What does it take to get represented by a major agency?

I'm guessing most actors would like to sign with one of the big agencies, like CAA, WME, ICM, etc. The problem is that those are the kind of agencies that usually only take on performers (or writers and directors) who have something going for them. Let's take a look at some of the things that can get you in to a major agency (or at least get you a meeting at the agency), if you're not already a big star.

You've just gotten your first starring role in a major feature film, or gotten a regular role on a TV show, and you're looking to leave your small or mid-sized agency. I say that because you're probably already with some agency if you've gotten that kind of a role.

You know somebody who is already represented by the agency and they recommend you to their agent.

You're the lead in a very popular web series or your own video blog (and by very popular we mean that you have over a hundred thousand subscribers, have won a streamy, been written up in magazine articles, etc. People are talking about you!

You've been nominated or won a major theatre award. (This generally means either a Tony or an Obie.)

You're a famous personality like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian (although people like that usually go with a personal manager and a publicity agent).

You've starred in a low-budget indie feature film that has really taken off and gotten attention (and made some money).

Even if a big agency doesn't sign you, these things will get you a very good agent at a good smaller agency.

Obviously, if you're just starting out, the truth is you're not going to sign with one of the biggies. And even if you know somebody who can get you in, those agencies have a very low threshold for you getting work – if you don't book a good role within 6 months, they're going to let you go. A smaller agency will usually stick with you for a year without booking (especially if you're getting callbacks).

Next week we'll discuss getting into a smaller agency and why that can be a great thing.

Cheers,

Michael

What else do I do?

I often get asked about what I do when I'm not acting or auditioning. Well, besides doing some private coaching and making an occasional video sketch, I have a business that uses improvisational games and exercises to increase mental acuity and cognitive skills. The main business is called Spontaneous Solutions and is for businesses who want to become more creative. They can use our workshops to work on ad campaigns, or new product development, that kind of stuff.

The other part of my business is called Gymnasium For The Mind, and we hold workshops for older people who want to keep their brains working at a high level of creativity. Although we get paid for doing workshops for businesses as Spontaneous Solutions, we often do workshops for seniors at a discounted price or for free through Gymnasium For The Mind.

Part of being creative is to give something you've created to the world even if that means not always getting paid for it.

Yeah, I know – we all have to pay the rent and buy food and all that, but I believe we also need to share our creativity when we can. This not only can keep us working and learning during the times we're not earning money in our profession, but it helps us make new contacts and contributes something cool to the world (which needs all the cool things it can get!).

Not to get all metaphysical here, but the love you give when you share your creativity, will return to you in unexpected ways. You may meet people you would not have met, and have the chance to get better at being a creative person.

So, take as many opportunities as you can to work – whether you're getting paid a fortune, or just being told how much someone appreciates what you did.

And if you'd like to know more about my other businesses – here's the link: www.spontaneoussolutions.biz

Cheers,

Michael

If I move to Los Angeles or New York, how long should I give it in order to “make it”?

I was at an audition today for a commercial and got to talking to a young actor after we had auditioned together. He was talking about the fact that he had moved here (Los Angeles) over two years ago and was wondering if he should move back home, to the Midwest, because he still hadn't "made it." On my drive home I got to thinking about what we talked about.

I usually advise actors to answer some other questions in order to arrive at the answer to this one. These questions include:

What does “make it” mean to you? How important is the craft of acting to you (versus fame and fortune)? What do you expect to get out of living and pursuing work in LA or NY? What have you done to prepare for furthering your career in one of these cities? Have you exhausted all the resources where you live now? How much time and work will you put into your craft? Are you prepared to spend most of your money (after basic expenses) on classes, seminars, headshots, acting and resource books, website expenses, etc., or will the desire for a new car and a nice apartment become your goal? Will doing theatre and student films take up most of your extra time, or will it be spent socializing with new friends?

Ultimately, only you can answer these questions, and your answers will go a long way to determining how long you should pursue your career goal. But I will say this: To move to one of these cities and expect to become a working actor within six months is unrealistic.

Even if everybody in your hometown says that you should be a star, remember that their opinion is a relative one: You are being compared to other actors in your local area, not to well-trained professional actors in LA or NY.

What about giving it two years or even five years? If you truly love to act, would you be willing to turn your back on acting at the end of that time? Many well-known actors spent ten years or more struggling before making a full-time living at their craft.

No matter where you live, pursing a creative life can be a demanding roller coaster of ups and downs. So, love the journey and remember - acting is a wonderful choice. Find your own joy in it, and you will be rich.


Cheers,

Michael

Today's audition was sucky - how to get out of your head.

Hi all -

Had an audition today for a supporting role in a major new film. The audition went fine, although I had to completely change my choice for the character after my first read. It was like this: I audition using a choice I had come up with. Then the casting director (a major CD - and she's nice!), goes - okay, that was interesting, but try it the exact opposite of what you just did.

This is when it pays to have training, including lots of improv training and performing, because I had to completely switch my character right then - no going off in the hallway and working on it for half an hour - it had to be an instant change.

But that's not why the audition was sucky. There was a huge amount of construction going on near the casting building and I literally had to walk a mile and a half there and back from my car! So I arrive at the audition hot, tired, late, and pissed off.

I knew I had to take control and get out of that frame of mind. Fortunately, in this case, being a little late was not a problem as they were running a bit behind. So, what I did was this: after finding the office, I didn't sign-in right away. I went down the hall, sat down, closed my eyes, and took some deep breaths. Then I drank some water to re-hydrate. When I had calmed down and let go of being pissed, I pulled out my copy of the sides and looked them over, allowing myself to be drawn into the role. And then I went and signed-in. About 15 minutes later the casting director called me into the room to read.

The point is - if I had signed-in and tried to audition as soon as I got there, I would have been influenced by all the crap I was feeling at that moment. Of course, if the character was supposed to be feeling hot, tired, and pissed off it might have helped. The problem is that that can backfire and get in the way of your performance. I was not happy that the casting office had not told my agent about the distance the actors would have to walk, and without taking the time to get my shit together, I might have gone off on the people at the casting office - which would not be a good move.

We really do have to let go (at least for the moment) all or most of what is happening in our real lives and just get into the role. All our personal crap will still be waiting for us when we're done with the acting, but we have to put that out of our minds while we do our job. If I had been thinking about the loooong walk I would have back to my car, that would definitely have gotten in the way of my audition.

Write me with any of your audition stories, or ways you have gotten out of your "real" world and into the world of your character.

Cheers,


Michael

Some reasons to make your own videos

Hello all!

I've been working on finishing the edit for my new video for the website, “Funny or Die," and I got to thinking about reasons why we creative people (especially actors) should make our own videos. Inexpensive cameras, and editing software, make creating a video possible for almost all of us, so let's take a quick look at some of the reasons to make one (or more).

Looking to get experience performing on camera. This is a great reason for someone new to the business to get in front of the camera. You can do as many takes as you want, and watch yourself. You'll get a good sense of your mannerisms, and “on-screen” presence.

Looking to break-in. People do watch videos. And not just “regular” people, but also people in the casting business. Often a casting director will have his or her assistant prowl around the internet looking for interesting new performers.

Getting feedback. If you put a video(s) up on a site like “YouTube,” and do a little social networking, people will see you and give you feedback. Yes, sometimes people will say crappy stuff about you, but then some people say crappy stuff about Brat Pitt, so this can be a good way to get used to it. And some people may compliment your work as well, and that's a way of seeing what works (and doesn't work) for you as a performer.

You're Looking to change your image. I just saw that Charlize Theron is going to be in a comedy film. And that's interesting because she has mostly been known for doing very serious roles in films like “Monster,” and “North Country.” But in the last few years she's been doing comedy sketches on Funny or Die and and now she's in a comedy film.

You're looking to boost your career. Sometimes an actor's career just seems to stall and not only can you get yourself out their and be seen, but it will really make you feel better about yourself if you're doing something proactive.

You want to expand your talents into writing, directing, etc. Many actors like to also write and/or direct, and doing this a few times is a great way to not only get experience, but also to figure out if it's something you want to spend more time pursuing.

You want to express a personal point of view. Sometimes it's very satisfying to be able to express yourself as yourself and not behind a character. You can talk about anything: politics, why people should adopt animals, or just what's going on in your life. You can do this with a regular blog, or as I plan to do in the near future, with a video blog (or vlog).

Finally, maybe you just want to express your own artistic vision. When we do this, we're not going for some specific goal, like getting discovered – we just have something to say and we make some kind of artist video to express our inner self. You just do it because you want to do it and it can be weird, or silly, or just a bunch of swirling colors pulsating to a friend's musical score. Whatever.

So, there you go – a few of my thoughts about doing videos. And now it's time for me to get back to work on my own video and get it finished and online. Even though it's just a silly little improv I did with a friend, I like it and that's what really counts when you're doing your own stuff.


Cheers,

Michael

What should I wear?

I had a commercial audition the other day. When I got the email notice from my agent, it told me the time, place, casting director, and all the other information I needed to get to the audition. It also had a “wardrobe description” as to what to wear to the audition. And this is where most actors would go a little crazy. Because it said to dress as close to the look of a medieval knight as possible! A medieval knight?! Yeah, right … I just happen to have a suit of armor hanging in my closet.

If you go out on enough commercial auditions (and this happens more often on commercial auditions than ones for TV or film), every now and then you will get one of these impossible wardrobe suggestions. I had one once that suggested the actors wear purple robes (with gold trim), feathered headdress (helmets) and sandals. Don't ask what we were supposed to be – I've completely erased it from my brain. Or you could be asked to wear 1960's style clothes to look like a hippy.

So, what do we do in these extreme cases? The first thing is not to panic. Most of us – even characters like myself - do not have a huge closet packed full of costumes from every era (starting at about 6,000 B.C., and working our way up to the present (or maybe even into the future).

The second thing we don't do is go rushing out to our local thrift store searching for that suit of armor which, unless some medieval knight felt like donating his old suit, is not going to be there anyway.

Note: That said, if you do any character parts, or extra roles, it's always a good idea to drop by your local thrift store now and then and pick up a few items that can be used for many roles. For example, I've bought a bunch of vests and bow ties, and other stuff that I wouldn't wear in my regular life, but come in handy when I go out for roles like a professor or nerdy teacher (which I do a lot).

So, what do we do when faced with a weird, bizarre, off the wall wardrobe suggestion? We do the best we can. We get a little creative. We do an internet search and see how people really dressed in that era. Then we can often “suggest“ the part with a few little things. 

When I checked out what medieval knights wore, I saw that it wasn't just armor. That was for battles. In their regular life, they wore stuff that looked like long-sleeved T-shirts, with a sleeveless, gray T-shirt on top of that. Hey! I have those! So, I put the T-shirts on, and some skinny black pants that could pass for tights, black tennis shoes, and off I went.

And you know what? I expected that there might be some actor there who works at those Renaissance fairs, who might have a “real” costume, but nope – in fact, I think I was the closest one there to wearing what a casual medieval knight might wear.

And last, but not least – even if there was somebody there with a full costume – the casting people, and director and producers are first of all looking for good actors, not just somebody with a great costume (unless it's extra work).

So just do your best. And don't let the feeling that your costume is not the best, get in the way of having confidence when you walk into the room to audition. Great, confident acting will beat a great costume (almost) every time!

Cheers,

Michael

And don't forget - for a lot more audition information - check out "An Actor's Guide to Auditioning" here.

Looking for a commercial agent

Back in November (2013) I wrote a post called: “How do I start looking for an agent?” I'd like to update and get a bit more specific.

I'm signed “across-the-board” with my current agent – which means he reps me for both theatrical (films and television) and commercial. However, I'm considering finding and signing with a separate commercial agent. There's a few reasons for this decision. My current agent does a good job of getting me out on film and television auditions, but I think an agent who specializes in commercials might get me more auditions than I've been getting.

Most, but not all, working actors will have serrate agents for different areas of work. That's because very few agencies are good at everything, especially at the smaller, “boutique” agencies where there may only be one or two agents.

So, I'm starting to put together a new package to submit to commercial agencies. I'll include two headshots – these are the two that get me called in the most – with résumés, and a brief cover letter. The headshots are not just the same look – smiling and not smiling. They are two different types of characters that I play most often in commercials – a “professor” type, and a “farmer” type. That helps agents see a range.

The cover letter will mention that I'm looking for commercial representation, that I heard their agency was a good one (never hurts to throw out a little flattery – but don't overdo it), and that my last two commercials were nationals that ran for over a year.

I'll be preparing both a “snail mail” package and an electronic one. Some agencies like emails, some still like getting hard copies. One of the advantages of sending your stuff in by email (besides saving money on postage) is that you can include a link to your demo reel, if you have one (and you should have one if you're looking to sign with an agent).

I'll write more about my search and whether or not I deside to sign with a seperate agnecy. And let me know if you have questions about finding an agent.

Cheers,

Michael