And...Action!: actor

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 755: Do you recommend sending postcards as thank you notes?

Since I know an actress asked this question, first I have to clarify to the other classifications, that actors make postcards with their headshot and contact info on them. Some people have the opinion that sending your postcard as a thank you note, is another way to get your face in front of the casting director.

I have a different opinion. I believe that thank you notes should be a sincere and genuine expression of gratitude. To me, a postcard with your picture, or a thank you note with your contact information is a subtle solicitation. Therefore I suggest following these steps for thank you notes:

1. Send an actual card (something that reveals something about you or something you know they like)

2. Remind the person where you met

3. Thank them for something specific

4. Add something personal to show that you were paying attention to what they were saying

5. Sign your first and last name CLEARLY

One of the reasons why people don't know what questions to ask when they meet people is because they haven't started at the end. What do you want the outcome of your meeting to be? What if the outcome you want is to be able to write an amazing thank you note that answers 2, 3, & 4? Knowing that you need to tie in something personal will create the questions you ask. Knowing you have to thank them for something specific will cause you to listen with more intention, creating deeper rapport with the person.

For those of you (and I know you're out there) who are thinking, "But, if I don't put my contact number (or picture) how will they remember who I am and know how to contact me?"

I've received hundreds of thank you notes from people. I always remember who they are. On top of that, I'm resourceful enough to know where to look for their contact information when I want to contact them.

You can follow up with "new news" on your postcard or on your letterhead, a week later. Allow yourself the simple gesture of gratitude, with a sincere thank you note, and believe me, you'll stand out.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Thursday, March 3, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 728: Where are some places in LA where industry people hang out?

The question continues: "I am looking for coffee houses? Bars? Restaurants? Markets? Dog Parks? Parking meters? Etc. I want to network but really don't know where to go. I have post cards that I want to place at strategic locations. Any suggestions would be great."

"Places where people hang out" is a very general question and as my readers know, I am very specific and strategic. First you have to ask yourself, "who is my target market?" Because I can tell you where actors hang out, but if you're an actor, actors don't hire you. So really your question could be, "where do casting directors, producers, directors, and executive producers hang out?" If you're another classification you'd ask the same question based on the people who hire you.

Once you know your target market, then you can research the entertainment organizations, philanthropic organizations, clubs (and I mean sport, nature, parent type clubs not Sunset strip clubs), unions, etc., where they congregate.

As far as leaving postcards around, that's like a needle in a haystack. People who are hiring have so many relationships with people who are inviting them to things. Why would they pick up a postcard of a complete stranger and say, "I think I'll take 3 hours out of my valuable time, to go see this stranger." Not to say it can't happen, but you can spend your money and time in a better way.

Again, you're better off taking those postcards to a networking event and handing them to people once you have a conversation with them and build rapport.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 727:How do I get a mentor if there are only a few people who do what I do...

"...and I already know as much as they do?"

This brings up a very universal issue. When it comes to getting mentors, while it's great to have mentors who are doing what you want to be doing already, if you are in this person's position, at the same level, they're not the type of mentor you need.

In this case you'd be seeking out business advice and guidance from either:

1. The classification of people who hire you (so unless you know everybody who hires your classification, this type is good for you)

2. Any parallel classification who gets hired by the same classification as you. For example: If you're an Editor, a parallel classification (ones who also get hired by producers and directors) would be a DP, Production Designer, Actor, Writer, Key Hair & Makeup, etc. Why? Because if they are successful, they can give you advice on what they do. You're all in the same boat, just different classifications.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visit www.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Saturday, February 26, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 723: How can I meet Casting Directors?

This was a question asked of me last night at a networking event, by a very charming young man. Our conversation didn't start out about his acting, it started out regarding his book which became a best seller. It's subject matter, imitates what my favorite writer did 30 years ago, so I was instantly pulled into the conversation. As we got further into the discussion and he brought up acting, I asked him the first question I always ask, "how many people do you know in the entertainment industry." His answer was 300 (that's 100 more than the "sweet spot"). Now I knew something was missing. How can he know so many people and not be making any progress.

Naturally I asked him my next question, "how many casting directors do you know." He floundered for a moment then said, "one, sort of." AH HA! Mystery solved. So naturally he asked me how he was supposed to meet casting directors. I told him I'd answer him in my blog.

1. Ask the people you already know to give you referrals to the casting directors they know

2. Build relationships through casting director workshops (there's a whole strategy to this, but you have to coach with me... I can't give you all of my secrets for free)

3. Offer to do an internship in casting directors' offices

4. Attend networking events that involve casting directors

5. Join philanthropic organizations that casting directors are a part of

Yes, you have to do research for 4 & 5. Remember casting directors are people, treat them with respect and always look to create a win/win.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 720: How does being on a set differ from being in class?

It's a whole other world. Class is nurturing, it's practice, it can be "time-indulgent." On set, things happen fast. People aren't necessarily giving you feedback or positive reinforcement. You have to be at your most confident on set. You have to make your choices and leave self-talk and self-doubt behind. My coach Brad William Henke, a successful working actor, says to think about how much work goes into preparing for an audition and then the actual audition takes minutes (This applies to preparing for interviews for other classifications). IT can go just as quickly on set.

Sometimes on set you don't get a second take. Do your work before hand and be prepared to do your best and do it fast. There are also a lot of distractions on set that aren't in class (unless you're in Brad's class where it's all part of his teaching). You can be in the middle of your scene and see people walking around in the background, a cell phone can ring in the middle of your line and you have to start over, or you can do an amazing take and the focus was soft so you have to do it again. You may not even be told that's why you're re-doing the take.

This is why you see the same people hired over and over, because they know how to work on set. That's why I recommend set visits so you can familiarize yourself with the pace, and the lulls.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Entertainment industry coach question 709:Do you recommend sending postcards as thank you notes?

1. Send an actual card (something that reveals something about you or something you know they like)

2. Remind the person where you met

3. Thank them for something specific

4. Add something personal to show that you were paying attention to what they were saying

5. Sign your first and last name CLEARLY

For those of you (and I know you're out there) who are thinking, "But, if I don't put my contact number (or picture) how will they remember who I am and know how to contact me?"

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Thursday, January 13, 2011

entertainment industry coach question 679:My New Years resolution is to get a new agent. How do I do that?

I gave a seminar last year around this time and the majority of the people had that same resolution. Well, some just wanted to get an agent. You saying you want a "new" one, implies you have one. I have posted on this topic before, I've also made a video about it that you can watch at: The Greenlight Coach Channel

Instead of repeating myself, I'll just give you a few tips:

1. Create buzz about yourself that an agent will take notice of

2. Know the timing of the industry (If you're an actor, agents who rep TV actors are headed into pilot season, so a better time to pursue an agent would be after pilot season when they've let go of their clients who didn't deliver)

3. Remember that agents get +10% for a reason. You are still 100% responsible for your success and an agent is icing on the cake.

GOOD LUCK!

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Friday, November 19, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 625:When does it makes sense to incorporate as an actor?

For this I'm going to refer you to an expert, my friend, Jessica Eaves Mathews, at Business Brilliance University I refer all of my entertainment clients to her. She is a lawyer who deals with this specifically. She is also an entrepreneur so she knows what you're going through as the "CEO" of your company, which is why she doesn't charge "typical lawyer" fees. She's like the Legal Zoom for people like us, only more personal. And in most cases, she's not even acting as a lawyer, she's simply advising you on how to set up the best foundation for your business.

I can tell you that whether you're an actor or any other classification in the industry working freelance, there are MANY important reasons to incorporate, so you should really look into it. For most people, they are afraid that it costs thousands of dollars to incorporate. It doesn't have to. Contact Jessica EM. If you have any trouble reaching her through her site, email me and I'll help you out.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Thursday, November 11, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 617: Does an actor need a business card?

Yes! YEs!! YES!!!

I just held a raffle for my ebook at ActorFest. All the actors had to do, was put their business card in my green box and they had a chance of advancing their career by winning my ebook 101 Obstacles to Making It In the Entertainment Industry and How To Overcome Them.

Yet, only 20 actors/actresses had business cards. Three of them were disqualified from the raffle because they didn't have an email address on their card. You want to give people every opportunity to reach you. Being a seasoned career coach, I was prepared for this, so I brought index cards for them to write down their information.

If you want to be a professional actor, be professional. Professionals have business cards with their contact information.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Monday, November 8, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 614: I wrote a pilot. Now what do I do?

That depends on your long term objective. The person who asked this question is an actor. So, if you wrote it to act in it, you can shoot the pilot yourself. It would have to be the most exceptional, original, well-written pilot in decades in order to sell it to a network without an agent or an established career.

Now, if you want to pursue a second career as a writer, before seeking out an agent to represent you, make sure you have about 3 spec scripts for other shows. Even if you have a great pilot script, the next question you're going to get is, "So what else do you have?" Be professional and have more to show.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Saturday, November 6, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 612:Do you coach a set decorator differently than an actor?

I coach everyone as the individual they are. That said, the tools, strategies, and mindsets are about "the business" not your craft. So a set decorator may have the same obstacles with networking as an actor or the same fear of making phone calls as a writer.