Question 175: What does it mean when a casting director says, "great job" and then doesn't give you a call back?

It means different things from different casting directors. YOUR job as an actor/actress, is to go in prepared, and do the best audition you can do. An audition is a job. Your acting in front of people, right? So you're doing your job. Treat an audition with as much respect and hard work as you would if you booked the job you're auditioning for. Show up on time, do your job, then leave and let it go. If someone say's "Great," then great. If they don't call you in, it doesn't mean you weren't great. It could mean you get called in 7 years later, for a part that you're perfect for. You just don't know. Sorry...

Analyzing what people mean is futile. Even if you asked, you have no guarantee that they'll tell you truthfully what they meant. Confidence must come from within you, NOT others' opinions of you.

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

question 174: How do you answer the question: "What are you working on?" when you're not working on anything?

My sister works in ad sales. There are some days that she sells an ad space. Let's equate those days to the days that you are working on a job. The rest of the days, if her boss were to ask her, "What are you working on?" her answer would be all of the appointments she's making, the new business she's working on breaking, the relationships with clients she's developing. I could go on and on about everything my sister is doing when she's not on "the" call getting the news that a client is buying ad space.

So, what do you mean "you're not working on anything"? If you aren't doing business when you're not on a "job" than you're not working right. If you are working right, then you can answer the question based on what you're working on. People know this is a freelance industry. They don't expect you to be on a project at all times. But if you're not confident about what to do when you're not on a job, then you should get coaching, because you can be "working" all of the time.

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

question 173: What's the most professional way to let all of my contact know I've changed my contact info?

It depends on if you want to spend money or not. You can have cards/postcards made up with your personal logo (if you have one) and/or the new contact information. Then mail it out to everyone. It's just like those "We've moved" cards you get from your friends when they move to a new house. The reason why this may be worth the added expense, is because people will hold on to the card until they change it in their address book.

The free way to do it PROFESSIONALLY, is to send it out by email BCC ( did I say BCC? Because if I didn't: BCC!!!). People tend to do this when they change only their email address. I am one of those people who is guilty of not updating these when I get them, putting them in an inbox file titled "updated contact info," and forgetting all about them. That's why I prefer the aforementioned card, because I will save it until I add it. But that may just be me.

With email, you also run the risk of it disappearing into the email ether, but we run that risk everyday...

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

question 172: I want to take a year off to make money but everyone says that I'll be starting over when I come back. True?

Who am I to argue with "Everyone?" Im me, so I will. The reason many (not "all": notice I'm putting the huge generalizations in quotes, so you can recognize when you're using that language) people have trouble breaking back into the industry after they've been out for a year or more, is because they don't maintain their relationships.

They usually leave the business for a stable job, not expecting to return, only to find a few years later that their calling is still tugging at them, and their contacts have dried up. Or they leave for personal reasons like an illness, an ill spouse or child, to take care of an aging parent, relocation for any of the previous reasons, and other less common reasons.

Obviously, if it's the personal reasons, it's usually the last thing on a person's mind to be maintaining relationships, so when he/she comes back it is a lot like starting over, but not quite.

In your case, however, you want to make money, create some savings, and come back. That's really no different than people who have side jobs, it just sounds like you're committing mentally to a specific, high-pay job as opposed to a side job, where people feel half in and half out.

What this all means to you is, you work, make your money, save, AND continue to maintain your relationships, obtain mentors, and go to networking events (if you're job is local). If it's not, and your contacts ask you why you moved, tell them it is for personal reasons, and you will be back. If you stay put, and get offered a job while maintaining your relationships, you can always ask for time off or quit (unless you've signed a contract).

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

Question 171: I am so sick of hearing about how much competition is out there! What do I do?

Stop listening! As an actress, I was told not to move to LA because there was too much competition. I made the move anyway and at first, I was intimidated. Then, I spent my first two years in an acting school with 24 people in my class. Of those 24, 12 were girls, of those 12, 8 were my age, of those 8, 4 had a similar look to mine (notice I did not say type), of those 4, 1 did her homework, learned her lines, and took her acting career seriously. Suddenly, the competition didn't seem very competitive at all. Especially, because she was (and still is) an adorable red-head, with a giggly-girl-next-door, personality, which really isn't in direct competition with my type. Could be why after all of these years, that girl is my oldest friend out here. Like-minded people stick together. I cast her in my TV show, as soon as I had the chance.

Here's another example: I was the in-house Career Coach for the Cinematographers Guild for 7 years. There are over 7,000 members. I coached 1,000 of them. I know pretty good average. Yet when you think about it, 1,000 people have the advantage over the other 6,000. Break it down even further: of those 1,000 people they were broken up into approximately 10 different classifications. Lets examine one of the bigger groups: camera operators. Lets say I coached 200 camera operators, of those 200, 100 met with me regularly, of those 100, approximately 50, committed to overcoming their fears and obstacles, followed the tools, followed through on the strategies, and are now working regularly. Of those 50 working regularly, some work in TV, some on features, and others in commercials. So of the 7,000 members, how many are camera operators? Maybe 1,000 since they're such a big group and how many have the EDGE of the specific tools to generate work? Not that many if you break it down by medium.

So, don't get caught up with your competition. Be the best you can be at what you do, and get the edge.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, the greenlight coach, visit www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com

question 170: I'm having trouble creating my personal brand because I don't believe what I'm writing about myself.

I happen to know that this person is in my tele-seminar group where we are covering this topic in great detail on our call today. So, being that he's not the only one who has this question, I thought I'd share it with all of you.

My mentor, James Malinchak, tells a story about Mahammad Ali that I'll have to paraphrase: A reporter asked Ali how he became the "greatest fighter in the world." Ali replied, "Because I told them I was."

So, James tells the story much better, but the point is the same... like Michael Jordan, known to most as the greatest basketball player of all times. He wasn't always known as that, but when he decided that that's who he was going to be, the actions he took; practicing, leading his team, being a positive role model, made him the greatest basketball player of all time.

How does this apply to you? Who do you want to be when your dreams have come true? What do you want the press to be saying about you? Start there, with just that knowledge, and live up to it. You don't share your personal brand you live it, starting now and that's how people will perceive you.

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

question 169: My biggest challenge is maintaining the relationships I've created once I get work. Any suggestions?

Sometimes, I save questions for when I'm in the perfect situation to answer them. It's 7:21am. No, I'm not usually up this early, especially when I'm on vacation (you substitute work). Yet, I know I have work to do to maintain my relationship with you. I've committed to blogging an answer to a question everyday. Therefore, I got up early this morning to do my work, before I go out and spend the day in wine country (you substitute on set ).

It's a decision you have to make. This blog will take me 15 minutes max, to write and post on Twitter and Facebook. What can you do in 15 minutes? You can call an East Coast contact (because it's 10:25 am there). You can email a contact and tell him/her that you're working and you wanted to make the time to see how his dog is feeling, if she got the job she'd been waiting to hear about, or if there's anything you can do to help him/her.

The BEST time to maintain relationships is when you're working because you're not calling to ask for work. So you can full-heartedly make it all about them.

The decision you make is what you have to look at. Are you deciding that you're too tired? Are you deciding you don't have time? Are you deciding that you choose to get immersed in your work and can't get in contact.

OR will you decide that you can find 15 minutes each day to reach out to someone? To get up 15 minutes earlier, reach out for 15 during a long "waiting-period" (you know what I'm talking about), find 15 minutes during lunch, and/or maybe even 15 minutes on your way home if it's a decent hour.

The choice is yours. You've got to decide what you're willing to commit to. My advice- commit to maintaining relationships while you're working (it's what all the cool kids do).

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

Question 168: I get motivated for a short time and do stuff and then I take off and then get motivated again. How do I act consistently?

This is an obstacle that many independent contractors encounter. People who have 9-5 jobs have a set schedule, an office destination, and accountability. Because you don't, you have to put systems in place. Accountability works for me. You have to figure out what works for you. Ask other successful independent contractors what they do, and try different methods until you find the one that works.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com

Question 167: If I live in a small town and don't want to move to Los Angeles and want to work in the entertainment industry, where can I move?

It depends on the level/quality of work you want to be a part of. While Los Angeles is the entertainment hub, you can also find union work in New York, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, and Chicago. Some cities in New Mexico, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii, Utah, and Louisiana have union work. Don't be fooled by the term "right-to-work state." Florida, which is a right-to-work state, has a very strong union presence. When in doubt, call your union.

If you're not in a union (yet), and the quality of work doesn't matter to you, there are filmmakers in most cities. Even in a small town, with a little bit of equipment, you can create content and a presence on the internet.

This is a pretty general answer, as I don't know what you want to do in the entertainment industry. If you have further questions, put them in the comment section.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com

Question 166: what if people are discouraging me from sitcoms because it's too hard to break into?

What high demand job where you can make a lot of money isn't hard to break into? People who are successful are successful for a reason: Determination!

Okay, for more than one reason:

1. Determination/drive

2. Perseverance

3. Action in spite of fear

4. Willingness to do the work

5. A strong support system

And in many cases:

6. Talent/skill

7. Strong people skills

8. Willingness to learn

9. Going the extra mile

10. Belief in themselves

Feel free to add your own in the comment section. People can find reasons to tell you that you can't do something... that's easy. Your job is to find the people, who knowing your challenges, support your dreams and help you figure out "how" to make them come true.

Like I wrote yesterday: KEEP WRITING. The business part you can learn on the way.

For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.theGreenlightCoachBlog.com

Question 165: I'm interested in writing for sitcoms but I need a day job in LA before I move there. It's a Catch 22. I can't even get a PA job. Help!

Okay. The advantage of being a writer is that you can have any day job and write during your free time. So, you can relocate out here, get a job in your current profession, and maintain financial stability while building your contacts to get an "industry" job.

PA work isn't really the most direct job for a writer because production assistants tend to be focused on production work. Ideally, I'd recommend (in this order):

#1: Writers' assistant on a show. This is the "PA" of the pre-production world. Here you'll be delivering coffee and scripts, depending on the show you could be in the writers' room, and you'll be in a good position to create relationships.

#2: An assistant for a writer with a deal.

#3 An assistant/intern for a production company that produces television.

For these jobs, like most, you really need to know someone. That's why I suggest you focus on getting a livelihood job, building relationships, and then going after an industry job. ALL THE WHILE WRITING. Always be writing!

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