Dear Bonnie,
I am an actor seeking to get back into the craft and find work after many years of layoff in which I married, had four kids, and worked odd jobs.
I am endeavoring to work at first primarily in the genre of “Christian films.” Correction: I don’t mean Christian films as much as working with producers who desire to develop solid, edifying films of integrity that speak to the human heart and soul.
I am working on establishing a “branding” piece to include when submitting my resumé and photo. Could I forward over a draft for your perusal, and when you have a moment, ask that you give your insights as to strengthening and further developing it?
Please let me know, as I would be more than happy to send it to you, and eagerly await your counsel and advice. Thank you.
God bless,
Todd Sherrod
Hi Todd. Thanks for writing! Congrats on getting back at it… and congrats on taking that “downtime” to get very clear on what it is that resonates with you, in terms of storytelling. To align with those who want to tell similar stories is a great goal, and will probably lead to more work (faster) than if you were to just click “submit” on every project that looked like it might fit.
Two things. One, you can absolutely create something that — when you send it to folks — speaks to your goals, your values, your WHY. More importantly, everything you do should be run through Your Brand Filter to be sure it lines up with the overarching goal of YOU. Teaching people what to expect from you is a big part of your efforts, as an actor.
Two, no. I don’t do “inbox coaching.” I used to! But these days — as I’m trying to get two books to the printer within the next few weeks and I’m building our online offerings for Self-Management for Actors coursework and taking the curriculum on tour, I just cannot devote time to reviewing materials emailed in unless they’re from folks I’m already coaching. NOT trying to lay in a sales pitch! Just saying, if you saw my inbox, you’d understand. The number of emails per day I receive that are: “Here’s my resumé. Did I format it correctly?” or “Please watch my demo reel and give me feedback,” or “Here’s my gallery of 300 headshots. See any winners?” or “Please recommend an agent” in nature would blow you away.
Certainly, for those who send in anything they’d like looked at IN FRONT OF the readers of The Actors Voice, there’s more room, because they’re not looking for “inbox coaching” as much as they’re sharing their journey and allowing me to share my thoughts in this public forum, to benefit the tens of thousands of actors per week who read these words.
So, there ya go. YES, you can create something that absolutely shows the people with whom you want to jam who you are, what you’re about, and what to expect when they connect with you! 🙂 And NO, I won’t be able to look at a draft of your on-brand submission and share private feedback via inbox coaching. 🙂 Thanks for understanding. And keep thriving!
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/001549.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.