10 Free Things to Get
Your Career Back on Track
by Doug Shapiro
So, perhaps you took that show that was great for the old resume but didn’t pay.
Perhaps a surprise life expense came up and cleared your bank account.
Perhaps Summer Stock just happened.
Whatever the reason, you find yourself feeling paralyzed in your career momentum because you don’t have the cash reserves for that perfect class, the new headshots, the audition outfits, the mailing, the skywriter to fly over NYC and create your image and contact information in billowy white clouds. You have to have money to move your career forward, right?
Don’t be silly, be Savvy. This is a wonderful opportunity to start putting business systems in place so that you’re ready to hit the ground running when the money does come in. Here are ten ways to move your career forward that will cost you nothing (except one that will cost you two cups of coffee):
1. CREATE YOUR TARGET LIST. Now is the time to research Casting Directors and Agents to find out with whom you should be working. If you’re in theatre, which Casting Directors are casting the shows for which you are well-suited? Do your goals lie in film work? Research which agents in various offices cover film. Are you a commercial actor? Get on Adweek.com and find out which Advertising Agencies are doing the spots you love. (The Old Spice Guy on a Horse campaign was created in Oregon) Choose your ten agencies, ten casting directors (and possibly ten ad agencies) and create a spreadsheet of the appropriate contacts and addresses for each office. Then when the money for a mailing comes in, you’re ready right away.
2. FEED YOUR ARTIST. Get back to the roots of things that fascinate you. The magic that feeds your long-term vision. Make dates with yourself to walk in the park without your earphones plugged in. Go to a free day at a museum. Sit and listen to a favorite park or subway musician. Walk to a section of your city or town that you never get to see. Start a conversation with someone you don’t know. These are the real-life experiences that will enrich your work as an artist.
3. BARTER THYSELF! What skills do you have that you can barter in exchange for furthering your education? Can you type up all of your voice teacher’s notes in exchange for a voice lesson? Can you babysit your yoga teacher’s kids? Can you do laundry for your scene study teacher? Can you sew buttons back on all their shirts? Make an amazing dinner? Repair their appliances? Read to their parents in the nursing home? You never know until you ask, but let’s keep these ideas PG-13.
4. PRACTICE. Fine-tune your craft. Memorize monologues that you will be working on with a coach later. Record yourself doing voiceover or commercial copy (transcribed from a magazine or an on-air spot) and play it back for yourself. How did you do? Stretch and keep your body limber for when you’ve saved up enough for dance classes. Did you record your voice lessons? Listen back and sing along. Make appointments in your calendar for these valuable practice times.
5. ENRICH YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM. (Alert: this is the one for which you may have to buy coffee.) You never know who the people you know know. I remember the day I found out from casually talking with my mother that my Uncle Henry, who was always just that wonderful guy who we visited every now and then, was a Vice President for an ad agency…with its own VoiceOver department! Take the people you admire out for coffee and just ask them questions about themselves. You’ll learn amazing things. And once you’ve clarified your goals for yourself, find out what they would recommend for someone with your skill set in your position. (Tip: Asking them to help find you a job will turn them off. You’re just gathering information.). While you’re at it, why not create a mastermind group of fellow professionals who meet at each other’s homes or over coffee once a week? You can strategize how to achieve your goals together.
6. VOLUNTEER. Do you want to know more about a theatre company? Volunteer to usher for shows and get to know the company members. Go out with them after shows and talk with them about their mission. Do you want to make contacts in the film industry before they hit it big? Volunteer your acting services for student films or VoiceOver projects. Stay in touch, stay interested in their careers, and they may bring you with them. (I’ve had great success with the Tisch Talent Guild at NYU: http://www.tischtalentguild.org) You know you have more ideas on this, so get creative!
7. HONE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY. Your Facebook account can be used for so much more than telling people what you had for lunch. How do you show up in the online world? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and personal blogs are an excellent way to share your knowledge on subjects and show up in the online world as a Master of Your Craft. Use social media to celebrate your career successes and especially to be of service to others. Are you a tap dancer who just saw a terrific video of Savion Glover working his magic? Share the video and comment on what you’ve seen. Are you a Shakespearean actor who just read an incredible article about ways to use your breath to bring out the text? Tweet about it on Twitter with a link to the article. You will start to earn a reputation as an expert in the industry. Don’t even get me started on how you can share your expertise on a blog. But YOU should get started. By the way, is there someone in the industry that you’re looking to meet? Find them on Facebook or LinkedIn—you may be surprised to find that they’re friends with a friend of yours and you can arrange for an introduction!
8. RESEARCH YOUR INDUSTRY. Find out what plays are being done in your target market, use your library, and read those plays! Listen to those musicals! Watch TV while holding a notepad and get a feel for how you would fit in with various shows, networks, or genres. Get online and read the websites and blogs that will show you the trends of your chosen field of expression.
9. GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH YOUR DREAM. Create a vision board with cutouts of words and pictures of you achieving your goals and place it somewhere prominent. Read your mission statement to yourself in the mirror morning and night. Laugh with your chosen deity as you pray.
10. Most importantly: Attend our FREE Savvy Seminar, “Find Your Missing Link” in New York City or Los Angeles to learn about the Six Business Fundamentals every actor MUST know! Click HERE to sign up!
You are the same brilliant artist without money as you are with money. Let me say that again a little louder. YOU ARE THE SAME BRILLIANT ARTIST WITHOUT MONEY AS YOU ARE WITH MONEY. Take your power back, Savvy Actor. You have the gift and therefore the privilege of helping people experience whatever they need to go through. Whether you’re rolling in dough or brimming with potential for it, your gift is just as strong, and it was given to you for free.
