We were talking in class a couple of weeks ago about the thinnest line artists face, when we choose a career in this town, rather than in some city where it’s not referred to as “the industry.” That very thin line, we calculated, is space between the moment when you’re wondering how you’re going to make rent and the moment when money has no meaning, since you have so dang much of it.
Yes, that’s a very thin line, there. Anyone who has gone from “can’t seem to get my agent to return my call” to “booked a series that just got picked up” knows how quickly things can change. An actor whose hip self-produced webseries goes viral and is now testing at network on the TV version of that project may not even have time to trade in the beaten down jalopy before it’s time to valet at CAA, but he has the money to do it, now.
It happens fast, when it happens.
But what I want to talk about is not the crossing of the line; it’s the getting up to it. There’s a very long distance between where most folks start and the line itself. That distance is best covered by time, by patience, and by really hard work. It’s certainly also covered — for some — by just being at the right place at the right time often enough that forward progress happens. But let’s not count on lightning strikes. Let’s control what we can, so we somehow look luckier and luckier, every day.
Factors We Control
Being a good person. Being a hard worker. Being professional at any level. Knowing your type. Researching the buyers (producers) to identify who most frequently hires actors of your type in the “world” of projects your type most easily fits. Researching the shoppers (casting directors) to identify who most frequently offers options to buyers in sync with your type and world. Researching the suppliers (agents and managers) to identify who most frequently provides access to the shoppers in sync with your type and world. Having the best possible tools to showcase your level of “in sync-ness” with those buyers, shoppers, and suppliers, so there is no denying your talent, your abilities, and your fit for roles these folks are aligned with, at some point. Creating content that shows you better than that small one-liner that’s currently your headline. Being on point with your use of networking opportunities (online and in real life). Staying fit. Staying trained. Staying findable. Staying ready.
Whoa. That’s a lot that you control, right? It’s not just staples vs. glue vs. printed on, where attaching your headshot to your resume is concerned. It’s not just freeways vs. surface streets (always take Fountain), where getting to your audition is concerned. It’s not just scene study class vs. a series of CD workshops. It’s not just the daily routine you’ve built, reading things that inspire you and remind you why you’re here, even though it’s hard sometimes. You control a LOT.
So keep that stuff in order. Stay sharp. Buckle down for the long haul and make it all count.
Because it’s a LOT of work, patience, and time that gets you right up against that very thin line. What gets you on the more gorgeous side of that line? Luck. Timing. Sticking it out rather than quitting… one more time. And the more work you’ve done before you’re bumped right up against that line, the more likely it’s just a bit of static electricity that makes the difference and gets you over that line (rather than a bolt of lightning). Phew! That’s cool.
See you on the other side.
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001315.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.