question 98: I feel stupid approaching a person after they've done a Q&A, but I see others doing it. Should I do it despite how I feel?

I addressed this in Question 71. I can tell you in addition to what I wrote about in that blog, that your feelings are stemming from a lack of objective and preparation.  Of course you would feel stupid if you were walking up there with nothing to say but an insincere compliment. The fact that you're asking this question means you see there is value in creating relationships with people who volunteer their time to give back to the community. So instead of worrying about "feeling" stupid, worry about not "being" stupid.  To do that:

1. Research the person speaking and find a genuine reason to create a relationship

2. Watch the person's work and figure out a genuine reason why this person would make a great mentor

3. Let go of the judgement you're putting on yourself and take a risk

 

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

Question 97: What do I do if I'm in a remote state like Alaska to generate Union work if I'm not in the Union?

Depends on what union. SAG has different rules than IATSE, etc. You may be in a Catch 22 situation where you need union days to get into the union or enough non-union days (which are probably hard to accrue in a remote state). If you're trying to get Union work in Alaska and are not in the Union, there are Union rules that may inhibit you from being hired. After working for a union for 12 years, I can tell you that unions want to help. If the state you're in is remote, maybe there's an opportunity to organize a group of experienced workers and strengthen a union. 

If you live in a place like Alaska, want to work Union and there isn't Union work in your area, you may want to seriously consider relocating. 

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

Question 96: Is it cool if I don't live in LA but have a friend moving out there, to ask my friend who lives there to make my friend feel at home?

Whoa... let me re-read that....

Okay, I think I get it. Yes, it's more than cool. You have a friend who is settled in LA. Ask him or her if you can give your friend his/her number to have someone to show them the ropes.  I've never turned that request down.  I remember how it felt to move out here knowing three people, two of whom left LA within a week of my arrival (the Northridge Earthquake hit 12 hours after my plane touched down). Having someone who can discuss neighborhoods, restaurants, the business, is a huge relief.  

Go for it!

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

Question 95:What if I know people are talking about me at Union Networking events? Should I still go?

Look, this is business, not high school. I have no idea if people are talking about you or not. What I do know is that there are SO many people in this industry that you should ignore the catty group and meet other people. Your union is providing you with the opportunity to do this. Focus on creating strong bonds with new people.    

Pursuing relationships in this industry is like dating. You're not going to connect with everyone and that's okay. The problem is when you only know a few people and you desperately try to force relationships that aren't worth it. Find the like-minded people and surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you! 

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

Question 94: How should I dress for an interview with an agent?

"Dress the part." This is not an interview for corporate America. I recently coached a beautiful young girl who'd had a terrible meeting with a commercial agent. She had a meeting with a second one and wanted better results. I asked her what she thought went wrong. The biggest problem she felt, was that she wore a dressy dress, and for the next one, planned to wear a pencil skirt (corporate look). I told her NO WAY! Dress the way you will be cast. She's right for Sprite, cell phones, and everything young and hip. So she wore a cute polka dotted sundress, and Viola, the second agent wanted to sign her on the spot.

Know your signature look/style and brand it in your appearance as well as your art. If you're an "academic" cinematographer, wear your glasses and a sport coat- not a suit and tie. If you're an "imaginative" production designer, be creative and colorful with your clothes. If you're a hip and trendy costume designer, you better dress hip and trendy. 

Your personal brand is reflected in everything from how you dress to the cover on your DVD reel. It should all reflect your art. I work from home in a plush and comfy bathrobe, but I'm certainly not going to be cast that way, so I suck it up and put on the Va Va Va Voom clothes when I have a meeting. Yup, the Uggs have to stay at home and the high heeled boots hit the pavement. That's entertainment!

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

 

Question 93: What do I do when I have to work and "life" shows up?

Okay, I'll be honest. This wasn't one of your questions. This is what I've been asking myself all day. At 9:20am, this morning, five minutes before I was supposed to leave to give a seminar for The Actors Fund of America, my 13-year-old Lab had what appeared to be a stroke. I was rushed, confused and torn. I knew I had a group of 70+ waiting for me, but my dog is like my child.

What do I do when I have to work and "life" shows up?

You make choices. Sometimes hard choices. I called my sister, who works across the street, and had her come home and get him so she could bring him to the vet. I told her I'd be turning my phone off, because I couldn't hear any bad news before going on-stage. Once I made the choice, I committed to it, and gave my audience 100%. 

When it was over, I called my sister. I got the update on Jake. It was not a stoke, but he was not out-of the woods. I had a new client to meet. I gave him 100%. I left him, called my sister, she was on her way to the vet and wanted me to meet her. I explained I was driving home for another client, and would come over after. I gave my next client 100%. THEN I went to the vet to be with my boy.  There was nothing I could do for him during the course of the day that my sister couldn't handle. 

What do I do when I have to work and "life" shows up?

1. Make a quick evaluation of the choices

2. Ask for help

3. Use my tools, to be "in the moment" with whatever choice I make

4. Forgive myself for any uncertainty about the decision I made

He's still at the vet who is optimistic. I'll know more tomorrow. 

What do I do when I have to work and "life" shows up? The very best that I can. And that's all you can do. 

Question 92: You've got your own business, do you ever think of just quitting the "biz"?

Are you asking because you're thinking about quitting the biz? I have quit...  3 times, and to quote Michael Corleone, "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."  

Do I have days when I wonder what am I doing in this crazy business? Yes. Do I have days when I feel alone, frustrated, confused, and hopeless? Yes.  

And then I remember the first movie I did on location in Oregon, where I saw my first wild peacock, elk on the side of the road, failed at cattle wrangling, rode a horse even though I was told I wouldn't have to since it WASN'T on my special skills, AND I got to act ever day (but 4) for one whole month.   

And then I remember starring in a sitcom pilot where a Camera Operator from Mad About You, told me we'd never get the whole pilot shot in ten hours. He was right... we shot it in 8. He was shocked, all of the actors knew our lines.

And then I remember a reality show from MTV following around a television show I was on and being on a treadmill at the gym and seeing myself on MTV and having the guy next to me stare at the TV and then look at me and then back at the TV and then back at me.

I love acting, I love writing, I love being on set with creative people, I love watching the finished product, and I love the memories that pull me out of the down times. 

Create your own memories, and cherish them. This industry isn't for everyone, but if you want to stick with it and presently it's hurting your soul, tap into the memories of why you love it, then imagine it's five years from now and you're doing what you love. Really immerse yourself in the visualization; the sights, sounds, scents, tastes, feelings. Those feelings are are just as real in your body as the sad, lonely, rejected feelings. The difference is your choice of what you focus on. 

I'm going to go visualize the web-series I've been acting in becoming a network show... happy thoughts to you all...

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

Question 91: Is the business always this slow?

I think I've heard that question every month for the last 10 years. I guess it's because as a coach, half of the people who come to me are out of work. So it can be the busiest time ever and for the out of work people, it still feels slow.

The entertainment industry is ever-changing. With strikes, de-facto strikes, run-away production, tax incentive states, right-to-work states, changing technology, expensive equipment, in-expensive equipment, people retiring, new people entering the industry, and on and on...

Is the business slow? Who knows. It is what it is. If there is someone, anyone, out there working, you can be too. Instead of looking for an excuse like "its slow" to allow yourself off the hook or blame for your being out of work,  ask yourself, what can I be doing to generate work for myself no matter what the state of the industry?

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

Question 90: Is doing a reality show an "in" for an actress?

Ooooooo that's a toughy. It depends on so many things: what kind of career you want, what kind of reality show, how you're edited on that show, the relationships you develop while doing that show.

Like most opportunities, it's all relative. Jacinda Barrett, from the Real World has been building a legitimate theatrical career. Yet, hundreds of other people who've done reality have never worked theatrically.  Some have done guest appearances on television shows, either as a character or as themselves. I've caught a few doing commercials. Some comedians have shows that I love, like Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs. Still others have made a career of going from reality show to reality show. A few "train-wrecks" have even had shows created around them. 

You've got to know the tone of the show. There's a difference between doing "the Apprentice" and doing "Bret Michael's Rock of Love." 

My final question is why do you want to act? Do you just want the fame? And if so, do you just want 15 minutes of it? 

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

Question 89: How do I get my own national talk show? I have 18+ years as a clinical psychologist.

The person who asked this question has a great resume and is working on a self-help book. Working in a niche of the self-help industry myself, I know at least a dozen million-dollar speakers who are all trying to create their own shows. These speakers have best-selling books, large followings, and connections. While I have seen some as "guests" on other people's talk shows, I've yet to see any with their own show.

I tell you this, not to discourage you, just to give you some perspective on the challenges of getting a show on National TV, for a currently "unknown" person. Television may have more political hurdles than any medium since advertising has a lot to do with the decision making process. 

Here's how to get started:

1. Get mentors in the talk show world

2. Start building a following by creating a video blog

3. Check out local cable stations for a way in or "pay to play" air time

4. Finish that book so you'll be viewed as a bookable guest expert 

5. Get on a reality show, don't wind up with Bret Michaels or Flava Flav, and then create your own spin-off (I wish this one was a joke)

Learn the politics of the talk show world inside and out. Be very specific in your niche branding. Build BUILD BUILD relationships!  

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

Question 88: Is late 20's too late to join the party? see blog for detailed question

Actual Question: A friend has just moved out to LA from NYC and been offered a job at a great entertainment company but the pay (of course) is low. It's an assistant position with potential to grow but she's wondering if she should take it even though it's not exactly what she wants to do. She's late twenties so she's also worried that she's late to the party so to speak but knows she has to start at the bottom. What are your thoughts? 

You used the word "great" when describing the entertainment company. As a coach I deal with tools and strategies. My strategy for someone in her late twenties, who wants to break into the business, is to meet as many people as she can. Working at a great company gives her access to a lot of great people. If she has the tools to make something of these relationships, as opposed to simply sitting behind a desk for a year doing her job, she can really get into a great position. Then, in a year,  she can pursue exactly what she wants with 200 relationships in her rolodex. That's if she works smart. 

After working in development myself for 8 months as well as coaching clients who work for producers or agencies, I highly recommend this strategy. There are a lot of benefits. I could be more specific about the benefits if I knew what type of company it is.

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