It’s vitally important that actors spend time working on their craft. Of course. That goes without saying. Having talent, being able to access the instrument, knowing you have a gift — that’s all part of “making it.”
But pursuing an acting career in a major market also involves navigating issues of “the business of the business.” Knowing who’s casting what and when. Who specializes in representing your type. Which shows have a shot of actually staying on the schedule for more than a few weeks. Where your awesome craft can be seen by the buyers who actually can make a difference in whether anyone else ever sees your awesome craft.
Not everyone loves to focus on the business side of things. I get that. If we could all live in a creative place and just put out our awesome brilliance and still pay the rent, that would rock hard. But we aren’t hobbyists in minor markets — most of us. We’re professionals in major markets, hoping to land on the radars that lead to series regular contracts, Emmy award nominations, StarMeters in the single-digit range, etc.
And because most readers of this column have chosen to (or are choosing too, soon — and good luck to you) “do it for real,” that means there has to be a certain amount of time spent focusing on the real work of it all. The craft is a given. The work, it seems, is the hustle. The networking. The research. The knowing where to go and when, in order to take full advantage of every potential opportunity.
This ties in with last week’s What If vs. What Is because most creative types would prefer to stay pegged in the artistic part of the biz, but if you have ambitions beyond page seven of your community’s eight-page weekly newspaper in the “What’s Happening on Stage” section, navigating the business side of things is just as essential. The good news is, it’s just a muscle I’m asking you to strengthen. It’s a muscle you already have, and simply may not use that often. You don’t have to bulk it up, of course. Plenty of folks do very well as actors without ever learning how to “do the biz.” They happen into the right relationship with an agent or manager, they score a huge role right off the bus, they “hit.” And yay for them. But tens of thousands of other actors in LA who work and earn a living doing the acting thing actually work — very hard — for it. They research who casts what. They know the odds of any particular show making it past upfronts. They know when a spec pilot is worth doing and when it’s a waste of time. They know which shorts are festival bound and which ones are bound to never see completion, never screen anywhere ever.
How do they know? Research. Homework. Legwork! And lots of it.
Every day, I get an email with a question along the lines of, “Is this agent any good?” Hey, totally fine to reach out and ask such a question, but the FIRST order of business should be a good Google. And then, based on research already done, a follow-up question (á la, “I’ve read online that this agent takes kickbacks for recommending particular headshot photographers and requiring headshots of each new client. Should I still take the meeting?”) is even better. It shows you’re not counting on others to do your homework for you. Heck, if you were in med school, you wouldn’t buy the answers to your exams, would you? You’d learn what could kill a patient vs. what could keep him alive, in your hands. Learning that would be far more valuable than learning what the “right” answer on an exam might be. And in an industry where there is even LESS black and white than in any other, it’s even more important to do the math for yourself.
Don’t take the word of others to the exclusion of your own instinct. Don’t make any one person’s opinion more valuable than what you feel in your gut. Sure, weigh what you’re hearing. Seek out and really hear what’s out there about this business you’re navigating. But know that it’s your career, your shot at this you’re putting at stake when you make any particular decision.
Focus your energy on what your goals are. Understand that there’s more to this than just the “fun part” of acting. Doing this at a professional level (a financially sustainable career level, let’s say) means focusing on the business side of things more than what the creative part of you might prefer. But it must be done. Ability to focus on the business elements of this industry is what makes the difference between the pros and the wannabes. Again, it’s about balance. One needn’t be pegged to one side or the other. Navigating both sides of the business while keeping a healthy level of sanity is what works. Look at last week’s What If vs. What Is list and lean into the “less comfortable” zone until you’ve built that muscle up a bit. The health of your career will be better for it!
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/000959.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.