Posts

Diane Christiansen Kids & Teens

How to Clarify Your Acting Niche

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By Diane Christiansen

Finding your “niche” or your “brand” or your “type” seems to be daunting for most actors, including kids and teens. Yet it really can be a fun process. Possibly the reason for any difficulty is because actors have this idea that they can play anything. However, Agents and Managers have to market you, to them you are a commodity. Our intention is to make it easy for them to do.

Here is a great exercise that we do in our classes to help you know how to market yourself before you showcase your work and/or interview with Agents and Managers.

You can do this with any group of 5 or 6 people. Try this; have 5 or 6 people watch you walk into the room, the more objective they are, the better. Ask each one of them to tell you what kind of role you look like you can play. Each of us carries ourselves a certain way, and each of us give off a certain “vibe”. They are going to say things like “The Jock, the Nerd, the Cheerleader, the boy next door, the Prom Queen, the smarty girl, the Best friend, the leading lady, the Social Worker, the Cop, the Detective, the Urban Professional, a Gang member, the Politician, the Doctor, the Lawyer, the blue collar worker, and on and on. Once you’ve collected those five or six ideas, you should be on track with your obvious “Type.”

At that point, you can package yourself that way to Reps and if they are seeking that type, bingo! You’ve hit the mark. I know you don’t want to be type cast, but that’s how careers get jump-started. You have to get your foot in the door. Once you’ve been the Nerd fifteen times, you can expand your range and convince your Reps to try a new look or photo. But in the meantime, go for what you are, it’s the perfect way to start your career!

Savvy Actor Business

How to Bridge the Gap Between Actor and Working Actor

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by Savvy Actor Co-Founder Kevin Urban

Let’s talk business. Starting a business is one of the riskiest things anyone can do. If an entrepreneur were starting a business, there are certain beginning steps that would be followed. They would…

  1. Create a Business Plan Which would include: (Download the 6 Savvy Steps eBook if you haven’t already!)
  2. Company Vision
  3. Action Steps to achieve that vision
  4. Branding/Product Definition
  5. Marketing
  6. Sales
  7. Financials
  8. Define Their Product
  9. Design a logo
  10. Create Their Sales Pitch
  11. Gather Financing
  12. Implement said Business Plan

Being an artist is a risky venture, yet most artists forgo step 1 mentioned above and start with steps 3 or 4. It’s understood that actors need to market, but so many leave out the product definition phase or branding. They let others define them because they are scared to make a choice and uncertain because they assume they have no control over their career.

I’m here to say that a business plan will give you the who, the how and the why of your business, while also giving you direction to the career that you desire. And ultimately, it is up to you to understand your vision, so that you can communicate that vision with the people who can help you…agents, casting directors, directors, producers, grandma…you get my point. By effectively communicating what you want, you can drive your career.

When you wing it…you take a risk. I say, why add more risk by not having a plan?

Be smart, be savvy, and be successful. Know what you want, what you sell, and what your strategy is to achieve your success. Create a business plan for your career and help yourself feel empowered to achieve your goals.

Who Books Commercials and Why?

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Once you have done your callback and leave that is when the director, agency execs, producer and maybe someone representing the client start the process of selecting who will book the job – whether they are in the room or via a video feed. I am sure you have wondered how the final selection is made: what is considered, the politics, who has the decision making power and what happens during those few days you are waiting to see if you booked the job. Read more

How to be a Social Networking Rock Star

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By: Jodie Bentley, Savvy Actor Co-Founder

Ok, we all know we need to be on the social networking sites…and I hope you are! Social networking strategy is about staying in the loop, letting people know what we’re up to and providing value to your community. But what the heck should we say? How do we live up to and incorporate our Brand?

I’m sure at one point you asked yourself – To tweet or not to tweet? How much info do you want to share with the FB world? What to share on LinkedIn? These are all questions that have crossed our minds. Well let’s stop asking questions and create a system! With a system you’ll always have something to say and you can take comfort in knowing the structure behind it. A structure for your authentic, value-filled and sometimes shameless, self-promotion. Remember it’s not just your friends out there – it’s our fans, casting directors, directors, producers etc.

Here’s an example to take the pressure off and give you a theme to the day and your posts.

Facebook:

Monday – Give a shout out to a friend or colleague
Tuesday – Share an article you like
Wednesday – Share a success in your life or career
Thursday – Share something funny that has happened to you
Friday – Post a photo of your dog, friend, loved one or yourself
Saturday – Share a favorite quote
Sunday – Ok, take Sunday off…we all need a day of rest

Remember you’re sharing stuff about your career, yes. But you’re also sharing your viewpoint, things that interest you, things your passionate about AND giving credit to your friends and colleagues! All of these things make up you Brand.

It’s time to build your strategy! Use the above as a guideline and create your FB, LinkedIn and/or Twitter structure. Add it to your calendar. You will be a master of the social networking world in no time!