Wednesday, August 25, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 539: How do I find a reputable acting school in LA?

Ask agents and casting directors which schools they recommend. They are the ones who look at resumes and determine which schools impress them.

My very first mentor was an agent and she helped me choose my school. I interviewed 10 places before choosing the first one I met with.

Also, know what you want from the school. Do you want to learn a technique, be exposed to Casting Directors, work on a specific skill.

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

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 538: Do the tools in your book apply to the porn industry?

Absolutely. The tools apply to any entrepreneur and independent contractor. So whether you're a plumber or playing a plumber in a porn who is coming to "clean the pipes," And ... Action! can help you achieve your goals.

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Monday, August 23, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 537: Do I need a separate agent for commercials, theatrical, and voice over?

You don't need to, but if you have the opportunity to have more people on your team who are specialized in their area, it can be a good thing. Agents have different relationships. An agent who reps voice over artists has to know different people than a theatrical agent who submits clients for television and film.

There are agents who want to rep you across the board, but they most likely don't have all the relationships that an agency with agents in different departments have.

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 536:I am really shy at networking, so I don't. What else can I do?

I will tell you where to start so you get your feet wet, but eventually you have to jump in the pool. The bottom line is meeting people face to face is the fastest way to establish rapport with them, and that's how you connect faster and more deeply. It is a major part of the business part of your career path, which unfortunately for people, like you, who don't enjoy it, puts you at a major disadvantage.

In the meantime, start with social media. Reach out to people in your classification and people who can potentially hire you, on Facebook. Send a personal note so they know that you're not a hacker. Then you can start to get to know them by looking through their pictures; do they have kids, dogs, like motorcycles, photography, etc. Read their wall posts, post on their comments, start a relationship.

If this intimidates you as well, it's time to do some personal work on overcoming your fears. If you don't take action on this now, other people will be getting the jobs you want. One day you'll wake up and 15 years have gone by and you're exactly where you are now only filled with regret.

Shyness, is something you CAN overcome. There are many people I've worked with who've found solutions to this feeling and are now flourishing.

So there you have it. Perception. how do you plan to re-emerge on the Hollywood scene?
For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 535:I was a big name and I've been out of the loop, how do I get back in?

I'm not sure if you went quietly out of the loop for personal reasons, got left out of the loop because you weren't maintaining your "business," or if you were pushed out of the loop because you were doing very bad things...

There is a different strategy for each, but one general similarity. And that is: perception. This is a city that loves Cinderella Stories and comebacks. However, they're very picky about who they allow to "comeback." So your "Cinderella Story" must be masterfully crafted.

This is what I do with my celebrity clients who want to re-emerge. We craft marketing campaigns. It's no different than product branding. In the 70's Coca-Cola taught the world to sing and had Mean Joe Green throw a kid his jersey. Have a Coke and a smile made Coca Cola the cola of choice, but then we got to take the Pepsi Challenge and it became the cola of the generation especially when Michael Jackson and Britney Spears became the faces of Pepsi. Now, I'd say the Pepsi ads are pretty lame, and we're back to a Coke generation.

So there you have it. Perception. how do you plan to re-emerge on the Hollywood scene?
For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Friday, August 20, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 534: Is it a good idea to establish a mentor relationship with someone through emails?

Absolutely! If you send out a mentor request letter and the mentor agrees, but wishes to answer questions by email, go for it! Many people have trust issues (and rightfully so) as well as time constraints. Through email, they can get to know you on their time line, and as they grow to trust you through the email relationship, in many instances, it blooms into a more personal relationship (phone, coffee meetings, networking parties, etc.)

Be sure that quality of your questions reflect positively on you, and have someone give you feedback before you send out the letter. In this case that person will be me, since you are in my Mentor Elite Program :-)

Congratulations on getting a mentor!

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 533: What is the proper way to go about sending mentor letters?

The proper way is the most direct way to get it in their hands. Therefore, there are numerous and professional ways to do it. Here are a few:

1. If you have an address for them that was given to you by a referral.

2. Through their agent (almost all agencies forward mail to their clients, but you may want to check with the agency before you write your letter just to be sure).

3. Through their production company.

4. Through their union (if their union forwards mail- check before writing the letter).

5. Through a friend, if a friend is willing to pass it on.

6. You can hand it to them personally, if you know you're going to a Q&A where they will be speaking, if they stay after to speak with people.

7. You can "friend" them on Facebook, and if they accept, send it in a personal note.

This is not in order of "the most direct way to get it in their hands." It will vary depending on the person to who it's being sent.

DO NOT- find out where they live and put it in their mail box or knock on their door

DO NOT- carry it around with you because you see them often at a local restaurant and whip it out while they're enjoying their personal time [while this has been done, it doesn't fall under "best practices"]

DO NOT- do anything that could freak them out or scare them!

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

entertainment industry coach question 532:To overcome shyness, do you know of any free improv classes for non actors?

I googled free improv classes in Los Angeles and was amazed at how may places came up. Some of them may be introductory classes, but if you went to a few, learned some techniques, took some notes, and got some books from the library, you could even start your own group.

Another possibility is to post on Facebook that you're looking for an improv actor who would like to practice teaching on a group of non-actors to potentially teach actors for money.

There are so many ways to improv for free. Believe it or not, if you just strike up conversation with someone on line in front of you at the market, you could improv. Just say "yes and..." to everything they say, and you're improving. If you are really shy, make up a character who's not shy and start talking. Who cares what others think. Little do they know they're in a scene!

Have fun with it.

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

To stay current on The Greenlight Coach's speaking engagements, recommendations, and work success articles, sign up for her free newsletter at the top of the page and get a great bonus 1-hour MP3 on creating powerful business partnerships when you do!

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1280: I grew up in India and as a result English is my second language (cont'd)

"I grew up in India and as a result English is my second language. I  am looking to improve my comprehension when I read my text book...