entertainment industry coach question 631: What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

This wasn't a question sent to me by one of you, it was a Facebook status shared by a friend who got about 54 responses. Here's why that's important (but first my favorite tradition):

My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is eating twice. I love Thanksgiving food, and for some reason it's one of those holidays that although called "Thanksgiving Dinner," always winds up being served between 3-4pm. In my book that's lunch. But it's all good because, while I do stuff myself, I don't have to go too far, because I know I'm going to get to eat it all again around 9pm. Then I'm stuffed. That doesn't stop me from having it for breakfast though. And when it's all gone, I wonder, "why can't I just make these dishes when it's not Thanksgiving?" I resolve to do it, but never do.

1. It's important, because people, myself included, like to share their stories, hence the 54 responses (which I'm sure have doubled since I read it this morning).

2. If you know that people respond to these types of questions, you can ask them on your FB wall and get to know your "friends" better. If you're working to know your entertainment industry "friends" better, you will change the question to: What have you done on Thanksgiving, when you were on a job and away from home?

See how easy it is to connect with people in a deeper way?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm grateful that you're out there reading my posts and sending me questions so I can be of service to you.

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entertainment industry coach question 630:My project is done but the music and I don't have $. How important is the music in a film?

Uh boy! Do you really want to open these flood gates, because my composers are going to eat you alive, not to mention any director worth his weight.

In fact, (and don't think I'm angry because I'm not. I want you to feel safe submitting questions to me, this is just tough love...) answer me this, and you'll answer your own question:

Would Jaws have had the same impact if Steven Spielberg ran out of money and had no music for his oncoming shark?

I rest my case...

But wait there's more, so much more! The stingers from Seinfeld are epic, they still play in my head. Someone composed those! And sound effects and foley, this is ALL part of the sound of a project and how the sound in turn makes you feel, and ultimately how you feel about a project determines if it's going to be a hit or a miss.

There is a piano piece, I believed played by Jim Brickman though the music is credited to James Horner, for the film A Beautiful Mind. This piece has the power to transform me in an instant, to bring tears to my eyes, to break my heart, and somehow uplift me at the same time. It's as close to perfect as a piece of music gets for me. So incredibly beautiful and moving. Literally, if I was going to be stuck on a desert island and could only bring one song with me, this would be the one... no lyrics, but it speaks to me, and the conversation always changes.

Perhaps you can find a gifted artist who needs a break and would work with you... what I'm saying is, don't give up because of money, it's too important.

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entertainment industry coach question 629:What is the best way to write a letter to start a relationship with a CD, director or agent and...

... not make it about me, me, me?

The answer to that is make it about them, them, them! When you are approaching someone to begin a relationship, you want to offer help, or ask for something they can say yes to, which means: DON'T ASK FOR WORK or A JOB in the first few contacts. Build the relationship first.

So tell them in your initial letter: who you are, where you are in your career and where you want to be.

Then: Tell them why you're writing to them (what you want or can do for them) and WHY THEM PERSONALLY. This is where you make it about them, them, them.

Remember to give your contact information as well as a date when you plan to follow up with them.

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entertainment industry coach question 628: Should I tell people when I've worked on a movie I think is cheesy?

This question was sent to me after I posted my social media status declaring "I love the cheesy holiday movies on the cable networks like Holiday in Handcuffs with Melissa Joan Heart and Mario Lopez. I'm DVRing all of them"

One of my Facebook friends (Charles Sydnor, an AMAZING composer, with a really cool website) shared one that he'd worked on. He did the music and was proud of it. So the answer, in my opinion, is, yes, if you are proud of the work you did on it. If you did your best focus pulling on a cheesy movie, you didn't write it, but dang was that focus sharp!

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entertainment industry coach question 627:How often should I send out my headshot to the same casting director? How many should I start off with?

So this is two questions. The answer to the first is, (and this is based on the majority of CDs who have answered this question) you send a head shot once. They want you to save your money and the majority of them want to save trees. That's why so many cast through online service, so they don't have to send hundreds of headshots to the recycle bin each day.

Once a Casting Director has your headshot, unless you're submitting it for a certain role, you wouldn't send a headshot as follow up. Instead, you send a postcard or a note. Remember, there should be a purpose to your follow up; something special, unique, or a question. Just sending postcards every week to say "Hi" isn't as productive as creating a memorable campaign.

Question two, is regarding how many Casting Directors to send to. You want to target the shows you're right for. And when I say "right," I know many actors go into 'chameleon mode' where they can play any role, but if you're 35 and not a character actress, targeting a Disney show isn't as productive as targeting a show that features people your age, weekly.

Because I work with my clients to build strong relationships with people before asking for work, I suggest you start with 20 offices to get well acquainted with and then expand from there.

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entertainment industry coach question 626:How do I maintain my focus on my dream when I need a full time job to survive?

The statement that you need a full time job to support yourself tells me you are not able to make enough money to sustain yourself working in your "dream job." Being the case, something is missing; contacts, enough people who can hire you, skill level, union status, etc.

While you are working your full time job, you can spend two hours a day (either after work, on a lunch hour, etc.) filling what's missing. In other words, if you need more relationships, you can spend the next year creating relationships with 120 new people (that's 10 people/month). There are many ways to do this, and 10 is a low number EVEN with a full time job.

If the thought of this overwhelms you, schedule it out. Start with lower numbers at first until you get into a groove, and then adjust as necessary. The amount of time you have is equal to everyone else. The amount of energy you have to attend to your business in addition to your job is up to your level of motivation. How badly do you want your dream to come true?

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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.

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entertainment industry coach question 624: Should I be sending out headshots or postcards to follow up a meeting with an agent or casting director?

Neither. If you had a meeting, I'm assuming that you already gave them a headshot. Your first follow-up should be a personalized thank you note. You are not asking for work, you are simply thanking the person for the meeting. Be sure to mention something that was said that had an impact on you, and any personal things you connected on. If the card reflects something you spoke about, even better.

I don't suggest putting your picture in the card, just write your name clearly. the reason for this is that you want it to be a genuine thank you. If the person forgot who you are but is touched by your words, he/she will look you up on IMDB (so make sure your pictures are up there and your credits are updated.)

Then you can follow up again a week or two later with a postcard, with a "marketing reason" for sending it.

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entertainment industry coach question 623:unsolicited scripts are not read, but is it true that a producer with a pitch can get the meet?

I'm not 100% sure I get your question. I think what you're asking is if there's a difference between trying to send an unsolicited script and making an unsolicited pitch. And the answer is no, it is not true. Anyone can say they're a producer with a pitch. When I worked in development, if a writer or a director didn't come to us through an agent/manager/entertainment lawyer, they had to sign a release form. By doing this, the production company is protecting themselves in case your idea is similar to something they already have or something else they may do in the future.

It is the same with an unsolicited script. If for some reason a company is intrigued by your idea and someone wants to read your script, they will ask you to sign a release first.

So, yes, as a producer you can get a pitch meeting and get a script read, but you will have to sign a release. Before signing it, you should have it looked over by a lawyer.

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entertainment industry coach question 622:Do you put your theatrical and your commercial headshots on a postcard or keep them separate?

Because theatrical and commercial casting directors are completely different, your postcards should be completely different. There's a reason why you have different headshots- because you're marketing yourself differently. You want to look a certain way when submitting for Criminal Minds or Law & Order Los Angeles. Don't confuse them by sending them a happy, bright-eyed, smiley picture, when they want you to play a killer.

This is just my personal opinion, and if you asked 20 Casting Directors, you may get 10 who say they don't care, but you may not. Perhaps it's a good reason to call different casting agencies and poll them. You don't have to use your name, just play the "new kid in town" card and ask them what their opinion on the matter is. You will probably get the Casting Assistant on the phone. Note that the CA is the person who gets your postcard first, so is the perfect person to ask.

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entertainment industry coach question 621: I'm determined to make the "male" skirt style work! When is it not appropriate?

The question read in it's entirety: I'm determined to make the "male" skirt style work!...it's my "thing" and I get unbelievable POSITIVE reactions for my fashion style!...I get recognized ALL THE TIME all around LA!...if it's above 75, I'm in a skirt!...BUT, I know it causes a scene, which I like, but I don't wanna cause a scene on set, especially as an extra...BUT if I don't wear my skirt, I feel I'm not being true to my "style"...so, my question: when is it ok to wear my skirts, when should I concede my style???... :)

Because you're an actor, the answer is simple: you concede whenever it's not true to your character. Even as an extra, an actor should take pride in the role he/she is portraying. So, put yourself in the mind of the director who is directing the scene and the person who chose the extras. When the director told the casting person, "Send me 'everyday' men 20-45 for a scene at an airport," knowing that a man in a skirt "causes a scene," it is most likely not what the director had in mind for an "everyday" male.

Your skirts are part of your brand, YOU the brand, and it may get to the point where you're known enough for a director to say, "Get me the guy who wears skirts." Until then, your style is not what they're casting, your ability to play a character that is "universal" in the scene is.

If I stuck to my style when I was speaking on stage, I'd be in Ugg boots and thermal underwear, but that's not the "Hollywood" image the people who are hiring me to speak want portrayed on their stage. So, I put on the 5 inch heels, wear the sexy dress and finish it off with sparkly jewelry and viola... they've got their Hollywood Career Coach (but don't for one second think my Uggs aren't waiting for me in the car).

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