Beware Unsolicited Offers of Stardom
May 24, 2010 by Erin Cronican
Filed under Columns
This week, I have decided to tackle a very hot topic, which has spurned lots of debate by industry insiders and actors alike: Unsolicited Offers of Fame and Requests for Partnership.
To give you some background on this topic, I am going to start by sharing an email I recently received from a “manager.” (Note: All grammar and spelling has been included, as originally written.)
I was looking on IMDB and noticed you do not have a Talent Manager. As you may know we are doing Talent Management.. A manager is different from an agent but in a way better as I have more fields to get you work. I feel I could be a great assett to you to help you not only get your more acting roles but we are doing something no other Management firm does. We are also going to provide free to our clients our Publicity Services. We are a NON-EXCLUSIVE company so if at anytime you want to end services with us that is ok. I really hope you will give me a chance to further your career and make you more money. If you are interested please let me know and I’ll send you my information packate. – Mike
File this one away into the “If it seems too good to be true, it is” mailbox. Of course, there are warning signs all over the above email that tell the actor that they should stay far away. So, how does an actor gauge the validity of these types of emails, which become numerous as the actor gets more and more well known?
1) Does the manager know the difference between managers and agents? (Do you?)
Agents and managers are very different from one another, primarily because it is illegal for managers to procure work for their clients. Agents are required to be on file with their state as a “licensed employment agent” and managers are not given this clearance. Thus, a manager’s job takes on a different form. Directly from the Talent Manager’s Association website: “A manager, by nature, does not seek employment for a client, but rather council, market and network on their behalf making it easier for the agent to secure employment. A client, manager and agent should function as a team.”
You can see by the email above that the manager is not accurately conveying his role. This should be a very big “red flag” to you.
Actors: Don’t Re-Invent The Wheel
May 13, 2010 by Erin Cronican
Filed under Columns
I meet many, many people through my journeys as an actor and a coach, and a lot of those conversations revolve around business, marketing and motivation (I guess I’m a magnet for that kind of talk!) I have seen people at all levels of success and achievement, and everyone’s story varies – where they grew up, how much support they had from their families, whether or not they went to theater school, what city they chose to ply their wares, etc, etc… Along with all of these differences, there’s one element that was evident in nearly every successful person I’ve met:
The willingness to ask for help.
When I was growing up, my parents didn’t have money to spend on dance classes or drama camp- the training I received was through the public school arts programs. After choir concerts or school plays, people often asked me where I had gotten my training, and they seemed shocked and enthralled when my parents said, “Nowhere- this is just her natural talent.” I began feeling like my natural talent made me something special, in a way that training since the age of 5 could not. “After all,” I thought to myself, “ANYONE can train, but not everyone can have natural talent.”
But once I got to college, things got turned around a bit. All of the sudden, I was surrounded by people who had the same talent as me, and even (gasp!) MORE. Raw talent was no longer something that was unique- it was a given. People were now giving reverence to those who had solid training and industry references. So I, like every other good little college student, trained and studied and worked and walked away from school with a degree AND raw talent. And armed with my shiny diploma, I stopped asking for help. After all, I Had Made It.
Why do we stop asking for help once our formal training is done? Is there a rule that says we must figure everything else out by ourselves?
Submitting For An Audition? Some Basic Do’s and Absolute Don’ts
May 3, 2010 by Erin Cronican
Filed under Columns
Erin Cronican is the founder of The Actors’ Enterprise (TAE), a fun and inspiring one-on-one coaching service that provides incredibly affordable business training to actors who want to feel more fulfilled and in control of their careers. With an approach that is hands-on and customized for each person, we help actors set goals, organize their business, and create a plan of action with easy tools that can take them to the next level, no matter where they are starting from. Our focus includes coaching on marketing/career development, business skills, and audition techniques that help actors work SMARTER, not HARDER. Erin is a professional actor (SAG/AFTRA/AEA) and continues to work steadily in film, TV and theater. Coaching packages start at only $40 per hour (wow!)- Learn more at www.theactorsenterprise.org or www.erincronican.com.
Market Your Acting Career: Some basic casting advice
I have done a fair bit of casting in my day, and actors always seem surprised when I mention how frustrating it can be when an actor doesn’t follow instructions when doing their submissions. I am surprised at my frustration too- I mean, I am also an actor and I pride myself on creatively marketing myself. But there is a point where trying to be cute or trying to get an edge just comes across as… well, disrespectful.
The reason I am sharing this with you today is that I just read another blog where an actor was in a casting position, and she experienced the same frustration! And because of this, I felt it was worth mentioning to all of you in an effort to help you make effective marketing decisions for your acting business.
I was casting a leading male role in an indie short film- the actor had to be blond, Caucasian, in his 20s, and non-union (they had already spent their budget on several other union actors.) To promote the role, I used Breakdown Services (which gives me the option of posting to agent breakdowns only, or also to Actors Access), Now Casting, Casting NY, Craigslist and a few other small casting websites. Between all of these sites, I probably saw over 300 submissions, which was quite a number to go through for one role.
Each casting site has its own way for casting directors (CDs) to organize the information that comes in. Some of them allow you to delete the messages from those who are not right for the role, but often times the website keeps all submissions in your inbox. This means that, right or not for the role, the CD is going to have to scan over that submission every time they are on that website. Now, imagine if you were a CD casting one role for a 20-something Caucasian, non-union male (which was explicitly stated in the breakdown) and you started to receive submissions from the following types: Children. Women. Non-Caucasian Men. Grandfathers. Dozens upon dozens of them. In the case above, more than half of the actors who submitted did not fit the description of the character in the breakdown.
Georgia Actor Resources
March 4, 2010 by Lance Carter
Filed under
Are you a photographer? Click here
Louisiana Actor Resources
March 4, 2010 by Lance Carter
Filed under
Are you a photographer? Click here
| Name | Location | Phone Number | Website | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabrielle Geiselman Photography | New Orleans | (949) 228-6900 |  |
||
| Pamelareed Photography | New Orleans | (602) 828-8893 | |
Headshot Photographer Lesley Bohm: “I focus on personality and who you are rather than just surface”
October 29, 2009 by Lance Carter
Filed under Interviews
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:03 — 10.4MB)
Lesley Bohm has been my go to photographer for a while now. Yes, I’ve cheated on her with other photographers (it wasn’t my fault! An old manager “suggested” I go elsewhere) but I always go back. Why? Simply because she produces headshots that get results. You can check out one of my headshots here.
She was nice enough to take time out of her busy day to talk to me about how she got her start, how she differs from other photographers and more. Check it out!
So, I guess we’ll begin with the obvious question, how did you get started?
I got started way back when I first came to L.A., I went to art school, and I always knew I liked shooting people rather than things. And so I always liked to reach into the nitty gritty and figure out how people ticked. And when I was moving from Vancouver, where I grew up, and it was New York or L.A. and I really did like the weather better in L.A., so I moved to L.A. And I started taking actor’s headshots.
I’m not sure if this is more of question but a statement. I hate taking headshots. It’s just uncomfortable for me, and I’ve shot with tons of people since I’ve been out here. Nothing really clicked for me, and then I found you through a friend, and I finally got my first great headshot. And you just have this sort of ease about you – this calm. And it came through you into me, and then into the picture. You just have this calming presence, and I think that makes for a great session.
I agree with you, and I have a little system and it does include, you know, talking with you and finding out who you are and what makes you tick a little bit and what you like and what you don’t like. That way I can kind of follow the initial issues of headshots where people are nervous and they’re thinking about what they look like and we can actually get into a position where we can talk about other things and your face can get back to its normal position and life will flow and then you get really good expressions and headshots. That’s kind of my little secret. Try to put you at ease as best I can.
Eventually you just kind of start having a conversation and then… you don’t forget you’re taking a headshot, but it’s more like you’re just hanging out.
Exactly. It’s just my way of getting you to come down to my studio and hang out with me (laughter). It’s basically the energy I want to share is hanging out with a best friend and we’re just having fun and getting some smiles and getting some serious – changing clothes a few time. It really should not be a big deal, even though it’s the number one thing actors hate to do, even though it’s the number one thing they have to do.
