GARY MASON

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Acting

You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 2: Why do want to be an actor!?

Acting, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 2 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work, and we will be exploring “Why do you want to be an actor?”. Thanks to my friend and actor Michael Kostroff who teaches a video series titled “Audition Psych 101”. If you are working as an actor, I highly recommend this course. I am paraphrasing and plagiarizing his material with his permission in this series, so if any of this resonates with you, head on over and sign up for his course.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

TL; DR

Look, I get it…1500 (ish) words is a lot to read and not everyone has the time, so, I’ll start by giving you the TL; DR version up front.  This week we ask, “Why do you want to be an actor?”, and I can tell you that if your answer is anything except “I LOVE IT!” (Or some variation of that theme). Then you are doing this for the wrong reason.

The reality of acting

Acting is hard work and can be very frustrating.  The reality of being an actor is a lot less glamorous than the idea of being an actor.  The truth is most professional working actors need a “side hustle” or “survival job” in order to pay the bills, eat and have a place to live.  Remember that the vast majority of professional actors are NOT names you have heard of and are unemployed for long stretches of time.

Starving artist

I’m sure you have heard the phrase “starving artist”, right?  There is a reason this phrase exists, and it is because most working actors cannot sustain themselves with acting alone.  It’s true that you can make a decent living as an actor, but certainly not right away…and maybe never.  True, some actors are BIG names and make a TON of money, others are solid workers who support themselves nicely.  It’s like a pyramid (although NOT a pyramid scheme!) where the top of the pyramid if very small, and the bottom is huge.  The VAST majority of working actors are NOT in the top 3rd of that pyramid.

The business

Make no mistake, acting is a business.  At the end of the day, the objective of the industry is to make money…sometimes a lot of money, sometimes a little.  The initial goal of any project, of course is to pay back investors and at least break even.  The acting, and actors, are just a very small part of the business.  It would do well to keep this in mind as you head off on this journey.

How you fit in the business

When I realized how I “fit” into the business of acting, I had a real AHA! Moment.  Here’s what I discovered: It’s not really ABOUT the actors.  Or the story, the Producers, or Directors, or Writers or any other member of the industry.  This business is nearly 100% about…The Consumer.  That’s right, it’s all about the audience!  How do productions make money?  They bring in an audience, and the audience “pays” to see the performance.  That pay can be in the form of a ticket to a movie or play, or by purchasing whatever the production is advertising.

Why do some actors make a ton of money then?

It’s simple, really.  Are you ready for it?  Because they attract an audience!  Whether it’s a movie, a commercial, a podcast or an audiobook…some actors have a following and bring in paying customers.  It’s really just THAT simple.  If you can bring an audience, you are going to get hired.

But what about all the “no name” actors?

First, I HATE the term no name. I have a name.  No one knows it (yet), but I HAVE a name.  I am technically a “named actor”.  But, in the industry I am not considered a named actor because I do not have a following…a group of consumers who are going to watch or listen just because I am a part of the project.  Think about that pyramid again:  Only the top 1/3 of that pyramid are considered “named actors”.  The rest, and very large, portion are not.  But they are talented hard-working folks and without them no production would ever be able to be made. And many of them are making a decent living by acting.

FAME!

While possible, it is highly improbable that you will become an actor with a household name.  So, if you want to be an actor to become famous, and by famous, I mean someone recognizable to a large part of the population, then you are likely to be a very disgruntled actor in pretty short order.  Your odds of becoming famous are so low that it’s no wonder so many actors STOP acting within 5 years of setting out.

FORTUNE!

Again, it is possible to become overwhelmingly, filthy RICH as an actor.  Also again, the probability of that happening is pretty low.  Just google “How many professional actors are there in the United States” and you find there is north of 63,000 of us.  That’s JUST stage and screen actors, BTW.   And of those 63,000 people, can you guess how many are famous?  I had to look it up here.  You don’t have to click the link, I’ll tell you: 56.  Simple math would suggest there is a roughly .01% chance you’ll become famous (and I rounded UP).  If you are not famous, you are not going to be uber wealthy as an actor.

An easy lifestyle

We see those 56 famous actors doing some incredibly cool things.  Living in mansions with servants, sailing in their yachts with a crew, flying private airplanes with professional pilots & crew to exotic vacations all across the globe. This makes the life of an actor look “easy”.  And to be honest, for those 56 people their lives are probably a LOT easier than it is for me or you.  Read it again….01% chance…you are probably not getting rich or famous; nor will lead an easy lifestyle.

Average salary?

I read somewhere that the average salary for an actor is $17.50/hour.  When you consider that there are SOME actors (56 at least) who make thousands of dollars an hour, then you’ll know that on the lower end of the “average” it is much LESS than that $17.50.  I’ve been on productions with NO pay…and for all you math geniuses out there that averages out to ZERO salary. I’ve also been on some that pay $1000 for 4 hours of work.  You just never know, and it depends on the project, but deciding to NOT take a low paying gig is, in essence, deciding to not get paid at all.

For everyone else?

For all but those 56 people (and yeah, I recognize there are levels between famous and noob) life as an actor is not easy.  It is going to mean marketing and selling yourself to find gigs to audition for, then auditioning and maybe getting a role.  You’ll have long days (15-18 hours is not uncommon) and early call times (mostly for screen actors).  You may spend weeks or months studying the script, deciding who the character is and memorizing lines…OR you may have an hour to figure it out and deliver a solid performance.  This is not “easy” work.

One example from last week

Last week I got a call from my agent at 12:20PM (EDT) and was informed I had an in-person audition for a lucrative commercial ($1500/day for 2 days, $11,000 usage with travel, lodging and per diem included).  BAM…I’m about to be discovered and finance the rest of my year.  The audition was in an hour.  On the west coast.  Last minute auditions (and work!) are ALSO common.

Not trying to discourage you

Seriously, not even a LITLLE bit.  I’m just suggesting that if you want to be an actor, do it for the right reasons and you won’t be disappointed.  Keep your expectations low, don’t quit your day job (but do find one that gives you the flexibility to audition and take on roles) and just keep plugging ahead.

So, then, why become an actor?

Honestly, because it is the BEST job on the planet! Acting is the most fun you can have and be getting paid for it!  Some good reasons to become an actor, if you don’t want to be disappointed are:

  1. It’s not really a choice, you just know you HAVE to act.
  2. You are very creative and need an outlet for your creativity
  3. You are doing it for you, not to impress someone else
  4. JUST. LOVE. IT. (HINT: This is the best reason)

At the end of the day…

When all is said and done, acting will be the best job you ever had regardless of the fact that you will probably work only intermittently, get paid very little, need to work another full-time “survival job” and will feel like you are burning the candle at both ends as a result.  If you can put up with all that AND recognize that “You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!” but are still having fun…then acting is the job for you!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss Naysayers!

 If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over But Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

 

 

You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 1: So you want to be an actor!?

Acting, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This week I am going to begin a series of blogs that relate, mostly, to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work.  I am entitling the series: “You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!” thanks to my friend and actor Michael Kostroff who teaches a video series titled “Audition Psych 101”. If you are working as an actor, I highly recommend this course. I am paraphrasing and plagiarizing his material with his permission in this upcoming series, so if any of this resonates with you, head on over and sign up for his course.

Note:

For this series, in order to keep from having to type out “Voice actors, stage actors and screen actors” I will refer to them all as “actors”.  Note that the word actors appears in each one, so it fits. I intend for this series to relate to all of them equally, however, when that is not true, I will be sure to point out the differences.

And this week…

Now to immediately contradict myself, this week we will be focusing primarily on stage and screen actors so if you are ONLY concerned with all things voice over, then you can stop reading now.  The reason for this is that I pretty fully covered getting started in voice over in a series of earlier posts.  If you are interested begin reading that series HERE.  I suggest you keep reading though, since there is considerable overlap between the three and you MAY find something useful.

But before we dig in too much…

Let’s begin by looking at acting in general, and what an actor’s job may look like.  I suspect it is not what you think it is.

So, you want to be an actor!

We watch movies and TV shows, and we see the awards and accolades famous actors get.  We think we would LOVE to live that glamorous Hollywood lifestyle.  You think to yourself: I could do that!  And the simple truth is, you COULD.  But the reality is: You probably WON’T.  Not to be discouraging, but, becoming a well-known famous actor is about as probable as becoming an Olympic athlete, or a Super Bowl winning quarterback, or winning the Power Ball Lottery.  It’s possible, but not probable.

You probably WOULD…

Don’t let that last sentence discourage you.  Just setting reasonable expectations.  For every famous actor you know, there are THOUSANDS…no TENS OF THOUSANDS…no HUNDREDS…well, never mind, there are a LOT of working “unknown” actors who make a good living as actors.  This category, working actor, is the most likely outcome of an acting career.  And that’s not a bad outcome really if you love acting.

But why is it so hard?

Simply put: An acting career is hard.  It’s not just hard work (it is though) but it is also hard psychologically.  Actors live with constant criticism and rejection.  The criticism part is real, so you have to have thick skin, and we will talk a lot more about the rejection…maybe even an entire blog post about it.

It is more than…

Acting is a lot more than memorizing lines, dressing up in costume and showing up on set.  It IS all those things, but it is a lot more than that.  Beyond developing your character, deciding how they relate to the other characters and what their life was before entering the scene it is also a business.  You are the entire corporation (at least to start out…eventually you can hire an agent, manager, publicist etc…) AND you are the product. Actual acting is probably the smallest part of your business…marketing yourself, maintaining relationships and finding the work (submitting and auditioning) is the lions share.

On top of THAT…

For screen actors, the days are long and can be tedious.  Early call times and late wrap times are common. 12, 15, 18+ hour days are the norm…all just to film maybe two scenes of the project.  Stage actors experience long days as well, leading up to the opening.  Weeks and weeks of rehearsals and run throughs before opening night, then a long run of performing the same piece over and over. What you see on screen or on the stage is just the tip of the iceberg!

Process overview

I’m a process-oriented kind of guy.  As long as I can lay things out in small easily manageable steps, I can pretty much deal with anything.  So, just to have a peak behind the Oscars and Academy awards to see how they got there, let’s take a look at the process for a working actor.

Finding roles

You may think that roles actually find you.  In some cases, that’s true for the A-List marquee actors, but for anyone else waiting for a role to find you will have you living on the streets and eating out of dumpsters.  You have to find the roles.  If you have an agent and manager, they are also looking for roles that you would be a good fit for and that helps, but primarily you have to find them yourself. You can do that with online marketplaces, and you can find them by researching upcoming productions and pitching yourself to the production team.  Either way, you have to find them, they won’t find you.

Submitting

Once you find an appropriate role, you submit for it or pitch yourself.  This is where you send your head shots, resume and demo reels to production in hopes that they feel you are a good fit as well. MOST of the time, you hear nothing in response to your submission.

Auditioning

In the event production thinks you may be a good fit; they’ll ask you to audition.  Some want you to come to their office and audition in person, but these days the most likely scenario is a self-tape audition.  For this you need a setup to film yourself (and I will talk about what that looks like in another blog) performing a scene they choose from the project.  MOST of the time, you hear nothing in response to your audition.

Call Backs

If they like what you did in your audition, they may “call you back” for a second audition to see if you have chemistry with your scene partner or to give you some notes to make changes to the way you played it for the audition.  MOST of the time, you hear nothing in response to call backs. (I’m sensing a trend here).

Booking

If you SHOULD hear back from the submission, audition, AND call back…you’ve probably booked the job.  Probably…but not always.  Sometimes production teams are kind enough to get back with you to let you know they liked your work but decided to go in a different direction.  Sometimes.  Not very often.

Work

OK, so you made it through all the wickets and booked the job!  YEA! Now the work starts! But wait…all that other stuff was a lot of work too!  Yes, yes, it was.  But you are just getting started.  Now you need to fully develop your character, memorize your lines, (in this age of COVID) get COVID tested, head to wardrobe for fittings and costume and ultimately show up on set on the right day and at the correct time.  Your day will consist of wardrobe (getting into costume), hair and makeup, a blocking rehearsal (or 3 or 4) and then…an hour or two waiting till they get lights and cameras positioned and ready for you.

Filming

You’ll film your scene, then wait for repositioning and film the scene again…this will repeat until the director and director of photography have all the angles and closeups they need to take into postproduction.  Typically, this means filming the same scene 6-8 (or more) times, with the 1-2 hour wait in between for repositioning the camera and checking the lighting.  You may film 2-3 scenes in a day, so you can see how this can make for very long days.  On the plus side there is craft services for snacking while you are waiting.

Did this scare you off?

I hope not.  Acting is a fun and rewarding profession.  You get to meet a lot of really great creative people and collaborate to make awesome content!  But, it’s not all glitz and glamour; a lot of hard work goes into these projects AND a lot of hard work goes into finding and getting cast in them.  If you consider the numbers alone between submissions, auditions and call backs you can understand why: You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss WHY you want to be an actor!

 If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over But Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

HUSTLE

Acting, Encouragement, Marketing, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  In keeping with a similar theme to last week’s post about agents and managers, this week I want to talk about marketing yourself, or what I like to call “hustle”.

So, there I was…

I had a boss while I was working for the Navy as a civilian, who was a Navy Captain; during all-hands presentations he would illustrate whatever point he was trying to make by giving us an example from his career, and it always started with: “So there I was…”.  As soon as he said that you knew there was a “Sea Story” coming up that would be both entertaining and have a lesson included.  Well, I don’t know how entertaining this will be (I mean, hey, I’m only 100 words into writing this!) but I feel certain there will be a lesson here.

Marketing

It’s everyone’s (well, almost everyone’s) favorite topic to hate.  Did you watch Mad Men?  I did.  Now THAT was entertaining!  A bunch of lecherous, drunken guys working hard to manipulate people into buying the products they were pushing.  It was fun to watch, but made marketing and advertising seem sleazy and a little dirty.  Entertaining, maybe, but really not what marketing is about.  The dirty truth here, though, is that if no one knows you exist and are awesome, no one is going to hire you.

Why market?

First, as an actor or VO Artist, unless you are a hobbyist, you are trying to run a business. True, a very small one-man freelance business, but a business, nonetheless.  And here’s the thing: You are both the CEO of the company AND the product the company “sells”.  And believe me when I tell you, you are trying to sell a product.  So you set up shop, buy all the best equipment, get the training you need and buyers just roll right in, right?  RIGHT!? No.  As you sit there in your newly furnished office somewhere in the heartland of America (or wherever you live) …no one is waiting to beat down your door to hire you. You have to let them know about you, and that’s what marketing is.

Hustle

So, there I was…sitting around waiting for my agent to make me famous.  HA! I use the word hustle here because that is exactly what you are going to have to do in order to successfully market yourself.  You see, as a VO artist or actor, you are your own one-man marketing department (along with CEO, HR, Accounting, procurement, production…and the list goes on). If you want to succeed, you are going to have to HUSTLE..even when it seems nothing is happening…hustle.  Just keep hustling.

Your agent/manager

Agents and managers are (or can be) important parts of your team to help build your business and move your career along, but they are not going to do it for you.  NO ONE is going to promote you the way that you will.  NO ONE cares as much about your success as you do.  If you want to be successful as a VO artist or actor, YOU have to be the one to market yourself.

Of course…

Marketing alone isn’t going to bring in a ton of work, at least not in the long term.  You have to have a valuable product to sell.  I’ve talked about it before (HERE and HERE for example); in order to be successful you will need the training and coaching to make your “product” desirable and competitive in the marketplace.

BUT..

There are examples of successful marketing for products that had little or no real value.  Ever heard of Pet Rocks?  No?  Well, back in 1975 someone (That someone was named Gary Dahl, and you’ve probably never heard of him either) got the bright idea to package rocks and market them as pets.  That’s right: ROCKS.  Like the ones you find in your yard.  They sold like crazy.  For about 6 months.  And that was it.  I mean, it was a regular rock (well, Mexican Beach Stones to be exact) in a box.  Rocks.  Anyway, the marketing worked well and Gary became a millionaire and a bit of a short lived celebrity, but without a valuable product (really, ROCKS) to sell, it was unsustainable. But marketing works.

Also…

Just to follow up, Gary later went on to have a successful advertising agency and wrote “Advertising for Dummies”. Not ironic I suppose.

What IS marketing?

Dictionary.com defines marketing as:

Noun

        1. the act of buying or selling in a market.
        2. the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

So marketing, truly, is pretty much your entire business. Now, what we are primarily talking about today is the “advertising” part of marketing.  Just remember that everything you do in your business is marketing.  You can’t just be good at attracting customers, you have to be able to keep them AND keep them coming back for more.  See the pet rock example above.

And now you know…

As you can see by the pet rock example, marketing works. Certainly, there is more to success than marketing, but even if you have the best product on the planet that everyone needs, if they don’t know about it they are not going to buy it. I could probably find numerous examples of products that are useful, valuable and would be great to have that no one has ever heard of.  You don’t want to be them.

OK, so it works, but…

Great, so now you believe that marketing works and is essential to your business if you want to sell your “product” (which, remember is YOU), but how do you market yourself?  Well, first it’s probably good to know the steps to a successful marketing campaign.

9 Steps

  1. Set Goals: These are your goals; they are not chiseled in stone but give you a target to shoot for.
  2. Marketing Audit: What marketing HAVE you already done? What worked, what didn’t.
  3. Market Research: Get a realistic picture of what the market (and your niche in it) really is.
  4. Analysis: Using the results of the market research, determine who your customers and competitors are. What do you bring that your potential customers need and your competitors don’t provide…or don’t provide as well as or in the same way you do.
  5. Pick a target audience: Who are you trying to sell TO?  Yeah, you’ll sell to whoever wants to buy, but what group are you especially good for, who are you “targeting”?
  6. Set your budget: Know how much you want to and can afford to spend.  This might be a lot if you are hiring a marketing firm, or not much for paying for a CRM or other software to help you along the way.
  7. Pick a strategy: Define what steps you will take to create special value to your target customers? What execution steps are you going to take to reach your target audience?
  8. Set an implementation schedule: When are you going to work on marketing? Whatever strategy you choose, you have to implement it, and that means setting aside time to do that.
  9. Evaluate and adjust: Every so often, and a set time schedule (every three months? Six months?) review your marketing efforts and adjust for what is working well and what isn’t.

Easy, right?

Well, no…but it is pretty simple.  It can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. It’s your plan and your goals but be realistic (based on market research) and keep moving forward…that’s the important part.

Marketing materials

Some basic marketing materials you’ll need to create or acquire to successfully market yourself are Head Shots and DEMO reels.  You will need those at a MINIMUM to start putting yourself out there.  Other items that could be useful are Business Cards, One-Sheets and post cards.  Additionally, helpful items are a regular BLOG and a recurring newsletter.  The main idea here is to get your face/name/voice in front of as many potential customers as possible, and then keep showing up for them.  You want to be top of mind when they are looking for watever you are offering.

Here’s what I do…

I spend no more than 3 hours a week on marketing, but I do it every day/week for some amount of time.  My target audience is Production companies, producers, directors and casting directors.

Execution

Each week, I search for and compile a list of those people along with their contact info.  Then each morning I send 5 cold emails to them introducing myself providing a sample of my marketing materials.  I let them know what makes me…me…and what I can do to solve their problem (of casting appropriate talent) and how I am different from everyone else who is contacting them.  Then each day I send 5 follow up emails to keep my name/face top of mind.  I schedule intro meetings with anyone who shows interest.  Finally, I send a monthly newsletter update to everyone I have reached out to in order to let them know what interesting stuff I am working on.  I’ve managed to build a healthy list of people I communicate with regularly.  Oh, and I write this blog each week on Monday morning, edit it Tuesday and send it to my subscribers Wednesday.

At the end of the day

Obviously, there are more details than I can cover here in a 1500-ish word post, but this should give you a rough idea of how to get yourself in front of potential clients and keep yourself there.  No matter what you decide, you are GOING to have to market yourself if you are going to be successful.  So, learn more about how to market yourself and don’t forget to HUSTLE!  You got this!

P.S. 

If you want to learn more about marketing as a VO artist, check out Marc Scott or Joshua Alexander.  If you’d like to know more about marketing yourself as an actor, check out Actor’s Fast Track.

Looking for a new non-fiction read?  Look no further!  There is only FIVE days left to check out the July Non-Fiction Book Giveaway!

 If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over, But Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

Agents and Managers and YOU…Oh my!

Acting, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  Do you need an agent?  A manager?  Both?  What do they do? If these are questions you ask yourself, you’re in the right place!  If you have either or both and you feel like you can now relax…you’re ALSO in the right place!  This week we talk about: Agents, managers and YOU…OH MY!

Do you really NEED one?

Let’s begin with this: No.  You don’t really NEED either an agent or manager to be a successful, working actor/VO artist.  You can definitely find plenty of work yourself. So why do we seek out and sign with agents and managers?  There are both good and bad reasons, but first…

What is the difference between and agent and a manager?

Honestly, they are similar.  Both will (or should) be promoting you to Casting Directors, producers, directors – the ones who actually HIRE you.  More on this later, but they are similar…just not the same.  Both may find you work, and both may give you career advice, but the main difference between them is “focus” …what they are most concerned with in your career. An agent is focused on finding you work now, and a manager is more concerned with the overall trajectory of your career.

Money is what makes them similar

The reason for this overlap is simple: They both get paid when you get paid.  If you don’t book work, they don’t get paid. Simple.  They both want you to book work!  This similarity can lead to confusion about what their role is in your career and whether or not you need one, the other or both.  I can answer the question very simply here and you’ll (hopefully) understand why in a few minutes.  The answer is: You don’t NEED either, but it is a good idea to have both.  Simple, right!?

Managers

As I mentioned earlier, the main difference between these two is “focus” .  A manager is focused on your career trajectory, and while they also get paid for work you’ve booked, their efforts are designed to KEEP you booking work over time as opposed to booking work TODAY.  Yeah, they want you to book today too…but they want you to have a thriving long term career even more.  Along with helping you find work, managers will advise you on things like head shots, demo reels, training, and sometimes even personal decisions such as where to live and whether or not talk to the press etc.

Agents

An agent is primarily concerned with right now.  Their role is to find you work TODAY.  They care about your overall career, of course, but they are mostly focused on getting you in front of, and hired by, productions going on right now.  They will also sometimes give you career advice as well…as a side gig to submitting you for projects.

It’s blurry…

The lines between the two are blurry, for sure, but they are defined…if not well.  There are a few important details, though, that set them apart from one another: Contracts. licensing, commission, and location.

Contracts

Generally speaking an agent is empowered to negotiate contracts on your behalf.  Certainly, they won’t do this without your input, but they can negotiate with the production for work dates, salary and all the other details.  A manager cannot negotiate FOR you, but will likely be involved in an advisory capacity whether you are negotiating for yourself or through an agent.

Licensing

By law, an agent must be licensed.  Well, not always (it varies by state), but in the markets you are most interested in, they must.  In general, your agent will be licensed. They may also be franchised (vetted) by the union (SAG-AFTRA), which lends them a bit more…legitimacy. Managers, on the other hand, do not have any licensing requirements (beyond state business licensing requirements) and the Union does not franchise them.  That’s not to say managers are any less professional or helpful, just that the government does not regulate them the same way they do agents.  So, in the case of managers it is even more “buyer beware”.  We’ve all heard horror stories of managers taking advantage of talents and ripping them off…so don’t be that person.

Commission: Agents

Licensed agents typically don’t take more than a 10% commission from their talent.  Now I know there are agents out there, in states that do not require licensing, who take more…just know 10% is the standard.  For Union franchised agents 10% is the limit for union talent, levied by SAG-AFTRA.  For non-union talent, it is a little like the wild west…just be sure to read your contract. An agent should only be entitled to a commission on jobs THEY submitted you for and that you booked.

Commission: Managers

Managers are pretty much unregulated, so they will negotiate a commission with you.  Some managers take only 10% but some take 15%-20% (or even more if the talent is not good at negotiating or just doesn’t know).  One huge difference is: While agents take a commission on jobs you’ve booked from them submitting you, managers take a commission on EVERYTHING you book.  So, keep that in mind.

Location

No, not geographic location…office location.  Agents are required to have an office, but managers can work from anywhere!  Now, that doesn’t mean your agent needs to rent a floor in a big office building, they can certainly have an office in their home, it just can’t be at their dining room table.  I won’t go into details, just know that if your agent is working out of their dining room…they are probably not licensed, and you will want to be careful.  Managers, however, have no restrictions whatsoever.

That’s about it…

That pretty much sums up the difference between an agent and a manager…and may help you understand which one (if not both) you want.  But you don’t actually NEED either to be successful…however…there are some good things they bring to the table.

Connections

Especially when you are starting out or are relatively new to the industry, it’s likely you don’t have a lot of industry connections and as I may have mentioned a few times, the foundation of the industry is relationships.   One of the biggest things agents and managers bring to the table is their industry relationships.  For rookie talent, they can open doors you can’t even find…let alone open.

But there is a catch

Did you catch the fact that both agents and managers get paid based on the work you do?  If not, go back and read that again.  So, what motivates these people to even sign you for representation, you ask?  Evidence that you can book work of course!  It’s a bit of the old “Which came first, the chicken or the egg” conundrum.  You have to have booked a body of work to show you are bookable before they will even consider representing you. Which brings me to…

YOU

In order to be attractive to a potential agent or manager, you’re going to have to be able to show that people will be interested in hiring you; in other words, you can act.  So, how do you do that?  Well, you do what you will eventually be paying them to do: market yourself!  Without going into a lot of detail re: HOW to market yourself (WAY too much for this blog!) know that you need to be submitting and auditioning for work…and hopefully getting booked as well.  Build a portfolio of work that you can show to entice them to work with you.

And then you can relax, right?

Once you a repped by an agent or manager, you can just relax, right? RIGHT!?  HINT: NOPE.  Sure, they are going to be finding and submitting you for work, but if you want to be successful you are still going to have to hustle for yourself. Just being represented doesn’t mean the work is going to be pouring in.  Sure, some of the opportunities they bring you are going to be ones you couldn’t have found yourself, but having representation doesn’t automatically guarantee access to Martin Scorsese.  No one is going to promote you as well or as often as you promote yourself…well, unless you are one of the “Marquis Actors” already…in which case I am flattered you are reading this!

So why even get a rep?

Honestly, that’s a very personal decision.  You’ll have to weigh the caliber of work you are getting and the amount of time you spend getting it in order to decide.  Just know that agents and managers have access to some folks it would take you decades to gain access to on your own.  Which means they have access to the roles in the bigger projects that you want to be seen for too.

At the end of the day…

When all is said and done, you are responsible for your own career.  Agents and managers are certainly a beneficial part of your team, but YOU are ultimately responsible for your success.  You should be willing to work together with your rep to move your career along. Note I said you are a TEAM…so go ahead, sign with an agent or manager, it will multiply your opportunities, but don’t sit back and relax!  Go out, find work, and BOOK IT!

Looking for a new non-fiction read?  Look no further!  Check out the July Non-Fiction Book Giveaway!

 If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

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There is a role for everyone

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  Think you’re too old, too young, too fat, too skinny, too SOMEthing to become a successful actor?  Think again!  There’s a role for everyone!

And let’s be clear

Voice acting IS acting, regardless of how some people may think.  I hate it when someone says something like: “Oh, they’re just a voice actor, they are not a real actor”.  HOGWASH!  True, stage and screen acting are not exactly like voice acting, they encompass movement and form that people can see.  Voice acting relies on those movements and forms to affect your voice and how you sound.  So, this discussion is about acting, and as such it INCLUDES voice actors.

Can anyone act?

Sure…of course!  Honestly LIFE is acting if you think about it, and acting is about portraying life, so it makes sense.  Do you behave differently at work than you do at home? With your kids? With you friends?  Of course, we all (or nearly all) do.  So yes, anyone can be an actor…because we all already are.

Can everyone be a good actor?

DUH…no!  But everyone can become a good (if not great) actor with patience and a LOT of practice.  Learning the mechanics of acting is fairly easy and straightforward.  There are a lot of drama and acting schools scattered across the country, and there is surely one near wherever you live.  You no longer have to live in NYC or LA to find a good acting school.  Acting is a skill that can be developed and improved over time.

Do I need to be a good actor to find work as an actor?

The short answer is no.  As a matter of fact, most actors start out their careers as mediocre actors at best.  Now, the odds of being able to support yourself as an actor at first are slim.  Ever heard the term “starving artist”?  It’s a real thing, and what drives some actors to quit.  But you can work, and earn some money, early in your career.  I watched a documentary not long ago where they interviewed John Voight (You’ve heard of him, right?) where he talked about one of his first roles and how badly he performed.  But he kept learning, and practicing and now he’s…well, he’s John Voight!

The truth is…

The real truth of acting, though, is this:  You have never heard of most professional actors who ARE supporting themselves with acting.  The VAST majority of actors are NOT famous.  Take a close look at your favorite movies or TV shows or cartoons.  How many of the actors can you name…maybe 2-3, right?  Now go back and look at how MANY actors there actually are (and remember every person you see or hear is an actor…they really don’t just record random people…ever).

But I’m too…

You have to fill in the blank for you, but here are some I’ve heard: I’m too fat. I’m too skinny.  I’m too old.  I’m too tall.  My voice is too high.  My voice is too unusual.  Balderdash!  None of these are true, and even if they are they will not keep you from becoming an actor, or a SUCCESFUL actor.  Ever heard Gilbert Godfrey speak?  His voice is too something for sure, yet he not only was a successful actor and comedian, he also voiced numerous roles for TV and movies.

Watch and listen with a different perspective

Next time you are watching a movie or show, pay attention to what characters are being portrayed.  Pay particular attention to the non-main characters.  Are they all thin and attractive? OK, so everyone is attractive to some degree and definitely to someone…but you know what I mean.  The answer is no…the characters are portraying “real” people (even when they are fictional).  You see people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicity, and gender.  You hear people with voices that include every pitch, octave, and accent (and yeah, everyone has an accent…but you only notice when it’s different than yours).

Odds are

If you watch/listen from this perspective, odds are you are going to find actors that have the same “I’m too” that you do. If they can do it, why can’t you? Too short?  Check out Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame.  Too fat?  Check out Kevin James.  Too old?  Have you heard of Betty White? I could keep going.  Productions portray the reality of the world around us (for the most part), even while they show us fictional worlds and situations.

Suspension of disbelief

Here’s the trick:  In order to enjoy a movie, podcast, audiobook, or TV show it is required that the viewer or listener suspend their disbelief.  In order to accomplish that, everything surrounding the fantastic fictional elements has to appear or sound like reality.  If not, it pulls you out of the entertainment and causes you to stop the suspension of disbelief.  So, if you are a real person, you are already represented in the things you watch and listen to…you might as be the one representing you!

So how do you get started?

Your first step is to find classes either near you or available virtually.  Personally, I prefer the in-person classes now that we are able to have them because it gives you the chance to interact with other actors in class in the same physical space.  I think it is better, but you may think otherwise…you gotta do you.  A good acting or voice over teacher/coach will start by having you perform something and will assess where you are and what help you need.  And we ALL need help, but that’s another topic for another time.

Get an agent

Family Feud – ABC television

NOPE!  Wrong! BIG RED X (ala Family Feud).  You actually don’t even need and agent to be successful, but certainly not at the start.  The next thing to do is to ACT in something.  Find a local community theater group (they usually struggle to find actors, so it is “easier” to get cast in them) if you are interested in stage.  Or look for independent or student films looking to cast in your area and submit for roles.  Get on ACX and audition for small books to get your feet wet. And then DO it…if nothing else you’ll learn whether or not you even like acting!

It’s not how you think it is

The truth is, while anyone CAN be an actor, not everyone should.  And I’m not talking about talent here.  The truth of being an actor is a lot less glamorous than it seem from the outside.  Acting means long days and a LOT of work.  Voice acting means closing yourself up in your closet sized booth for hours on end and talking to yourself – then learning audio engineering so you can produce it yourself.  It’s not glamorous, but for me (and most of the people I talk to who do this for a living) it is FUN.  If you aren’t having fun, you should not be an actor.

Here’s an example

I was actually on a film set a couple hours from home yesterday. Here’s how it went.  Call time was 12:30 PM, I showed up at 12:15 because, well…Navy.  Checked in with the producer, then headed to wardrobe to get my costume.  After dressing out, off to hair and makeup (HMU) to take care of my wholly uncooperative hair and cover up the three blemishes from where I cut myself shaving (Why does that always happen when I am headed to set?).  Once finished with HMU, headed over to the holding area to meet and chat with the other actors I’d be working with that day.  An hour later (still chatting) lunch was delivered, and we all ate.  THREE AND A HALF HOURS after that, we moved to a remote location to shoot “my” scene.  That took about an hour and a half.  Then we wrapped, changed, said goodbye and headed home. Total elapsed time: seven hours. Total work time one and a half hours.

And…

First, I’m not complaining, just being real. I am an extrovert, so I truly enjoyed meeting and talking to a bunch of new people for roughly 6 hours.  But here’s the other part:  It was HOT, and I was in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.  I was semi-uncomfortable, but I had a GREAT time anyway.  Plus, the piece was set in the 1930’s so there were some AWESOME vehicles to check out, and I actually got to ride in one…so yeah, a long day for a little work but a great day nonetheless.

Anyway…

My point here is this:  In my mind, if you want to be a professional actor, the ONLY thing that should keep you from pursuing it is the fact that it is not enjoyable…for you…personally.  Let go of all the negative self-image stuff that might be holding you back and go for it.  Remember: There is a role for everyone.

Looking for a new non-fiction read?  Look no further!  Check out the July Non-Fiction Book Giveaway!

 If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

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REJECTION!

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  Rejection.  It’s the word (and thing) people fear. Maybe it’s the word we fear the MOST…but I’m not sure, so will just stick with fear.

REJECTION

I actually hate this word.  Especially as a performer…it’s just too negative, and to be honest I don’t believe that rejection is actually what’s happening in the industry.  Of course, rejection is a verb based on the definition of the word reject, so let’s see what the definition of reject is:

REJECT:

verb (used with object)

  1. to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc.: to reject the offer of a better job.
  2. to refuse to grant (a request, demand, etc.).
  3. to refuse to accept (someone or something); rebuff: The other children rejected him. The publisher rejected the author’s latest novel.
  4. to discard as useless or unsatisfactory: The mind rejects painful memories.
  5. to cast out or eject; vomit.

Pretty harsh.  And most of us see what happens when we don’t get a role we auditioned for as items 4 and 5 above.  It’s no wonder people fear rejection!  Useless or unsatisfactory!? Vomited!?  No one wants THAT!

Not just about performers, really…

While I am focusing on rejection as a part of the voice over and acting worlds, feelings of rejection are REAL and can happen in many areas of our life; it has some pretty negative side effects.  Feelings of rejection are painful and, in some cases, affect not only your mental well-being, but also your physical.  What follows is a discussion of how to handle what performers call rejection, but if you are feeling rejected outside of what follows as a performer, then I urge you to seek competent medical help.

Negative impacts…

Rejection makes people feel as if they are not wanted, valued, or accepted.  Everyone will experience rejection at some times in their life. These rejections are usually short lived, and we recover from them quickly. Ongoing rejection, however, can have severe psychological effects.

Some effects of ongoing rejection

If you are a performer, then you may be familiar with ongoing rejection.  We know intellectually that we are only going to book between 2-5% of the roles we submit/audition for, but emotionally it still stings when we are not cast.  Ongoing feelings of rejection can lead to:

  • Trauma
  • Depression
  • Pain
  • Anxiety

Not only that…

But ongoing feelings of rejection can cause anger and aggression and we often blame ourselves which destroys confidence and self-esteem.  NOTE: confidence and self-esteem are crucial for performers.

Fear

Being rejected over and over again makes us fearful to try again.  We turn inward and assume we got rejected because of some flaw in ourselves, which of course is impossible to identify because we rarely receive feedback (if at all) on our submissions/auditions.  This fear makes it difficult to submit or audition again, because certainly those flaws still exist since they are unidentified and uncorrected.

To reiterate:

What I am talking about here is the rejection a performer feels when they are not selected for a role.  The ideas I am presenting below are not intended as any type of treatment: I am not a therapist or even a doctor (although I could play one on TV).  What I am presenting below is a suggestion of a different way to look at the rejection performers feel when they are not cast.  Specifically, and only this.  If you are suffering the effects of long term, ongoing rejection, please seek medical help!

Selection versus rejection…

It may be subtle, but there is a difference between being rejected and not being selected.  If we look at the casting process as a process of selection, and not one of rejecting all but the best submission, we may avoid some of the negative consequences.  There are so many variables in the casting process that have nothing to do with you or your performance.  We have no way of knowing WHY we were not selected, so there is no real reason to immediately assume it was some flaw in what you presented.

Getting the role is rare!

Not JUST for you, for EVERYone!  Looking at it just by the numbers alone, you can see why my friend Michael Kostroff teaches actors that “You’re not getting the f*&%#ing job!”  in his AuditionPsych 101 class.  For a given role, depending on some variables, you can assume at least 100 people are submitting.  Out of those hundred maybe 20-40 will be asked to audition and then only 3-5 get forwarded to production for casting.  Of course, only ONE will be selected.  If you’re a bookie, you can easily see your odds of “winning” the role are slim.

Process…

We need to change our focus in the casting process.  We are not trying to get a job.  As Bryan Cranston (Walter White in Breaking Bad) says:

(From his book A Life in Parts)

“Early in my career, I was always hustling. Doing commercials, guest-starring, auditioning like crazy. I was making a decent living…but I felt I was stuck in junior varsity. I wondered if I had plateaued. Then, Breck Costin [his mentor] suggested I focus on process rather than outcome.

I wasn’t going to the audition to get anything: a job or money or validation. I wasn’t going to compete.

I was going to give something.

I wasn’t there to get a job. I was there to do a job. I was there to give a performance. If I attached to the outcome, I was setting myself up to expect, and thus to fail. My job was to be compelling. Take some chances. Enjoy the process.

Once I made the switch, I had power in any room I walked into, which meant I could relax. I was free.”

The menu…

I prefer to look at submissions/auditions as menu items and samples.  When you go to your favorite restaurant, do they have more than one thing on the menu?  When you select chicken instead of beef or pork does that mean you discard as useless or unsatisfactory – or even think of vomiting – beef and pork?  Maybe, but not typically. It simply means chicken fit what you were looking for at this meal. We need to see ourselves, and our performance, as just another item on the menu.

Samples

Sometimes, we aren’t sure which meal is the right one, so we ask for a sample.  We see these many times at the mall food court, or when wandering around BJ’s or Costco on a Saturday morning.  Your audition is the sample to help them choose.  Being asked to submit an audition is ALREADY a win, because they think you may be right for the role but need a sample to make a final decision.

A new perspective

Since we know the odds of getting cast are low no matter how talented we are and recognize that our submissions and auditions are there to give the casting team choices, then we can start to look at the process differently. When we are not cast, we are not being rejected; instead, someone else just got selected (and sometimes we get selected too…don’t forget!).

What can you GIVE…

If you focus on what you can give during the audition instead of focusing on the outcome, you are free to be as creative as you are capable of.  You are not going into an audition to GET a job, you are going in to GIVE a performance.  It may be (is likely to be!) the only chance you have to play this role, and if you do not attach the result (getting cast) to your performance, then you are free to give your best and then walk away.

Irony…

The irony here is this:  If you understand your job (presenting a menu item), the odds for ANY actor to get cast in a particular role (they’re low no matter how talented you are) and you don’t attach your audition to the outcome (getting cast) …you can relax and just have fun in the audition.  You can be bold, give them your best interpretation of the character and then just be glad you had the chance to provide a sample of your menu item.  This outlook removes all the stress and dramatically improves your confidence.  Believe it or not, those two things actually make you MORE likely to book the job!

Face it…

No matter what you do, chances are “You’re not getting the f&%$#ing job” anyway (just by the numbers!), so why carry around all the baggage of feeling rejected?  REJECTION:  It’s not really a part of this industry even though sometimes it can feel that way!  Relax, have fun…and eventually YOU’LL be selected!

Looking for a new non-fiction read?  Look no further!  Check out the July Non-Fiction Book Giveaway!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

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