Tackling Overwhelm
Tackling Overwhelm
What do you do when you think you “should” be able to do everything? Coach Sarah gives some simple tips on how to tackle overwhelm.
What do you do when you think you “should” be able to do everything? Coach Sarah gives some simple tips on how to tackle overwhelm.
Is Commercial print worth doing? Maybe you have friends who have had some nice paychecks from their print jobs? Perhaps you’ve thought about it? But where do you start? Is it, or isn’t it a good idea?Generally, when making a decision I find it is best to get out of your head. Don’t waste time debating and analyzing. Trust your gut. Or simply take action as that will inform you much faster. Here is some info to help you choose if Commercial Print is right for you.
Yep…this is me in a stock photo as seen on SNL, The NY Post and a magazine in FRANCE!!
Are you the right type for commercial print?
Do you see yourself reflected in commercials or in advertising campaigns? If so, then YES! Nicknamed “real people” modeling it’s pretty inclusive. Commercial print has no height, age or size requirement. In fact, I think the pool gets less competitive the older I get!
Need to practice those commercial skills?
A few years ago, print casting used to be 1 or 2 quick photos and you were done. However now more and more, they lean toward commercial castings (on camera!). Producers and clients really want to get a sense of your personality. Even if the job is only print, they might shoot a video at the audition and ask questions like, What are your hobbies?
Print auditions can be a good place to practice those on brand “tell me about yourself stories.” Thanks to a great tip from commercial veteran Bill Coelius, (Run, don’t walk to his class) I always have fun, short, on brand stories related to being a mom, my fav food, travel, holidays, and movies ready to go so I’m never caught like a deer in headlights!
I often audition for “mom” roles so this is one of my go-to stories:
Do you ever have random Dance Parties? My 6yr old son, D, and I like to dance to Cheesy Top 40 at full blast. It can be a little tight in a small NYC apartment, I almost knocked him out once with a flying arm move but thankfully my dance moves are not lethal!
NOTE: This answer could safely answer many questions – what are you doing this weekend? What do you like to do for fun? What is your favorite music? Tell us about yourself?
What do I wear for commercial print castings?
It is very similar to commercials. Do your research and use your common sense. Look at advertisements, what do the moms wear in those ads? What does the Best Buy employee wear? Usually your agent will give you a brief character description, eg: mom shopping with a child. If you don’t know the brand/product do a quick google search to look up past ads so you get a sense of tone/color choices.
Do I need new photos?
If you have some good commercial headshots, most agents will start off with those. They might want some more lifestyle or body shots down the road, but you don’t need them to start.
How do I get an agent?
Statistically it is easier to get a commercial agent than a legit agent. I would argue it is easier to get a print agent than a commercial agent. Just based on numbers of clients those agencies are working with.
Commercial Print is also an easy entry point to an agency roster. I had a client start working with the print department of a large agency and she was a total pro! (always on time, quick response to email, booking-out etc.) Though she hadn’t actually booked anything yet, 6 months in she asked to be referred to the legit department, it was an easy next step for both sides.If you’d like to learn 3 juicy, insider strategies to get the right agent for you, check out this free master class.
Do I have special skills?
Don’t forget those special skills. Do you play tennis well? Are you a great ice skater? Those can be great assets for commercial print.
Is print work Union or non-Union work?
Print is non-jurisdictional work so open to Union and Non-Union members and the rate can vary considerably depending on the scope of the project. Sometimes producers unfortunately want to shoot non-jurisdictional photos and also shoot non-union video, which would exclude SAG-AFTRA members as that violates Global Rule One.
To stock or not to stock?
One way to get some great images of yourself is to do a stock agency shoot. However, I do not recommend it. Typically it is very low pay $250-$400 for the day and you sell all your rights away so anyone can buy your image to use as they see fit.
If you want to pursue commercial print you could accidentally create a conflict for yourself. I did one stock shoot many years ago, it was a super fun day but I have seen those photos on everything from SNL, The NY Post and a magazine in FRANCE!!
My image and work is worth more. And so is yours. I would also hate my image to be used as part of a product/campaign that I strongly disagree with. The shoot was very silly, involving clowns, fake fights and an adorable dog, it does seem unlikely…but still.
My favorite reason to do print work…
Momentum! If you are going through a slow legit-audition period, adding commercial print can help you stay inspired. Yes it’s not auditioning for your favorite TV show, but staying busy and “in the mix” can be useful. And those big juicy checks don’t hurt either….
What do you think? Is commercial print something you will pursue? Have you already had success with print? Let me know in the comments below.
— Coach Sarah
Yayyy! It’s pilot season…kind of…I mean technically yes but let’s be real. Pilot season can sometimes feel non-existent. I used to call pilot season “unicorn land” because for too long it was this mythical place that, despite my years in LA and whatever reps I had, I never found the secret magic key to.
Looking back, there were a few things I wish I knew that would have made a huge difference in my expectations and experience of pilot season… whether I auditioned for a single pilot or not.
PREPARATION
MINDSETThe more we can measure our success by growth and not by results the more we can enjoy the journey. Measure your success during pilot season by how much you’re growing and learning and you’ll be on track to having a great time instead of becoming a ball of stress.
BRANDINGGet super clear and specific on what you sell and create a marketing package that supports that niche branding message. Ideally, this process should be completed before pilot season. If you’re not there yet, consider enrolling in our Branding and Marketing Course to really hone in on the characters and qualities that make you irresistible to casting. Either way, keep reading…major revelations ahead.
TRADESJust because pilot auditions aren’t rolling in doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. As a professional, you need to know what’s happening in your industry. Read them! Deadline, Variety and Hollywood Reporter. I find Deadline to be the best at delivering information quickly and efficiently. Use the trades to track pilot orders and pick-ups.
WARNING!Pilots are all works in progress and therefore kept tightly under wraps. If someone trusts you enough to share their access to a pilot with you, it is your job to protect that pilot. Never share a pilot that is given to you by a friend or contact and NEVER publicly post a pilot or a self-tape for a pilot online. Pilots are often watermarked with the original source’s name and can be traced back to them if the pilot gets out.
Now that we are prepped for pilot season let’s talk numbers 🙂
WHY YOU’RE NOT GOING OUT
THERE ARE NO ROLES FOR YOURead the pilots. Do everything you can to get a hold of pilot scripts and read them. How do I get a hold of scripts? Ask your actor friends who are going out on pilots to send you their scripts. Ask your writer friends if they can dig any up for you. Ask any friends that are assistants at agencies if they are open to sending you scripts available to the agency. Often actors are not going out for pilots because none of the pilots have a role they are right for. Availing yourself of this information can save you 3-months of anxiety about all the imaginary pilots that you aren’t going out on.
EPISODIC SEASONPilot season is a reflection of your episodic season. These days casting directors have less and less time to cast a pilot. So they truly rely on relationships they have built with actors whose work they’ve seen time and time again. Even if you didn’t book during episodic season, if you went into the same casting offices multiple times and laid down solid work you can expect them to call you in. If you haven’t established a relationship with the casting office casting the role you are perfect for preceding pilot season it might be challenging to get an appointment.
OFFERSThe timeline for pilot season has truly evolved with the increase in scripted series from streaming services and cable. Traditionally, pilot season doesn’t start until after Sundance. Mid February casting typically begins the process of putting out offers. As the process of the industry vying for the same celebrity actors gets underway and offers are accepted or passed. Casting begins a trickle-down process. The roles hit seasoned working actors with series under the belt already, solid guest star and recurring credits. Lastly, newer actors with mostly co-star and small guest credits are usually put in the mix, around early March. However, these days pilots begin casting as early as late October and offers can begin going out in December to get ahead of the busy season. Pilots typically shoot the third week of March. If the role or roles you are perfect for this season are cast before they hit your level credits you might not get an opportunity to read for them. However, more and more networks are breaking away from the traditional pilot season timeline and casting year-round. This is particularly true for streaming and cable networks.
Caveat:Oftentimes, casting will hold sessions even when an offer is out, so as to give themselves back-up options. It’s important actors go into every casting with their eyes open about the business so the focus is placed on the work. An actor’s career is bigger than any one job or booking. Emotional sustainability is key to staying in the game. Each opportunity is about creating a long-term relationship with the casting office and the actor can only do that if they are not setting themselves up for an emotional let down when the phone doesn’t ring.
REPSIn-person sessions offer casting a limited number of slots so casting prioritizes seeing actors in-person from well-known top tier agencies and management companies. Actors repped at newer or lower-tiered agencies are typically given self-tapes. Self-tape actors may only be called into casting if they’re not finding the right fit for the role with in-person sessions.
Caveat:People are called in and booked from self-tapes all the time. So it’s important to treat them like a real opportunity and do your best work. Often casting will watch them just to get to know a new actors’ work.
OFF-SEASON PILOTSWith the onset of increased original programming from streaming and cable, pilots are casting more and more outside of the typical January-to-March pilot season. Cable pilots can begin casting as early as October and streaming pilots cast year-round. In my personal experience I’ve found that streaming pilots cast particularly in the summer.
REGIONALISM & INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONIf you haven’t noticed, a lot of television production has moved out of the state of California. Georgia, Louisiana and New Mexico are few of the largest markets. On top of the long-time established alternate markets of Canada and New York. Plus, with the expansion of investment into scripted television by titans like Netflix and Amazon, television production often has the resources to create epic and expansive worlds and shoot on location overseas, so often American television is shot in the UK and Europe. It used to be that production would cast series regulars and major guest stars out of LA or New York and use local actors only for small guest stars and co-stars. Over the last 5 years, these markets have developed and production is often casting series regulars directly out of local markets.
If you find a role that you are right for that is scheduled to shoot in a market outside of LA, depending on your credits, it may be more challenging to be seen for that role because production will have to pay to travel or move you. Production can typically find a right fit locally and save themselves the travel costs.
GREAT NEWS!
Now that we’ve cleared up all the reasons that might limit an actor’s opportunities, we can approach pilot season informed, empowered and without unreasonable pressure or FOMO. AND if you do find a role that you are perfect for GO FOR IT with completely open eyes and the joy of the journey.
Happy Pilot Season!
— Coach Alysia
We are lucky to be a part of the entertainment industry where, even if you live in a smaller market, there are so many amazing artists and collaborators and content creators here in LA and other markets, and there’s a lot of amazing opportunities to be had if you put yourself out there and meet people.
Now, I’m sure you have good ideas about where to meet people, but I wanted to focus this blog specifically on how to make a good first impression.
After all, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. ;)So, here are some tips and tricks that my clients and I have learned while meeting people in the entertainment industry!
Easy Ways To Initiate Conversation
Smile! Say hi! It’s amazing how many people want to chat with others but a lot of people are equally unsure of how to strike up a conversation. I know it seems obvious, but really think about smiling and saying hello to people when you’re at your next party or festival or event.
Not only does a conversation eventually happen, but sometimes you can make lifelong friends through a casual word in the lobby of a screening. I’ll often comment about the weather or about a film I just saw. I’ll also say hi or compliment someone on their shirt or their shoes – a genuine compliment, of course – just to break that initial awkward first moment.
In fact, I’ve had great success commenting on food… Often festivals have a tea or breakfast or dinner as part of one of their parties, and usually, it’s a buffet set up.
I will ALWAYS say something about the food to the person standing next to me… I’ve said stuff like “oh that looks good doesn’t it?” or I’ll see someone holding a plate and ask, “how is that, good?” Another option is to ask about specialty cocktails/beverages that are being served at events, I’ll say, “oh is that a margarita? How is it?”
Keep The Conversation Going With Questions
Yay! You’re talking to someone about the food at an event! Oh no, you’ve said all you can say about the salsa… They’ve commented extensively about their favorite cheese… What do you talk about now??? Ok, take a deep breath, you’ve got this. I LOVE to ask questions about how people heard about the event as a gateway into what they do for a living. I generally make it a point to talk a little about work at the start, “Oh you’re a writer! Cool, do you have something in this festival?” and then after a minute talk about that, I LOVE to steer away from industry talk and learn more about the person. This usually leads to a deeper connection because the two of you end up talking about life stuff. Ask genuine questions, things you’d actually like to chat about, from asking if they have any pets or kids or if they loved the most recent Star Wars. Focus less on the fact that they’re “in the industry” and more on the fact that they are a person looking to have a connection at an event.
Focus On The Positive During Your Conversation
This is an industry full of long weeks and long days… and we all want to work with people that we can hang out with for hours on end, with no drama, who are fun and professional and have a good sense of humor. Well, at least I do! Ha! So, I look for that when I chat with people. If someone is rude towards a bartender, or complains incessantly about a film, I tend to not want to chat much longer with that person. Maybe they even make fun of someone nearby…
Regardless, it’s negative and it’s not someone I want to spend a lot of time with. Remember to just be nice to people, to focus on things that you loved about a particular block, to not talk badly about other people in the room, to ask questions and be authentic when chatting with others. I love to ask people what project they have coming up, to see them get excited as they talk about it.
I also love to offer some way to support them, like offering to give the project a follow on Facebook or by asking them if there’s an upcoming screening for their film. Each of us has special skills that we can offer to others in our industry that can support them, and when we offer support, we are seen as a great asset for future projects.
Follow Up With Gratitude
Let’s say you have a great conversation with someone at an event, and you guys exchange info. I love sending follow up emails within 3-5 days recounting our conversation and offering GRATITUDE for something during our interaction. For me, it’s been everything from saving a seat in a theater to recommending a great cocktail to offering up a book I should read. There’s ALWAYS something that we can be grateful for, and when we offer gratitude to others, it only deepens the relationship with them. It could even be as simple as saying thanks for telling a particular story or writing a specific scene or a beautiful camera movement that made me smile.
You’ve got a lot to offer, including Great Conversation!
Ok ok, I know what you might be thinking, “RACHEL!! I don’t have anything to offer others! People don’t want to get to know me! What do I do?” Well, first of all, I’d say that you, OF COURSE, have amazing things to offer, and like myself, you’re just temporarily forgetting them at this moment.
See, I used to be a really shy kid… I was super scared of strangers, I never wanted to answer the phone, and I had it in my head that anyone that wasn’t related to me or went to school with me was actually going to harm me. So I chose to stay very introverted and not go out and meet people. Once I moved to LA and started pursuing this career more aggressively, I realized that I had to put myself out there in order to succeed in any way.
So, little by little, I forced myself to strike up conversations with strangers at events, to remind myself that I am a great actress and that people want to see my work as part of their projects. I started to gain some confidence and started to meet people that I would eventually work with again and again. This was tough and had a lot of growing pains for me… Honestly, I have a lot of beautiful growth left in this department, but I wanted to let you guys know of one way that’s really helped me grow in this way.
Make A List of Why Your Friends & Family Love You
Think about it, talk to you family about it, talk to your friends about it, and really consider reasons why people love you. Then jot it down. It’s important for you to tangibly see this information, so that every time you want to NOT go out and meet new people or NOT take a new class or NOT go to a networking event or NOT put yourself out there, remind yourself of why people love you. Because this could help encourage you to get your butt out the door and to strike up a conversation with someone.
If you never strike up a conversation with someone, then THEY are being robbed of the reasons that you’re such a great person. IF you never meet anyone, and never let them know that you’ve got such a great handle on developing character, then potential collaborators will never know the amazing nuances you could bring to their production. Or maybe they never see the awesomely collaborative sense of humor you have, that could liven up even a 15-hour workday.
There will be so many opportunities this year to meet wonderful new collaborators and friends, and I am excited for you to make it a priority in your life to network even better! Remember to focus on being kind, asking questions and to simply get yourself out there.
Happy Networking!
— Coach Rachel
It’s time to check in on 2019’s audition statistics. You may be asking yourself: Did I have a good callback ratio? What about my booking ratio?If you’re not keeping track, you may never know. We recommend tracking your auditions, callbacks, avails, bookings, etc. because “what gets measured gets improved.”Actor Edward Hong (60+ TV/Film credits) openly shared all his stats (auditions, callbacks, bookings, etc.) and some great takeaways from his 2019 year in our Career ACTivate Elite Coaching & Mastermind Program FB group and he’s been generous enough to allow us to share it here on this blog.
The first section highlights his stats. In the second part, he doles out his major takeaways as well as highlights/lowlights for 2019.
THEATRICAL (multiple reps, theatrical, management, voice-over, and stage)
— My Reps sending me out —Auditions received through DDO (started on 8/3/19): 7Auditions received through Sovereign (ended on 8/2/19): 4Auditions received through Authentic Talent: 16Auditions received through Atlas Talent Agency: 175Direct Requests: 2
TOTAL Theatrical Auditions via Reps: 204
Callbacks: 0Avails: 0Bookings: 2
— Self Submissions —Direct Requests: 2
TOTAL Theatrical auditions via self-submission/pitching: 46
Callbacks: 4Avails: 2Bookings: 10
COMMERCIAL
Auditions through AKA Talent Agency: 31 (turned down 3)
Callbacks: 6Straight To Callbacks: 2Avails: 1Bookings: 1
And there you have it. 2019 in a nutshell. Here’s hoping that 2020 is just as kickass!—For more info on Edward, check out his blog and website.PS. Looking to generate more TV/film auditions for yourself? Then make sure to join us at Jona’s free workshop: Book TV/Film On Your OWN.
In my last blog we discussed the first two steps to getting into the top 1% of commercial actors: landing a top commercial agent and nailing specific headshots.
Now let’s lay down how to make your casting profile pop. As a coach, I find it’s all the little details coming together that create a competitive edge.
STEP 3: Create a Quick Read Online Resume
TV/Film Credits
While theatrical offices could care less if you booked a huge commercial campaign. Commercial offices definitely care about your theatrical bookings. Why? Often top TV and film directors work in commercials and they want to work with great actors. Theatrical credits are one way casting shows that you’re a solid actor.
Instead of listing everything you’ve ever booked list your top 5 credits in TV and top 5 in film. Include anything notable in parenthesis. For example, if the film won an award. Check out my resume link below as an example.
www.lacasting.com/alysialiving
Training
No recognizable credits yet? No worries! I didn’t have any TV credits when I booked my first commercial. This is where training comes in and why you want to keep the credits short and sweet.
Commercial casting directors LOVE actors with improv training. While casting primarily cares about improv training at UCB, Groundlings and Second City. Any improv training or commercial workshops helps.
Commercial BookingsDO NOT list commercials bookings on your resume. If you list commercial bookings, casting directors will automatically assume that you have conflict. That often means that if you have a Honda commercial running, you are not eligible to star in a Ford commercial. But, if your Honda commercial is no longer running, you can indeed be in that Ford commercial.
Casting won’t know that though, if you keep a list of commercial bookings on your resume. My recommendation is to exclude a commercials section all together. But if you must have it, just list “conflicts available upon request” under the commercials section.
Your goal is for the CD to be able to view your entire resume without scrolling down. The less time they must invest in evaluating if they want to call you in, the better.
BONUS STEP 4:
Attach your reel to your commercial casting profiles.
I know what you’re thinking… “commercial casting directors don’t take the time to look at reels”. Well, just like theatrical offices some do and some don’t.
This blog is called How to Get Into the TOP 1% of Commercial Actors. Not, “how to do the bare minimum.”
This is all about what we at Career ACTivate call exiting the sea of sameness. If you just do what everyone else does you’ll get the same mediocre results as everyone else. Elite kick-ass ninja actors go above and beyond, taking every step available to set themselves up to win.
So post that reel! Drama, comedy, sketch or a blend of your best acting moments. Remember it’s all about selling your brand and be sure to keep it to 2.5 mins or less.
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CAVEAT: I do NOT recommend you spend a lot of time and resources shooting a commercial reel or create a reel of past commercials. I’m all about saving actors time and money. We don’t want casting to think you have conflicts if you don’t remember? Use your footage from theatrical work 😉
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Ok, so you landed a TOP commercial agent, you nailed your headshots, you sold yourself with your resume and reel. Congratulations! You’ve elevated yourself to the top 1% of actors that consistently go out on commercials.
Why is this alone significant? There are about 3,000 submissions for each role in a commercial. Out of the 3,000 submissions about 36 people receive appointments.
Following these 4 simple steps will put you above 99% of all other commercial actors in your category.
Why? Because most actors, my former self included, feel commercial work is beneath theatrical. As a result, they don’t do the work to land great commercial representation.
Their pictures are out of date or terrible, their resume isn’t a quick sell and they don’t invest in showcasing their acting ability to commercial CDs with a reel.
With over 3,000 submissions per role getting in the room is 90% of booking. So let’s set you up for success. More commercial appointments means support for the long term vision for your career.
Set a deadline for each step. Create accountability and watch those appointments come in. Who knows? It could help you finally quit your thrival job. Save for those expensive headshots with that fancy photographer. Or finally take that trip to Europe like I did 🙂
Paris
Rome
London
Looking for great insider strategies to get a great agent or manager for you? Get access to our online training: Get Signed! 3 Insider Strategies
-Coach & Diagnostic Expert Alysia
Meeting Strangers on the Internet
As the perpetually single friend, I have plenty of experience online dating. While not the intended effect, it turns out that building attractive profiles, initiating effective first contact, and translating e-intros into in-person meetings are all highly transferable skills when it comes to professional networking.
In this post, I share how principles of online dating can be applied in order to successfully convert online interactions with producers, showrunners, directors, and CDs into successful work relationships.
Create an online presence that reflects how you want your future industry besties to see you
Your online profiles aren’t just for you, your college friends, and your crazy aunt who’s still living vicariously through you and your college friends. That said, when creating and maintaining your social media presence, it’s important to be honest, passionate, and be yourself.
To an extent.
Sure, you might like to get hammered on the weekends and make questionable decisions, but would the industry power players actually take you seriously if all they saw were photos of you letting it all hang out?
Filters. They’re for more than Instagram photos. Filter your content to present a version of yourself that the folks you’re trying to build meaningful relationships with would enjoy meeting and spending time with. Beyond what you post yourself, also be aware of what content you’re liking and commenting on (and what comments you ‘re making). All of that is part of your online presence and easily gets traced back to you!
Pro Tip… This is not about misleading people. It’s about putting your best foot forward and curating a social media presence that reflects who you are and what work you want to attract. After all, people want to hire who they know, like, and trust- your online profile is your opportunity to present yourself as likeable and trustworthy, so that people would like to get to know you!
Figure out what you want
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve said that to someone I’ve dated…but it’s also an important thing in this context. Do your research and find out who, specifically, in the industry you want to connect with. An agent who reps someone you know? A casting director or associate working on a show you’d be perfect for? Don’t forget line producers, 2nd ADs, and UPMs (unit production managers). They also often work closely with producers and may have the power and influence to bring someone in or pass along a self-tape!
Lead with a compliment
Great! You’ve matched! Now what?
You’ve spent time liking each others’ posts, maybe even re-tweeting or reposting ( basically 2nd base in internet friendship terms).
Now it’s time to slide into home base by sliding into each other’s DMs.
Deep breaths, you got this.
When reaching out, it’s highly effective to start with a compliment. You’re much more likely to get a response, advises the dating app Bumble and validated by my own experience. “Thank You,” “Congratulations,” or an engaging question about something they posted or are clearly passionate about are also likely to get responses.
After some back and forth, gauge the friendliness and closeness of this acquaintance and casually ask via DM if they’d be open to grabbing coffee (if they’re local), answering a few specific questions via Skype, or just having a quick 10-min chat on the phone if they seem super busy.
Don’t be weird. At this stage, they already like you! So just keep being your non-weird self.
No pressure.
You got the date! What do I talk about?
Outside interests. Please have some non-industry topics to discuss at your fingertips. Do not be that cliché needy actor who has no other skills, hobbies, or interests, and is solely focused on getting a job on this first date.
On my first dates with guys from the Internet, I’ve got a rideshare app open and ready to go in case they end up being too forward and sleazy, and I’d say these two scenarios are equally gag-worthy.
Networking is for the purpose of building a successful long-term (professional) relationship, so treat your date with the respect and consideration needed to create that foundation of trust, instead of bombarding them with questions and requests that make them think this meeting is all about what they can do for you.
Find an organic connection with the individual or individuals that doesn’t come from you needing a job.
Many industry folks have outside hobbies that they share and talk about as part of their online presence- via Instagram, Twitter, or vlogs/blogs. I personally feel Facebook should be reserved for people you actually know, but if people have public Instagram and Twitter profiles, that is, their account isn’t set to private and anyone can see their posts, you’re not crossing any social media boundaries by following and engaging, regardless of whether you know them personally or not.
There you have it. Have fun online dating/networking, Internet Friends!
-Coach Melody
When I first got to LA I thought “commercials, naaah I’m all about movies.” I only began to reconsider when I got a job running the accounting department at a TOP commercial agency in LA. Every day I processed checks for actors, some of which were making 6 figures in passive income from commercials.
I thought “…maybe it’d be good to check out commercials!”
Now I’m happy to say that in the last 18 months I’ve booked 4 big commercial campaigns and have a 3/5 callback ratio..
Before I got to Hollywood I never even considered commercials. Now I’ve come to find it’s an essential part of creating the time freedom to pursue TV/Film work.
So how can you get into the TOP 1% of commercial actors?
Step 1: Land a GREAT Commercial Agent
If you’re not going on at least 1-2 auditions per month for commercials, it might be time to change agencies.
Caveat, if your headshots are unprofessional i.e. shot by your friend or cousin or super outdated, you won’t get out for commercial work no matter what agency you are at. You know who you are 😉
Top commercial departments are open to signing talent with little to no experience if you present yourself as highly marketable (part of this includes your headshots, which I detail below).
Before you submit to any agency, check for conflicts. It’s ok if a commercial department has a few conflicting clients with your type. But if there are a LOT of clients in your category, the agency has your type covered and probably won’t take a meeting. Use IMDb to go through each agency’s commercial client list and ensure you are a missing piece in their roster.
Caveat, if one of those conflicts is name talent or an actor that works a lot theatrically they don’t count. Most likely, their theatrical schedule takes them out of the commercial game. The agent may keep them as a client for prestige.
If you’d like some awesome insider tips & tricks for landing a great rep, check out our free online training, Get Signed: 3 Insider Strategies to get an Agent or Manager.
STEP 2: Get Rich in your Niche: Take Specific Headshots
The commercial world is all about specificity. Watch commercials and get to know where you fit in. Everyone has about 4 types they play in the commercial world which fit into different categories.
For instance, check out my commercial shots below. Each headshot reflects a different type.
Millennial Hipster Think Taco Bell, McDonald’s
Genuine Aspirational Girlfriend, Barista Think Toyota
Quirky Intern, Entry Level Co-Worker Think Google
Real looking Yogi or athlete Think Hotels.com
Friendly Customer Service Think Best Buy and Verizon
Your commercial types may not be the same types you play theatrically. Talk to your agent. Any top commercial agent should be able to give you specific types they want you to have.
PRO TIP: Ask your agent for examples of headshots from clients that get called in a lot and imitate those shots 😉
-Coach & Diagnostic Expert Alysia
First off – Congrats on securing representation!!! Pop the bubbly!
Now that you’ve celebrated and had your champagne, know that this is NOT the time to relax, sit back and wait for all those auditions to come pouring in. If you do, I promise, they won’t. Now is the time to really focus on building relationships, and one of those relationships you want to build, is the one with your new rep! 🙂
Here are some of my tips for creating a strong rep relationship:
Give them the Ammo
Reps are not wizards who can procure auditions out of thin air. They need you to give them the marketing tools in order to submit/pitch you to secure audition opportunities. You must provide them with high quality:
Communicate!
When you first start working with a rep, you can ask them, “how do you like your clients to correspond with you?” Most like email, but some prefer texts or phone calls. It’s a great question to ask because it shows your rep you care about making a strong relationship and are considerate of their style of communication.
I advise all my clients to keep their reps updated on what they are doing for their own careers with a brief email update every two weeks, ideally on Tuesday afternoons, so that you’re top of mind for the rest of the week. You can email them something like, “I want to make sure you’re always up to date on what I’m up to, so if it’s cool by you, I’m going to email you every two weeks and let you know what I’m up to. No need to respond, as it’s just for your reference. It’ll be something like this…” Then bullet 2-4 things you’ve been up to in your career lately.
Example:
IMPORTANT THINGS TO COMMUNICATE TO YOUR REPS:
With that being said, while most of you are generally radio-silent with your reps, a small percentage are over-communicating and bothering them. Know that you don’t have to email them daily, before or after every audition or stop by every week. They are WORKING. They have a job to do. Your email update every two weeks and any other communication about important info they need to know will suffice. Some people become friends with their reps and some people remain in a strictly professional relationship. You have to figure out what you and your rep will be. Every relationship is unique and you need to find out what works for both of you.
Get Face time!
Make sure you see your reps 3 times a year in person. Maybe you stop by the office with a treat after you’ve been on a vacation or right after a booking. You can drop-off a gift after the holidays (I recommend dropping by in January instead of December when every other actor is going by). When you go in person, dress a little differently every time. Show them different sides of yourself and they may think you can play different types than they initially thought.
Invite your reps to work you’re doing – plays, showcases, etc. You can even invite your rep to networking events you think they would find valuable or perhaps even a social event if you feel comfortable doing so.
Be Your Best Actor
Now that you have the main tips, let’s take some action!
Reps are people, just like actors. They cannot work without actors and believe me, they would rather have a positive relationship with you too!
NOTE: If you are looking for a new agent/manager, I highly recommend THIS complimentary training that Jona Xiao will be teaching to help you Get Signed! You’ll learn creative ways to stand out and get representation!
Congratulations, you got that meeting with an agent or manager!
Now what?
Well, first of all celebrate. You’re already in the very top percentage of actors in town to even get the meeting. Major win no matter the outcome. Then…
1) Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Do Your Research
It’s easy to worry about how we’re going to present ourselves, but the first step is to care about who you’re meeting with.
Research their clients on IMDb Pro. Contact anyone you know who is repped by them. Look up their work history on LinkedIn. See what you can learn about their personality from any public social media profiles they have.
Write down three possible conversation topics (personal or professional) based on them.
Prep for the most important question you will get
90% of the time the rep will start with some version of “so, tell me about yourself.”
Your job is to actually sit down with another human being—such as a roommate or friend from acting class—and practice answering this question multiple times.
Do not skip this! The temptation is to tell ourselves, ahhh, I’ll just wing it. Don’t.
Practice ahead of time so you can go with the flow in the room.
You don’t need to memorize an answer, but do have a general sense of the key things to highlight.
Write down a few bullet points of the most interesting and significant personal and professional topics you want to cover.
I focus on any highly memorable—and ideally on brand—experiences from my life. For example, I personally will bring up that I worked for Congress in D.C. after college and co-founded a startup company.
These are interesting topics and share a part of my life that reinforces how to cast me (if anyone can connect me to Aaron Sorkin for a West Wing reboot hit me up! 😉 ).
I also share that I was a homeschooled cowboy for many years growing up because…well, that $hit is memorable.
And of course, sprinkle in a fun (brief!) story about your most important career wins.
I like to prepare a 2-minute and 5-minute version of this answer that I can whip out depending on how chatty the other person appears to be.
Bring your materials
I like to bring a little folder with all of my marketing materials:• Headshot/resume• Any promotional materialso For example, postcards, one-sheets or press releases• Industry contact listo If you’ve been in town long enough to have built solid relationships then I recommend bringing a list of your industry contracts—especially any casting directors or associates you’ve met or auditioned for
2) Be authentic.
I’ve often heard the advice to be the best version of yourself, like you would on a first date.
I say, instead, be your third date self.
Bring your whole self. Choose to create trust.
I’m not saying treat it like a therapy session and dump all of your issues on their lap.
But open up. Be vulnerable. Be authentic.
You’re an artist and they want to see your humanity.
Remember, you’re hiring them! I know as we begin our careers reps often have more power. But you are bringing something they want! They see something in you or they wouldn’t have taken the meeting.
Pro tip: If at the end of the meeting you are unclear about the next steps, ask!
Sometimes the agent or manager will say something like “we will discuss this with the rest of the team and get back to you by next week.” Or, “I like to take 24 hours to think about it and will get back to you.” Or they may even say in the meeting that they want to work with you.
However, if none of that happens, at or near the end of the meeting I encourage my coaching clients to say something to the effect of “thank you so much for your time, what is your process from here?”
3) Be gracious.
Well done! You did everything you could to set yourself up to win, went with the flow, and openly shared the best version of you.
It is now time to express your gratitude.
I promise that whomever you met with has hundreds if not thousands of messages from other actors asking for a meeting, and they took time away from their current clients to meet with you. Whether or not you end up signing with them, this is both a huge win for you, and absolutely something to be grateful for.
I recommend sending a simple, hand-written thank you note. Sometimes I will even take one with me so that I can write it immediately after my meeting and drop it in a nearby outgoing mailbox.
I have also gotten creative. One time I had a meeting and our running joke was about reusable grocery bags. (Don’t ask.) After the meeting I went to the grocery store, bought a reusable grocery bag, and mailed it with my thank you note.
The agency offered to rep me the following week.
Happy meetings!
PS. If you’d like some great insider strategies on how to attract an agent to take a meeting with you, check out our complimentary online training, Get Signed! 3 Insider Strategies to get an Agent/Manager.
by: Coach Ben, Career ACTivate