So You Wanna Be An Actor/Actress?

You will have to make an investment in yourself as an actor! Too many people are standing on the sidelines afraid of sacrifice and asking for handouts. The good news is that actors overall seem to understand that they have to take action. You have to do the basics like headshots, continually work on your skills, etc. But, the other part of the equation is building strategic relationships and alliances with producers that you believe may pay off at some point. For beginners, this investment means time and working for free at times. Many professions require “internships” in exchange for experience. Acting is no different and sometimes to pay your dues and form the right relationships with independent producers this is a necessity. For more experienced actors, this is still probably how you will get more screen time. The key is partnering with the right producers that can actually help build your portfolio with good projects. The idea is to eventually do this for a living right?

Now, the Christian marketplace which is mainly independent and the Hollywood system which is studio-driven are very different from one another. If pursuing the Hollywood route, you will probably have to find a good agent and the rules are very different! If pursuing the Hollywood route, one might find another actor who has a good agent and have them help you get connected! But, sometimes the problem is that you cannot get a good agent until you have experience! This brings us back to the beginning and the need to invest your time to gain valuable experience on smaller productions!

The most important element to consider is what people aren’t telling you. Christian entertainment is an independent industry at the moment. So, getting hooked up with an independent production usually means personal relationships and marketing what you bring to the table. You have to make yourself valuable in some way. Maybe it truly is your talent and you’re perfect for the role.  But, what ultimately catches the interest of a producer is your profitability? For example, someone might be worth at least x number of dollars in sales to a project due to their fan base. So, even as actors you need to develop your network, your fan base, and think in business terms. How do you develop a network and fan base? The same way bands do, like putting themselves and their material on social networking sites and putting massive effort into it.

You can start small by being recognizable within your network and growing that network. When you approach film makers or producers in the indie realm be sure to alert them to all the good things you bring to the table. Be creative and think like a business person. The number of current actors actually producing material they star in is growing and with good reason. Their names are the ones selling the picture so, why not produce it? It makes a lot of sense and you can do something as simple as an online series to build that network.

When you are able to bring marketing power to the table, you can get producers to change a role to fit you, just to have you involved! Remember, you can’t expect to be propelled to a “name talent” status, that’s something you have to work to build over time.