The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

THE ACTOR’S ANALYTICAL MIND

Most creative types might not boast analysis as one of their fortes, but the actor is required to develop the ability to analyze their script.  Script analysis is focused on in all the major styles of coaching and can help an actor prepare to work on a set, prep sides for a casting, and even give subtle suggestions for character development and mannerisms. 

Along with being able to analyze a script, the actor must know how to analyze the character and then develop it into something interesting.  Character analysis may involve tics (that give the character individuality),  and developing a back story about the character’s childhood, family, and early relationships.   

These are two skills that a blog can’t teach you.  Neither can a book.  Only experience and proper direction can hone this skill.  It’s worth it to note that there are great coaches and there are not so great coaches when studying analysis, too.  I tell my actors that they should always walk away having learned something from a coaching session, but finding a coach who can challenge you is worth the search.  If you walk away knowing you could have worked harder; you want to do better next time; you sometimes nail it and feel your confidence grow exponentially; and you sometimes fall flat on your face and feel like a failure . . . you might have found the perfect coach for your needs!

Who is it in your circle of talent professionals that is challenging you?

WHAT’S IN A PICTURE? (BEFORE THE AGENT)

Young talent toil over which facebook image to send a potential new agent the first time they make contact.  Talent who are determined to be prepared from the beginning often have a professional headshot image taken before ever finding an agent.  So what’s in a picture?

Agents are looking for something that strikes their interest in each application.  One area where a green talent can capture interest is with the image(s) they submit.  What should be submitted may depend on the agent in question, of course.  Talent should read directions carefully before submitting to be sure they present themselves as organized, professional, and intelligent. 

Having a professional headshot doesn’t convince an agent that a talent could be a great partnership.  In fact, not having an amazing headshot can shy an agent away.   Investing in headshots two or three times can be a big deterrent to a talent and often times the agent does not want to be the bearer of bad tidings if they can find a similar talent elsewhere.  On the flip side, if a talent’s headshot is striking and noticeable, agents will tend to be excited about the fact that they can start sending the talent out immediately!

In most cases, agents are happy to accept snapshot images prior to working with a green talent.  A snapshot can just as likely show the twinkle an agent is seeking as a professional image.  It also sets the agent’s mind at ease that the talent will be able to get the kind of headshot that will book!  Agents build relationships with photographers who can capture the images that will get results.  Trust that your agent wants you to have a headshot that will book you.  After all, if you’re booking, that means your agent is also making money, right?  It’s just one way to ensure you and your agent are on the same page as you start a new life together!

PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING!

Running a business can be daunting for even the most prepared and professional entrepreneur.  Doing so without the proper tools is hard on more than just the bones, though.  Like any business has overhead and needs hardware to complete a job, the actor must have certain tools to do the job well!

The actor’s tools are basic and will be similar across almost any market.  These tools include a headshot, a resume, some supplementary images, an outlet to quality coaching, a well-developed skill set, the ability to memorize, and knowledge of how the camera works to their benefit.  For most talent, their list of tools stops after headshot and resume, crippling their business and its ability to expand.

What supplementary images do I need as an actor?  Your headshot probably says a lot already, but it can’t tell the whole story.  Even cut as a ¾ shot, a headshot doesn’t show body style, which can play heavily into the casting process.  Many clients complain that they were interested in a talent based on a headshot image only to find out that they are leaner or heavier than their face might have suggested.  Supplementary images answer all the questions.  They give your agent the ability to fight for those doors that might be closing when casting gets tight or before the client knows the talent.

Why would I need coaching?  Even experienced actors need to keep their skills sharp!  Like any sharp object, time can erode those abilities not practiced daily.  A coach can stretch those acting muscles, addressing any areas where a talent might need attention and broadening the talent’s overall abilities.  Staying practiced for the casting room is imperative, too!

My skills are already developed.  Look at my resume!  We all know that resumes are made to open doors.  A great resume will showcase things in the most impressive light, despite their reality.  Even if you have all A list movie credits on your resume, there is always room to grow and develop as a human and an actor.  Continuing to hone their skill set assures a talent’s agent and the casting community that they are professional and open to new challenges.  It breeds confidence in the actor’s ability and keeps everyone interested.

I’m not a quick study, but I can get the script down if you give me a week or two.  Unfortunately, the world of entertainment is fast paced and quick to change direction.  You may not be a quick study and still be able to keep up, but realizing this is an area that needs development may be crucial to a long term career.  Actors are expected to memorize several pages of dialogue (or monologues – eek!) within the period of 24-48 hours frequently.  The actors who show up off book may be holding scripts, but they aren’t relying on them and can focus more readily on showing the director a character rather than regurgitating words on a page.

I’m here to act!  The camera is someone else’s job!  Trust me, the DP is concerned about the camera and will most likely know what to do with it, but the actor who also understands angles, lighting, and space is going to look better in the final cut.  Knowing the camera can also separate the green from the experienced actor in the casting room.  Experiencing a performance live may be one thing, but seeing it later on a screen can give an entirely different impression.

What tools might need a little sharpening in your kit?

 

CRÈME DE LA CRÈME OF TALENT

“But I really am funny,” you plead vehemently!  Yes, we know you are -- simply by the number of friends and strangers laughing at your weekly stand-up routine.  You may be funny and your dreams may end up looking exactly the way you envisioned them five years ago.  I’m not saying it won’t happen.  But if that’s still your life goal, get ready to work for it!

Start by setting real goals.  “People who aren’t successful typically aren’t goal-oriented,” Gregg Steinberg reveals in his book Full Throttle:  122 Strategies to Supercharge Your Performance at Work.  Steinberg suggests setting an appropriate goal, creating clear strategies to reach it, and assessing your progress weekly or bimonthly. But don’t make comparative goals that pit you against someone else. “Take what you have and try to improve it each month.”

You can also feel more “in” your life by envisioning other options, says Spevak [co-author of Empowering Underachievers:  New Strategies to Guide Kids (8-18) to Personal Excellence]. “OK, so you want to be a CEO and in your company there’s only one CEO. What’s Plan B? Plan C? Plan D?” Having alternate visions of personal success lets you feel like the master of your life.

In other words, broaden your conception of what counts as “making it.” Take all the things you were passionate about from one goal and apply them somewhere else. Be limber. And remember, a huge amount of luck goes into any success. As Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) said in the 1954 movie On the Waterfront, circumstances can keep you down. “I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.”

If you aim to be a participant, rather than a star, you go a long way toward being a contender, whatever you do. “If you’re doing something positive in the world, if you’re productive, if you’re a player, then you’re a success. That’s my view. That’s the definition of a good life,” says Markus. “What American society needs is people showing up every day and working their butts off as best they can. A lot of things we call talent are just time on task.”

Markus’ words are true.  As a talented individual, our pride commonly tells us we should be revered for our skill set.  What the industry and people around us make known, however, is that it is not the most talented individual who reaches the highest status.  Being available and on task when things align in our favor – admittedly, we can call it luck – is sometimes the dictating variable.

Or, as Thomas Edison said: “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.”

Real goals . . . diverse possibilities . . . flexibility of view . . . are all variables to being a success.  So that leaves us with one question:  Are you a contender?

 

CHANGING GEARS - FROM MODEL TO ACTRESS

The term "cross over artist" has become popular from watching musical artists change genres, but how does a talent move from modeling to acting to ensure longevity in their career?  Here's one young woman who is in the midst of her transformation.  As seen in The Hollywood Reporter . . .

 

Brooklyn Decker's Model-to-Actress Career Challenge

By Jay A. Fernandez

February 13, 2011

Brooklyn Decker may be one of the more famous models in the world, but she makes a point of not acting like one. She speaks quickly and straightforwardly in a voice filled with enthusiasm and calls herself out when she says something cheesy or cliched (like how she's learning to "peel back the layers" of a character). She dresses in a way that hides her figure — today it's a draping flannel sweater over a plain white shirt and blue jeans — and makes the jarring claim that she's "not a sexy person at all." She doesn't hesitate to talk through a mouthful of food at a table in front of Charlie's at the Farmers Market in Los Angeles on a recent morning. Her self-deprecation has the whiff of the real.

After today's late breakfast, Decker is heading to Warner Bros. for a general meeting, where she knows what she's up against. She did these studio rounds about 18 months ago, and they didn't amount to much, but now she's got two roles in the can and is slightly more hopeful. "I think people are like: 'OK, we saw her coming out of the water, now who is she? Can she carry on a conversation?' " she says and laughs. "You never know."

The 23-year-old model, most famous for baring almost everything on the cover of the 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue (we'll find out Feb. 14 if she reprises that role on the 2011 edition), is in the midst of is in the midst of an attempted leap that, for many before her, has launched a thousand punch lines: the model-to-actress career move. On Feb. 11, she'll appear as Adam Sandler's lust object in Sony's "Just Go With It," and she recently wrapped a role in the 2012 Universal tentpole "Battleship." "Look, I may never work again once ["Just Go With It"] comes out," she admits. "But I don't see myself doing catalog shoots in Madrid anymore like I was doing two years ago. I hope that the acting side of things grows."

Of course, since the 1980s, ambitious models have become goodwill ambassadors, business moguls, designers, talk-show hosts and reality TV stars who have generated millions beyond their modeling income. But very few have found a way to do that as actresses. There are the trailblazing predecessors such as Cameron Diaz, Rene Russo and Milla Jovovich — and, on the flip side, Estella Warren, Cindy Crawford ("Fair Game," anyone?) and plenty others whose names don't even register in anyone's memory.

Aside from the "X-Men" movies, in which her mostly naked body was covered in blue paint, Victoria's Secret and SI model Rebecca Romijn has had a difficult time finding a solid foothold. Andie MacDowell, who went on to build a healthy film career, famously had all her lines redubbed in her 1984 debut, "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes." The pitfalls in the film world are more vicious and plentiful than simply making sure you don't slip off a catwalk or get sand in your lady parts on a beach in the Seychelles. The battlefield is littered with false starts and embarrassing flameouts that show how often a pretty face is as deep as it goes.

As with well-known actors who try to paint or record music, the public often reflexively roots against models trying to break in as if they have the gall to win the lottery and then gild the lily by doubling down on fame and fortune in another field. Not helping ambitious models with genuine acting talent is that the cliche about their peers' lack of substance often is true. "I'm not going to sit here and say, 'Pity me; I came from modeling,' " says Decker, who's repped by Jason Gutman at Gersh and Chris Kiely at Marilyn Talent (he also reps her modeling work). "It's opened a lot of doors. People will take meetings because they've heard the name before. That's an advantage that I have. But at the same time, I will have to work really hard to show that I'm worthy of being in these films."

Decker knows her physical attributes are likely to be played up until she proves her acting chops. For "Just Go With It," the trailers and billboards unsurprisingly zero in on her bikini-clad body, in one shot rising up from the ocean dripping and undulating in slow motion. Those who have seen the film note that the role itself — that of the love interest whom Sandler's character wants badly enough to create a fake family just to dump for her — entails quite a bit of comedy. And whether she can pull that off is the key to any kind of longevity.

"Usually you go for the actors, but when it calls for a beautiful, stunning woman, then you jump into the model world and see if there's somebody who can step up," says Roger Mussenden, the casting director on Just Go With It who also put Halle Berry, Famke Janssen and Romijn in X-Men. Mussenden claims that Decker "hit all the marks and wasn't thrown off by the comedy."

That she trains with acting coaches Joan Rosenfels in New York and Cameron Thor in Los Angeles and has refrained from lining up new modeling gigs signals the seriousness of Decker's approach. After growing up in Charlotte, N.C., Decker moved to New York in 2005 at age 18 after high school and eventually signed with the Paris-based Marilyn Agency, which has an office in New York. She quickly secured magazine spreads in Glamour, FHM and Cosmopolitan, as well as campaigns for the Gap and Victoria's Secret, but her annual appearance in the SI swimsuit issue beginning in 2006 led to the coveted cover spot last year. By then, Decker had spent regular time co-hosting a CNN/SI Web sports show and a few years auditioning for TV and film roles, mostly without success. Acting wasn't an early passion for Decker and only became an interest as a way to compensate for not going to college — she says she felt dumb and wanted to use her brain to study something while traveling the world for shoots. "It was stimulating my mind in a different way than modeling was," she says.

Parts in "Bedtime Stories," "Hall Pass" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" went to other actresses (fellow Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley ultimately got the latter after Megan Fox was jettisoned). A few TV series guest spots in 2009 on "Chuck," "Ugly Betty" and "Royal Pains" finally led to a string of auditions on two coasts, plus a table read that won her the part in "Just Go With It."

"There might have been a few extra hoops, but not that many," Mussenden says. "It is a very sensitive area with a lot of gorgeous faces that are sometimes just that. We have to look a little deeper at them and get them out of their comfort zone. Brooklyn has other qualities, and she knows how to handle herself; she was pretty confident. This was a big deal for her."

"There's a likability when a woman is beautiful and can make fun of herself — it disarms people; they become accessible," says an agent who has worked with model-actresses. As an example, the agent cites the scene in My Best Friend's Wedding when Diaz makes fun of her inability to sing in a karaoke bar. "Men and women started to really want to hang out with her," the agent says. "If you had a beautiful girl, and you could put her in a situation that wasn't too far away from who she might be as a human being and she could make people laugh, then men and women would like her, and she'd get away with murder in the beginning and accelerate faster."

Decker has her own version of this appeal. On The Dan Patrick Show during pre-Super Bowl coverage in Dallas — she followed NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Joe Montana and identified herself as "a wannabe actress"— Decker displayed her everywoman nature with her sports chatter and ability to banter with a bunch of professional macho meatheads. (Sports are in her blood: She's a Carolina Panthers and UNC Tar Heels fan who's married to tennis star Andy Roddick.)

"A woman that can be beautiful and funny — there ain't a lot of them," says casting director Fern Champion, who waded through an entire sea of Victoria's Secret models before she put Diaz, then mainly a magazine model in Europe, in The Mask in 1994. Champion also saw Angelina Jolie in 1995 for "Mortal Kombat" and had a producer nix MacDowell when Champion tried to cast her in the 1988 ABC miniseries "War and Remembrance." "Very similar to what I saw in Cameron, Brooklyn has got a great attitude," she says. "She can talk, she's funny, she's humble, she's got a great sense of humor. Women fell in love with Cameron, and men were totally involved. When you look at Brooklyn, same thing — I like her as a broad! You go to the personality."

Relentlessly going over lines and scenes with director Dennis Dugan between setups, Decker wrestled with the counterintuitive nature of film comedy that required her to be funny by not being funny. As research, Dugan suggested that she watch a lot of Goldie Hawn movies (for her Battleship role, director Peter Berg handed her Alien and The Blair Witch Project, presumably to figure out how to look petrified by the unknown). "I was really just trying to learn the whole time," Decker says. "And keep up with Adam and Jen — they're so good at what they do. It was incredibly intimidating. It was really nerve-wracking."

While her childhood favorite was Forrest Gump, Decker says her current taste runs to such "smart" movies as "Thank You for Smoking,""Charlie Wilson's War" and "The Social Network." Actresses who draw sex appeal from their strength and intelligence — Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Diaz, who "could have easily gone down that bombshell route but ended up working with Cameron Crowe, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese," Decker says — strike her as suitable role models. Decker admits that timewise — for the moment, anyway — modeling actually pays better. According to Forbes, Gisele Bundchen is the highest-paid model, grossing $25 million in 2009, but someone of Decker's stature can make something in the range of fellow Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, who pulled in about $4 million in 2009. Decker probably made a tenth of that for the two films she shot last year. Despite this, her plans are to focus solely on film auditions.

Decker, who lives in Austin with Roddick, claims she's committed to acting, though as of now, her schedule is not just empty of modeling gigs but acting gigs as well. That might change after opening weekend, but Decker attests that her ambitions are not going to change. "With me and the world I come from — and how people might perceive me — I definitely need to start thinking seriously about what path I want to take," Decker says. "If I want to do work that is high-quality, and if I want to start growing and getting better, then I need to start working on being good at this. Quite frankly, I was really lucky to get these two roles. And I worked very hard once I got them."

 

MEET RYAN MICHAEL KELLY

At only 25 years of age, Ryan Michael Kelly is making a big stir in the realm of fashion photography. Already, the young photographer has snapped pics for clients inlcuding Men's Vogue, Vanity Fair Italia, Bloomingdales, Theory, Ann Taylor and more. Look for big things from Ryan as his career progresses.  We chatted with Ryan about his career and some of his favorite things.  

How did you end up becoming a photographer?

I wanted to be a painter, but my patience got the best of me and a teacher in early high school recommended that I take some photo classes instead. I could shoot, develop, print, all in one day and that is when I knew it was for me! So coming from the must-go-to-college parent generation, I decided to study it in school. I would say by 16 or 17 I knew I wanted to shoot fashion.

The same thing happened to me. I took a clay class and put the duck’s head on backwards on my duck soap dish so I switched to photography. Except I never became a photographer. Who do you prefer to shoot, models or celebs? Men or women?

I like shooting everyone, at the moment I am starting to work on a portrait series which will involve friends so that should be different as most of the time I don't shoot people I know. I just like working with people in general!

What photographers do you look up to? Are there any up-and-coming photographers you want to give a shout out to?

Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Annie Leibowitz. There are too many to name. A great image is a great image. I guess I really look up to Irving Penn, Newton,  and Avedon, as they worked and loved their work until death. You can only get better with time.

So how does a guy inform himself when it comes to shooting women and high fashion?

Style.com, hahahaha. I mean I look through all of the shows and see what pieces would be a dream to shoot. In doing so I look through the collections and have a good idea of trends and concepts. But the stylist really makes all of that great stuff come together.

Ah the stylist. That’s key. I wish I had my own personal stylist living in my closet. What motivates you or inspires you? For me, it’s a cute pair of high heels. Stella McCartney in particular.

Music is huge, but I collect a lot of books, magazines; it’s kind of a disease. I have multiple scrap books and files of images, thousands of magazines. I tend to over saturate myself with visuals all the time. But inspiration can really come from anywhere. Movies, the news, a conversation, a memory and best of all collaborations of the like minded!

I love music too. What’s on your iPod right now? I just downloaded the Bronx.

I always say I like everything from Pantera to Pure Moods. I change music pretty quick – hip hop, rock, alt, punk, I like it all. My most favorite of all time though is Nine Inch Nails.

Hmm I don’t know about Pure Moods, but Pantera is pretty bad ass. What do you do when you’re not shooting?

I work on post production, archiving, personal project shoots, beer, billing, concerts, bookstores, bars, bowling, painting, and friends.

What is the craziest thing that ever happened on a shoot?

Hmmmm that's a tough one... Ummm too many things to say and I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but a shoot that gets creative I always find gets crazy.

Way to spill the dirt! Okay fine, we can talk about it off the record later. More importantly, what's your last meal?

Isopure Low Carb Protein Shake with frozen blueberries, kind of a protein smoothie.

What?! That’s your last meal? I was thinking bacon and donuts or something. Mine would definitely be a plate of Krispy Kremes.

Oh haha, I thought you meant what was the last meal I ate! For my last meal, I would definitely go with the entire McDonald’s breakfast menu!

Phew! I thought you were kookoo for a sec. What do you want to shoot for that you haven’t already?

Again there is so much, I feel like I have just started my career as I hope to shoot until I die, but there are a ton of clients and magazines and models that I have my goals set on! Italian, French, and American Vogue is where I have my sights set, but there are a lot of things before that I hope to do.

You can do it! You just need to use the “Secret.” I once used the Secret to manifest a tall blond Dutchman. Last question, artsy films or bro movies?

Artsy films, can't lie about that. Bro movies are boring.

--Interview by Rachel Khona

http://lookbooks.com/rachelkhona/post_view/interview-renowned-photographer-ryan-michael-kelly?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Feb_10_2011_Email_LB&utm_medium=email

YOUR FACE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION

Pay off can seem so far away when you're running to castings, hearing no, and submitting your headshot or book. 

But when you turn the TV on to watch Superbowl XLV with a crowd of friends and family . . . and you show up on national television . . . it's safe to say your hard work is paying off.  Check out The Avenue Agency's talent in this year's Superbowl commercial spot for Grand Transportation.  Marion Ingram and Steve Caviness help us enjoy fine living!

 

If you are unable to view the embedded video, click this link:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7IkPqxmBVU

Congrats on the pay off and thanks for inspiring those of us who are out hitting the streets to find success!

(PS:  Happy Valentine's Day!  Celebrate the great relationships in your life today -- romantic, professional, or platonic!)

THE BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK

Being a talent can leave one feeling rather lonely at the end of a hard day full of rejection, so having support is a key factor in maintaining through the highs and lows of entertainment.  Support comes in many forms -- all of which are imperative -- but today's blog comes from the union run by actors and who works in the best interest of fellow actors, the Screen Actors Guild.  The SAG Foundation put together a panel discussion for their members to learn the importance of developing a strong and committed team.  Working and successful actors share their positive experiences from having build a solid "A-team" to support their careers, plus they give advice on how you can do the same.

The attached video is lengthy, so please watch it in 20-30 minute increments to keep focused.  Although the panel took place in California, 99% of what is discussed is applicable to any market and every talent. 

Make the investment to develop your own A-team.  Place people around you who are always going to put your best interest first, pitch you to every possible opportunity, and open doors to walk through beside you as a partnership.  You'll be on your way to a lifetime of successful ventures, auditions, screen-tests, and bookings!

   

KNOW YOUR TALENTS & LIMITS (Take 2)

But what if the personal and professional feedback isn’t as clear as a curtain going down in the theater?  Creative minds are more likely to see two sides to every argument.  Artists struggle with figuring out whose advice should be heeded and who should be ignored in their subjective world.  Lines get blurred.  The creative mind becomes overwhelmed.  The pressure builds.  What then?

You listen to yourself, says Markus, which can be as difficult as hearing the truth from others. The question here isn’t, “ ‘Are you deluded?’ but, ‘Do you want to do the work?’ In any business, there are people who get the good jobs and don’t have the talent. But they’re doing the work.”

In short, while there are times when seeking “objective” feedback about your talent can be helpful, in some cases an external assessment is not as important as your own feelings and those of the people you love. “If it still gives you meaning and purpose and is not disrupting the lives of all the people you love, why not continue doing it your whole life, even if you never achieve the fame you’re going after?” says Lopez. “But if the people in your life are saying, ‘You’ve done this for a really long time and you’ve excelled and done well, but at this point we need health insurance for our family,’ that’s a more difficult choice.”

There are many situations in which flexibility is clearly better than perseverance, and when disappointment can actually spur you on to find something more suitable. “If someone tells you in the seventh grade that you’re really funny, maybe you need to get more training and skills. But if you’re 40 and still haven’t had any success—maybe your definition of success needs to change. Maybe it is OK to be a comedian at bar mitzvahs for the rest of your life,” says Robyn McKay, a psychologist in Phoenix.

There are truly few things harder than realizing the fairytale life we have chased for so long may not ever become a reality.  Frequently, that realization isn’t a reflection on ability as much as it is a reflection of the society in which we are reared.  If health insurance is the reality of what you need right now, it doesn’t mean you can’t continue to pursue your dreams or that you have to give up happiness and lead an unfulfilled  life.  The flexibility Abby mentions is referring to that place were the scales balance – where needs are met and artistic outlets are still fulfilling.  The end result may not be what you envisioned or planned, but those who find it will tell say that their plan wasn’t as beautiful or fulfilling as what they found when they let go of the plan and welcomed the flexibility of supplying their needs and living their art. 

Envision one or two alternate pictures of your dreams coming true.  What do the alternatives look like?

HITTING THE HOME FRONT

Since it's near and dear to our hearts and our local pocket-books, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the current future of film and television (along with other parts of our creative industries) within our TN government.  If you have not taken the time to write your local legislators to voice your concerns and ask for their support, please do so immediately.  

The following link is being reposted from AFFT's blog site as an up-to-date resource on the battle being waged in our legislator.  Part of a talent's job when running a successful business is to know what laws will directly effect their business and to know which legislators are supporting those laws at the end of the day.  Do you know who is on your side or who might be threatening your career's future?

http://www.affttennessee.org/apps/blog/show/5987382-it-s-time-to-smell-the-coffee-

You can find your local senator at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=TN.

You can find your local congressman at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/

You can contact your TN governor, Bill Haslam, via email at bill.haslam@tn.gov.