To review, as we covered in the previous article, there are two types of goals:
1. Results Goals: These are the final results you want to produce, such as getting auditions and ultimately booking jobs. These results involve others making decisions.
2. Action Goals: These are the actions you take to produce the results you want, ones which you have control over and can do on your own.
Go back and review Success in Acting – Part 1 if you missed it or just want a refresher
Remember that your actions help you move toward producing the results. You may not be able to directly produce the result of making someone call you in for auditions or book you, but if you take enough actions, you can greatly increase your odds of that happening.
It’s like a baseball player cannot make himself hit a homerun, but there are many actions he can take to increase the likelihood of that happening.
In part 1, we looked at the big picture of your long-term Results Goals, now we will turn our attention to what some of the actions might be to help you reach them.
When you are planning what to do to reach your goals, you need to identify what are the key indicators (actions you have control of) that will help you reach those goals. What are the best actions that you can take to produce the results you want?
Without knowing your specific goal, I want to help get you in the mindset of what you might do. Here are 10 possible project-oriented marketing actions that can take to help you be successful.
1. Create a target list of 10 to 20 Casting Directors who use your type in their projects and submit to them on a regular basis.
If Casting Directors don’t know you, they can’t cast you. Get clear on what your casting is and put together a target list of 10 to 20 TV casting directors who need your type for TV. And by the way, this means you will need to start watching TV shows. I can’t tell you how many actors I’ve worked with who do not watch TV shows — yet they want to work in television.
Once you identify shows you could be suitable for and casting directors who cast those shows, decide what actions you will take to get them to know who you are.
2. Take Casting Director audition workshops.
Although a CD is not really allowed to cast you in a role for 6 months after you “take a class” from them in a paid workshop, getting the opportunity for them to meet you and know your type is extremely valuable. The idea is to get them to be familiar with you.
A general marketing principle across all industries is that it takes an average of 5 to 7 contacts before someone buys. How many contacts have you had with the casting directors you would like to work for?
3. Put yourself on various online sites and submit daily.
If you are building your resume and trying to add credits or get clips, it’s critical to have a presence on Actors Access and L.A. Casting. These sites are used frequently by smaller producers to cast their projects. It’s a good way to build credits, to meet newer filmmakers, and to gain experience.
4. Review all of your marketing materials to make sure they are tip-top.
In this very competitive business, you need to have the best headshots you can possibly get. Make sure your resume presents your credits, training, and special skills in the best way possible. If you aren’t sure about your headshots or resume, your reel, your website, your look, then schedule a Strategy Consultation with Melody at Smart Girls to to discuss your branding. Also watch for the Branding for Actors online course that will be launched in the coming weeks.
5. Do a Mailing to get a new Talent Agent who can get you auditions.
If your agent hasn’t gotten you out for 6 months and you’re serious about working as an actor, you need a new agent. Life is moving along and so is your career time!
6. Attend networking breakfasts and luncheons and focus on building relationships.
Select events like the Hollywood Networking Breakfast, Let’s Do Lunch, or Women in Film to attend regularly. When you attend the same networking events over time, you begin to establish yourself and build relationships with those people. If they have projects that you could be right for, you will have an opportunity to request an audition or they may think of you automatically because they are seeing you every month.
7. Collaborate with other “young” filmmakers to make your own short or low-budget feature film.
One of the best ways to get cast is to work with other filmmakers to make a film. This way you know you get cast and you also end up getting tape. You get to work and learn more about filmmaking. And also very importantly, it gives you a sense of pride to be working on something and to talk about to other people when you are networking.
8. Find a Manager who represents other talent and filmmakers whom you could collaborate with.
One of the great things about managers is that they will often team up their clients to work together on projects.
9. Attend film festivals and network with other filmmakers.
As you’ve often heard, this business is built on relationships. When you attend festivals and network, you get an opportunity to build relationships. You have to be willing to give however before you get… and that’s a topic for another day.
10. Create your own internet series and promote it.
Low-cost digital equipment and being able to load it on YouTube opens up endless possibilities. If you are truly unique and have something to offer, you should create your own internet series, promote it, and build a fan base. You can begin to get the attention of Hollywood this way. You have to be willing to work hard to make it happen, but it’s very powerful and effective when you do.
So there you go: Ten actions you can take to move your career forward. This is not a comprehensive list, of course, but it’s to show you that there are many actions you can take. Use these and try to come up with another 10 or 20 actions to consider for your plan.
To summarize both articles: Look to where you want to be in 18 months. Work backwards to plan what you need to do from that end point back to this week. Then start taking lots of actions on a daily basis.
Although you may feel that you can’t produce certain results directly, you can, in fact, identify your Key Indicators and start taking those actions that are more likely to cause it to happen.
Be bold!
Get out there and make things happen!
If you don’t want to do it alone or you feel you you need help creating your plan and executing, then the Big Juicy Project program could be exactly what you need. In BJP, Melody Jackson will be your coach to keep you on track.
If you missed Part 1 or want to review it, check it out here.
My hope is that these two articles have helped you put the reins on your career back in your hands. Let me know if I can help!