Fail Boldly

Written by Jamison Haase

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” – Thomas Edison

Oftentimes, there is a disconnect between what we do as actors and how we were raised. No one wants to put themselves out there in a vulnerable way; we were often taught as children that to stand out is wrong, either by our parents, our peers, or society as a whole. From an early age, many of us were told to behave a certain way, to be like every one else, to be a “nice boy or girl” — ultimately to fit in and play it safe. Add to that our own fears and anxieties about separating ourselves from the pack, either by making a bold stand, voicing our individual opinion, or doing something we consider daring?   Suddenly we have every reason seemingly to stay with the herd, to do everything in our power to try to stay safe. Read more

Keep the Drama on the Stage: How to Get Along with Your Fellow Actors

Written by Dallas Travers, CEC

What do you do if your longtime actor friend gets her big break before you do? You’re happy for her, of course, but it might bring up major feelings of “compare and despair” for you at the same time.

Obviously, it’s not always easy being friends or roommates or lovers with another actor. There’s some ego involved. Sure. You’re only human. And this industry has an undercurrent of competition flowing through it.

So how can you turn those debilitating feelings into ones that help you progress both in your relationships and in your career? I’ve got 3 suggestions for you. Read more

4 Steps to Gaining Publicity and Utilizing the Power of Networking

Written by Garrett O. Thomas

You’ve got the talent, looks and drive to be the biggest star that ever hit theaters and now you’re wondering what the next step is to getting there. It’s publicity, the thing that gets your name from your headshot to the credits onscreen. Publicity is something that everyone in entertainment should be conscious of! You not only get your name out there, but if you do it right, it could open up numerous doors in your career.

1. Walk the Red Carpet

So, you’re not exactly an Oscar nominee, but that doesn’t mean you can’t attend red carpet events. It’s Hollywood! Red carpet events happen all the time and not only do celebrities flock to them, but your new bestfriends, the press. The best service I can suggest to you would be to try PressHarvest.com, they submit you to red carpet events by using all your credentials, headshots and IMDB page. There’s no guarantee that you’ll walk big name events, however, they’ve still managed to pull through! The goal of walking red carpets is to get photographed at a good event or mingle with entertainment journalists who may be splashing your face on Star magazine tomorrow. All press is good press and the purpose of these events is to build your press kit so you have tangible evidence to show your agent, manager and publicist (they can thank me later for telling you to do this). Read more

Playing Games: Comparing Actors and Athletes

Written by Jamison Haase

A long time ago, my teacher and mentor drew a comparison between actors and athletes. At first I didn’t understand how the two were related – but now, years later, I couldn’t think of a closer parallel.

Both groups train for countless hours to perfect their craft. Both groups are competing at the highest levels in their respective businesses, and over time, both groups expect to see their careers change. More than anything else, however, there is one often-overlooked similarity that these two groups share; they play games.

Most professional athletes will play hundreds of games over the course of their careers. A basketball player will play at least 82 games per season, a football player at least 20, and baseball? 162!  Due to the sheer numbers, one singular game (save a championship) doesn’t usually mean all that much to an athlete. If they win, they feel great, but they know that there’s another game to play in a week at least. If they lose, they certainly don’t feel as good, but does that athlete quit? Do they knock themselves down and say, “I’m a bad athlete?” Do they take the loss personally and make it about their failure as a person?  Of course not. They say, “It wasn’t our day, and we’ll try harder next time.” Read more

How to Read Your Success Meter

Written by Dallas Travers, CEC

What if you reach your goal, achieve your wildest dreams and you still feel the same? Shouldn’t you feel differently? Better? Awesome? Well, that’s not always the case. Just because you booked the part, shot the scene, got some recognition or a great new agent, doesn’t mean you will suddenly feel like a whole new person. But, the goal is to feel confident inside no matter what happens in your career.

Speaking of confidence, there’s a Martha Graham quote I love that always comes to mind when I’m working with a disheartened actor. It’s a conversation between Agnes de Mille and Martha Graham after Agnes’ big debut in Oklahoma on Broadway from her book “Dance to the Piper”. This is a long quote, but bare with me, the best part is at the very end! (Martha’s words are bolded): Read more

Third Party Endorsement – You Can’t Get a Good Agent Without One

Written by Sean Pratt

It’s not enough for you to say you’re a great, professional actor; you need someone else to say it for you.

New actors are always on the hunt for the secret to getting an agent; finding that silver bullet that will rescue them from obscurity. They send out postcards, they act in showcases, they fuss over picking the right headshot, they worry about their type. And while all these are important generally, they are not the key to opening that particular door of opportunity. Ironically, the gatekeepers are right in front of them; they are the very people they work with.

You Know Me and I Know Him

Student actors are so insistent about asking, “How do you get an agent?” that it almost sounds like a broken record. They’ve heard they need to send their headshot and resume, postcards and invitations to their productions to the agent they’ve got their eye on. Yes, those things are important to do, and they sometimes result in the actor being called in for an interview. But the agents that can really move their career forward are busy and frankly have no time to dig through the mountain of material they receive every day.

The truth is that the real sentinels to the agent’s office are the actors and artisans who are either represented by or know the agent personally. One word from them will give that young actor the chance to meet the agent in question. It’s called a “third-party endorsement” and it’s worth its weight in show business gold. But it can’t be bought, it must be earned and the more experienced and connected that third party is, the harder it is to gain their endorsement and the more value it has. Read more

Discovering Your Inner Super Star: A Lil’ Confidence Booster

Written by Dallas Travers, CEC

I bet that when you decided to become an actor, it wasn’t because you thought you could add more of the same old thing to the acting world. It was because you wanted to share your unique gifts and viewpoints with an audience just waiting for you to shine, right?

No one looks exactly the same. If we did, the world would be a pretty creepy place.

The great thing about you is that YOU are unique. You have special talents that only you can bring to the table that have nothing to do with the color of your hair or the size of your favorite pair of jeans. The trick is allowing your outer self to embrace your inner self along with all the distinct and remarkable things you have to offer.

Think of it as discovering your Inner Super Star.

Not sure how to uncover yours? Try this fun + simple exercise. Read more

Extra Mile Marketing: A Call to Action to Think Outside the Box!

Written by Christina Shipp

It’s February! I love February. Mostly, I will admit, because of Valentine’s Day. (Go ahead and roll your eyes, haters. I’m a Love Lover, and Valentimes is one of my personal favorites.) I value Love, Authenticity and Gratitude, so for me VDay is a great occasion to go the Extra Mile in my Marketing as an Actress, Business Owner, and General Awesome Human.

Every year in February, I create and send a mailed greeting card campaign that is unique to me and reflects my personality to my entire contact list: industry and otherwise. Effective marketing is all about being remarkable and creatively sharing your values, your brand, and your successes. And when the intention is simply authentically sharing with your colleagues, fans, and the people you meet, you have the opportunity to connect with them in a more meaningful way. Read more

Audition Tips: Improve Your Performance With ‘Personalization’

Written by Brian Timoney

Auditions can be one of the most frustrating and unnatural places to give a performance. You are expected to perform in front of people you’ve never met and who have the power to make or break your acting career. If this wasn’t bad enough, you will often be given instructions just minutes before you are expected to perform.

Despite being in this intimidating, unnatural environment, your ability to ‘pull it out of the bag’ will often determine the success of failure of your acting career. Though it may seem unfair, it is the same for everyone.

The question is, what are you going to do about it? Read more

You Don’t Get What You Wish For In Life, You Get What You Believe

Written by Anthony Meindl

You don’t get what you wish for in life, you get what you believe.

And that can be a tad scary at first because we have all these desires in life but we also often have conflicting belief systems that get triggered once we have a desire.

So if our belief system is not in alignment with our desire, we’ll cancel out our desire each time because the belief system is the dominating energy or force that has the most leverage in our experience.

Sometimes, this understanding makes people wonder, “Well, why go after my dreams then?”

But if we can understand the nature of a belief system, we can understand how to change it and put in its place a new belief that will support our most heart-filled desires.

Think of beliefs (and desires) as quantum energy waves – which are all potential! And that’s what everything on this planet is; a bunch of quantum particles and waves being manifested as matter. Read more

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