The Counterintuitive Way To Build Your Acting Career

I don’t know about you but the scariest thing I saw this Halloween season wasn't a ghost, a goblin, or any of the countless other costumes and decorations that marked the season.

It was actually an email that came from an actor struggling to make any kind of career progress.

She wrote to me a few days ago, lamenting about how she’s been in LA for almost 6 years but hasn’t really been able to do anything with her career.

She’s booked a few gigs as an extra and her biggest accomplishment so far has been as “barista” on a Showtime series, where she excitedly handed a cup of coffee to the series’ leading character.

What made this email cross the line into being “scary” was just how much her struggle is just like everyone else’s.

Making it in the industry and becoming a professional actor takes a lot of hard work and dedication but that’s not the only thing that leads to success.

There’s a 3rd factor that almost everyone ignores, but if you want to make acting your career and become a true professional, this is something you have to do...

“Look at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite. That will give you the best chance of success...”

I forgot who I heard this from but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If you do what everyone else does, you can expect to get the same results everyone else gets.

So, let’s look at how everyone else tries to build their acting career.

For starters there’s never really a plan. Most actors will simply go on audition after audition waiting for something big to fall in their lap.

When things don’t go as planned, they typically think it has something to do with their agent and they start looking for a new one.

Most actors repeat this cycle every couple of years, until they eventually leave the industry before having made any kind of meaningful progress towards their goals.

The problem is that the industry has changed and most actors are still following the same outdated advice on strategies that don’t really work anymore.

See, if you google “how to become an actor” you will find a lot of bad information.

Most actors I speak to kind of know that on some level so it doesn’t take them very long to look elsewhere.

That’s the other part of the problem because they typically turn to their agent and they are usually working with reps that are also getting most in the shuffle with their own career.

It’s really a tough situation because the upper levels of the industry are made up of a tight knit community and getting your foot in the door is incredibly difficult.

So without access to what’s working at the top levels, it leaves everyone else working with the same information. It's like the blind leading each other

The good news is that people at those top levels of the industry are always on the hunt for the next big thing. So even though they closely guard who they let in their circles, they do want to let others in.

They just want to be sure that you are serious about your acting career first. We’ll come back to how you can do that in a bit...

Something I’ve discovered over the years is that not everybody wants to make it to those top levels of the industry.

In fact, the majority of the actors I’ve spoken to just want to be able to go full time in their acting career so they can do what they love. Fame and fortune are almost always secondary to their passion.

Regardless of what you want to accomplish in the industry you have to come up with a plan and work it.

Here’s how...

The very first thing you have to do is decide what you want to accomplish in your career. Before you start looking for an agent, getting your headshot, and even before enrolling in acting classes you have to get really clear about what you want to accomplish.

Like I said, some actors are in it for fame and fortune. Others are in it for the art and passion, and those are two very different career paths.

Whichever way you are leaning is ok, just be clear about what you are after because you can’t accomplish a goal that isn’t clearly defined.

Once you know what you want from your acting career, then you can start to work backwards. Plan out the different milestones that will lead to eventually reaching your goal.

Then, you can break down those milestones into a step by step plan so you always know what to work on.

So, instead of enrolling in an acting class just because it sounds like a good one you can enroll in one that is targeted towards your goals.

If you want to do art house type of projects, then getting your headshots done by a photographer that does “glamour” type of work would be a waste of time, since it wouldn’t match the projects you are after.

See how that level of detailed planning is a lot different from just going on auditions, and hoping something good comes along so you can “be discovered?”

When you start planning your career in this way, you take back control of your destiny. I know it sounds like a grand way of thinking but that is what happens.

Put together a plan of action and let your goals guide you. Start with the end in mind and you will always have a clear vision of exactly where you want to get to.

Of course, there will be details and things you will have to figure out along the way so you might want to revisit your plan from time to time.

Even your end goal might change. If your ultimate goal was to go full time with your acting career and you accomplish that, then your new goal might be to go for an award.

Regardless of what you want to accomplish in the industry, you have to show casting directors and decision makers that you’re serious about your acting career.

Otherwise you might always struggle to make career progress, just like the countless other actors who don’t put any thought into how they want their acting career to turn out.

That’s one of the building blocks of the industry.

Everyone wants to work with a rising star, but no one (at least no one who’s in a position to help your acting career) will be eager to work with someone who is just acting as a hobby.

There are several ways you can get on their radar. We’ll go over those another time. For now, all you really need to do is make sure that you are visible where casting directors and decision makers are already looking.

The way that most actors try to go about that makes it a long and complicated process.

Like I said, we’ll get into the details another time, but if you would rather not make things more difficult than they have to be, I built this to help you shortcut your success.

As you start mapping out your career, you might have some questions come up.

Don’t ever hesitate to reach out. Leave a comment below or shoot me an email, 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

How To Get Verified On Instagram Even If You Are Not Famous Yet

The infamous and often elusive blue check mark is something nearly every actor I’ve ever met is going after.

And with good reason!

Everyone knows that social media, particularly Instagram, has a huge impact on your acting career. It can be the difference between being cast and being passed over for someone else, even if they have less experience.

It’s a huge part of the “castability index” we’ve been talking about recently so getting serious about your social media is something you have to do, if you want to be a professional actor.

Part of that is getting verified on Instagram, because it will impact the growth of your social media which in turn impacts your castability index.

Actors that book consistently tend to get verified easily, but since social media plays such a big part in casting decisions that becomes a little bit like the “which came first the chicken or the egg” scenario.

If you need credits to get verified but it’s easier to get credits when you’re verified, how are you supposed to do either?

It’s actually simpler than you might think...

I get messages nearly every day from actors wondering about getting verified and I’ve realized that most of them think getting verified is more complicated than it actually is.

The truth is, it is actually quite simple. It may not seem like it should be, especially when the payoff can be so huge.

About a year ago, I saw an instance of 2 actors who were at a certain event that drew a fair amount of press attention. One of those actors tweeted about what happened at the event and got his typical amount of likes and retweets.

The other was verified by Twitter but had a somewhat smaller following. He too tweeted about what happened at the event but the results were completely different.

When covering the story, buzzfeed picked up his tweet and featured it in their article. That led to thousands of likes, retweets and new followers.

The tweets were almost identical, but the blue check mark chose the winner because that account came across as more credible, so it was the one that was picked up by buzzfeed.

This happens all the time and it happens even more often on Instagram. It becomes even more prevalent when you take humans out of the equation.

Here’s what I mean...

When the Instagram algorithms are compiling content for the discover page, who’s content do you think is more likely to be featured?

I know, being featured on the discover page is kind of a long shot anyway but the algorithm also uses verification to determine the reach of your content on your followers feed.

In other words, it severely impacts how many people see your content, even if it never reaches the discover page.

Have you ever noticed that you always see certain accounts near the top of your feed when scrolling Instagram, while others show up way down at the “bottom” even though you interact with them much more often?

Verification is one of the factors that determines the order in which they show up on your feed. So how does getting verified on Instagram benefit your acting career?

It shows casting directors and industry decision makers that you can attract an audience, which is what CDs and decision makers want from you, sometimes even more than your talent.

We’ll come back to that in a sec...
First let’s talk about how to get verified on Instagram.

Unlike most things at Instagram, verification is a manual process so the key is to give Instagram and the person reveiwing your application a reason to verify you.

Here’s what I mean.

If someone were to impersonate you, how would it impact Instagram? That’s really what verification is for: to show people which account is someone’s “official” account.

When it comes down to it, Instagram is a business and they won’t do much if it doesn’t impact their bottom line.

That's really the reason that verification came around in the first place. If Instagram were a place were people could rampantly impersonate each other, no one would use it.

So, there are two ways to get verified.

You can either grow your account really big, really quickly and attract Instagram’s attention and be invited to verify your account, or you can apply for verification.

Needless to say, the second way is a lot easier and much faster, so that’s what most actors will do...

If the verification staff at Instagram doesn’t see a reason to verify your account, they won’t. If they were to verify everyone, then the blue check mark would lose its benefits, so they have an interest in limiting the number of accounts they verify.

One of the things they look for when reviewing your application is how much is found about you online. They don’t just look at the quantity, they also measure the credibility of those sources.

So, when you submit your application make sure that any prominent credits you have are displayed on your profile.

As of the time of this writing, you can submit 5 links for consideration. Links to your most prominent credits would be helpful along with any press mentions in mainstream publications.

You might submit an application for verification that should be approved without question, but get’s denied for some reason.

It happens often and many people find themselves applying multiple times. So what do you do if your request for verification is denied?

First, wait 31 days before resubmitting. The official guidance is 30 days but if you do it before then, it’s an automatic rejection so you might as well play it on the safe side.

Spend that time adding to your credibility by pursuing features in mainstream outlets.

Don’t overlook this because it could be a huge boost towards helping you get verified because it’s kind of like the industry’s blue check mark.

Along with that, you should also spend some time pursuing features in mainstream publications before you even submit, to give yourself the best shot at being approved from the start.

Remember, how I said the process was simple?

That’s all there is to it. Don’t overcomplicate it.

That said, it’s important that you don’t lose sight of why you are seeking verification in the first place: to improve your acting career.

When a casting director digs deeper, and they will when you move along in the casting process, what they are gong to be looking for is very similar to what Instagram’s verification team look for.

Casting wants to know that you are a serious actor, not someone who acts as a hobby. Here’s a great way to show them you’re a professional, even if you don’t have a lot of credits yet.

Casting Directors started taking social media seriously for a number of reasons. One of the biggest ones was that your social media can be used a measure of your reputation.

The industry has always been built on reputation that’s something won’t change so make sure that your industry reputation always matches your goals. Here’s how I can help with that.

What we went over today is the framework for getting verified on Instagram. If you have some ideas that we didn’t go over, that doesn’t mean they won’t work.

As long as they fall within the framework of what we went over, they should work out but feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an email if you want to bounce ideas.

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

See you at the top,
Scott

Why Hollywood Loves Over The Top Characters and How You Can Book Them

I don’t think I’ve ever met an actor that doesn’t like to play over the top characters. For many, that’s kind of the most fun part of being an actor.

Over the top characters are some of the most memorable and with good reason...

They often play out things that people in the “real world” wish they could do or say (think Ari Gold in Entourage).

Think of a series that has lasted for 7 or more seasons, you will almost always find an over the top character at the center of it.

The industry loves to greenlight projects like this and audiences are drawn to them, when those characters are played by talented actors who get it right.

Projects like this are almost always a safe bet, and with the way the industry is trending, you will see more and more of them come along.

So, if you know how to play them well you could open up many opportunities in the near future.

Building your career as a professional actor is a lot easier when you can recognize trends like this before everyone else.

The types of characters that we’re talking about are not the ones that acting class prepared you for.

The good news is that, for most of them, your reel and resume don't matter much. Casting Directors tend to look far and wide for the right actor.

It puts everyone on a level playing field and when you book one of these projects, it can send your career skyrocketing.

Here’s where to start...

First, let’s talk about the types of characters I’m referring to.

When I bring up this subject, one of the first things that comes to mind for most people is Johnny Depp in Pirates of The Caribbean.

That’s one example, but it’s not the only one. Over the top characters can also come in the form of more “common” roles. For example, Meryl Streep plays over the top characters that are often quite reserved.

See, they don’t always have to be larger than life characters but they do push the extremes of social norms.

Here’s what I mean...

Steve Carell as Michael Scott would fall into this category too, and so would Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute.

Neither of them would be thought of as larger than life, but they are certainly over the top.

Just like they say it’s a fine line between genius and crazy, there’s a fine line between a world class performance and one that is less than memorable, to put it mildly.

So how do you deliver a world class performance for one of these characters? It requires a different kind of preparation.

Just because a character is “over the top” doesn’t mean they’re unhinged so you have to identify the level of intensity your character should operate at.

You do this by calibrating your character. It’s actually a pretty simple process.

Start by recording yourself performing as the character at different levels of intensity. Pick a level that feels natural and record yourself performing at that level.

Then, dial it back a level and do it over again.

Watch the recordings and see which level is closest to the way you envision the character. You will typically have to do this a few times before you find a level that is just right, so what you are looking for at this stage is a direction to go in.

Do you need to dial it back or push things further?
The direction you need to go in is usually pretty obvious, so follow your instincts.

Once you find the right level to play your character at, perform the scene a few more times to “lock it in.”

You can do this whether you are preparing for an audition or preparing for a character you have already booked.

That brings me to the next point...

This strategy can be a complete game changer but it won’t do much for you if you don’t have enough auditions to go on.

If not booking often enough is something you’re dealing with, there could be a few factors.

For example, if you are going on plenty of auditions but you’re not getting very many callbacks then the exercise we just talked about could do wonders for you, because it will help you deliver phenomenal performances.

If you are getting a good number of callbacks but you’re still not booking, then the issue could be that your castability index isn’t up to the Casting Directors’ expectations. We’ll talk more about that next week, but for now get started on this because it’s one of the biggest factors.

On the other hand, if you are not going on enough auditions then it could be that you're simply getting lost in the shuffle and not standing out from the crowd.

That is one of the worst positions to be in as an actor, so you need to always make yourself visible to industry decision makers in the places where they are already looking. Here’s how I can help with that.

That way you don’t fade into the background.

It’s important that you take care of this because no one in the industry wants to work with someone who does this as a hobby, so show them you’re a true professional.

Showing up, with a stellar industry reputation, will go a long way towards making that happen.

Armed with what we went over today, you have a powerful tool at your disposal that you can use to advance your acting career and unlock opportunities to advance your acting career.

So what are you going to go after? Do you have an audition for a character like this already lined up?

Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email. I’ll help out however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

Why You Need a PR Rep Right Now

Few other things can have as big of an impact on your acting career as what’s contained in this report...

Recently we talked about your management and we discussed whether or not it makes sense for most actors to even have a manager.

In case you missed that report, here’s the rundown...

Every actor should have a manager. However, bringing on a manager is all about timing and finding the right fit.

The same goes for signing a PR rep. it’s something that most actors mistakenly think will come way down the line, once they’ve “made it.”

The truth is that successful actors think about this from the very beginning and they put a PR plan in place as soon as possible.

Just like bringing on a manager, getting a PR rep is all about timing and finding the right fit. In the early stages of your career, it makes sense for you to do it on your own.

One way or another it’s something that has to get done, so you can build your career as a professional actor.

It’s actually a pretty simple thing for you to undertake, even if you don’t have a lot of credits or any industry contacts whatsoever.

In fact, I’d say that even makes things easier. Here’s why...

When you are starting from scratch, there’s nothing to undo. If you had to explain away a few flopped projects, or a certain industry perception, a PR rep would have their work cut out for them.

Chances are, you don’t have to worry about that, so being your own PR rep is actually pretty simple.

Actors tend to overcomplicate this, mainly because they have a big misconception about what a PR rep actually does.

They usually think that PR is all about getting you on front pages, into parties and red carpet events. On the surface, PR does call for some of that but like everything in the industry there’s more to it.

A good PR rep will help to build your network with quality connections and expose you to new audiences.

That’s really their main role.

See why having a PR strategy in place is something professional actors do from the start?

PR is more about making you visible to the industry, than it is about red carpets and front pages.

That’s why it’s totally something you can (and should) do yourself in the beginning. I’ll give you a shortcut for this in a bit...

First let’s go over one of the most impactful things a great PR rep can do for you. They can create a narrative around you, even when there isn’t one.

One of the strategies used by PR reps is to deny certain things that can create opportunities for their clients.

At best, it’s a grey area so I want to be clear that I’m not telling you this is something you should do...

I’m just letting you in on what PR reps do for their clients.

For example, let’s say that an up and coming actor’s representatives publicly deny that they are going to be involved with James Cameron’s new project.

They would probably issue a statement that goes something like “James Cameron’s projects are always legendary and while not participating in this one, Susan remains open to working with James Cameron in the future.”

Let’s break down what happened there.

Susan was likely never involved in any discussions about James Cameron’s new project. No one said she was either. They simply stated that she wouldn’t be participating.

That taps into a few basic human emotions that draw people’s interest to the story. For one, who is this “Susan” that caught James Cameron’s interest?

That also brings up the question of “who in their right mind would turn down James Cameron?”

All of a sudden, people who would never think of Susan have a reason to dig a little deeper and see what she’s all about.

If she was being considered for that project and turned it down, that must mean she’s available for other projects.

As crazy it sounds, this causes Casting Directors and industry decision makers to take an interest in Susan.

When done correctly, this little publicity stunt will make Susan the talk of the town and she’ll have projects presented to her left and right, that she wouldn’t have dreamed of before.

Why do stunts like this work?

Several reasons, the most powerful one of them is probably FOMO. If Susan is the next big thing to hit the industry (and if she turned down James Cameron she must be) no one wants to be left behind.

Everyone wants to be the first to put her up on screen, in a big way.

If you’re mentally screaming about how unethical this is, I’ll remind you that I said it was a grey area at best.

But, because there was no harm done (to James Cameron or his project which in fact was pushed into the spotlight along with Susan) stuff like this happens all the time.

In fact it’s often orchestrated by everyone involved.

While this can be extremely effective, you don’t have to try this exact scenario yourself. In fact, I discourage you from trying it because there are so many ways that you can generate a buzz for yourself.

Get creative and have fun with it.

Start by coming up with a strategy for being your own PR rep, even if you don’t have any meaningful industry connections right now.

Make it a point to work on actively expanding your network and your influence, everyday. A lot of that will happen off set.

There are many ways you can go about it. The key thing to remember is that you are after building connections and building an audience.

So, that might mean that part of your PR strategy revolves around getting access to industry events, but not as an actor.

Here’s what I mean...

If you were to start an industry blog or a movie review YouTube channel and grow an audience of a decent size, the invitations to cover premieres and other industry events would start to come to you.

You would then leverage that to grow your network, and use it to create opportunities for your acting career.

It seems backwards, but that’s why it works. If you build an audience, the industry will come to you because that same audience will also be interested in seeing your acting work.

It becomes the X factor that not many others can bring to the table.

A big mistake almost all actors make is thinking that their talent will speak for itself, but that’s simply not the case.

That’s why what we talked about today is so important to your career.

Good PR can take a zero and build the perception of them being a hero.

Imagine what could happen if you combined good PR with someone talented and worthy of the opportunities set before them. This is something you can get started on right now. Here’s the shortcut I mentioned earlier.

Without a proper PR strategy in place you will be making things a lot harder on yourself.

Remember, if the industry doesn’t know you they can’t hire you and that’s what you want to accomplish through your PR strategy.

When you implement it correctly you will make yourself visible and unforgettable to the industry. Just remember to focus on places where they are already looking. Here’s how I can help with that too.

Of course, it always helps to have a solid industry reputation. Your PR efforts will help you build that and I gave you a shortcut a moment ago.

The industry loves to help a rising star so make sure that your reputation matches your goals.

You want to be seen as a professional, not just another struggling actor, because it will help legitimize your PR efforts as well.

So what ideas do you have in mind for your PR strategy? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.

I respond to every one that comes through and I’m happy to help however I can, because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

3 Books That Can Get you Booked

To get to the top levels of the entertainment industry you have to be an avid reader, because reading scripts becomes a way of life.

But what about books?

Just about anyone who ever got to the top levels of whatever industry they were in, was a big reader too.

That lets you know that there’s something special when it comes to reading. You may not have ever been the type of person who found joy in curling up with a good book, and that’s ok!

What I’m talking about is reading with a purpose: to enhance and empower your acting career.

You know that Boost My Star is all about bringing you the information on what is working right now, to make it in the industry.

After working with so many actors through the years, I’ve noticed that the ones who make big career moves, quickly, are almost always big readers.

In general, most people don’t really grasp just how much information can be packed into the pages of a book.

Actors aren’t any different, and the subject of what books you should be reading never really comes up in your training.

But if you want to build a career as a professional actor, a few carefully selected books can make all the difference.

Don’t take my word for it! Even if you were to just skim the pages of the ones I mention here, you are going to find something that will atleast give you a different perspective on building your acting career...

Jenna Fischer’s The Actor’s Life should be mandatory for anyone who is considering becoming an actor.

She does a really good job of describing what it’s really like during a day in the life of an aspiring actor, during multiple career stages.

It’s also details the complete journey from her first drama class, all the way to experiencing superstardom.

One of the most helpful sections is about the day jobs she hated but worked, so that she could financially support her acting career.

Like most actors, she arrived in LA with very little money and quickly discovered that getting her acting career started wasn’t going to be cheap.

There were acting classes to pay for, headshots to take (and retake), reels to cut and a lot more than what she anticipated.

Like most actors she devoted a good amount of time to networking with others, but what she did differently than most was that she actively sought to network with actors that were further along in their acting career.

It was also eye opening to read about how she was able to forge a strong relationship with a casting director that opened many doors for her.

The CD would point her to auditions and always kept Jenna Fischer top of mind. That’s the kind of relationship you want to build with industry decision makers too.

To build that kind of relationship you have to make an effort to get in front of industry decision makers. We’ll talk more about that in just a bit...

First, I want to cover every actor’s favorite topic: how to deliver unforgettable, world class performances on set.

I know, it seems like this is something you have to learn in “real life.” It’s not something you can really learn from a book.

Or is it...

So much of what actors do on set is nonverbal and not enough attention goes into what I call the “soft skills.”

Those are your vocal tonality, body language, and facial expressions.

Even though this is something you do have to polish through real world practice, it’s immensely helpful to understand why people do what they do.

Captivate, written by Vanessa Van Edwards, is a thorough breakdown of this and it’s laid out in a way that is simple to understand.

You can immediately use what you learn to layer your character choices and when done correctly, it makes your characters seem incredibly genuine and real.

For example, she talks quite a bit about micro expressions because they are what the human brain “reads” to decode the way someone truly feels.

It’s not just theory. This was actually validated through research conducted on a tribe of pacific islanders.

If you only read that chapter and used it to prepare for your next audition, you would be on a totally different level than anyone else reading for the role.

You know the awkwardness and hesitation that comes across when you watch someone audition? This can completely eliminate that.

Let’s switch gears for a sec and talk about something that is largely ignored by the industry: the mentality that successful actors have, when they encounter obstacles.

See, it’s not enough to simply be told “you need to have thick skin and be able to handle rejection well.” That’s true of course, but it doesn’t give you something concrete that you can use to actively move your career forward.

For that, there’s Matthew McConaughey’s book Green Lights.

I do want to be clear that I didn’t pick this book just because it’s written by an actor. I chose it because actors almost always see things through rose colored lenses, until it’s too late.

The book is about properly reading the events unfolding in your life. He devised a pretty simple but effective system for categorizing things as being a green, yellow, or a red light.

A red light would be something difficult to overcome, a green light would be a signal to move forward and a yellow light is somewhere in between.

Here’s how you can use that traffic light system, as an actor....

When you come up against an obstacle that seems insurmountable (a red light) you can really only do one of the three things.

You can keep going as if nothing happened, you can take a step back and think about what happened and what needs to change (so you can have a better outcome next time), or you can quit.

Throughout the book, you will find examples of how he read certain events throughout his life and how he determined what to do next.

It’s especially helpful to read about those events and what they ultimately meant for his acting career.

As an actor, let’s say that you were up for a terrific role in an amazing project. You knock the audition out of the park and can’t wait for the callback...

All of a sudden you are contacted by your agency. You have been dropped instead and casting doesn’t want to see you again.

How would you read this event?

It’s not a green light, but it could be a yellow light, or it could even be a red light?

If it is a red light, how do you respond to it?

At the very least, you should get to the bottom of why you were dropped by your agency. Then, you can move forward, after fixing whatever the issue was.

But seeing it as a red light could also indicate that maybe the industry just isn’t the right fit anymore.

The way I see it, red lights are an indication that a severe change of course is needed. You keep pushing forward in your acting career, until there are nothing but red lights in your path anymore and you’ve exhausted every avenue.

So those are 3 books that every actor should read. In fact, everyone in your circle should read them since you are all in it together.

Jenna Fischer was able to land her life changing role on The Office, largely because of the industry relationships she built. Creating those relationships is crucial to building a successful acting career, and it’s important that you are all on the same page.

Industry decision makers are more trusting when they know that you are serious about your career. Here’s a great way to show your professionalism.

You can have all the talent in the world and be able to deliver incredibly moving performances but it won’t matter if you don’t have enough opportunities to get on set. You have to make yourself visible to the industry in the place where they are already looking, so you can unlock opportunities.

However you go about building your career, one thing is for sure...

You will inevitably encounter some obstacles along the way. Always look beneath the surface to determine what’s actually going on and what it means to your career.

If you’re not getting enough auditions, think of what that’s telling you. If you are getting a ton of auditions but you’re not booking enough of them, what’s the problem.

One of those is a yellow light and the other is a red one. Either way, your industry reputation will play a factor in your castability so make sure that your reputation is always in top shape.

So which of those are you going to be putting on your reading list first? If you can’t decide, start with McConaugheuy’s since it's more of a “big picture” read.

Remember, I’m always here if you want to bounce ideas or talk through what’s going on in your career. Shoot me an email or leave a comment below and I’ll be in touch.

I’m happy to help clear things up because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

Do Actors Need to Have a Manager?

Have you watched Jerry Maguire? It’s a great movie, about a sports agent, and there’s a lot that you can learn from it to advance your acting career.

During the movie’s opening monologue Jerry describes what he does and what it means for the clients he represents.

Here’s what it has to do with your acting career...

If you listen to the monologue, the job of a sports agent is very similar to the job of a talent agent. I’m a firm believer that the most impactful person you can have on your side is a talent manager.

Before you start googling them, understand that having a manager also comes with a lot of risk.

See, they will only be effective if you can find your own Jerry Maguire. A good manager is a game changer but a bad one can be a career killer.

Almost everyone starts out being their own manager, not because they want to but it happens simply out of necessity.

That’s the safest route and if you are self managing at the moment, you have a unique advantage but it’s somewhat of a double edged sword.

The problem is that no one teaches you how to manage your acting career. It’s a very specific skill set that even professional talent managers often struggle with.

If you want to be a professional actor, you're going to need a manager at some point. For several reasons, the best thing to do is to do it yourself.

Here's how you can do it effectively and move your acting career forward quickly...

Speaking with actors over the years, I’ve found that many of them know how impactful a good manager can be, but most of them don’t really know exactly what a manager does.

A manager will take care of running your career, day to day. That means they will take care of the administrative, monotonous stuff that no actor really wants to do but that is necessary to build your acting career.

They will also advise you on long term career strategy and branding.

For example, if you have multiple talents and you want to pursue an acting career and a music career, your manager will help with figuring out which one to focus on first.

They also help with the transition and integration of the two career paths.

That’s the basic rundown of what a talent manager will do for you. Here’s how it benefits your acting career...

On the practical side, it takes the little things off your plate and having a manager allows you to focus on the creative, fun side of the industry.

It also provides you with someone who can give you a second opinion before making moves in your acting career.

Your agent can do this for you too, but this isn’t their area of expertise. It’s kind of like asking your doctor to be your personal trainer.

As an actor, however, you have the personality type to easily see the bigger picture, when you know what you are “looking for.”

It’s one of the many reasons you should self manage your career, at least temporarily.

Actors are always eager to hand off this part of their career to someone else. After speaking to so many of them over the years, I’ve found that they do it out of insecurity.

This may sound harsh, but if you are self managing your career and you fail...who else is there to blame but yourself?

If you bring in a manager, it’s easy to blame them for giving you “bad advice.”

In other words, it’s an easy out in case things don’t go as planned with your acting career. If you’ve been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that having an easy out should never be an option.

So, instead of signing with just any manager who will take you, educate yourself on what a manager does and how they do it. The best way is to manage your own career, so you will know whether or not anyone you sign with is even doing a good job for you.

Starting now, commit to career planning so you can get in the practice of looking at the big picture.

Look at where you are now in your acting career and think of where you want to be in the next 3 months.

Plan out what it will take for you to reach your goal, in that timeframe, and break it down into weekly chunks.

Then, break those weekly chunks and determine what you need to do over the course of 7 days to hit that goal.

Do the same for the next 6 months, then 12 months, 3 years, and 5 years.

That simple exercise is one of the best things you will ever do for your career. It will train you to look at the big picture, and then break that big picture down into manageable chunks and plan the steps you need to take to actually accomplish your goals, no matter how big they are.

When your day to day workload gets to be too much to handle, it's time to hand it off. Only then is it time to bring in a manager.

Just be sure they are the right person...

They should be big picture thinkers and still be able to drill down to the day to day, step by step things that need to get done.

You will have already been doing it for yourself for some time, so when you interview potential managers, you will be able to spot the ones that can actually do the job effectively.

They should also have a vested interest in seeing you be successful.

Usually that's in the form of only getting paid when you book something but it should go beyond that.

They should believe in your talent and truly believe that you not getting to share it with the world would be a tragedy.

When you find that person, it can be an absolute gamechanger and your career will never be the same again.

This is how you start to build your “entourage.”

Once you have a good manager and a seasoned agent on board, things can snowball pretty quickly.

We’ll go over the other people you could soon find in your entourage and discuss their roles in further detail over the coming weeks...

For now, focus on either becoming the best manager you can (for your own career) or focus on training and getting on the same page with your current manager if you already have one.

Most actors hear about the big picture and immediately start trying to piece everything together, thinking it will help to speed up the process, but it’s best to take things one step at a time.

Everything in your acting career tends to build on the things you did previously, so doing every at once will just scatter your focus and diminish your efforts.

If you don’t build your career on a solid foundation, you might still be able to make some progress but the cracks will eventually show themselves. It’s why I created this to help you secure the foundation and boost what is really the bedrock of your acting career.

On top of that, it has also created a way that you can offload one of the most tedious and most important tasks you have right now, without having to bring anyone on board.

I’m talking about building and managing your industry reputation. It’s no secret that the industry is built on this, so if your industry reputation is not always at its best, it could severely limit your opportunities. Here’s how I can help with that.

Keeping your reputation in line with your industry goals can open doors for you, both on screen and with future potential managers.

It’s rare that a day goes by without me receiving at least one email from an actor who wouldn’t even be considered for a certain role, because of their industry reputation.

While it’s not a perfect system, by any means, this is how the industry measures an actor’s credibility, castability and it’s a big determining factor in whether or not industry decision makers think you will bring value to the project.

So, what step are you going to take next? Are you going to go the solo route and self manage, using what we talked about today, or are you at the point where it makes more sense to bring someone on board to help with this?

Leave a comment below or shoot me an email and tell me your plans, even if you are not quite sure which way is best for you right now.

I’m happy to help you get clarity on this or anything else about the industry because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott

What Actors Usually Overlook

I hate to say it but 99 out of 100 actors are confused about the industry.

I wish that was an understatement but sadly it’s what causes most to not make any kind of meaningful progress in their career and quit before ever getting their careers off the ground.

The ones that do make some progress, and maybe have a few guest starring roles, and a couple one or two liners in big films are the lucky ones.

They are the ones that, despite not really knowing much about the industry and how they really fit into it, caught a few lucky breaks and made the most of it.

But what about the actors that completely take the industry by storm, come out of nowhere and dominate?

They are the ones who actually came up with a plan and executed the plan to build a career.

Those are the actors you need to study. Take a look at their careers and you will quickly find that they all have something in common...

At some point, usually just before hitting their big break, they start to really take the idea of creating their actor’s persona seriously.

I know it sounds a little bit gimmicky, and “serious” actors don’t really want anything to do with the idea but that’s because they have it all wrong.

Your actor’s persona is a key part of building our acting career, so if you want to be a professional actor it’s something you have to take seriously...

Your actor’s persona is often called different things but the idea remains the same. What you want to accomplish with your persona is to create a category in which you are basically the only option that comes to mind.

When you do that, Casting Directors and industry decision makers will always keep you top of mind when casting and discussing projects that fall into your category. That basically eliminates the competition.

Think about it...Who is Chris Pratt competing with? Who is Anne Hathaway competing with?

You can go down the list of A list actors and notice the same thing...

When you watch them perform, it becomes impossible to imagine anyone else in the world playing the role.

When that happens, the entire industry opens up for you, but if you are unable to do that you will continue to compete against all the other actors that will be reading against you.

Creating your persona as an actor really isn’t optional if you want to build a career as a professional.

If you just want to act as a hobby, then it’s completely ok to leave things to chance and continue auditioning over and over again, hoping that one day you book something.,..anything.

One of the most difficult things for actors to do is stand out from everyone else and be memorable to casting directors and industry decision makers.

Your persona as an actor helps with that.

When you build it successfully. CDs will know what you’re about without having to think about it very much.

Here’s what I mean...

You will become synonymous with whatever category you build your persona in and that’s incredibly powerful.

Here’s a simple example...

Think of a soda...

Whether or not you even drink soda, you probably thought of Coke.

Imagine what would be possible in your career if you could stand out in a casting director’s mind the same way?

Think it’s not possible for actors? Think again...

There was a time when every A list actor was synonymous with a particular genre, so much so that projects in that category were practically theirs to turn down.

Regardless of where you want to get to in your acting career, you have to make it so that Casting Directors can easily imagine you in whatever role you are reading for.

That’s ultimately why they call you in to read anyway, but before that even happens, they look at your headshot and try to imagine you as the character.

The less work they have to do to successfully imagine you in a particular role, the more likely you are to book.

That’s why people who act as a hobby, never really book anything. They go out for anything and everything and never build a persona in a particular category, so CDs and decision makers are starting from scratch every time.

Compare that to an actor who has concentrated on a particular category to the point where they create a sort of familiarity with it.

See, casting directors don’t want to start from scratch every time they build a cast. They start by thinking of actors that would be a good fit for the roles being cast and they fill everything they can before opening up auditions to everyone else.

Even when they do, Casting Directors look to find actors through other mediums before opening up to just anybody. That’s why it’s important for you to be visible in places where they are already looking.

If you want to be a professional actor, you have to get into that first group, so building a persona isn’t an option. CDs won’t just pull your name out of thin air and call you in.

There are other things to consider as well and if you aren’t getting as many opportunities as you should be, there could be other things that are keeping your career from moving forward.

I’ve seen incredibly talented actors struggle to make any kind of meaningful progress because their industry reputations were basically nonexistent.

It’s actually one of the most common issues I see and it’s what led me to create this, so you can be sure your industry reputation is always in great standing.

If you have been around Boost My Star for any length of time, you know that there are really only two ways to build your industry reputation and they are very different from each other.

You can build your reputation the hard and time consuming way by booking many top line projects and leveraging those credits to form new relationships or you can take a shortcut and save years in the process...Here’s how I can help you with that one.

Either way, your persona will only serve to help you make a bigger impact and leave a lasting impression with CDs and decision makers so it will help, regardless of which way you chose to go about the rest,

If you have any questions about which way to go about it, or even if you just want to bounce ideas, shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

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

See you at the top,
Scott

How A List Actors Build Oscar Worthy Characters

Have you ever been completely floored by another actor's performance? For many, witnessing that is what led them to get into the industry.

They were inspired by another actor that literally changed the course of their life.

That is an incredibly powerful thing, and it makes you think, what is the unique ability those actors have that others are missing?

It’s actually quite simple...

World class actors dig beneath the surface and determine what traits and emotions are known about their characters and what traits and emotions are secondary, but still relevant.

Most actors only think of what’s going on in the scene, and don’t really build a character based on their entire story.

Making character choices with both of those in mind is what world class actors do. It can be tricky, but if you want to advance your acting career, this is a something you have to be able to do too,

Here’s how...

Let’s say that you are playing a character that is going for a morning jog. That’s a pretty simple scene and most actors wouldn’t give it much thought.

What you want to do is identify the reasons behind everything your character does. So why are they going for a morning jog?

Are they stressed about something and are using it as a form of stress relief? Is it their typical morning routine: up at 6 a.m. to jog for an hour and in the office by 8 a.m.?

Both of those situations would call for something noticeably different from the actor playing the character.

Someone who is running for stress relief would leave everything on the pavement. They would be running at a brisk pace, breathing heavily and they probably wouldn’t have the best running technique.

On the other hand, a routine runner would have proper form, controlled breathing, and they would pace themselves so they could do it all over again the next morning.

See how those scenes can be played very differently, when you dig into the reasons behind the morning jog?

For something like this, the script will likely make the reasons pretty obvious. As an actor, to build a dynamic character, you then want to dig deeper and tie everything together when playing a scene.

You can then use that information to determine whether or not your character’s actions match their deeper motivations.

Let’s go back to the running example...

Let’s say your character is running for stress relief and they see someone they want to avoid, while on their jog.

The scene calls for your character to sit on a park bench and hide their face to avoid being spotted and recognized.

Would that be the most natural and believable thing for your character to do in the scene? How would you react if you were walking through the park and saw someone panting while slumped over on a bench?

While you may not offer help, it would at least grab your attention, so ducking behind a tree would make a lot more sense in this scenario.

I know it sounds like a small shift but when you think of it over the course of 90 minutes, these things add up and take the audience out of the scene, shattering the 4th wall.

When you’re on set, don’t be afraid to speak up about things like this. An insecure director will be hesitant to deviate from what is written but they will still allow you a take or two to try it your way.

A seasoned director will give you the latitude and be more open to discussing the reasons behind your choice.

It’s things like this that make a difference between an OK performance, and one that lives on in the audience’s mind long after they’ve left the theatre or turned off the TV.

What causes most actors to lose their audience throughout the course of a performance is not being able to depict emotions in a believable way.

When the audience doesn’t feel the emotions your character is projecting, it takes them out of the scene and reminds them that they are watching a work of fiction.

That’s why it’s important to dig beyond the surface level emotions and get to what is really driving your character.

This is actually where it gets more simple...

Almost everything that drives your character will stem from only 2 emotions: fear and joy.

I can hear you screaming at your screen “there’s so much more!” I agree but stick with me for a sec...

If I were to ask you to show me fear what would you do? Scream and cry? Would you depict a more subtle fear and widen your eyes and take a deep breath?

See with every emotion, but particularly with fear there is always something more beneath the surface and that’s what determines the range at which you play the emotion.

If I were to ask you to show me joy what would you do? Laugh and shed tears of joy? Would you throw your hands in the air and jump around, laughing so hard your stomach aches?

Joy has a similar range as its polar opposite emotion, but the mannerisms can be very similar.

That’s why when someone goes too far with fear, it becomes comical because it crosses the very thin line that looks like joy.

So, when you think about what your character is feeling in a scene, trace the surface level emotion back to one of the two dominant emotions and anchor your character choices there.

Here’s what I mean...

Let’s say you are playing a character that has suffered the loss of someone close to them. What emotions would you project?

Most actors would say sadness, loneliness and maybe remorse, if there was something left unfinished between the character and the other person.

Those are good answers but they are still very surface level and they don’t give you much to go on. When you trace them back to their dominant emotion it gives you much more guidance on where to take your character.

Their sadness stems from the fear of what it will mean to be without joy for whatever length of time.

If your character is projecting loneliness after the loss, it stems from the fear of never being able to replace the relationship they had with the person they lost.

Even the remorse the character experiences would stem from what it means that they will forever be carrying the burden of their unfinished business with the other person.

Just like we talked about earlier, things add up so over the course of 90 minutes your audience will be completely bought in when you anchor your character choices in the deeper, dominant emotions.

They will feel whatever you are projecting through your character and that’s what Oscar worthy performances are made of.

That’s what makes it so that there’s not a dry eye in the audience and it’s what causes a collective sigh of relief when the hero triumphs, even though you knew it was coming all along.

Think of how easy it would have been for Kate Winslet to drop the ball at the end of Titanic. Jack wouldn’t wake up and help had finally arrived.

Before the ship went down, she made the decision to give up everything for him. Now, here she was minutes away from succumbing to hypothermia and help showed up just in time.

When she said “the boats are here” the root emotion was joy. What it meant was we’ll be saved, get out of this mess, and live the rest of our lives together.

When she realized Jack was dead she paused and laid down, too afraid of what life would be like without him, now that she’s discovered true love.

Then, she snaps out of it, says “I’ll never let go” and swims for the boats, finds a whistle and is rescued.

You can see the relief when the boats turn around and come for her. The dominant emotion there is joy, even though it’s not explicitly shown beyond the effort she put into being rescued.

The joy came from being able to keep Jack alive in her heart and in her memories.

Any of that could have easily been overplayed or underplayed but tracing back the character’s actions to the dominant ones kept the scene intact and had the audience feeling everything Kate Winslet was projecting.

There are outliers and exceptions to this of course and I could write an entire series of books on the range of emotions, but when it comes down to it, what we covered today is more than enough to impact your performances on a level that 99% of actors will never reach.

Being able to deliver on that level when you’re on set, will do wonders for your career, but something that won’t change is that all the talent in the world won't get you on set.

Here’s what I mean...

You also need to have a strategy for getting auditions, otherwise you won’t have a way to share your talent with the industry.

Once you are in the room, you can use what we talked about today to help you move through the process and book more consistently.

So what helps you get in the room?

Being visible to the industry and making sure that what they see about you shows you are a professional, rather than someone who acts as a hobby is the first step.

If the industry doesn’t know you they can’t hire you so you need to be visible where they are already looking. Here’s how I can help with that.

Everyone’s career is different. What you want to focus on are the things that truly make a difference and apply to across the board.

For example, the industry has always been built on reputation and that’s something that won’t change anytime soon. If you don’t have a reputation that precedes you, then you are already at a disadvantage before you even walk in the room to audition.

That’s why I built this, to help you make sure your industry reputation is always in tip top shape.

Think about it, if you have a stellar industry reputation, and you are highly visible to decision makers, why wouldn’t they want to have you come in to read?

From there, you can knock it out of the park using what we went over today.

Regardless of what you want to accomplish in your career, you should give yourself every advantage possible to succeed and this is the logical next step.

I know I threw a lot at you. You might want to go over this a few times and come back to it from time to time.

Get some practice by watching a movie and tracking the dominant emotions of the characters as the story plays out. If you want to discuss a scene together, shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

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

See you at the top,
Scott