Dear Bonnie,
Hope this doesn’t make it into your “What Were You Thinking?!?” file. Headshots, resumés, and reels are standard-issue tools for the actor, but in and of themselves not extremely compelling. I was told by a Warner Bros. executive that people in the entertainment business are usually in it for a reason: They like to be entertained. 🙂 So, I decided to do something fun. You’ve endorsed self-producing for a while, but maybe this isn’t what you had in mind.
For clarity’s sake, am I really seeking acting representation? Yes. Did I really think a creative song might generate interest? Worth a shot. What I didn’t expect was so many negative comments from the public at large (although some of them are LOL clever).
Why is it so offensive that I’m shooting for the stars? Some people have criticized my references to fame. I won’t pretend I don’t hope to be famous someday, but only for the right reasons. I didn’t put out a sex tape do so (partly because no one will have sex with me). And I’m not looking to achieve stardom at anyone else’s expense. I’m just doing what I love!
That being said, a number of people don’t mind my hip-hop swagger (it’s not for everyone), and I really appreciate all their encouraging emails. I also enjoy reading your column, and even when we don’t agree, I always find your perspective insightful and interesting. I’d be eager to hear what you think.
All my best,
Doug Hughs
“If you are gonna spend a buttload to market yourself, make it for real. Make it vibe with who you really are. Make it sing.” — Bonnie Gillespie 2/11/08
It’s an especially nice touch closing with my words from the archived column on Gimmicks, from a few years back. Indeed, I’m a huge fan of self-producing and of actors choosing promotional methods that click with who they really are; that tell the potential buyer what they’re going to get, should they invite the actor into the room; that represent the actor in his best, most professional light. All true!
The interesting thing is, your Lights, Camera, Agent! vid was actually a topic of conversation just last week, in my Self-Management for Actors Seminar. We talk about marketing tactics, gimmicks, good and bad examples, and, yes, I pull out the legendary What Were You Thinking?!? file, as well as the stuff that wows me. One of the actors in the current cycle of the seminar told me about your vid. I hadn’t seen it. In fact I forgot to go see it after class and then your email came in. So, it’s meant to be that you’re getting some coverage, here! Meant to be!
Now, before you assume I’m going to hate what you’ve done here — despite what I heard from your peers, who really seem to dislike it — I’ll say you’ve accomplished a few things: I get you. While I have no idea your level of craft as an actor, I absolutely get your sense of humor. I get how seriously you take the trappings of this business. I also get a sense of what sort of agent or manager you might attract, using this method of outreach.
Whether or not the level of agent or manager you’re hoping will respond positively to your vid is actually the level of agent or manager who will respond positively to your vid remains to be seen. Of course, you may have already gotten some agency heat due to your vid, and I hope you’d like to share that fact with us (I didn’t read the YouTube comments — I make it a policy not to do so; they’re almost always less supportive than I’d like to experience, as feedback goes).
The impression I was left with, most of all, after watching your vid, was that you could’ve used the creativity, the passion, the money, the clearly evident technical ability to produce professional-looking content that you sunk into this project, and perhaps do something like Erik Weiner‘s One Line on the Sopranos or Jesse Heiman‘s World’s Greatest Extra, not to mention any of the dozens of wonderful self-produced works we’ve celebrated over the years here at The Actors Voice.
While folks like Annie Little, Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, Deven Green, Gabriel Diani and Etta Devine, Helenna Santos, Jeremy Redleaf, Kristyn Burtt, Meagan Flynn, and countless others from the history of Self-Produced Clip of the Week (not to mention those celebrated with various awards formally presented within the web community) all managed to generate tier jumps thanks to their self-produced works, none of them went right out and said in their footage, “Hey, you! Agent! Sign me!”
So, I appreciate the nontraditional approach you’ve taken, but wonder if it’s the right bait for the level of rep you’re hoping it’ll get you. Will it get you meetings? Probably. But perhaps with agents who like the idea of repping reality stars and other “hot for 15 minutes” types. Maybe that’s okay with you. Maybe The Soup will showcase your vid and you’ll have Rebecca Black-style fame. Maybe that sounds awesome to you, as the heat could then get you the chance to prove you’ve actually got some chops as an actor. Those are a lot of maybes, where a well-done showcase of your work may have done better for your long-term goal. We can’t know.
Since we can’t know, I can just say that I hope this works out great for you. I generally don’t advise putting the hustle for representation ahead of the hustle for credits. And, as usual, when actors do choose to focus on getting repped rather than focusing on building relationships and a killer resumé, I whip out my favorite Blake Robbins quote: Pursue the work, not the people.
Good luck to you!
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/001379.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.