Seems that everyone in this business is on a quest. “I need my SAG card.” “I need a good agent.” “I need new headshots.” “I need my first co-star.” “I need my first studio film.” “I need my big break.”
Yeah. I know. That’s all you need. Everything else in your life would click right into place if you would just get whatever that one thing is that you’re most focusing on right now. And then you get it. And then there’s another thing keeping you from having the career (and life) you aspire to have. Repeat.
When my husband — new to acting at the age of 35 — first moved to Los Angeles in 2001, he met with a casting director who said, “The two easiest things to do as an actor in LA are becoming SAG-eligible and signing with a good agent.” Read that again. She said those are the two easiest things to do as an actor in LA.
She continued, “Yes. Those are the easiest things to do… and they’re next to impossible. Everyone you meet who doesn’t yet have a SAG card and who doesn’t yet have that first good agent will tell you how hard it is to attain these things. But everyone who has become SAG-eligible or who has signed with that first good agent won’t ever talk about how tough those goals were to attain. Why? Because they’re on to even harder goals like trying to transition from co-star to guest-star, trying to transition from indie films to studio films, trying to transition from dayplayer to lead actor, trying to get their pet projects produced, trying to transition from good agent to great agent at one of ‘the bigs.’ It never ends.”
As regular readers know, I’ve never been one to buy into the whole “it’s a struggle” thing. It’s only a struggle if you choose to treat it that way. It’s a journey, for sure! And there are certain benchmark goals along the road for actors, definitely. Signing with a good agent is absolutely one of them. But I look at it this way: If you’re getting known for being out there and doing good work, for never just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, for being a pro and someone we really love to spend time with, you’re going to be on good lists. I get asked every few weeks by one agent or another, “Hey, we’re expanding our division. Could you recommend some great X or Y type actors who you think are really wonderful?”
And I do. And it’s not just actors I’ve cast. It’s actors I see doing really wonderful things, having a great attitude, loving the process, and not just sitting around waiting for their careers to happen. I would imagine others being asked for referrals feel the same way: Reward those who are making it happen, producing their own work, getting out there and displaying their brand in front of the buyers every chance they get, while remaining professional and a pleasure to deal with.
Yes you can submit and showcase and hope the right agent catches you in his crosshairs right at the time he’s looking for someone just like you… or you can just live your life, develop your career, work your butt off on the things you can control, cement your brand, build your audience base, and have something exciting to talk about when you meet a great agent (other than, “Oh, I went on an audition yesterday”).
Obviously, I’m pretty passionate about the topic of Self-Producing, having written about it for the past three weeks and think it is definitely the answer for actors who feel they aren’t doing enough or could be doing something more to stand out or get in the rooms. Absolutely. Get to producing your own stuff. Does that sound like too much work? Good. Then leave it to those who want an edge. You keep on submitting headshots and doing cold calls to agents who would rather sign actors who hustle and make their careers happen.
Agents would rather have:
- Actors who already make a ton of money.
- Actors who are a known commodity and are low-risk.
- Actors who know it’s not the agent’s job to do all of the hustling for the actor.
I’m suggesting you work on falling into that third category until you’re moving up into the first two. That’s why getting an agent is “so easy.” Work. They want to work with people who work. Can’t get work? Make work. It’s all up to you!
It’s just like the weightloss industry. Everyone wants to believe there’s some magic something that will make the desired results easy to come by. Nope. It’s hard work. Discipline. Over time. Period. Even those who choose something drastic like lipo or gastric bypass surgery still have to work hard, still have to change habits that got them in a place where they’d need to do something drastic in the first place, and there’s still the need for patience with the process. Same with acting at the professional level.
Everyone wants to find the shortcut. And because of that, there are many people selling “shortcuts” they swear work. Pff. Believe me. If there were a shortcut, I would’ve written about it here by now. I have written about the closest thing I’ve seen to a shortcut: That whole self-producing thing.
- The most passive way to “do this” business is this: Get headshots, submit, wait.
- The next most passive way to “do this” business is this: Network, showcase, workshop, take classes that include visits from industry guests, follow-up.
- And the most active way to “do this” business is this: Create your own work, brand yourself well, build your own fanbase, repeat.
Because the quest is eternal and there are no magic beans for helping you reach your goal, the best thing you can do for your own mental health as you pursue a career in this crazy business is to control the things you can control, trust that much of what you might want to focus on is simply Actor Mind Taffy, and really enjoy the journey along the way. Sure, signing with a great agent will be a wonderful moment for you! Sure, getting that SAG card will rock! Sure, moving up from co-star to guest star or from indie films to studio films will be huge for you! And you should celebrate those benchmarks. Definitely.
But since most of what you’ll be doing in life is rocking along between those benchmarks, I’d like to recommend that you focus less on the quest and more on the journey. Sure, have goals but don’t get so singularly focused on them that you begin to believe the only thing standing between you and “the life you’re craving” is that SAG card, that agent, that booking. Nope. The only thing standing between you and the life you crave is the focus on the quest, rather than on what you have right now and how to make that something really amazing.
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/000989.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.