Thursday, January 28, 2010

Have I Seen You in Anything?

The other day I sat on a plane next to a stranger who asked the inevitable actor question "So, have I seen you in anything?"

Many of us struggle with this question - feeling we must list our credits or explain why we aren't starring opposite Jude Law in his latest film - "I'm doing theater right now, I had a commercial on ESPN last year, I just starred in a short film that screened at a bunch of festivals, I have two films in post-production..." As actors actively involved in pursuing work, we know what accomplishments these are, and yet sometimes when faced with a stranger asking for a succinct verbal resume, we seem to come up short.

We have to be smart about these encounters, because as actors we're sensitive - a few too many demoralizing cross-examinations, and we may slip into the dreaded attitude that we are "just another actor trying to make it in LA." We know we are not this person - after all, we gave up everything in [New York, Chicago, Nashville, Duluth, fill in your city here] to come to LA because we knew we were SPECIAL. The way we feel about ourselves is the #1 tool we have for success, so we have to know we are special, and we have to know what makes us special.

So here's my suggestion: don't wait for someone else to give you a job or tell you how great you are or discover you. DISCOVER YOURSELF. In that blessed free time between shoots, write scripts you think are funny (or sharp drama if that's your thing). Invite your actor friends over and do a reading of your work. Get clear on what you want to do, who you want to meet. Develop a short "elevator pitch" of yourself, and when you meet someone who says "What do you do?" you can answer something like this:

I'm an Isla Fisher meets Megan Mullally type. I'm funny, sarcastic and quirky. I'm currently writing an original tv comedy pilot in the vein of Two and a Half Men. So I'd like to meet the producers of projects like Confessions of a Shopaholic and Will & Grace.

Sometimes people will go, Wow! That sounds exciting. And you'll feel great. And just sometimes, they'll say things like "Oh, really? My sister babysits for Steven Levitan's kids. I'll see if I can introduce you." And then you'll feel really great. The key is to get clear on what you want, then distill it to a simple pitch you can share with others. Because how you feel about yourself as an actor is going to be a huge part of not only how long you stay in LA, but how you do here.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Booking Without Auditioning

Actors often tell me that one of their dreams is to get so successful that they no longer have to audition. After all, does Julia Roberts audition? Does Meryl Streep audition? Nope. The phone rings, someone asks their agents whether they are available, and soon, they're on set, doing what they love.

Well, I'm here to tell you that you too can be the recipient of this special treatment.

Why do Julia and Meryl get these phone calls? Because they are known. Their work is known. Well, you and your work can be known as well. When you build relationships, people naturally want to know more about you. Maybe Martin Scorsese will not be the first director to call you out of the blue to be in his film - you may be starting a bit smaller than that, but you'll still be on your way.

Case in point: when I first moved to Los Angeles, I wasn't sure what to do with all my free time. Since I had produced a film in New York, I figured, why don't I help out others on their films? I sifted through Craigslist ads for one that sounded low-budget but still interesting and professional. I sent my crew/production resume off and got a phone call right away. It was for an unpaid PA job, getting up early, shlepping stuff around and generally being at the bottom of the totem pole. I went to meet with the production team, and they asked me if I would instead be the Production Manager. Still unpaid, just more work =) Of course I said yes - why not learn how all those contracts work and how to put together a call sheet?

At the end of the shoot, I had learned a ton. (Not least of which was how to manage an actor who came to set still high on coke after being out partying all night, but that's another blogpost for another day!) It was pretty unglamorous work for me. But lo and behold, a couple months later, I had become friends with some of the production team members, and two of them asked me to work on two separate film projects as their lead actress. They had gotten to know me, and when they found out I was an actress, they watched my reel, and it fit with what they were looking for. Booking without auditioning.

Now what? is a forum for success, out-of-the-box thinking and joy through collaboration. Please send questions to successinla@gmail.com and share this blog with anyone you think might like it or benefit from it!

Here's to success in 2010!
So, you've been in LA for a year or more - you found a place to live, you bought a car and you even signed with an agent.

Now what?

This blog is about taking your career to the next level - thinking big, thinking outside the box and working collaboratively to achieve success. Success in LA.