There’s a theme, lately, in conversations I’ve been having with actors.

“Is the strike going to make it harder for me to _____?”

(Fill in that blank with anything from “get seen by CDs” to “sign with agents.”)

To wit, here’s an email actor Daniel Chudy sent me.

Hey Bonnie!

Thanks Bonnie! Your column rules!

Okay, so the first answer is, it’s probably not the best time to submit to agencies, simply because many do have “signing freezes” on right now, until we see how everything is going to shake out with the potential SAG strike. That said, I signed with my first ever LA-based agent over Thanksgiving dinner, so there are no hard and fast rules about timing that you should feel forced to follow. When an agent is crazy about an actor, he’ll sign him. When a manager sees dollar signs while looking at an actor’s demo reel, she can expect a contract right away. So, freeze or no freeze, if you’re at the right place at the right time with the right look and the right level of credits intersecting with the right agent who needs someone of your type and your level right that moment, then BAM! rules be damned! You just got an agent.

Next, I love that you’ve narrowed down via research the huge list of potential agencies to a handful (15) that you’d like to target now. That’s awesome! Most actors will try and play the numbers game and that’s not efficient nor does it feel good to your wallet, when you’re putting out so much content at once. (And it doesn’t feel good to your spirit, when you’re putting out so much content at once and hearing the sound of crickets chirping in response.) If it’s just 15 well-researched candidates, I’d say go for it!

Maybe there’s been a chilling effect due to the potential strike, and you could happen to have that total intersection of all those “rights” (right place, right time, right look, right type, right level of experience) just due to going through with this mailing. You never know!

Finally, should you wait ’til October? Hard to know, now. With the year starting off in a strike and potentially headed into one right now, the usual flow of “dumping non-earners” at most agencies might not apply. Who KNOWS where things are going to be, industry-wide, come October?!? Not me! But, as with everything in this business, you can’t really choose your moves based on what you know will work out. You have to take calculated risks, sure. But anyone who tells you that he or she knows when the best time to approach an agent (especially some blanket statement that applies to tens of thousands of readers at once, here, since I don’t know your exact situation, specifically) is just guessing. That much, I know for sure.

Okay, but this week’s column is less about this specific question and more about a trend I’ve seen in which the strike is blamed (or, let’s say “the strikes,” plural, since the WGA strike is often blamed as well) for all manner of things that are simply common to the pursuit of acting.

People are identifying the strike as the bad guy when saying NO to actors.

“Are you signing new talent?”
“No. Until we know what’s going on with the strike, we’re in a signing freeze.”

“Will you do a general?”
“No. Due to the strike, I’m holding off on generals.”

“Would you like to come see my play?”
“Usually, yes. But until the strike is over, scouting new talent is useless.”

Bullshit.

If an agent is hot for an actor, he’ll sign him. If a casting director does generals, she’ll continue to do so (and, likewise, if she doesn’t do generals, she’s not going to start now). And if anyone in the industry is likely to see shows or showcases, he or she will be there with bells on, as always (whereas those who don’t turn out for shows won’t be there, ever).

The difference is, without the strike to blame, we’ll just come up with something else.

You’re not signed because you’re not yet SAG. Or the agency has a conflict. Or you’re too old. Or you’re too tall. (Welp, you can re-approach the agency when you are SAG or when they’ve shifted their roster to no longer have a conflict, but you can’t get younger or shorter, so that’s out.)

The CD isn’t going to do a general with you because there’s just no time. There are too many sessions going on — please just submit when you’re right for the role and you’ll get seen. We’re only looking at name actors. Blah blah blah.

The bottom line is, we’re not doing generals because we don’t do generals! And we’ll always come up with an excuse that won’t allow you to argue your way into a general. So, “there’s a strike,” is a very handy excuse, lately! But it’s just an excuse for the truth that is already there.

Ninety percent of agents you meet aren’t interested in signing you. Ninety-five percent of CDs you meet aren’t going to take a general with you. It’s not personal. It’s just a fact. (And this should serve as a handy reminder of what a huge, big, awesome deal it is when you do get the offer to sign with an amazing agent or when you do get the opportunity to share ten minutes of facetime with a top casting director. Yay, you! Celebrate that!)

My family went to dinner at a favorite restaurant the other night and the maître d’ (who is also one of my favorite actors) mentioned that there is already a strike, whether the SAG membership calls for one or not. “Production is shut down,” he said. “There’s definitely been a chilling effect.”

But I see shutdowns as a way for Industry Darwinism to take hold. Actors will leave town when the stress of pursuing this business outweighs the benefits and results. Same with agents. Same with CDs. And everyone has a different trigger. For me, as an actor, it was the Northridge Quake. I was here, fresh out of school, and living my plans (not living my dreams) and then the 6.8 hit and I left Hollywood “forever.” Until I came back a few years later. (Some of us can’t be scared off forever after all.) Point is, there will always be good reasons to be “done” with the industry. Some folks will use the strike as theirs. Is it yours? No? Good. Then you’ll be able to rock on from here. Find a way to work. Regardless!

I’ve been enjoying working on feature films at the indie (non-studio) level because we have our SAG Guaranteed Completion Contract on each and will continue shooting despite any strike action. Yay! But indie film is one sliver of the overall production pie, so if there is a SAG strike, yeah, we can all expect to feel the impact of the shutdown. But that doesn’t mean there’s not work to do.

Get in a play. Start working out with fellow actors. Create a writing group or an improv group or a scene-reading group or whatever you can come up with! Really spend some time focused on your acting classes so that when things open back up, you’re better than you were the last time anyone saw you.

Listen, people who are in this business for the long haul will find a way to spend any “down time” working. I remember going on book tour for the first edition of Self-Management for Actors and walking across the street on a college campus where I’d been hired to come speak to the theatre department students. I had been looking like crazy for the exact right actor to fill a role in a feature film I was casting. I saw her! There she was! Crossing the street in the opposite direction.

I said to Keith (my husband; then fiancé), “Oh my God! That’s her!!” to which he replied, “Honey, she’s an anthropology major 3000 miles away from Hollywood. She’s not the one.”

My point is, we’re always working. We’re always looking for the person we want to cast, the person we want to sign, the person with whom we want to collaborate and create something amazing for all to enjoy.

Don’t believe it, when someone tells you the strike is the reason they’re not doing their job. What they really want to say is, “I’m taking a well-earned break.”

Hey, by the way, next week, I’m taking a well-earned break. I’m not blaming any strike for it! I’m headed to the spa, baby. 😉 I’ll be back with a column on that following Monday. I may submit it via iPhone, but it’ll be here, wherever I happen to be.

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/000893.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.