Hi Bonnie!
First of all, I just wanted to say that I am so grateful your column exists. I have been poring over it for months now. I read it with my coffee every morning. I am an acting BFA from Texas, and I just moved here to LA a month ago. I know I could ask you about a hundred questions right now, but I will stick to this one.
I think I am finally starting to come around the other side of this whole “branding” thing. I understand my type, and I know what kind of work I ultimately want to be doing. But as a beginner (plenty of stage credits from home, but no film or TV), I know I need to think about tape and filling out my resumé.
So my question is: when scouting on my own for work, can I afford to be picky? Should I be holding out for “on-brand” roles, even if it means a leaner resumé? Or should I submit for and audition for everything, so that my resumé shows experience, even if it muddles my brand a little?
Again, thank you so much for what you do. As an actress, I can’t tell you how it is to know that there are people on the other side who have our backs.
Hilary Bryant
PS — Am really hoping to go your SMFA Retreat this fall. Is there a tentative deadline for registration? Having just moved, I am a wee bit broke but have just started work. I don’t want to miss that opportunity!
Hilary, you’re awesome. Welcome to LA and here’s to decades of badassery to come! 🙂 I love hearing from actors who are new to branding because your resumé is, in fact, a blank slate and you have all the opportunity in the world to show the buyers exactly how to cast you.
Before I get into that a bit, let’s talk about the SMFA Retreat in Los Angeles. So, this takes place November 8th and you can hold your spot here. It is a day filled with the four pillars of Self-Management for Actors — type and brand, targeting buyers, content creation, and pitching and networking. Super fun day!
These do usually fill up because we cap registrants for an intimate experience, but right now, you’re all clear. If you want to check in with me via email toward the end of October to be sure it’s not getting too close for comfort on the fullness, that’s fine. I’ll check the numbers and give you an idea of timing then. But right now, all good.
So, let’s talk about the brand-building vs. experience-getting issue you’re facing right now. The great news is, there’s no wrong answer, here. You can choose roles that are ONLY in service of your brand, choose roles that are ONLY meant to help you get experience, or try your best to find those few amazing roles out there that do both really well.
I always say, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to branding; there’s just MORE on-brand and LESS on-brand, as choices go. So, you can start out deciding that the important thing is getting experience, do some of that, then decide that the next footage you want to add to your reel needs to be a slam-dunk for “brand YOU.” After that, you may feel you need to show that you can do a more mainstream project than you’ve ever done before. Or perhaps you’d like to focus on a gritty indie. Maybe your footage is drama-heavy and it’s time for some comedy. Perhaps there’s a great director with whom you’ve always wanted to work, next. With every one of these choices, you can assess: “Is this more on-brand or less on-brand?” And eventually, you’ll have enough experience that you can decide ONLY to do on-brand stuff… until you’re ready to challenge what the buyers know about you by doing something totally unexpected.
There is no wrong answer. 🙂
So, have fun with this. Enjoy being at the beginning of your game. Re-evaluate after each booking you get whether you want to do more experience-building work or more brand-building work next. Move forward toward all of it from a place of purpose. Keep doing all that delicious research. And, of course, stay ninja!
Hope to jam with you on November 8th! Definitely join us for the free quarterly SMFA Tune-Up call October 11th. 🙂
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/001880.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.