GARY MASON

443.624.3014

gary@gary-mason.com

Voice Over

Financial Advice for Actors

Acting, Encouragement, Finances, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This week I’d like to spend some time talking about Money Management.

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.

If you are independently wealthy…

Or, if you are married to someone who is…stop reading now and wait for next week’s post.  What we are about to talk about are ways to manage the scarce finances you have so that you can continue to:

  • Pursue your acting career
  • Avoid living out of your car
  • Eat regularly
  • Stay married (if you are)
  • Avoid bankruptcy

Actor Finances

It’s a touchy subject and nobody really likes to talk about money.  Well, they love to talk about what they’d do if they HAD money, but not how much they actually have. What this post aims to do is give you some common sense (which seems to be not so common actually) ways to manage what finances you have to counteract the hit-or-miss nature of this career and avoid the four decades break I took to have a 9-5 job before getting back into acting.

Seriously

All kidding aside, this industry can be brutal on your financial health and that leads to stress, which affects your performance and can reduce the number of paid gigs you actually book.  It’s like a self-licking lollipop, or a self-fulfilling prophecy or whatever euphemism you enjoy describing how much it can suck to not know where (or when) your next paycheck is coming. There ARE some steps you can take to reduce stress and help you continue to live through the lean times.

Survival job

I’ve talked about this (several times really) before, but nearly everyone, especially early in your career (like the first 10-15 years) is going to need some sort of survival job. If at all possible, stay away from corporate jobs especially ones that require a lot of travel.  Also, the military is probably not a good survival job (take it from me).  It needs to be something fairly flexible for the times you book work, or something that you can quit when you do and fairly quickly find another when you are between gigs.  Servers in a restaurant is popular, and (assuming you have a reliable vehicle) I like to recommend something like Lyft, Uber, DoorDash or Grubhub where you only work when you want to and don’t get demerits for missing several days. In any case, you definitely need some sort of regular, fairly reliable income.

Budgets

Yeah, I know, it sounds like a dirty word.  In actuality a budget is a necessary tool for everyone, but ESPECIALLY for actors who sometimes have periods of “unemployment”.  It’s a tool…but it’s NOT a tool for bludgeoning your spouse or SO with when they buy an unplanned happy meal.  It’s a tool to use to plan your spending in such a way that you can make sure all your bills are paid and you are setting aside some funds for the lean times.

It’s only as restrictive as YOU want

Your budget is…well…yours.  It’s not a restrictive tool, or at least it is only as restrictive as YOU want it to be.  This is all about helping you achieve your goals.  The assumption with your budget is that the goal you are reaching for is more important than whatever unplanned extravagance you are considering. A budget first helps you identify your “means” and then helps you live within them…or identify the fact you need to do something to increase those means.

But…how do you establish a budget?

Budgeting is a lot easier than most people think.  Honestly, it is ALL about balancing expenses with income.  The two primary steps to establishing a budget are to identify what your regular income is (you can average it by month if it is not consistent) and what your regular expenses are.  The first part is easy: Go back over the last 12 months and add up all your income, then divide by 12.  That should tell you your average monthly income.  Budget to that amount.

Determine average expenses

For three months, track everything you spend money on.  Yeah, I know that’s a pain, and you likely won’t capture 100%, but go for at least 99%.  Start with “The 4 Walls”: Housing, Utilities, Food and Transportation.  These are the bare minimum you’ll need to fund.  Then figure out how much your Starbucks, fast food and other incidental expenses are. Add them all up, average them (divide by three since you are tracking them for three months) and those are your expenses.  This step will also help you identify where financial “leaks” are.  Financial leaks are where you are spending more than you believe you are, you may be surprised.

Plug the leaks!

You may find that you are spending way more buying lunch every day, or on your daily coffee shop run or SOMEthing, than you think you are.  Then you just have to decide (for yourself) whether to continue those habits or stop them.  My guess is there are a number of things you are doing that could be curtailed and would help bring your expenses more in line with your income.  However you do it, it is imperative that your expenses come in lower than your income.  Either stop spending on some things or figure out how to bring in extra income.

Make sure…

When establishing your budget don’t forget to include funds for ongoing training/coaching and those items that only happen a couple times a year like car insurance and Christmas.  If you budget a small amount each month for those things, then don’t spend it on something else, you’ll have the money for them when they happen and won’t be stressed about them then either.

A quick word about Debt

Debt is the death of healthy finances, especially when your income is a bit sporadic like an actor’s.  I’m not going to berate you, but keep in mind that debt means you are dedicating money to someone that you have not yet earned, and you are paying to use your “future” money.  There is a reason a bank’s headquarters are a lot bigger than the average person’s house.  Other than a mortgage (if you have one) do everything you can to avoid debt.  If you have credit cards, spend only as much on them as you can pay off every month.  Get a copy of Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and follow it for a method to get out of debt and stay that way.

SAVE!

Once you have identified all of your income/expenses and have yourself living within your means, start putting aside 10% (minimum) or 15% toward an emergency fund (3-6 months of expenses set aside for those lean times).  And there WILL be lean times, but if you know your expenses can be covered your stress level will go WAY down. When your emergency fund is fully funded, take that same 10-15% and save it for retirement, or your kids college.  Saving is really the only way to BUILD wealth.

The message here is:

Take control of your finances and KEEP control of them.  It is PARTICULARLY important for actors whose income is not set and who will likely have periods of (acting) unemployment to manage their money properly.  But even when you book that dream gig and get paid big bucks don’t go wild and buy that yacht you are drooling over. Appearances to the contrary, there are number of celebrities who seem uber-wealthy but are actually broke.

Testimonial

Not bragging, but to give you an example, here is my financial story – take from it what you will.  My late wife and I earned in excess of $200,000.00 a year between us.  We were living paycheck-to-paycheck and had (besides our home) $75,000.00 in consumer debt. We decided to take control, followed Dave Ramsey’s advice and in 18 months we were debt free other than our mortgage.  Two years later we had more than $100,000.00 in savings and a fully funded emergency fund.  It’s a good thing too, because when she passed (with no life insurance) I would not have been able to keep up (and would have had to finance her funeral!); I would have had to declare bankruptcy.

Your situation is different

Everyone’s is.  We thought we were in a really good place financially, but we were one tragedy away from financial devastation.  Today I have a reasonably high net worth and can pursue my acting career without having to worry about paying the bills.  I believe that is at least partially responsible for whatever success I’ve experienced because I can just ACT in an audition and not worry about “getting a job”.  No matter where you are today financially, you can take control of your finances, change your financial position AND pursue your acting career without the stress of needing to book a gig.  You might be surprised how many more jobs you book after that!

NOTE: I am happy to help with setting up your budget or discussing ways to get control of your finances.  Feel free to reach out with any questions: gary@gary-mason.com.

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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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 11: And still…You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 11, the final post in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work; And still…You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!

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.

Yeah, I know…

I missed a week. If you care about that, sorry!  Between a sick grandchild, problems with the new RV and a bad back…I just couldn’t make it all work.  Back at it this week though, so read on!

So here we are..

At the end of the series!  My old boss, Rear Admiral (RET) Larry Creevy, after every “ALL HANDS” meeting would tell a Sea Story.  You always knew he was getting ready to tell a Sea Story because he would say: “So there we were…”.  Stories ranged from how he dropped anchor at 15 knots while headed directly for the pier in South America to turn the 17,000-ton ship and come to rest safely at his berth, or how he bought a million pallets of bottled water to fill his freshwater tanks so the crew could take a shower.  Almost all were tall tales that had some grain of truth to them. All were at least somewhat humorous.  I kind of miss that guy!

What follows

What follows here is not a Sea Story…but I thought what he did was fun, and I wanted to give him a shout out.  But still…Here we are.  At the end of a fairly long series of writings about acting and how difficult it is to book work.  I’d like to use THIS post to remind you of a few important things from the series, just to wrap it up.

Why?

Acting is a tough profession to be in.  It’s competitive to the extreme (although most actors are friendly and helpful), tough to break into and even tougher to be successful.  It’s hard work, sometimes grueling hours and can have long periods of unemployment between gigs. It has been reported that only 2% of actors make a living by acting, and only .01% become famous. So, if you want to be an actor you have to ask yourself; WHY?  If the answer to that question is anything but “I LOVE ACTING!” you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

They don’t “get” it

Odds are that as an actor you have people in your life who don’t get why you do what you do and encourage you to “get a real job”.  Given that only 2% of actors can support themselves with acting it’s a safe bet you already have a “real job” to support yourself and your acting.  As much as you can, try to distance yourself from, or completely remove, those people from your life. Believe it or not those people are taking away from your creativity, confidence, and your ability to book work!  If you can’t remove them or distance yourself…you are gonna need to develop a pretty thick skin. Know your talent, understand you are good enough and then ignore those people.

Technology

While developing that thick skin or while busy cutting negative people out of your life you are also going to need to get familiar with technology.  For VO you need a home recording setup, and for stage & screen acting you’ll need a small studio.  Make sure you are getting familiar enough with the equipment and software you need to be able to produce a professional self-tape audition.  Even if you are the GOAT, a self-tape where you can’t be seen and/or heard clearly is just going to be skipped.  Make sure you have the right equipment for the job and know how to use it well enough to ensure they will at least listen/watch it!

Training

Speaking of knowing how to operate your equipment, remember that YOU are also your equipment.  I know I harp on this, but really…no kidding…I mean it…get the training you need to be competitive in the marketplace!  Training can be expensive, I get it, but without training you are just not going to stand out in the crowd…even WITH training it is tough to stand out!  You may book some work, but you will not book enough work, or work that pays well enough to live on.  Seriously, get the training you need.

Confidence -vs- Desperation

They are not polar opposites, I know, but I can tell you that confidence is absolutely a vaccination against desperation.  Training will help build your confidence while also giving you the tools you need to be a good actor.  That combination will help to keep desperation at bay.  It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy: desperation as an actor KEEPS you from booking work you might otherwise have booked.  Build your confidence and stiff-arm desperation.  Remember, as Bryan Cranston says: You are not going to an audition to get a job! Present your character and walk away.  Have the confidence to create a compelling character and then know the rest is out of your control.

The Numbers

No matter what you do, the numbers are just not on your side.  For any given role, there can be upwards of 100 actors competing for it.  And they are only going to hire ONE person for the role.  The odds of that one person who is hired being YOU (in this example) are 1 in 100.  Even worse if there are more than 100 submissions.  Out of those submissions maybe 10 will get an audition request (for VO the submission IS the audition normally) so IF you get an audition request your odds are only 1 in 10.  I’m no mathematician, but I recognize I am oversimplifying here to make a point.  Hopefully you get it: Your odds of booking a role are low even before you submit for it!

Control

Here’s the thing: so MUCH of casting is out of the actor’s control.  Honestly, the ONLY things you can control are your ability (through training), preparation and your attitude. The simple truth is that nearly everything about casting decisions is out of the control of the actor.  And much of the decision itself has absolutely nothing to do with how good (or bad) of an actor you are!  A lot has to do with your essence, your look and how you appear with the other cast members. You may be too tall, too short, too young, too old, or just too “something” for a given role. Stop thinking you have control!

So…

Control what you can control (which is not much) and let go of everything else.  I realize that is much easier said than done, and I confess that, while I tell you to do it, I also still struggle with this myself.  I had a coach who would tell me: “We audition for a living, and every now and then people give us money”.  Try to remember that, for the most part, the audition IS the job.  Do your best there and before long you will actually book some work.

You are not alone…

And actually, you are in pretty good company when you audition and don’t get cast.  A quick Google search gets page after page of stars who wanted a role but didn’t get it for one reason or another.  Take a look at the links and do a search yourself…odds are you’ll feel better knowing these famous people don’t always get cast either.  You get the idea…it’s probably not YOU!

At the end of the day…

When all is said and done, even if you are doing everything you possibly can to be a great actor…the odds are not forever in your favor (to coin a phrase from Hunger Games).  It’s a tough career, but don’t let it crush your spirits!  You have the training (and continue training!), are on time, make connections and establish relationships…you do everything you possibly can…And Still…You’re Not Getting The F*&^ing Job!  If you love acting…that just doesn’t matter!

 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 9: Control

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 9 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Control.

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.

Before we begin…

The last couple of weeks have been crazy hectic with a LOT going on.  As I mentioned last week, we recently bought an RV…which we picked up on Thursday (that experience could be an entire post all by itself, but this blog is not about RVing – it was, as we used to say in the Navy, a “soup sandwich”, but it worked out in the end), drove it for the first time That’s me on the right – Semi for scale.  If you are interested it is a Thor Venetian R40

Then Karen’s mom wound up in the hospital (She’s OK now) and on Friday our grandson was born!

It’s been crazy, but all worked out fine and we were delighted to meet Sullivan Rain MacCauley for the first time!  I’ve already promised to take him to Disney World in the RV…I doubt he’ll remember it, but I will!  Anyway, let’s talk about control!

Life

So many things in life are out of our control.  Illness, injuries, death, weather, birth, going into labor (we were sleeping in our new RV two hours away (in a rainstorm from Hurricane Ian of course) when THAT happened a week early) …just so MANY things we cannot control.  Acting is no different than life in that respect.  The one thing we CAN control in every situation is how we react to the things that are out of our control.

Relinquish control

It’s ironic that we say we need to relinquish control over things we never had control over in the first place.  The hard part is both realizing what we can control and what we can’t, and then not trying to control the things we can’t anyway. Many, if not most, if not ALL, of us drive ourselves crazy trying to control things we simply cannot control.  We really need to understand that the list of things we can control is very short, and the list of things we cannot control is nearly infinite…in life as well as acting.

It’s freeing

It’s not easy, but once we realize, and I mean REALLY realize, what few things we have control over and then concentrate on controlling them we become free.  Free to be creative, free to offer our genuine selves, free to relax and free to understand we are not failures when things don’t go our way.  We are also free to react when things take a left when we expected them to take  a right in a way that keeps moving us toward our ultimate goal as an actor.

Emotions

Here is the problem: emotions. Emotions  get in the way. As humans we tend to let how we feel dictate how we act. I’m here to tell you that is a problem. Oh, feeling is not the problem.  We HAVE to feel…an emotionless person is not a satisfied person.  We have feelings, and they are valid.  Always valid…we feel what we feel.  And feeling those emotions lets us translate them to our performance, so feelings are also a tool in our acting toolbox.  What is bad is allowing how we feel,  our emotions,  to make decisions for us.  Try to never react based on how you feel…instead, give yourself time to feel things, then step back and react based on the facts of the situation.

Yeah, sometimes it just sucks

Let it suck, feel it. In the military we used to say, “embrace the suck” – which loosely translated means take it in, feel it, then realize that this is just the way it is and then keep going anyway.  In spite of the suckiness, look at the situation as it is (not as you would like it to be) and make decisions based on the facts and reality.

Don’t get me wrong

I’m not suggesting that, since most things are out of our control, we just let life whip us around chaotically.  I mean, it will anyway, but we still need to plan and set goals and keep moving toward them regardless of what gets thrown at us.  You can’t just sit back and let your career “happen” to you.

Goals

Speaking of goals, this is ONE of the few things you control.  If you don’t have goals, or your goals are loosely defined (like: my goal is to be famous – what does that even actually MEAN?) then you are letting your career control you rather than the other way around.  Having clearly defined goals for your acting career that are realistic and achievable, and updating them regularly, are a key to how we react when life throws us a curve ball.

What we can’t control

The list of things we cannot control in our careers is long.  Way too long to list them all here. But a short list of SOME of the things we can’t control that are most pertinent include:

  • Whether or not you book a given role
  • What the casting team is looking for (you can’t even really KNOW that – and much of the time THEY don’t even know it!)
  • Whether you can sign with a particular agent or manager
  • Whether you get an audition

The list goes on.  And none of the things listed above are necessarily driven by your talent. You can be the best actor who auditions, and not book the job because your scene partner is much shorter (or taller) than you.  It could be as simple as that and there is no chance you can control it.

What we can control

This list is much shorter than the things we can’t control.  To be perfectly clear, while the above list seems short it is incomplete.  In reality, anything NOT on the following list is completely out of our control:

  • Setting and managing goals
  • Time
  • Preparation
  • Attitude

That’s it.  That’s the entire list.

Time

There are several aspects to this.  You control how much time you put into your acting career.  How much time you invest in training and preparation.  The most important aspect of time, though, is this: BE ON TIME.  Time is a precious commodity and each of us has a finite amount.  Another military thing we live by is: If you are not 15 minutes early you are late.  Make sure you give yourself enough time to arrive a few minutes early to auditions.  You won’t feel rushed and you respect the time of the people conducting the auditions.

Preparation

Yeah, I get it…sometimes you have very little time to prepare for your audition.  Lately it seems like a lot of jobs send you an audition today and want something back by tomorrow or even just a couple hours later.  Sometimes you are given the sides as you walk in the room!  But preparation is not just looking at the sides and deciding who the character is and how you will play the role.  Preparation includes your training and exercising the muscles to be able to walk into a cold read and nail the part.  Make sure you are continuing your training AND preparing from the sides if you get them ahead of time.  Be on time and be prepared.

Attitude

This is probably the most important thing you can control. Be personable, be helpful and understand you are presenting an option to the casting team. They want to fill the role; they want you to be great so they can fill the role.  Remember that the casting team is on your side – they want to find the right person and fill the role!  You want to not only be on time and prepared, you want to be someone they want to work with.  Your attitude can make or break the audition.

On top of that

How you react when you don’t get the job is as important as when you do!  Remember that there are a million reasons why you may not be cast and don’t let not being selected get you down.  Maintaining a positive attitude about auditions and booking (or not booking) a role will manifest itself in your performance.  While you may not be right for the role you auditioned for, a friendly helpful person is much more likely to get called in to audition again – and you could be PERFECT for the next role…but you can’t get it of you aren’t called in to audition.

When you get the gig

All of these things still hold true once you’ve booked the gig: Make sure you are on time, prepared and have a great attitude while working!

At the end of the day

The list of things that are out of your control is endless.  However, if you concentrate on the few things you CAN control you will dramatically improve your odds of booking a gig.  Although, even if you control everything you can perfectly, still…You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss “This is supposed to be fun!”.

 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 8: Confidence

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 8 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Confidence.

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.

Before we begin…

I know I am late this week…for those of you who care about that sort of thing; I apologize.  However, my tardiness is a result of some pretty cool stuff. You see, we bought an RV this week.  A BIG RV.  It’s a 41-foot-long bus, to be exact.  And let me tell you, buying a great big bus with a bed and FOUR TV’s (yeah, more TV’s than I have in my 4000 square foot house!) takes a lot more time than I ever expected.  Eight hours to pick one out, then all the admin stuff (insurance, financing, a place to park the doggone thing) followed up by seven hours of walk through and signing every piece of paper on the planet (sorry if you can’t find any paper for your printer). We still don’t actually HAVE it either…we’ll pick it up in two days.  All of this about an hour from home.  Anyway, here’s a picture.

Pretty, isn’t it?

OK…let’s get started

In contrast to last week’s post about Desperation, this week I want to talk about confidence.  I know they are not actually opposing things, but they are at LEAST 90 degrees from one another, and having a healthy level of confidence should help you to not be desperate.

What is confidence?

Just to set the stage, and to make sure we are all on the same page talking about the same thing, let’s look at what I mean when I say “confidence”. As I often like to do I turn to good ol’ reliable Merriam-Webster for a definition of confidence;

1 a : a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances

b : faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way

2 : the quality or state of being certain : certitude

3 a : a relation of trust or intimacy

b : reliance on another’s discretion

c : support especially in a legislative body

4 : a communication made in confidence

What I mean when I talk about confidence in the context of your acting career, obviously, is the definition found in 1a and 2 above.

What confidence is NOT

To be blunt, confidence is not arrogance.  Certainly, confidence and arrogance are related, let’s call them parallel attributes; they are both related to self-esteem, but they are not the same. While a confident person has a positive self-image; they believe in their abilities, an arrogant person not only has a positive self-image and believes in their abilities, but also believes they are better than everyone else. Arrogance is confidence on steroids. Don’t be arrogant – be confident!

Something else it’s not

You know what ELSE is not confidence?  Egotism. While egotism may look a lot like confidence, the thing usually lacking is ability.  Well, in my experience anyway.  I suppose you can have a big ego AND talent, but I haven’t seen that very often.  I see egotism as arrogance without ability…if that makes any sense to you.  Both arrogance and egotism result in a desire to be the center of attention (I know, it’s counterintuitive for actors to NOT be arrogant or egotistical) and focus only on self-interest.  These attributes look for approval, accolades, and validation at all costs in order to be “right” all the time.

Confidence is important for everyone

Let’s face it, in our everyday lives (outside of our acting careers) confidence is important. We all know someone who lacks confidence, and they always seem to be stuck and unable to move forward. Confidence gives us the courage to make bold choices and stick with them, knowing we can pull it off and sustain it. For an actor?  Confidence is CRUCIAL. Actors who do not have confidence tend to not book many jobs.

Why is confidence important?

Acting is a tough job, and very competitive. For any given role you are competing with as many as 100 other actors, many of whom are just as talented as you…and some who are more talented (just to keep you humble).  You already know that productions are expensive, and since the production team likely doesn’t know you, hiring someone is always a risky business.  If you lack confidence in your ability to portray a character, then it is going to show in your audition.  And almost as important as your confidence in an audition is your ability to inspire confidence in the production/casting team.  You have to exude confidence to give them the confidence they need to hire you and feel certain you will deliver and not cost the production extra money.

How do you build confidence?

I get it, some actors just ARE confident.  It’s part of their DNA.  But others need to build confidence, and how do you do THAT!?  What follows are some ideas for building confidence.  The first one is that experience (my dad used to say experience is the thing you get just after you needed it) creates confidence.  Successfully booking and playing roles gives you the confidence to know you have what it takes.  Experience is the number one way to build your confidence, so don’t hold back from auditioning because you don’t feel confident; fake it till you make it.

Training

Yeah, I know…I keep harping on this.  Find a coach who will not only honestly assess your abilities, but who also knows how to guide you to improve them.  No matter how good of an actor you are, you should keep training.  The best coaches I’ve found are working actors (in whatever genre you are going for) who also teach.  Nothing better than a coach who consistently books work for helping you learn how to consistently book work.  My coach, Katie Killacky who runs Capital Coaching Studio is a good example.  She is a local actor/coach in the DC area who works consistently.  I’m sure you’ve seen her on Dopesick and Swagger.  Find a coach you have confidence in and keep training.

Preparation

Feeling prepared makes you feel confident.  Make sure that whether it is for a class, an audition or a gig you are always as prepared as you can be.  Feeling unprepared can make you feel insecure and that will manifest itself in your performance.

Recognize successes

When your confidence starts to wane, remember your successes.  Sometimes just reminding yourself of the things you have accomplished can boost confidence.

Learn from your mistakes

First, remember that EVERYONE makes mistakes (I was once on set with an actor whose name you’d recognize, and he flubbed a line.  He was cool, calm, unapologetic and just said “I’m going to start over” and then delivered the line flawlessly).  You’re going to make mistakes but remember them only to identify why you made it, and then learn how not to make it again.

Avoid negativity

As much as you can, stop having negative feelings about your ability.  Some 12-step groups call that “Stinking Thinking”.  Negativity saps your confidence.  Even more importantly, avoid negative, jealous, angry, or bitter people. The people around you affect how you feel about yourself.  As much as possible either cut those people out of your life or avoid them as often as you can.  Surround yourself with encouraging and supportive people and you will find your confidence growing.

And finally

Live a full life.  Your career is only a small part of yourself and how you feel about the REST of your life affects how you feel about your career in acting as well.  Stay out of debt (pressure from debt makes you feel insecure) and if you have a survival job, find one you enjoy (or at least don’t hate). Success in a survival job you enjoy will increase your confidence in acting as well.

At the end of the day

When all is said and done, if you want to be a working actor, you are going to need to feel confident.  Confidence in yourself (without arrogance or egotism) will help the people who want to hire you (and make no mistake – they do want to) feel confident to hire you.  And even still…with all the confidence in the world…You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss “Control”.

 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!

Looking for a great non-fiction read?  Look no further!  Head on over to Time for Change where you can browse many free titles you can get JUST for subscribing to the author’s newsletter! You only have till Sep 30th, so hurry!

You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 7: Desperation

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 7 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring: Desperation

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.

Before we begin…

Their new home

I skipped last week’s post because I was in South Carolina visiting my daughter both for her Birthday and to see her new house.  She and her husband moved in during the first week of September and it is a BEAUTIFUL house.  While there we played golf (of COURSE!) took her out for a birthday dinner (she won’t let me share the video of her on the saddle at Texas Roadhouse) and bought a few things for the new house…plus…Karen and I began the process of looking for houses there for us.  Anyway, it was a very busy 5 days, so no blog last week.  But here we are and I’m BACK!

Ricky and Lolly in front of their home

Desperation

What is it exactly that makes some actors desperate for a job?  It likely has something to do with the desire to eat, have a roof over their heads and remain clothed.  But it is also likely more than that. But what exactly does it mean to be desperate?  Trusty Merriam-Webster defines desperation as:

1 : loss of hope and surrender to despair

2 : a state of hopelessness leading to rashness

And since they chose to define desperation with the root of the same word (despair) I can save you the time of clicking the link and tell you despair is defined as “utter loss of hope”.

A difference

I know I keep telling you that You’re not getting the f*&^ing job.  This is not the same as an “utter loss of hope”.  It is a recognition of the reality of the odds of booking a particular job.  It is not the same as You’re never getting another f*&^ing job again.  THAT is an utter loss of hope and would drive anyone to just give up.  Recognizing the odds actually helps you avoid desperation.  Bear with me here.

It’s not just fear or anxiety

Desperation goes well beyond fear or anxiety.  Everyone, but especially actors IMHO, experience fear and anxiety.  We move forward in spite of that, and eventually overcome it (to some degree), but the key is not losing hope.  Desperation flows from an accumulation of disappointments.  Surely, we can’t avoid all disappointments, but as I tell my kids all the time, if you set your expectations realistically, then you can avoid most disappointments.  Which is kind of the whole point of this series of blog posts!

Desperation is NOT attractive

This is true in all relationships (and I keep harping on the fact that this business is built on a foundation of relationship) but it is mostly noticed and talked about in the context of romantic relationships.  Everyone knows someone who is needy and clingy and so desperate for love that it actually alienates the person they desire.  Desperation manifests itself in neediness, and nobody wants to be around a needy person.  This is just as true in business relationships as it is in romantic relationships.

Desperation is self-defeating

It’s pretty easy to spot desperation. And being desperate is counterproductive and self-defeating.  It actually reduces your odds of booking a role because it is so easy to see.  Truth is, (it seems) the more you want something the less likely you are to get it.  I know, it’s counterintuitive.  You have to want something to be willing to do the work to get it, but you can’t want it too much or you torpedo your chances.

How do you spot desperation

We’ve all witnessed desperation at one time or another in our lives.  What follows are some signs that you may be (or are at least acting) desperate:

  1. You are too available:

    Yeah, we all want to work, I get it. I do too.  But we also have a life.  If you find yourself constantly agreeing to last minute work or cancelling plans with family/friends to auditions or even consistently working till 3AM then you may be acting desperately.

  2. You compromise your principles:

    If you consistently audition for or accept roles that go against your personal principles such as accepting nudity when you are against it, working for opposing political parties or accepting below scale wages and “in perpetuity” gigs…you may be acting desperate.

  3. Always looking for compliments or validation:

    Do you need constant positive feedback on your work?  Following up with a casting director or production to find out what they thought of your audition or work could come across as desperate.

  4. Getting “too close for comfort”:

    While relationship is the foundation of the business, constantly barraging producers and casting directors with calls, texts and emails is not the way to build a solid relationship.

It also shows in the auditions

Bryan Cranston says if you are going into an audition to get a job, you are doing it for the wrong reason  (See what he has to say HERE).  The simple truth is if you are desperate, it is going to show in the audition even if you aren’t doing the 4 things mentioned above.  There is no way to be grounded in the role you are playing if your mind is focused on booking the gig.  Desperation kills your performance!

So how do you combat desperation?

There are several ways to prevent or overcome desperation in your career (and some of these may work in your relationships as well).  First and foremost, you can’t let your ability to book a particular job define your sense of self-worth or how you view your talent.  A-list actors do not book every job they audition for but it doesn’t define them as an actor.  Neither should it define you as an actor.

Have a good survival gig

In order for you to relax and not be desperately trying to book jobs, you have to be secure in your personal life and that means making sure you can survive financially.  If booking a job means the difference between eating and starving or having a home or being homeless, then something is out of balance.  It is difficult, particularly early in your career, to support yourself wholly from acting.  Start with a good survival job that gives you enough flexibility to work as an actor while not being financially destitute.  Starving artists are not really attractive and desperate artists book a lot fewer jobs.

Walk away

No, not from acting altogether.  When you leave the audition room or send off your self-tape…walk away and forget about it.  You’ve done the work, you’ve given your best performance.  Now rest in the fact that you are good enough to book it, and wait for the casting folks to make their decision.  Audition and forget it.  Yeah, easier said than done, but it gets easier over time.

Have a healthy set of expectations

I’ve mentioned before that there are an awful lot of factors NOT related to you or your talent why you may not book a given role.  If you ever have the chance to be a “reader” for auditions, you’ll see what I mean.  Many very talented actors do a great job in an audition and still don’t book because they just don’t “fit” what casting is looking for. It could be as simple as your scene partner is a lot taller or shorter and there is no way to make the videography work, or the tenor of your voice just doesn’t “mesh” with the other actors.  If you expect to not book a given role, you won’t be disappointed when you don’t.  BUT you’ll be pleased when you do!

I’m not suggesting…

Just to be clear, I recognize there are sacrifices to be made when pursuing a career in acting.  Make sacrifices when you need to, but do so mindfully and make sure there is balance between your family, your survival gig, and your acting career as much as possible.

And just remember a few simple things

You are good enough to book a role.  You are worthy of the work.  You are the only you there is, and there is a role for everyone.  And above all, remember that acting is, in many ways, a numbers game. Because of that ALONE You’re not getting the f*&^ing job, so relax, do the best you can and have fun.  That’s why we do this, right?  We love it and it’s fun!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss “Confidence”.

 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!

Looking for a great non-fiction read?  Look no further!  Head on over to Time for Change where you can browse many free titles you can get JUST for subscribing to the author’s newsletter!

You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 6: Getting Discovered

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 6 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Being “Discovered”

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.

You’ve heard the stories

Everyone has heard the stories of some iconic actors who were suddenly “discovered”.  Johnny Depp was selling pens over the phone and wanted to be a rock star…Wes Craven noticed him and suggested he audition for Nightmare on Elm Street.  He got the part and that was that!  Harrison Ford was a Hollywood carpenter and aspiring actor.  He was hired to build a door for Lucas Movie Studio and George asked him to audition for Han Solo.  The rest is history.  What about Ted Williams, a homeless man who was featured in a short video by a 20-year news veteran that went viral, and he was suddenly getting national VO jobs?  True?  Not sure, but it sure makes for a great story.

We love these stories

We love to hear these stories because they are like people winning the lottery.  We like to think that these folks were just minding their own business going about their day to day lives when BAM…they were “discovered”.  We like them because it makes it feel like it could happen to us.  That’s also why we buy those lottery tickets. And it could.  But it probably won’t.

I can’t find data

I’d like to be able to tell exactly what your odds are of being discovered, but search as I may, I am unable to find any real data to back it up.  Based on previous numbers where we explored the odds of becoming rich and famous as an actor, I’d say the odds are pretty slim.  Truth is, very… VERY…few people get discovered who aren’t trying to get discovered.  Like, so close to zero it is not measurable.

Here’s the thing

The thing is, if you think you can put together a killer demo reel, or get signed by a big agency, or your uncle is Martin Scorsese and you’ll just “get discovered” …think again.  Well, OK, it’s a lot more likely if your uncle is Martin Scorsese…but he’s probably not.  However, there ARE ways you can get discovered.  It just takes a lot of work!

I hate to be a buzzkill

OK, maybe I don’t hate it as much as I think I do.  The simple truth is, even if you do suddenly get discovered in acting or VO, you have to have the talent to maintain it.  Sure, you could book a job that goes viral and become an overnight sensation…and then what?  Ever heard the term “One Hit Wonder”?  Yep, almost everyone can name a band that had ONE hit song and then sunk into oblivion.  You have to be able to follow through and maintain your “celebrity”.

Positioning

If you really want to be discovered, there are some things you can do to make your odds better.  Some of you may not want to hear this, but the truth is it is going to take a lot of work, determination, and intention.  Fact is, if you want to be discovered you need to position yourself in the industry to GET discovered.  And how do you do that?  Well…read on!

Location

I know, we love to hear about someone who gets discovered sitting in a diner in some Podunk town in Idaho.  I suppose it could happen, but what are the odds?  You are FAR more likely to be discovered if you live and work in an area where there is a concentration of industry professionals in the industry you are trying to be discovered in.  Remember, Harrison Ford was building a door for George Lucas in Hollywood…not Cleveland, OH when he was discovered.  Live where there are people looking to discover talent, and your odds are much better.

Work…HARD

These discovery stories all sound like lucky random happenings.  And some of them may be…but most are not.  You can’t discount the role luck plays in being discovered; what most people DO discount is the role hard work plays.  Believe it or not, almost everyone who gets discovered, does so while working.

What kind of work?

Yeah, Harrison Ford was a carpenter, but that was just his survival gig.  He was also a hard-working actor too.  He was lucky to be doing carpentry for George Lucas, but he ALSO had to audition for the role of Han Solo and do a good job.  As an actor, no matter what your survival job is, you need to be taking classes and applying for (and booking) as many jobs as you can.  You are far more likely to be noticed on set than in a diner.

Be professional

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This industry is built on a foundation of relationships.  Build a good reputation as a reliable and consistent professional and those relationships will come.  Be the person everyone loves to work with because you are always on time, always prepared and always pleasant to be around. If casting agents, directors and producers get to know your name and think of you positively…you will eventually get discovered.

Apply to Casting Agencies

You want to work as much as possible.  The more you work, the more you are recognized in the industry and the more likely someone important will take notice.  Casting agencies (not talent agencies, these are different) are, many times, the gatekeepers to the lucrative work.  It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but the more “name recognition” you have with a casting agency, the more likely you are to get a booking from them.  It’s like a snowball rolling down a hill gaining mass and momentum as it goes.

Training

I know I sort of harp on training but hear me out.  Let’s say you land an audition for your dream job. AWESOME, right!?  Right!  If you are not prepared, the audition is where it ends (which is really the most common outcome anyway).  However, if you have the training you need, your odds of booking are increased tremendously!  You HAVE to be able to perform, and the way to be able to do that consistently is to get the training you need.  NEVER STOP TRAINING – no matter how “good” you are.

Networking/Marketing

Finally, make sure you are surrounding yourself with people who are in the industry and who are successful in it.  Networking and marketing are basic business skills and make no mistake acting is a business.  One caveat:  You are not doing these things to see what you can get from people, but what you can GIVE to them instead.  You want to be the solution to a problem they have.  That problem may just be a role they are having a tough time filling and it COULD include recommending another actor friend to them.  Remember: Networking and marketing is not about you – it’s about them.

At the end of the day

When all is said and done you are simply not going to be magically discovered and have a meteoric rise to fame and fortune.  The simple truth is getting discovered will take a lot of hard work on your part and it has to be intentional and directed toward getting discovered.  Be in the right place, with the right training and know the right people and your odds improve dramatically.  Getting discovered is up to YOU!

And yet…

Even if you do all the right things, you may STILL not get discovered.  That’s OK, because remember that we do this work because we love it, not because it’s a path to wealth or fame.  And remember: Even after you get discovered odds are You’re not getting the f*&^ing job anyway!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss “Desperation”.

 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!

Looking for a great non-fiction read?  Look no further!  Head on over to Time for Change where you can browse many free titles you can get JUST for subscribing to the author’s newsletter!