.
If you want to be a professional actor, but you’re not making the kind of progress you should be making, the issue could be that you’re focusing on the wrong things.
Here’s what I mean...
When I talk to actors about what they are doing to build their acting career, they almost always say things like “I’m taking this class, I took a workshop, I’m thinking about redoing my headshot, I’m recutting my reel, etc.”
While those are all great things to do, everything should be done in its due time. What I’m about to say is going to be shocking and will contradict 99.99% of what you’ve been told about making it in the industry...
Of the (literally) countless number of actors I’ve worked with over the years, the majority of them were already “good enough” to do whatever they wanted to do in the industry.
I’ve worked with actors at all different career stages and with varying levels of experience and it was almost always the case that they were already good enough.
So you may be good enough too but if your talent isn’t displayed properly for the industry, taking another acting class won’t change that.
That’s what I mean by “most actors are focusing on the wrong things.”
This is especially true when it comes to auditions, since it is the primary way for you to showcase your talent to Casting Directors and industry decision makers.
When actors think of it like this, they usually think of the fix as being an audition workshop.
While that could help, what professional actors do is try and get to the root of the problem with the way they audition, if they are not booking consistently enough.
What I see happen most often is actors not calibrating for the type of audition they’re having.
That’s how you can completely dominate every audition you go on, even if your interpretation of the character isn’t exactly what casting is looking for.
CDs are trained to look at the mechanics during your audition. Sure, they’ll coach you and nudge you in the direction that production has in mind but that’s not ultimately their job.
What they actually try to determine is whether or not you are developed enough, as an actor, to go where the director wants you to go with a character.
A lot of actors hear that and think it means they have to show their range, but that’s not quite it and trying to do that will end up hurting you during the audition phase.
The key is to calibrate your performance for the type of audition you are going on. Everything else (the stuff you learned in acting class) will come later.
Here’s what I mean...
Every type of audition has its distinct differences.
For example, the two that are most different are traditional in person auditions and self taped auditions. Because you are performing live versus on screen, playing your character the same way would actually come across quite differently.
Self taping will often cause your facial expressions to be toned down quite a bit.
It’s kind of like the difference between playing a black box theatre and a traditional stage.
The traditional stage calls for your expressions to be somewhat amplified. If you played it the same way in a smaller setting, you would be overplaying the character.
The same thing happens when you move to self taped auditions from in person auditions. Playing them the same way comes across very differently.
We’ll talk about how to fix it in a moment...
First lets go over the two types of auditions that are probably the most similar: self taped auditions and live virtual auditions.
Even though they are very similar, they still have some big differences that can give you a competitive advantage.
Because you are interacting with casting in real time, it feels a lot like a traditional, in person audition so most actors treat virtual ones the same way.
Remember, you are still performing at a distance so make sure you set up for a virtual audition the same way you would set up for a self taped audition.
Set up a lav mic or a boom along with adequate 3 point lighting to ensure that you have clean sound, so your tonality comes across clearly, and your expressions aren’t washed away by over exposure.
So, when everyone else has odd shadows on their face and sounds like they are auditioning over speaker phone, you will come across in an entirely different way.
That only allows casting to see your talent come across, but you still have to calibrate your performance for each different type of audition.
It’s actually pretty simple...
When you are calibrating your performance, you are looking to identify the proper level of intensity for the type of audition you are going on.
Remember, watching you on screen is very different for a CD from watching you perform live in person, and they’re both different from watching you audition over a live stream.
Let’s start with traditional auditions because this is the level that should be most familiar to you.
Over the last year or so, many actors have fallen out of practice so if you feel like you need help finding that level again, ask a few friends over and do a mock audition.
Do your scene a few times and play the character at a few different levels of intensity. Start by just playing it however it comes naturally to you.
Then, do your scene again and amplify your expressions and vocal inflection a bit. Go again, and amplify just a bit more.
Ask your friends to give you feedback and identify where your character was the most genuine. That’s your natural level.
Finish by performing your scene a few more times until you feel you’ve “locked in” that level.
Repeat the process for a live stream audition with your friends joining you virtually, on a laptop if possible since that’s what most CDs will be using to watch your virtual audition.
Do the same to calibrate for self taped auditions, except you can be your own audience this time. Record yourself doing a mock audition a few times, changing your level of intensity each time.
Then, watch your takes and pick the one that looks most natural to you. Record yourself a few more times to lock in that level.
Can you see how going through this process can have a dramatic impact on how you audition, compared to everyone else who just shows up and does the same thing regardless of the type of audition it is?
Putting yourself in the CDs shoes and considering how your performance will come across to them makes a huge difference in how you play the character.
This is what sets professional actors apart from anyone else. Preparing on this level helps to position you as a professional actor with CDs and industry decision makers.
That’s half the battle.
Professional actors also focus on things that help them get in the room. If you’re not getting enough auditions then the problem could be with what’s going before the audition.
If the industry doesn’t know you, they can’t hire you.
Don’t sit around and wait for your phone to ring. Set aside some time to make yourself visible to casting directors and industry decision makers.
Becoming a professional actor is all about creating as many opportunities for yourself as possible and then seizing those opportunities when they come around for you.
To do that you have to ensure that everything the industry sees about you shows that you are building your career as a professional actor.
Most actors think that if they just work on their skills and get “good enough” they will be able to make it in the industry, and they don’t don’t think about everything else that goes into building an acting career.
Even when you do deliver an amazing audition, there is still a lot that happens after your audition so there could be something else that isn’t up to their expectations. When casting puts together your castability index, your industry reputation is a part of it so make sure that it matches your goals. Here’s how I can help with that.
We’ll get further into that next time. For now, get started on what I talked about today. Knowing this is great but it won’t make a difference in your career until you put it to use.
So get a group together and start your calibrations.
Remember, I’m always here for you too so feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below. I’m happy to support you however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott
How Dwayne Johnson Became a Successful Actor and How You Can Too
Succeeding in the industry doesn’t take what most people think it does.
Most actors think it takes a ton of connections with “the right people,” world class training from the top instructors, and a ton of time devoted to paying your dues.
In reality...
It’s not about the training one actor has, that others don’t have.
It’s not about the credits, and in some cases it’s not even about the talent.
That’s why even incredibly talented actors can have careers that are as different as night and day, when on paper they should be experiencing the same levels of success.
We’ve all looked at a cast list and wondered why a particular actor was booked.
Take someone like Dwayne Johnson, for example. Anyone would be absolutely delighted to perform alongside him today, but it wasn’t always that way.
He’s made incredible progress in terms of his acting skills, but if you watch some of his earlier projects, you might wonder why he continued to book, and it was almost unimaginable that he would go on to become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
His performances didn’t leap off the screen and he wasn’t a once in a generation type of talent.
So, what kept his career moving forward when anyone else would have been passed over and forgotten by the industry in a heartbeat?
If you want to be a professional actor. This is something that could make a huge impact on your career too...
Succeeding in the industry doesn’t take what most people think it does.
Most actors think it takes a ton of connections with “the right people,” world class training from the top instructors, and a ton of time devoted to paying your dues.
In reality...
It’s not about the training one actor has, that others don’t have.
It’s not about the credits, and in some cases it’s not even about the talent.
That’s why even incredibly talented actors can have careers that are as different as night and day, when on paper they should be experiencing the same levels of success.
We’ve all looked at a cast list and wondered why a particular actor was booked.
Take someone like Dwayne Johnson, for example. Anyone would be absolutely delighted to perform alongside him today, but it wasn’t always that way.
He’s made incredible progress in terms of his acting skills, but if you watch some of his earlier projects, you might wonder why he continued to book, and it was almost unimaginable that he would go on to become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
His performances didn’t leap off the screen and he wasn’t a once in a generation type of talent.
So, what kept his career moving forward when anyone else would have been passed over and forgotten by the industry in a heartbeat?
If you want to be a professional actor. This is something that could make a huge impact on your career too...
Many of his costars, considered to be more talented actors, had much shorter and much less rewarding careers.
Today, Dwayne Johnson is an incredibly talented actor. His performances are smooth, and how far he’s come should be inspiring to anyone in the industry.
In the grand scheme, it wasn’t very long ago that his performances were choppy, inorganic, and they would often take the viewer out of the scene, reminding them they were watching a work of fiction.
So why did the industry keep giving him chances, and what does it have to do with your acting career?
He brought several things to the table that few other actors could. For starters, he had immense popularity from his time as a professional wrestler.
That’s not to say that his career flourished only because of his popularity. That only gave him a foot in the door, and in all honesty, it gave him a second (perhaps even a third) shot but he still had to build a career much like anyone else.
What made the difference in his career was that, when things weren’t going his way, he didn’t just continue doing the same things over and over again.
He tells the story of how, after a few flops and about to be dropped by his agency, he changed things up completely.
He took an objective look at what was going on in his career and did something about it.
See, most actors fail to make the kind of progress they should, because they never really stop to think about what the issue could be when things aren’t going their way.
Even when they do, they don’t typically have a full concept of all the different factors that could be affecting their progress.
The industry is complicated, so it always helps to have an industry insider help with this. We’ll talk more about that another time...
For now, let’s keep things simple. If you are going on enough auditions but you’re not booking enough of them. It could be a couple of things.
To narrow it down, look at how many of your auditions turn into call backs and follow ups. If you’re not getting very many callbacks or follow ups, then it means that casting isn’t exactly satisfied with what they’re seeing from you.
Taking a workshop on auditioning could help with that.
Auditioning is actually quite different from performing but just about everyone treats it the same.
Most actors are never taught how to get into “audition mode” so they go into auditions and read the same way they would perform on screen.
That’s why just taking another acting class wouldn’t help with this issue, and it’s why I’m a big believer in targeted training.
Next week, we’ll get into the differences between those two and we’ll talk about how to dominate every audition whether it’s in person, self taped, or even virtual.
Starting there, is kind of backwards because what most actors struggle with is just getting in the room. They don’t book enough auditions to begin with, which makes building a career difficult.
if that’s something you are struggling with and if you could use more auditions, this could be a big help.
See, the reason many actors can’t get in the room is that casting doesn’t see a reason to bring them in.
Think of it from their perspective. When they come across your headshot and resume, it is only 1 of hundreds (sometimes more). If there’s nothing that sets yours apart from the others, the odds that they will select yours are pretty slim.
Literally!
If your headshot is 1 in a stack of 500, you have a .2% chance of being called in to read. You can only improve your chances by giving CDs a reason to call you in.
For Dwayne Johnson, the reason was “The Rock.” He came with a following of loyal fans that were sure to show up at the box office for him. More than that, he had already demonstrated that he could carry projects successfully.
His wrestling matches broke attendance and pay per view records. That gave him a level of credibility when he transitioned to the industry.
That’s something you need to have as well, if you want to build a professional acting career.
To build your industry credibility, you can have an extensive body of work to point to (the Dwayne Johnson way) and it needs to be filled with successful projects.
That takes a lot of time and it requires that you get lucky enough to be involved in successful projects, without the backing of industry credibility.
That’s the hard way and it’s what most actors do every single day, to try to build their careers.
The other way is to make sure that your industry reputation is in top shape and that you are visible to industry decision makers and casting directors. That’s why I built this...
If you already have a ton of industry credibility and an extensive body of work, filled with successful projects to point to, this probably isn’t for you.
It will help you create the differentiating factor we talked about earlier.
Whether or not you choose to let us help you with that, remember I’m always only a comment or an email away. Get in touch and let me know what’s going on in your career. I’m happy to give you another perspective because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott
How To Book Better Acting Jobs and Book More Often
Have you wondered why some actors seemingly book just about everything they ever audition for, while everyone else struggles to make any kind of progress.
When I speak with actors, one of the topics that comes up just about every time is “how do I book more?”
As actors, we’re told that just having the opportunity to read for something is a great accomplishment and to make the most of it.
While that’s partially true (we’ll talk about which part is true in a moment), it doesn’t help actors build their careers.
Here’s why...
Because being an actor falls under the category of “art”, success isn’t always clearly defined. It should be as simple as booking the part equaling success and not booking it equals failure.
That sounds a little bit harsh, but when you look at it that way you actually have a way of figuring out what went wrong and how you can fix it.
If you want to be a professional actor, that’s an important skill to have, because any way you look at it, part of becoming a professional is booking jobs consistently.
But, before we talk about how to go about it. fair warning, there’s a lot of tough love coming your way...
Have you wondered why some actors seemingly book just about everything they ever audition for, while everyone else struggles to make any kind of progress.
When I speak with actors, one of the topics that comes up just about every time is “how do I book more?”
As actors, we’re told that just having the opportunity to read for something is a great accomplishment and to make the most of it.
While that’s partially true (we’ll talk about which part is true in a moment), it doesn’t help actors build their careers.
Here’s why...
Because being an actor falls under the category of “art”, success isn’t always clearly defined. It should be as simple as booking the part equaling success and not booking it equals failure.
That sounds a little bit harsh, but when you look at it that way you actually have a way of figuring out what went wrong and how you can fix it.
If you want to be a professional actor, that’s an important skill to have, because any way you look at it, part of becoming a professional is booking jobs consistently.
But, before we talk about how to go about it. fair warning, there’s a lot of tough love coming your way...
When you don’t book something, you typically get a pat on the back and you hear things like “they went another way with the character, XYZ actor became available after all, etc.”
When you look at not booking a role as a failure, you can then look to see what happened.
You can ask yourself “why did they go another way with the character” and then work out why they didn’t go your way.
Was your interpretation of the character one dimensional?
Could that have been what caused them to go with someone else?
If that was the case, then you can work on making your characters more dynamic and improve your chances of booking your next audition.
That’s a very simple way to think about things, but you can see how this is much more helpful than a pat on the back and “you’ll get it next time.”
It does require you to have thick skin and look at things objectively and emotionless, but that’s part of being an actor.
The bottom line is that if the project went on without you, you have to know why.
The industry has changed and experience and even talent are not always the most important things. Casting Directors look at many other factors when booking actors.
It’s why we’ve seen so many Instagrammers and YouTubers cross over into the mainstream industry over the last few years. You might even remember that Kim Kardashian had a stint as an “actor” a while back. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether her involvement in those projects was talent related...
They have something to bring to the table that changes the dynamic with CDs. If you don’t have something like that too, then you will be starting from square one every time.
It will bring down your booking ratio significantly. Simply put, it’s the number of jobs you book for auditions you go on.
So, if you have a ratio of .5, it means that you are booking 5 jobs for every 10 auditions you go on.
You want your booking ratio to be as high as possible, because it means it means you are booking more often than not.
The biggest impact on your booking ratio is how selective you are about the jobs you audition for.
Something that is really hard for aspiring actors to get past is to stop going after anything and everything under the sun.
Sit down with your agent and talk about what you most enjoy working on. Come up with a strategy for how you can narrow the kinds of projects you audition for so you can focus on things that most closely align with that.
Actors tend to focus on just trying to book anything that comes their way. Really, booking the projects that are right for you, is not as important as booking just for the sake of getting another credit.
Here’s why...
When CDs look at your resume, having a slew of credits that are all over the place is not impressive. A scattered resume is a sign of being a desperate actor, yet it’s what most actors strive for.
I challenge you to do this...
Ask 5 actor friends for their resume. Don’t tell them what it’s really for, just tell them you are redoing your formatting or something like that.
Cut off their names, then read through each one. Look at their credits and see what kind of a story it tells about the actor behind the resume.
Chances are, you won’t be able to tell much of anything at all.
Their resumes will be a mashup of comedic credits, mixed in with credits for heavy dramas and everything in between.
When casting directors look through resumes, that’s the same thing they see: an actor that doesn’t have a specialty and one who will take anything and everything.
Why is that important?
When a studio invests $50 million dollars in a comedic project, are they most likely to trust an actor who does a little bit of everything or are they more likely to trust an actor who only does comedy and does it really well?
It’s kind of like seeing a heart surgeon vs a general practitioner. As a side note, the heart surgeon also commands fees almost six times higher than a general practitioner.
Most actors go after anything and everything, because they think that having a ton of credits will display their experience but having weak credits can also keep you from getting to the next level in your career.
That’s why following the traditional career advice can actually keep you stuck.
The traditional advice would tell you to keep plugging away, when things don’t go your way, when really you should take the opportunity to fix what’s broken in your career.
For example, if jobs keep going to actors who are better known, you should look into who they are and find out what you could have done to improve your chances.
Were they in a better position in terms of their social media?
Did their industry reputation make them more trustworthy?
If it was a matter of casting deciding to go with an actor that outperformed you during their audition, look at their past work and see what they may have done better. Judge their past performances objectively and see what their strengths are.
Is their timing and scene pacing spot on? Maybe their tonality adds another layer to their characters but it’s something you haven’t worked on in a long time.
Doing this can be tedious and even discouraging at times but it is one of the most impactful things you can do to help you build your career.
Remember, whatever is going on in your acting career, 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
P.S. If you scrolled to the bottom of this, you’re probably the type of person who’s always looking for an “easy button.” That doesn’t exactly exist for your acting career, but this is the next best thing.
In this report we discussed how to book better acting jobs, more often, and how your industry reputation helps with that. So read the report before clicking the “easy button” so you have a better idea of how it all works.
The 3 Mistakes Every Actor Needs To Avoid
It goes without saying that, when building an acting career, you are bound to have some missteps along the way.
Most of the time, those things are minor and they are easy to bounce back from. However, there are a few mistakes that can be career killers if they are not fixed right away.
Just about every actor I’ve ever spoken with has made at least one of them and the majority were making more than one.
Building a successful acting career is just as much about knowing what not to do, as it is about knowing what to do.
See, you can do all the right things and still fail to become a successful actor, if you are working against yourself by making these three mistakes.
So, if you want to build your acting career and book consistently, these are the 3 mistakes you have to avoid...
It goes without saying that, when building an acting career, you are bound to have some missteps along the way.
Most of the time, those things are minor and they are easy to bounce back from. However, there are a few mistakes that can be career killers if they are not fixed right away.
Just about every actor I’ve ever spoken with has made at least one of them and the majority were making more than one.
Building a successful acting career is just as much about knowing what not to do, as it is about knowing what to do.
See, you can do all the right things and still fail to become a successful actor, if you are working against yourself by making these three mistakes.
So, if you want to build your acting career and book consistently, these are the 3 mistakes you have to avoid...
The first one we’ll talk about is something actors are uniquely vulnerable to, because it's in their nature to work with others, whether it’s on set, while training and sharpening their skills, or while working with agents to choose the direction their career will go in.
Because of that, actors are very susceptible to listening to the wrong people.
Look, if you ask your actor friends about building your career, you will get a lot of advice that sounds good, but isn't really effective. .
They may truly want to see you succeed and have your best interest at heart, but they won’t have the perspective of all the “moving pieces” that have to align for you to build a successful career.
The same is true for your non industry friends and even your family. It’s difficult to drown out the opinions of those you care about but if you end up listening to the wrong people you will waste time, spinning your wheels working on stuff that won't help you make progress.
For example, you might be going on audition after audition, without booking a single one. Your friends would likely encourage you to “keep at it,” but someone with a better perspective on things would know that simply continuing on the same path is insane.
Instead, you should take a step back and work with your agent to see what the problem is.
Maybe you are going out for things that you’re just not the right for and you need to concentrate on finding a different category.
To avoid making this mistake you have to build a team of people that have your best interest at heart and that want to see you succeed, but that also have deep industry knowledge and can give you a better perspective.
That will also help to keep you from mistake number 2: ignoring the warning signs of a career that is going in the wrong direction.
Most actors mistake a lack of progress for “paying your dues.”
Thinking that "paying your dues" and struggling to get to the next level is just part of the process is wrong, misinformed thinking.
Here’s why...
If you think you’re just “paying your dues” then, there is no reason to change things up and get your career on track. There is nothing to measure or change that would help you do so.
That’s why this mistake is probably the biggest career killer, because it keeps actors on the wrong track until the day they leave the industry for good.
Steering clear of this is critical to your success, because if you don't the chances of you reaching your goals are almost nonexistent.
Realize, there is no such thing as paying your dues. No one is going to cast an actor that does only one liners for 30 years, as a leading character just because “they paid their dues.”
I use the term “building an acting career” because that’s exactly what it is. It’s a process and it requires having a blueprint to follow, something I try to bring you through Boost My Star.
That brings us to mistake #3, which is something actors don’t always realize they are doing...going it alone.
Seeking out that help can be tricky. Some things are obvious, like signing with an agent or hiring an acting coach.
Other things are less obvious and those are the areas where you should seek help. It will ensure that those areas still receive attention, without you having to be directly involved in making sure it gets done.
Perhaps the biggest area is making sure you are highly visible to the industry. There are a couple of ways to do that.
There’s networking and social media obviously, but if you really want your efforts to be effective you should be focusing on places where casting directors and CDs are already looking. That’s where I can help, if you want me to be a part of your team.
Before you explore that option, you should know...
It’s not for everyone. It’s for actors that are truly ready to take control of their career and take things to the next level.
I usually bring you the tips and strategies that I’m seeing work right now, to build a successful acting career, but today’s report was perhaps even more important.
Remember, even if you’re doing everything right, you could still be working against yourself if you’re making the mistakes we went over today.
However, if you are sidestepping the mistakes, while only doing a few other things at your best, you end up not working against yourself and your efforts are much more effective.
So sit down and think about how you are building your career. Be completely honest with yourself about how many of those mistakes you’re making. Then, come up with a plan for fixing them.
If you want another perspective on that, shoot me an email or leave me a comment below. I’m happy to help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott
How To Get Access to Casting Directors and Industry Decision Makers
The industry is all about access. Think about it. What if you could walk into any casting office and ask “what do you have for me today” and have everyone scramble to find your next role?
Before you start telling yourself that something like this would never happen, do this... Think of your favorite actors. Choose 3.
Would any of them be able to walk into a casting office and pull this off? While I’m not actually encouraging you to do this (at any point in your career) what I want to point out is what is possible when someone has access to industry decision makers.
Why do you think so many friends of successful actors are able to break into the industry as well?
It’s because they had a direct way to get in front of casting directors and industry decision makers.
If you’re reading this, you probably don’t have an A list actor friend you can call and ask them to get you something in their project.
The good news is, that it doesn’t matter as much as it once did. See, today, casting directors and industry decision makers are easier to get in front of than ever before.
If you want to build a professional acting career, putting yourself in front of CDs and decision makers is something you should actively be doing, instead of just hoping that someone “discovers” you.
Here’s how...
The industry is all about access. Think about it. What if you could walk into any casting office and ask “what do you have for me today” and have everyone scramble to find your next role?
Before you start telling yourself that something like this would never happen, do this... Think of your favorite actors. Choose 3.
Would any of them be able to walk into a casting office and pull this off? While I’m not actually encouraging you to do this (at any point in your career) what I want to point out is what is possible when someone has access to industry decision makers.
Why do you think so many friends of successful actors are able to break into the industry as well?
It’s because they had a direct way to get in front of casting directors and industry decision makers.
If you’re reading this, you probably don’t have an A list actor friend you can call and ask them to get you something in their project.
The good news is, that it doesn’t matter as much as it once did. See, today, casting directors and industry decision makers are easier to get in front of than ever before.
If you want to build a professional acting career, putting yourself in front of CDs and decision makers is something you should actively be doing, instead of just hoping that someone “discovers” you.
Here’s how...
I’ve always said that you shouldn’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call someone. You can have very good luck doing that but getting in touch with them on social media is what you should be doing and it has some significant advantages.
For starters, you are reaching out to them directly, without anyone filtering or managing the decision maker’s accounts.
That means you have a good chance of getting through to them directly. Typically, there are no assistants filtering things or managing the accounts.
Also, CDs and decision makers often search through social media when they need to find an actor with a particular skill set.
Whether casting directors find you on social or whether you reach out to them, they have a way to see what you’re about.
So, let’s talk about what they are looking for.
Believe it or not, one of the first things that will catch their attention (not in a good way) are red flags.
Those are things like polarizing posts that would alienate audiences.
I don’t really want to get into it, so let’s leave it at the world has changed. There are billions of people with billions of opinions on a countless number of topics.
You don’t have to agree with anyone and you don’t have to disagree with them either. If you want to improve your acting career, you have to look at social media as a tool. Nothing more, nothing less.
Like I said, I don’t really want to get into this topic because it can be polarizing just bringing it up, but in just the last few weeks I’ve seen more than a couple actors be negatively affected by the opinions they put out on social media.
CDs won’t rush to hire you just because you share a similar view on a particular issue, but they will rush the other way if they don’t. So, the risk is not worth the reward.
They want to see signs of you being a professional actor that is working on their craft. They want to see you training, working on other projects and keeping busy, as you actively build your career.
You want to load your social media with things like this, so that anyone who even glances at your social media knows you are an actor, and that you take your career seriously.
So how do you find those decision makers?
This is kind of obvious, but most actors never think about doing it. Watch the credits of your favorite movies or tv shows and write down the people involved.
You will literally be able to get the names of the producers, directors, casting directors and even their assistants.
Then it’s only a matter of finding them on social media and making contact.
Here’s how...
First rule of thumb is don’t be creepy. While CDs and industry decision makers don’t get as many messages as you would think, since most people are afraid of reaching out, that doesn’t mean you should just message them and ask about whatever they are casting for.
Even if it’s the only message they receive that day, it will almost surely be ignored. Your goal when reaching out, is to start a conversation. Then, to move that conversation along to a point where they want to hear more about you and your career.
The problem most actors make is trying to start there, and they try to impress the casting director with their credits.
This is going to sound harsh...if the person you are reaching out to hasn’t heard of you, you’re not going to impress them with your resume and they’re not going to watch your reel and jump to hire you for something.
When you are building your career, it’s important that you get people in your corner who genuinely care for you and want to see you succeed. So, when you reach out to them, start with a compliment about their work.
That’s much more effective than just asking for something. Whatever the compliment is, it should be genuine.
Don’t try to move on too quickly from there. Just complement their work, wait for a response and then continue moving the conversation along. Don’t over complicate it.
If you're talking to a casting director, you could start by complimenting them on the cast they built for a particular project and make a memorable comment.
When they respond, you can continue the conversation by asking an easy question about their work. It could be something like “how did you come up with the idea to pair those 2 actors? It doesn’t seem like a natural pair, but it was actually a genius move!”
Of course you won’t get a response from everyone and that’s ok.
It’s not always intentional. Things come up. Sometimes, people intend to respond and then simply forget about it.
If you don’t hear something back, follow up with another message after a week or so.
Even then, not everyone will respond but those that do are the ones that you want to keep in your circle.
If you’re having trouble getting anyone to respond to you, it could be that they don’t see a reason to.
Here’s what I mean by that...
Your message will be kind of a shock, since most casting directors and industry decision makers are not used to receiving them (at least not from actors). That’s actually a good thing, but it will cause them to dig a little deeper.
When they get your message, they want to find out who you are and what you are about, so they will click on your profile and check out your feed.
If your feed doesn’t make it clear that you are a professional actor, that’s where their search will end and they are unlikely to respond in any way.
What you want them to do is click to your profile, scroll through your feed and immediately know that you are an actor.
When that happens, it will cause them to look into your history as an actor. They will look at your industry reputation, so make sure that it always matches your goals. I built this to help that.
In a perfect world, it would always happen this way but that doesn’t mean you should rely on this as the only way to put yourself in front of industry decision makers.
Sometimes they may just come across you, when they are building a cast. This only happens if you make sure that you are visible where casting directors are looking. This will help.
Still, you don’t want to just sit back and wait for them to find you. Doing what we’ve talked about today, reaching out to CDs and decision makers consistently, can do wonders for your career.
You can also use this method when you’re auditioning. Find out who you are going to be reading for and reach out to them beforehand. Follow the same sequence, and when you show up at the audition you would be a “familiar face” and stand out from everyone else.
If you have an audition coming up soon, do this now.
If you don’t then do what I mentioned earlier. Watch the credits to some films or tv shows that are similar to things you would like to work on and make a list of who was involved. Reach out to them and make contact.
I know this is probably something you’ve never done before so feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below if you have any questions. I’ll help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott
The Definitive Guide to Zoom Auditions
Are Zoom auditions about to be over with? There are a lot of reasons for why that could actually be the case, so should you be spending any time on trying to get good at handling zoom auditions?
Here are some things that could make zoom auditions a thing of the past...
If the industry suddenly decides they no longer want the incredibly high level of efficiency that zoom auditions provide, and they want to go back to the old way, then zoom auditions could go away.
If casting directors decide it’s a good idea to pack a waiting room with dozens of actors, then zoom auditions could go away.
If actors boycott auditions and demand that casting departments force them to drive across town, wait for what can sometimes be hours, so they can read for a few lines, then zoom auditions could go away...
Based on that, do you think the industry will do away with zoom auditions any time soon?
The truth is, the industry was destined to move to zoom auditions as the norm. It’s something I’ve been talking about for a long time, and the events of last year accelerated that move.
Zoom auditions are easier and much more efficient for casting departments to manage. When they became much more common over the last year, many actors were pleasantly surprised.
However, a zoom audition is not like a traditional audition. There are a few very important things that you have to focus on, if you want to deliver an audition that sets you apart.
If what you want is to improve your career and become a professional actor, you really have to focus on mastering this...
Are Zoom auditions about to be over with? There are a lot of reasons for why that could actually be the case, so should you be spending any time on trying to get good at handling zoom auditions?
Here are some things that could make zoom auditions a thing of the past...
If the industry suddenly decides they no longer want the incredibly high level of efficiency that zoom auditions provide, and they want to go back to the old way, then zoom auditions could go away.
If casting directors decide it’s a good idea to pack a waiting room with dozens of actors, then zoom auditions could go away.
If actors boycott auditions and demand that casting departments force them to drive across town, wait for what can sometimes be hours, so they can read for a few lines, then zoom auditions could go away...
Based on that, do you think the industry will do away with zoom auditions any time soon?
The truth is, the industry was destined to move to zoom auditions as the norm. It’s something I’ve been talking about for a long time, and the events of last year accelerated that move.
Zoom auditions are easier and much more efficient for casting departments to manage. When they became much more common over the last year, many actors were pleasantly surprised.
However, a zoom audition is not like a traditional audition. There are a few very important things that you have to focus on, if you want to deliver an audition that sets you apart.
If what you want is to improve your career and become a professional actor, you really have to focus on mastering this...
Because zoom auditions happen online, you can’t just “show up” and expect to deliver your audition seamlessly.
Technology is great when it works, and it usually does, but things can and do go wrong so let’s start at the beginning and talk about setting up your tech.
I know it sounds basic, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken to an actor who thought zoom was a link that opens in your web browser. Needless to say they showed up late when they discovered it was an app that had to be downloaded and installed.
You could also find that your app needs to be updated, which can also make you run late. So, don’t risk it! test your app well in advance of the start time.
Also, make sure your device is fully charged and plugged in if possible. Running zoom can drain a battery quickly. The last thing you want is to hit it off with casting, have them asking you questions and trying different things with your character, only to have to cut it short because your device is dying.
Believe me, it happens!
With that in mind, let’s talk about how to set up your zoom space. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to just sit on the couch and prop your phone up on the coffee table.
Your angle can be extremely unflattering if you’re not careful.
If you are using your phone, you get a phone tripod. You can find them for about fifteen bucks online. Having one will let you position the camera at eye level, so you’re not looking down at the camera.
This may seem like a minor detail but as you’ll see in a moment, the small details can quickly add up to a big mess.
That’s why you can’t skip steps like setting up your audio. There may be a big temptation to just use whatever mic comes with your device but that could end up being a huge mistake.
Bad audio will kill your audition. That’s true whether you are in a traditional, in person audition, a self taped one, or on zoom but more thought typically goes into the other two.
You can actually use that to your advantage...
Just about everyone else will have the horrible audio that comes from the built in mic on a laptop or from a cell phone basically on speaker.
You don’t need to make your sound setup complicated for it to make a big difference. Simply getting a lav mic can completely change your sound. They’re as cheap as ten bucks on amazon and they will eliminate the echo and background noise, so casting can actually hear the emotions and the range in your voice.
That’s where the advantage comes in, because your performance will sound so much more dynamic than everyone else’s.
You can then take things a step further with your lighting.
Like with your sound set up, this doesn’t have to be complicated for it to be really effective. A simple 3 point light setup will do the trick.
It's as simple as it sounds. All you do is set up 3 sources of light. One directly in front of you and the other two at about 45 degree angles to your left and to your right.
That will eliminate any shadows on your face, allowing casting to see your expressions.
You work too hard on the details, when you prepare for an audition, to let them be washed out because of bad lighting.
In a zoom audition, bad lighting can be due to too much lighting, not enough lighting, or badly positioned lighting.
With a 3 point set up, you eliminate those potential problems. You don’t want to audition for a trustworthy character and be stuck with down lighting.
Again, it’s those small details that can make a big difference. That’s not to say that this will make bookings fall into your lap.
You can deliver a great audition and still be passed over, because the decision making process doesn’t end there.
Casting will dig deeper to find out what you’re all about. That’s why you need to make sure that your reputation matches your goals. Here’s how I can help with that.
Don’t make the mistake of only working on delivering during the audition. The truth is that you can do ok during the audition and still move forward in the process.
What we went over today can do wonders for you and it will make you stand out in a very good way.
The care and attention you put into your zoom audition will show and CDs will see that you are professional. Then, they will want to confirm that and they’ll do it by looking at your industry reputation.
There are two ways to build a reputation in the industry. You can either have an extensive body of work to point to, along with relationships with decision makers, or you can dictate what casting directors and industry decision makers see when they look at your history. Here’s where to start with that.
So there you have it. A full breakdown of how to master the zoom audition and put yourself in the best position for the rest of the casting process.
Everything we went over is simple to do. Don’t overthink it, just get started on this today because your next zoom audition is hopefully right around the corner.
As always, feel free to get in touch anytime and let me know how I can help. I’ll do whatever I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott
How To Use Social Media to Boost Your Acting Career
Social media is an important part of building an acting career. That goes without saying and most actors know this. That's why everyone in the industry promotes their social media at every opportunity.
A few days ago, I was out jogging when I saw a bus driving by. It had an actor's face plastered on the side (at least I would later find out he was an actor) along with the usual "follow me @."
It got me thinking about the lengths actors will go to, in order to promote their social media and I realized that just about everyone is doing it completely wrong.
The truth is that many people become quite successful by using social media to boost their acting career, but they don’t do it the way you would think.
Social media can make or break acting careers, so I'm still shocked to see just how many actors have no plan for how to use it.
If you want to be a professional actor, you have to figure it out. It's simply not an option to ignore it and hope things work out for the best. You need to have a solid plan for growing an audience, connecting with them, and influencing them to support your work.
That goes way beyond simply counting the likes and shares you get on a selfie. If you do it the way professional actors do it, it's actually quite simple....
Social media is an important part of building an acting career. That goes without saying and most actors know this. That's why everyone in the industry promotes their social media at every opportunity.
A few days ago, I was out jogging when I saw a bus driving by. It had an actor's face plastered on the side (at least I would later find out he was an actor) along with the usual "follow me @."
It got me thinking about the lengths actors will go to, in order to promote their social media and I realized that just about everyone is doing it completely wrong.
The truth is that many people become quite successful by using social media to boost their acting career, but they don’t do it the way you would think.
Social media can make or break acting careers, so I'm still shocked to see just how many actors have no plan for how to use it.
If you want to be a professional actor, you have to figure it out. It's simply not an option to ignore it and hope things work out for the best. You need to have a solid plan for growing an audience, connecting with them, and influencing them to support your work.
That goes way beyond simply counting the likes and shares you get on a selfie. If you do it the way professional actors do it, it's actually quite simple....
Just like you wouldn't approach an audition being completely unprepared, you shouldn't approach social media that way either, since what you are hoping for is to be seen on social media.
We'll get into what that actually means in a moment...
First we have to go over why most actors never really get their social media going well.
The reason is that they don't think about what stage their social media is at. Are they in a place where they just need to get their number of followers growing?
Do they have a sizable following already and just need to get those followers energized and supporting their career somehow?
Those are two very different places to be and they require you to do different things with your social media.
Once you establish where you are, then you can start thinking about how to take the next step.
Where many actors go wrong is that they look to other actors and other "big accounts" for inspiration and don't consider the strategy behind the content.
For example, if you have 3,000 followers and you start posting the same content as an account that has 3 million followers will get you very different results.
It's great to look to those accounts for inspiration, but you then have to make the content your own.
This can actually be quite simple...
First, think about what the content you are posting is intended to do. Is it aimed at growing your follower count by promoting shares?
Is it aimed at engaging your audience, or is it aimed at getting people who haven't interacted with your content in a while re-engaged?
All of this can get complicated very quickly, but it doesn't have to. Here's a few things that successful actors do with their social media...
For starters, they plan out their content, so it's not always the same thing over and over. This also helps them create a lot of content in a short amount of time.
Anybody who tries to grow their social media will inevitably hit a wall where they run out of ideas or just get tired of posting all the time.
Planning out your content prevents that.
As far as the content itself, they engage their audience because Instagram cares about a lot more than how many likes you get.
So, to fully take advantage of every piece of content successful actors ask their audience questions and get recommendations on a variety of topics. Starting conversations is a big thing that Instagram looks for and this is an easy way to start those conversations.
This is something you can get creative with. You could do anything from asking for new workout routines, to asking your followers to pick your outfit for your next audition.
They then take time to study how their audience responds to the content and they use the feedback to create content their audience will enjoy and come back for.
One of the most impactful things they do is modify their content for each individual social media channel, instead of just sharing the same content to every platform.
For example, comedy is best received on Twitter. That doesn't mean it won't work on Instagram, it's just better suited for a text driven channel.
When you start to approach your social media like this.
You'll find that you're able to grow your social media much easier and connect with your audience on a much deeper level than you would otherwise.
That's ultimately what makes accounts really take off. Then, it's just about connecting your social media to your acting career and using your influence to improve your career.
That said, social media is not going to make opportunities just fall into your lap. You still have to do everything else required to build your acting career.
Even when you grow your follower count, you still need to have a dependable way to make yourself visible to the industry. That's why I built this...
If you don't do that, then you are just working on social media for the sake of working on your social media.
Becoming an influencer is fine, if that's what you're after, but building your social media influence in order to build an acting career is a completely different path.
You have to combine those efforts.
Regardless of what you do on social media, there are still some things about the industry that won’t change.
Remember, reputation is everything in the industry so you should always have a reputation that is in top shape when you are working on trying to catch an industry decision maker's attention. That's where this comes in.
At some point, they will look further into your background and try to find out what you're about, beyond what's on your reel and resume. You want to make sure that when casting directors look into it, they find that you are a true professional. Here's how I can help with that.
We'll go further into what CDs actually do during the casting process, at another time.
For now, get started on what we went over today and don't hesitate to reach out for help. Leave a comment below or shoot me an email.
I'll always respond and help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott