The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

BRANDED

Everybody has, or should have, a brand that they live by. If you had to describe yourself in only three words, what would they be? Do you portray your brand to the people that you come across, especially in your career? Who else has a similar brand to you? How can you develop your brand? Erin Cronican, acting coach, has some advice as to how to create and develop your brand:

 •Start by thinking about what kind of medium(s) you want to work in: film, TV, theater, musical theater, commercials, industrials, etc... What are the similarities between the actors in this medium? What are the differences? Where do you fit in?


• What kind of genre(s) are you interested in: comedy, drama, horror, thriller, romance, etc... Again, look at the main players and then see how you compare. Is there anything lacking that you think would be useful?

• Who are some of the people who have the career you could easily step into? What do they have going for them that you could add to your arsenal? How are you different and, thus, will be able to stand out?


Ignoring typecasting is not going to make your career any easier - the more you can take control over your career and present yourself in a clear, unique, and easy to understand fashion, the easier it will be for you to do the kind of work that inspires you.

Think about what direction you want your career to go in, and try to create a brand for yourself. 
What does your brand say?

 

THE BUSINESS OF BRANDING

A common word thrown around the industry is “branding”. You probably hear it in passing conversations with your agent, casting directors, etc. But what exactly is branding? Erin Cronican breaks it down for us.

Branding, or “the brand” is the company's message to its customers/clients. What are they trying to say? What is their position in the industry? What do they have to offer? For many companies, this includes their logo, the colors on their website, the slogans they use, and how they choose to position themselves. Think of one of your favorite products, and then think about all of the things that make you love it. What do you think/feel when you see their logo? How do you describe the product to your friends? This is their brand - and their job is to a) make sure it always stays positive and favorable, and b) to communicate this to their customers.

As an actor, your job is to figure out what it is that you have to offer that is unique and valuable, and then communicate that to the industry. Your brand is not just your talent, but also your point of view, your connections, your tenacity, your willingness to try anything. It includes the roles you choose to play, the clothing you wear to auditions, what wording you use on your website, how you choose to answer questions in interviews... all of these things reflect your brand. And like all other businesses, in order to be effective in the market your brand needs to be developed and honed before you take your message to your audiences.

If you didn’t create a brand before jumping into talent work, it’s not too late!  Start now by sitting down and answering these questions. Then review them before you put yourself in any entertainment situations (castings, bookings, networking events,etc.) to be sure you are focused on building your brand moving forward.  How do people view you now?  How would you like them to view you differently?

Make sure to check back on monday for more specific ways to go about building your brand but if you want to start now, check out this website:http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/your-personal-branding-worksheet/. Provided for you is a personal branding worksheet to guide you through the process of creating your brand!

YES!

What goes through your head right before you walk into an audition? You probably experience some
sort of excitement, nervousness, and maybe for some, even nausea. I’ve heard talent even call themselves a failure if they don’t end up booking the job. Acting coach Erin Cronican has a different
perspective that you should think about.

When I coach actors on setting goals, I teach them how to look for results that are manageable and empowering. Instead of "My goal is to be cast" (which you cannot control) I encourage actors to strive to be put in the “YES pile." YES means that you have what it takes to compete, and they'll keep giving you chances until something connects perfectly.

As someone who has cast a fair number of shows, I can tell you that getting into my YES pile is ultimately more important than getting cast. If I like your work and your spirit in the audition room, I will do whatever I can to get you cast in my projects because you are going to make me look good- bringing in good actors impresses the producers and means job security for the casting director. So I would bring you in every time a role is right for you until something clicks. 

So, strive to be in that YES pile - go into the audition prepared, listen to what is being asked of you and act accordingly, be respectful and HAVE FUN! You'll find that if you show up to auditions using these principles you will be a much happier actor and you'll quiet that little negative voice inside you!

Instead of treating an audition as a make-it-or-break-it move for your career, focus on making the casting director’s job easy.  I’ve seen casting directors go out of their way to audition the same talent they obviously like over and over until they are booked . . . and even then continuing to bring that talent back in again.  A talented individual is worth a lot, but a friend in the casting room is priceless. What will you do to make it into the “YES” pile at your next audition?

Check out Erin’s blog here: http://erincronican.blogspot.com/

READY, SET, LISTEN!

How often do you get advice that you just don’t want to hear?  Whether solicited or not, people want to give their opinions on just about everything.  So how do you determine who to listen to and what advice to take? It’s hard to know when there are so many diverse and subjective opinions around us.  The blog team at IZON Agency shares this advice:

For a model or actor, the influential people in your inner circle are your agents, managers, coaches and, to an extent, family members. Yes, this is a business. Yes, agents and managers are in this business to make money. But, if you are smart and have surrounded yourself with people who are truly working with your best interest at heart, then what they have to say is not something that should be taken lightly. LISTEN!

We often seek counsel in many outside our inner circle, searching for the answer we so desire. Advice has been given. Direction has been given. An answer has been given. But, it is not the answer we want. So we keep searching. It is then that we often find ourselves in trouble, trusting the wrong people and heading down the wrong path. LISTEN!

Trust your inner circle of advisors. If you’ve got a good agent/manager, be careful not to jeopardize that relationship by undermining their expertise and knowledge. They know what their clients want and they know their business. There is nothing that will upset an agent more than if you go the opposite direction of the advice given because a friend, hairdresser, boyfriend, or whomever told you otherwise. Don’t wait until it’s too late and have to scramble to repair the damage done. It could be more than just your relationship with your agent or manager that is marred. It could be your career or your one chance that falls victim.  In this business, the lifespan of the average actor or model is very short. Very, very short. Windows and doors typically only open once. Be smart. Be diligent. Be ready. But most of all, be LISTENING!

So next time you ask for advice, or someone just chooses to give it to you, think about whom you are talking to.  If the source is someone you have partnered with in the industry, listen to and then act on what they’re saying.  What has been the most difficult advise from someone on your team that you followed through on? 

THE VALUE OF RELATIONSHIP

New York Casting Director, Scott Powers, shares his insider's view of the client's perspective after the audition.

An interesting and unavoidable pastime in this business is observing actors commit career suicide. 

Rushing headlong into the buzz saw, with not a clue or a care of what they're doing, not heeding warnings. Happens everyday. It's a given that an actor's plight is to always be looking for a job. In doing so, you never know who can help you get a job or influence a "we'll pass." The hiring process can involve a number of people; if one has a slight negative comment about a select, that often is enough to stop the consideration in its tracks. This we have witnessed more times than we want to. It can be made by a network executive vice president in charge of Primetime Programming or the summer intern. To see an actor lose a big role because of an offhand casual remark is a chilling experience.
 
Moral of the story: Don't make enemies. And its close cousin: be nice. Don't badmouth anyone. Tough to do in this business. Zip the lip. We all wear many hats in this business. The assistant being trashed today by an actor could be the agent two years from now who decides to take a pass on representing that actor. Or one day the actor walks in an audition room and there is the casting director the actor treated badly as an intern. Memories are long in this business. More people know you than you know them . It's very incestuous how agents, managers, casting directors, directors, producers, etc. all mix and mingle with each other. What's a common topic of conversation? You guessed it. The unfortunate part of our business is that once bridges are burned, it's permanent. Time does not heal all wounds here. There is no kiss-and-make-up as in other industries. Somebody wronged ten years ago still lies in wait, waiting for that opportunity to settle the score. If something bad is said about someone it is almost guaranteed that that person will hear about it, including the source. This can be why phone calls can start to fall off or a career never proceeds past doing background work for paid work. One photographer we work with a lot made an astute observation: "We don't have to eliminate actors, they eliminate themselves." Sometimes newcomers just have to find out for themselves and by that time, it's too late. Time for that Plan B.
 
Sherry Lansing, former head of 20th Century Fox and earlier in her career, a model and actor, famously said about the people who gave her shabby treatment on her way up to becoming one of the most powerful people in our business: "I remember them. And they remember me." Way to turn a phrase.
 
As casting directors, we have to work with clients, some are nice and some not so much. We are equally professional to all. They are the beginning of the food chain. Agents may have to work with clients, managers and casting directors they may not be in love with, but professionally are civil to all. This does not always extend to actors. To quote a big commercial agent, "We're very fortunate, we only work with the actors we want to." It doesn't take much to give someone a reason not to hire or represent an individual actor. And there are quite a few actors to go around in a buyer's market.
 
Stories abound about the casualties. Two new ones are especially poignant:
 
One actor recently mouthed off to an important film director. In front of several other people. The director never flinched and no one else did. The director just never hired that actor, and never will. Nor will anyone else who witnessed the display of self-importance. It came as no surprise that actor is never considered for anything substantial . The only paying work he gets is background work.   Principal work? Yes, in student films for free. But he can't progress beyond that. Has a glass ceiling and his resumé confirms it. He became his own worst enemy and his career paid the price for it.   Is he willing to change? No. He's convinced himself he's right and everybody else is wrong. Whatever the case is, he will not get the work he thinks he entitled to. Next!
 
One young actor was doing background work on a TV show that hires a lot of background. She made a snarky comment about an agent. An actor behind her heard it and it was about her agent, and she tweeted the agent word for word. The targeted agent made a casual call to the background casting director about the offending actor.   The offending actor was not invited back to the show the next day. Or ever. And calls from the background casting director dried up. In a twist of irony, two weeks later the offending actor attended a meet-and-greet and guess who was one of the agents? Yep. When it came time for the actor to meet the agent, she was reminded word for word what she said about that agent. Imagine the shock on the actor's face! By the end of the evening, all the other agents and casting directors at the meet-and-greet knew what happened. A very efficient career crash and burn. And the unfortunate actor probably never connected the dots as to what caused this calamity.
 
Actors who have managed to stay in this business for a number of years have learned a number of survival skills. A big one is the accumulation of connections and good will for the care and feeding of their career. And a big way of building that group is being nice to everybody. Never a negative word. They've been around long enough to know even Godzilla may come in handy some day. And for the nod for that big series regular role.
 
To end on a positive note, the industry wants you to succeed, to get the job, to make everybody glad they made the decision to hire you or represent you.  Everyone is plugging for you. Just give them a reason to do so.

"HI! I'M WORKING!"

Does everyone in the industry know you on a first name basis?  Perhaps not since there are so many professionals around the world.  But Barbara offers the talent some advice on how to get results and use your efforts effectively!

Barbara Kerford who works for The Actor’s Key says “I always thought I was doing what I needed to be doing, taking the occasional workshop, getting new headshots, doing the occasional mailing, but until my marketing became consistent I didn't have any results. It wasn't until I started doing monthly postcards-- that I started to really see results. Now I audition weekly. For a while it was just to people I knew, but now I am also auditioning with people I've never met. Marketing is a key part of this industry. I was talking to another actor and she was asking how I was going out on so many auditions. She complained that she had just booked two guest star roles and did not see an increase in her audition activity. I asked how she was telling people about it and she told me she was leaving it up to her manager--that is one way of doing it, but it is up to the individual actor to be out there hustling for themselves.

A postcard, no matter what it says, tells the industry that you are working. Find something to brag about or to congratulate a CD about. Take any business course and they will tell you lack of marketing is why so many businesses fail.”

FEEL FORGOTTEN?

Casting Director, Terry Berland, reminds us in this blog how important networking, marketing, and keeping a positive perspective are to a talent's future successes.  Feel forgotten?  Read the testimonial from Terry below and breathe easy!

Just recently I was casting a film and an actor I have known for years and have not auditioned for a long time, popped into my head as being right for the lead role. The actor asked me “who suggested me for the part?” I told him I thought of him immediately. He was shocked because I have not had him in to audition for a long time. I went on to say “It’s a good lesson. Just because you have not been called in, it does not mean that you have been forgotten”.

Because we are human, we need reminders. I can attest that in my experience it takes multiple times of seeing the person’s name and face in front of me to start feeling familiar with them. It’s good to remind a casting director of your existence. Find out how casting directors like to be communicated with and let them know periodically what you’ve been doing. Stay active with theatre and showcases and let us know about it. It’s fortunate that there are professional ways set in place for networking opportunities such as CD’s seminars, showcases, online, Facebook and Twitter.

The longer I know someone, the more I’m going to remember them. Through the years I see them submitted, receive post card reminders, see their auditions or see them in the casting reception area at the studio I work out of.  I love being at a studio that has many casting sessions going on. Sometimes I stroll through the reception area just to see whom I’m going to see. Some actors recognize me and start up a little conversation. That’s smart of them. Little conversations throughout the years add up to you feeling very familiar. Remembering the right person at exactly the right time is tricky and sometimes inconsistent. You want to increase your chances through marketing or getting yourself “out there” in different ways. It is necessary and does not always show direct results. But trust the more you put yourself out there, the more chance you have of a result at some unexpected time.

I hope hearing the casting director viewpoint and what talent do who believe in marketing, will help you move your career forward.

WHAT'S YOUR SPEED LIMIT?

We've broached several ways that actress Colleen Wainwright sees actors around here tripping themselves up, including being overly needy, not accepting responsibility for moving their career forward, and refusing to listening to the sage advice.  Sometimes you can find the excitement you're looking for in some other vehicle than you might expect, as Top Gear's host, Jeremy Clarkson, shows us.

 

In our society, we are quickly trained to expect what we want, when we want it.  Breaking that expectation is much easier said than done!  Even those who show extreme patience have a hard time not wanting their big break to happen right now. It's understandable, since everything a talent works for is so abstract and seemingly intangible.  There will always be something bigger to continue working for, which makes the journey seem endless.  The good news?  It is endless!  Allowing yourself to accept the fact that the journey itself is the continuum of pursuing your craft could relieve some pressure and anxiety.  Reminding yourself every day of that fact is a must in order to keep the focus and avoid the fear.  In Colleen's words . . .

4. Moving too fast.

The worst thing may be nothing ever happening for you, but the second worst thing is having the exact, right thing happen to you before you're ready.

It's good to keep stretching; it's dangerous to go too far, too fast. Practice patience. Take the time to ground yourself—in your work, in your process, in your tools, in your life. You want your breaks coinciding with readiness.

Every time a talent presses to move farther than their skill set and experience allows, long term damange is done.  As an agent, I've watched talent demand to audition for roles they were not suited for or able to deliver on.  Not being able to see that is frustrating from the talent's perspective.   Hearing a casting director say they no longer want to see a talent for any role is heart-breaking from the agent's perspective. 

Take a deep breath and reassure yourself that there is a time and place for everything.  Your determination and willingness will allow your craft to grow . . . and those great opportunities for which you pine will present themselves when the timing is right.  And only then, will you be ready to use them as a stepping stone to something bigger and more exciting.   Until then, continue to appreciate the opportunities you have and the time to build your skill set and knowledge.  Growing isn't always easy, but it will always find reward!

CAN YOU HEAR IT?

 

Our acting friend, Colleen, will tell you that the third common way that talent mistakenly get in their own way is by not being able to listen.  Most talent can hear, but being able to take what we hear and then actively listen is a different matter.  She refers to this as "Special Snowflake Syndrome," and it comes down to being able to acknowledge an idea, think critically about it, and then take action on the idea (or parts of the idea) that will help you move forward in your career.  In her words . . .

I am about as stubborn as they come. And there's a place for all kinds of stubbornness, from grim determinism to relentless optimism—it takes grit and a certain willingness to overlook the overwhelming odds against success in this crazy business of show.

But failing to observe protocol or established rules of etiquette is dumb. At best, it makes you look foolish; at worst, it angers people. People have lo-o-ong memories when they've been angered.

Sometimes, doing the wrong thing happens out of ignorance (which is another good reason not to move too fast). If you know you're doing the wrong thing and decide to do it anyway—which is totally your prerogative—don't be surprised if you end up paying a price.

No one who supports your career wants you to "pay any price;" least of all yourself!  We all go to great lengths as humans to avoid pain or negative repercussions.  Your career is no different. 

Made a mistake due to being naive?  Address the issue directly with the person who was harmed or affected by your malevolence and ask directly how you can make it right.  Then be willing to go the extra mile to repair the damage and acknowledge that it isn't going to be a quick fix.  Feelings take time and continued effort to be repaired when a relationship has been hurt.  Be willing to take action for as long as it takes to show your changed ways.

If harm was done by choice, it may be a different scenario and the harmed individual or company may be less receptive to your well intended efforts.  In this case, the best you can do is commit to make it right should the opportunity arise and change your ways before enemies become common.  There are talent whose name is mentioned along with an eye roll or deep sigh merely because everyone in the industry around them knows what kind of person they are to work with.  Will they not get work?  Not necessarily.  They may still be hired, but only as a last resort and no one will go out of their way to make their day on set any more positive than they absolutely must, which continues the bad wrap. 

Advice isn't always warranted.  It isn't always easy to hear.  And it doesn't always give us confidence and motivation.  What advice DOES, however, is give you room to grow and build a career.  Heed it only from industry professionals and don't miss the opportunity to take action and show commitment to your professionalism and craft!

WHO IS TO BLAME?

The answer is simply "no one".  There is responsibility to be had on all sides!

The second common industry mistake made by talent according to our long term actress friend, Colleen, brings up some good questions!  Have you handed over the authority to move your career forward to the hands of fate?

No, you don't have your own TV network or movie studio. (Arguably, that's a good thing these days.) You cannot just create yourself a lead role or series regular gig with a wave of your hand, and no matter how much better you think life used to be (e.g. under the studio system or some other mythical golden age), you never could.

There is certainly some luck involved in having a long and successful career in the arts. But if you look at most of the people who made it, there's a lot of hustle involved. They didn't have some agent ride in on a winged unicorn, nor did they land ONE magical role that made them.  It took work to get the right pieces in place.  Or they landed several roles after a lot of busting hump.

Control what you can. Pick a month—any month—and get cracking on something. And never stop. Ever.

(For those too young to recognize She-ra, catch up on your vintage cartoons, please.)

As a talent, there are things you cannot control, but focusing on those things will keep you right where you are now.  Move forward -- and grasp the things that you can control.  What are those things?  Well, this blog has already answered that question many times over.  Check out these posts for more ideas and then think outside of the box and create your own.

Innovation and creativity are the things that draw you to being a talent, so tap into them for the longevity and sake of your career!