The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

THE PREPARED ACTOR’S TOOLBOX (BEFORE THE INTERVIEW)

While working on this set of blog posts, The Avenue had a relevant experience while interviewing a young talent.  Although discussing the situation wasn’t in my outline, I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to show relevance in the subject of preparation.

I interviewed a young actor for a position on The Avenue’s roster.  We will call the actor Jane to protect the name of the guilty party.  I found myself lost in a movie breakdown, knowing that my chain of thoughts would soon be interrupted by an appointment with a new talent.  After a while, I looked up at the clock to realize that it was 15 minutes past the appointment time we had settled on.  Assuming that the actor was not going to show, I carried on further into the casting.  After another 10 minutes, I was jolted out of my focus by a rapping on my office door.  It was Jane, who announced upon seeing my face that she was here for an interview.   I chose to wait to address the tardiness and gave Jane the paperwork she needed while I found a new stopping place in my casting breakdown.

During our interview, Jane told me how accomplished she was.  She had lived and worked in various markets, including Los Angeles.  She knew how this business worked and she was too talented to just be in The Avenue’s “new faces” division.  Well, that was what Jane told me, anyway. 

“Speaking of your talent, I’d like to see your monologue,” I said.  Jane stood up, holding a ripped up piece of paper with scribble pencil marks on it and began to READ what was written in pencil from the page.  There were moments when Jane would remember she should be acting and might give a flair of regard to being in character, but they were mere moments.

We need go no farther with the experience that Jane and I had together during this interview.  One point that I hope you take from this story is that industry professionals (agents, CDs, ad agents, directors, producers, talent coordinators, et al.) give little value to what a talent says.  Much value, in contrast, is placed on what a talent does.  Having to tell anyone that you are an actor . . . or a model . . . or a good person . . . or a professional is not a good sign.  Actions speak louder than words – show us and we will know by experience.

Another point that I hope you glean is that preparation is no light matter.  Spending your time trying to make up for a bad first impression will waste years of your opportunities as an actor.  Being confidently shown through open doors because we believe in you, can launch a career faster than anything else.  Preparation + Opportunity = Success.  You read this blog because you want to be prepared.  Opportunity will present itself.  Will you be ready to turn it into Success?

THE PREPARED ACTOR’S TOOLBOX (BEFORE THE AGENT)

Before running out to put all of that together, it might be wise to find an agent or test the market to see if this really is the right industry for you!   Testing the market means working on amateur sets (e.g., student films) or taking a few varied acting workshops to find out if you are motivated or disillusioned by the experience.  Submitting to agents can help you gather information on what you need in order to be more marketable, even if you don’t find someone to partner with you. 

In either case, use a quality snapshot if you don’t have professional headshots (or money growing on trees in your back yard).  Have good lighting so that your skin, coloring, and body shape are visible.  Use a solid colored background to lessen distractions.  Be honest about birth marks, blemishes, sizes, etc.

Take the time to research what goes on a talent resume and create one.  Even if you don’t feel like you have much experience, showing effort will get you farther than being lazy!

But most importantly, follow directions!  Most agencies and auditions will have directions on how to go about submitting.  Take the time to find them and then follow them carefully.  The #1 reason talent burn bridges is by not doing what they were asked.  Just one more opportunity for you to set yourself apart from the crowd – use those skills you learned in Kindergarten and watch doors open!

THE PREPARED ACTOR’S TOOLBOX

The preparation an actor puts in is only partially acknowledged by pop culture.  Before an actor launches themselves into the world of on camera productions, there is prep time involved.  Remember that first impressions never get a second chance, so even contacting an agent or submitting to an open call should be done wisely.

A smart actor knows that they are embarking on a new business venture.  As a business, one should have a plan to follow and execute before going public with a product.  But before giving the first Joe Blow a few thousand dollars to “make you an actor,” read Marketing 101 for Talent.  Then sift through the similar blogs about headshots, resumes, auditioning, etc, to find out more!

KNOW THE DECISION MAKERS

All too often I am asked the one question that makes the agent in me cringe – who was that [director, photographer, producer] I worked with on the [company name] shoot?  Forgetting names in this business is like trying to cash a check that isn’t signed . . . your personality and good looks will only get you so far!

No matter how highly respected we are in our field, it’s human nature to want to be recognized.  Keep in mind that directors and photographers are artists, as well, and struggle with a lot of the same aspirations and desires that you might as a talent!  You can call it stroking an ego or just giving them the respect that they are due – the end result is still the same for the talent who can recognize and make conversation with the individual who will sign their paycheck at the end of the day.

Performer Track Online, a subsidiary of Hold On Log is a private company that helps talent keep all their ducks in a row.  One of the most amazing facets of their interface is the ability to keep track of whom the talent saw at a go-see or casting and where they might have seen that person in the past.  Making that connection between the set or audition room sets the talent up to build more positive long term relationships.   Note keeping may not be the typical talent’s strength, but committing to tracking what you’ve done and who you’ve met means you are aware of your business and working it to the full potential.  There isn’t a successful business person or talent in the world that doesn’t keep records.

As an individual, I struggle with remembering names and connecting them to the right faces, so I can sympathize with the quandary talent find themselves facing.  Like most hurdles in entertainment, it may not be your forte, but that doesn’t make it a “get out of jail free” card, either.   It means you need to practice.  Use an interface like Performer Track Online if that helps you keep records.  [Blog readers can get discounted rates by clicking on any of the Performer Track Online links and entering the coupon code “MEFR9”.]   The more aware you are of the challenge, the more focus you can put on improving.  And the next time you run into your local version of Mario Testino, you can be cool, calm, and collected as you greet him or her confidently!