A few friends and I decided to attend the Conference, even though it was geared mostly towards Artistic Directors, Directors, and Producers. At $32 for the entire weekend, and with an incredible line-up of speakers, it was well worth it to soak up as much knowledge as possible. Besides, knowing how to make your own opportunities is an invaluable skill, right? That, and they provided free lunch and coffee throughout the weekend (That said, I’m surprised more actors didn’t attend!).

I can tell you that, even though I spent plenty of time in the old Bailiwick over the years, I didn’t recognize the place when I walked through the front doors. Jeremy did an incredible job renovating the entire facility, down to the very structure and layout of the interior. The twin mainstage theatres are remarkable in their beauty and their functionality, and the versatility of the blackbox stage lets your imagination run wild with possibilities.

The panelists for the weekend included Goodman Theatre‘s Henry Godinez and the Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Matha Lavey. Discussions were held on just about every topic, ranging from festival organization to marketing to fund-raising to you name it. I could write a blog post for each discussion I attended, and it would be packed with all of the wonderful knowledge (and some horrifying truths) I learned over the course of each meeting.

I don’t know whether or not Theater Wit will be hosting the CTAC again next year, but I encourage you to attend either way! The experience is absolutely priceless if you’re committed to life as an actor. You’ll get first-hand information from people who’ve “been there,” and it’s a great way to shake some of the hands with which you’ll soon be working!

~JVB

*After Bailiwick Repertory Theater closed its doors in September 2009, a new theatre company, Bailiwick Chicago, was formed by a group of dedicated actors, directors, and production professionals.

PS – I first heard about the CTAC in a recent episode of the Talk Theater in Chicago Podcast. It’s a great resource if you’re interested in acting in Chicago!

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from actors is how difficult it is to get footage for their reel. A few thoughts on the topic…

Actors’ Perspective

As an actor, a reel is of the utmost importance. We’re trying to get people to hire us to perform on camera, so it follows that showing people that we can perform (well!) on camera is pretty damned important. So, yeah, a reel is friggin ‘imperative.

Most complaints I hear on this topic come from actors who worked for free on a project. If you actually get paid to show up and act, actors (generally) feel that they have been compensated in some way and are less demanding of their footage. When working for free, however, the (rather dangerous) expectation tends to be that the actor is doing the project to get great reel footage. Let me first say that expecting good reel footage is a precarious thing to do…it can be pretty darned difficult to predict whether or not a project will yield you great reel footage, mostly because you have no control over how it is edited. HOWEVER, if you get the raw footage, then you are back in control and can hopefully work with an editor (or DIY) to make the footage look as fabulous as you do (and you do look fabulous).

In Fairness to Filmmakers

If you’ve ever made a film, then you probably understand that getting a copy of the footage to your actors is the last thing on your mind. You’re dealing with post-production, getting the thing edited, and paying back “fast hands” Eddie for the money you borrowed to make the damned thing. There’s also a good chance that as a filmmaker you’re a bit concerned that the actor might make your project look like crap, and throw it up on YouTube for all the world to see…kinda freaky.

Actors, remember that filmmakers have (oftentimes) poured their entire lives into their project. As such, they’re probably a little bit protective. You should also know that sometimes if even a few seconds of a project end up on the internet (as part of your reel on YouTube, for example) the film will be disqualified from certain film festivals.

Lastly, remember that there is no law or stipulation in the SAG contracts (that I’m aware of) that says you are owed footage for your reel. Try to get that in writing (see below), and more than anything, be a super nice person so that the powers at be are predisposed to help you.

Get it in Writing

As @vanessaleinani recently reminded me, www.copyprovided.com offers a great contract template to have whomever you’re working with sign prior to filming. This is particularly helpful for non-union and student projects. I suggest potentially adding clauses guaranteeing you’ll get the raw footage within a certain amount of time. All of this sets up the idea with whomever you’re filming with, that you will indeed be wanting and pursuing the footage for your reel. And actors, know that assuring the filmmakers that you are only going to be taking 20 – 30 seconds (that’s most likely all you need) and using it for your REEL, not some new rip-off movie, will hopefully put them more at ease.

Getting Your Footage: A Step-by-Step Process

So here’s my main point. The reel footage is for YOU. The actor. You need to do everything in your power to make it as easy as possible for the filmmaker to get you what you want. Should it be this way? Maybe not, but it’s your career. Take charge.

1. Get cast in something (good job!)
2. Before you start filming, get it in writing that you are supposed to get the reel footage (see above)
3. Make sure you have all the up-to-date contact information of all the people involved with the project before you leave the set…especially the editor. That person will ultimately end up with the footage
4. Buy a portable, external hard drive to store your footage on (I purchased a 1TB external harddrive on newegg.com for like $100).
   Note: The vast majority of people will be editing the footage on a mac, so you need a mac-compatible hard drive, but you might check beforehand just in case
5. Most likely the project was shot digitally, so there is a person with a hard drive with all the footage…find that person. Stalk that person. Show up at that person’s house with your hard drive
   Note: You might have more luck if you call said individual beforehand, but I’ve found legitimate stalking to help as well…you didn’t read that here ;p
6. Send a hand-written thank you note or show some other form of gratitude to the director and others who helped you get your footage
7. Grab a drink, some foodstuffs, and kick back on your couch. I promise someone will come to your house very shortly and make you famous

Joe, Emily, and Ben here. We wanted to give you a few updates

Humbled

First and foremost, we are continually humbled by the responses and readership that we get on this blog. For three little actors to get tens of thousands of hits is just silly. You guys should probably get out more, but we’re glad that you don’t.

New Design

We asked, you responded, we listened. We polled you, our readers, about designing a new header image for our website and here you have it. (Look up, silly.) It’s kinda pretty, huh?

In addition to the new header image, we have pulled some fancy web shenanigans with the help of Chicago-based actor, improviser, and web guru Brian Vabulas and totally revamped the look and feel of the website. Some added features:

• Cleaner design
• Drop-down menus to make it easier to get to our information, as well as some additional information on each of the cities that we continue to compile
• Easier links to our facebook page, newly created twitter account, and our rss feed
• A new contact page where you can send us thoughts, questions, blog post ideas, whatever

Note: For those of you reading this on Google Reader or something similar, please take a second to visit our actual blog and take a look.

Quality not Quantity

From the start, we’ve been dedicated to quality over quantity. Your time is limited, so we won’t post anything if it’s not good. With that said, now that more people than just our parents are reading this thing, we’re going to move to a slightly more regular schedule:

Monday: Joe posts
Wednesday: Emily posts
Friday: Ben posts

However, if any of us don’t have anything worthy to post on that day, then we don’t. Again, quality over quantity.

New Slogan

On that note, thanks to a suggestion by the immensely talented Amro Salama, we have changed our logline to “3 Actors. 3 Cities. 1 Passion.” We still hope to have “thousands of stories” at some point, but really what ties us all together is the incredible passion we have for this thing called acting.

Broken Links

Because we moved to a new server, some of the links in our past posts (say that 10 times fast) are broken. If you find one (or more) of those, please go to our contact page and let us know!

Shorter Link

Our primary URL, www.PlaybillsvsPayingBills.com can sometimes be hard to remember, so we went ahead and purchased www.PvsPB.com. Perhaps that will be easier to remember (or tweet!) when you tell all your friends about us.

Lots of Love…

We are SO thrilled that doing something that we love has provided others with value. PLEASE continue to comment (it’s the only way we know you’re actually reading), disagree, send us your thoughts and ideas, and above all else, follow your bliss.

xoxo,

Joe, Ben, & Emily

SUCCESS = A (LTV + D + E/T)

A = Attitude
LTV = Long Term Vision
D = Discipline
E/T = Effort over Time

Let’s break down the creamy center, shall we?

Long Term Vision is the mindset that you’re committed for the long haul. You’re not seeking immediate gratification, you’re seeking an established success, something that has intrinsic worth and provides the momentum to do and be more. It’s being able to look at your career and recognize that you’re in it for the long haul because the love of acting goes deeper than fame and money. This passion will sustain you through the hard times. There’s nothing wrong with fame and money, but as concepts they won’t sustain you when you don’t work for 3 years and your agent drops you and all you can afford is a scone and Amy’s book.

Discipline is just that: discipline. You’ve got to be working on your acting every day. Classes, working on your marketing materials, workshops, whatever – set aside an hour a day devoted to your Office Hours. Work that hour, then walk away.

Effort over Time picks up where Discipline left off. As your work habits build, you can commit more time and energy to your goals, but remember that consistency is much more important than quantity. I also teach guitar and piano, and I tell my students that practicing five minutes every day on their basic scales is better than a half hour once a week. The ones who actually put this into practice are my best students because they’ve developed the habits necessary for success. So develop the habit of being a working actor and you will find that, soon enough, you can be nothing but a working actor.

Finally, the great multiplier: your ATTITUDE! You can have all the talent, vision, discipline, consistency and connections in the world, but if your attitude sucks, you’re never going to make it for two reasons. First, you will constantly sabotage yourself. Bad attitudes breed laziness, apathy, procrastination and the inability to celebrate and gain momentum from the success you do have. Second, nobody will like you and you won’t have any friends. Seriously. Ask any working actor and they will tell you stories of people with bad attitudes on the set. Everyone is uncomfortable, it takes twice as long to shoot a take, and the pros are all sorts of pissed off because they are trying to do there jobs while Mr. Snarky is busy taking his sweet time being, well, snarky.

On the flip side, a positive attitude can be the multiplier that takes even mediocre talent, vision, discipline, etc and propel it to the heights. We all know those types of people: whether shy or extroverted, positive people are magnets and attract positivity to them! Crappy headshots and decent reads are overlooked because everyone just likes being around Mr. NotSnarky.

I hope this article has proven helpful and motivational to you! Feel free to email me directly with your comments. lyndonmarkdir@gmail.com

Take care!
Justin Giddings
Actor. Funny Man. Cheese Connoisseur.

Upon arriving in Chicago three years ago, I immediately hit the streets, the internet, and the phones looking for a day job. After a month of hard work and no results, a good friend suggested a simple course of action.

“Go check out the Italian restaurant on the corner of Belmont and Sheffield,” he said. “They have a ‘Help Wanted’ sign up.”

I toyed with the idea for a few days before finally going down there, but once I had my interview, they practically hired me on the spot!

Well, now I’ve been handed another piece of great advice, and I’m afraid I might be toying around too much again.

In preparation to mail my submission packet to a few agencies in Chicago, I asked a good friend (and incredibly talented actor) if he could take a look at my cover letter and give me a few tips. He gave some amazing pointers, and then suggested that I take a different approach to finding an agent: Ask to interview agents for PvsPB.com and build a relationship with them “on the other side of the table, ” which could help lead to representation later on down the road.

In theory, I love the idea! What a great way to separate yourself from the herd, right? Plus, without many impressive credits on my resume, it would get me into the office and let my personality shine (Not to sound too over-confident, but I’m one of those people who, for whatever reason, was blessed with a magnetic, charming presence. Thanks, Mom & Dad!).

Still, I can’t help but feel like I should be submitting the traditional way (i.e. HS, resume, cover letter). That’s the way it’s been done, that’s the way it’s still done, and who am I to think I can go around changing the rules, right?

But then again, that brand of thinking was exactly what kept me from landing a day job three years ago. Is this fate trying to play yet another hand through a close friend? If I take this advice, will all my desires be fulfilled once again?

So here I sit, shirtless, wearing blue and orange zebra-striped pajamas, clinging to a life-giving mug of middle-of-the-road  coffee, and waffling between two very different courses of action.

What’s your experience, dear reader? How did you go about getting an agent? Or, if you are on the representation side of the business, do you have any wisdom to share on the matter?

I should really get dressed. I look like I belong in a Dr. Seuss Serengeti…

~JVB

PS – At the suggestion of fellow blogger Ben Whitehair, I’ve recently picked up (err…downloaded) a copy of Self Management for Actors to read on my Kindle. The book, by casting director (and friend of the blog) Bonnie Gillespie, is downright amazing! I can’t recommend it enough!

I'm so glad you agreed to meet in person. There are some things that just can't be said in 140 characters.

You demanded it, so we gave it to you. The creators of the first #LAActorsTweetup (@TheJudalina, @laurendwebb, @TiffanyAPrice, and yours truly) are at it again. Come on down to Busby’s East from 6pm – close on August 9th to meet the most awesomest tweeps around. And this time we ask that you bring someone who’s never been to a tweetup before. So grab that buddy (twuddy…?) and prepare them for the time of their life.

Full details (including info on the raffle!) found here.

Knowledge, in this industry, is power. So put on some steel toed boots, ’cause the following websites, podcasts, and like are veritable knowledge bombs that be droppin’

The Actor’s Network

Just did a blog post on them. Check it. If you’re in LA you shoulda become a member 3 weeks ago.

Brains of Minverva

I effing love this blog, and Sarah and Claire are total rock stars. They sent me the following: Brains of Minerva – The Guide to the LA Actor Hustle publishes resource-rich career and lifestyle articles for the industrious working actor. Launched in Sept. 2009, the site now hosts over 100 posts on everything from joining SAG to prepping your web series to navigating the steps of auditioning for a series regular. We’re thrilled to be part of the community of actors using the web to share information and perspective, and we’re constantly inspired by our friends at Playbills vs. Paying Bills (and, yes, you guys win the awesome name contest!). At Ben’s suggestion, we’ve put together a list of posts to introduce ourselves.

• How to Join SAG
• The Lowdown on Using the Breakdowns Pt. One and Pt. Two
• So I Married an Actor
• Using Facebook & Twitter to Grow Your Acting Career
• Things I’ve Learned on the Other Side of the Table
• Grants for Actors
• A Financial and Artistic Wake-Up Call from Abundance Bound Pt. One and Pt. Two
• Dallas Travers’ 6 Steps to Great Headshots
• Emmy-Winning Casting Director Holly Powell on the 4 Steps to Casting a Series Regular
• And for exclusive interviews on auditioning and working on-set with the The Daily Show’s Josh Gad, Avatar’s Dileep Rao and others, visit the Brains of Minerva Youtube Channel…

Come on by, let us know what you think – we’d love to say hello… Claire Winters & Sarah Sido Brains of Minerva

Inside Acting Podcast

Trevor and AJ are two of the nicest, most genuine actors you will ever meet…err, listen to. They host Inside Acting Podcast, the best way to spend your LA commute. I asked them for a summary and some links to their favorite episodes. Here’s what I got: Inside Acting is a free industry audio podcast for actors, by actors. Each episode brings you tips and insights from Los Angeles-area casting directors, agents, producers, writers, actors, filmmakers, personal finance gurus, and more. Get insider information on marketing yourself, creating your own work, and booking the gig — straight from the people who’ve been there, done that, and are doing it again. Check out our website and find the podcast on iTunes. And our Top 5 most popular/favorite episodes so far:

1. Episode 03 — Brian Vermiere (note from Ben: Brian is one of the most influential people in my view on Los Angeles. He’s brilliant and is one of the founders of PerformerTrack)
2. Episode 06 — Enci
3. Episode 07 — Kris Diedrich (note from Ben: Kris is one of the kindest people in all of Los Angeles)
4. Episode 15 — Neal McDonough, Part 1
5. Episode 24 — Bonnie Gillespie, Part 2

Actor’s Voice/Self Management for Actors/Bonnie Gillespie

Casting Director Bonnie Gillespie writes (I’m guessing) the most widely read actor blog around. And for good reason. Her blog is absolutely brilliant. If you ever have a free second (and by second I mean week), go poke around her extensive blog archives and prepare to have your mind blown. Bonnie has also written the best book available on the business of acting. Self Management for Actors should be mandatory reading for any actor wanting to take their career seriously.

Hollywood Happy Hour

Continuing the awesomeness that is Bonnie Gillespie, every actor should subscribe to the Hollywood Happy Hour yahoo group. This is an e-group of a couple thousand actors, CDs, and industry professionals from all over the globe asking questions and sharing resources. I’m pretty sure you have to sign up for a yahoo email address, but that’s the only time you’ll have to use it…you can have the email digest sent to whatever email you want.

Marci Liroff “Like” Page

Casting Director Marci Liroff (E.T., Spitfire Grill, Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, and many more)  has a tremendously engaging Facebook “Like” Page (or whatever the hell they’re called now). Lots of great resources there, her audition tips videos, and always an engaging conversation. Check it!

Secrets of Screen Acting

The best on-camera training I’ve had. But Ben, it’s a PODCAST, you exclaim! Yeah. That’s right. It’s that friggin’ good. Probably the most informative 5 minutes of your day as an actor. David H. Lawrence hosts and Patrick Tucker does most of the talking. Seriously. Check it out (Podcast inspired by the book Secrets of Screen Acting that Patrick Tucker wrote. Find it on Amazon.)

Acting Answers

Speaking of David H. Lawrence, check out his website www.ActingAnswers.com. Full of wonderful advice from a very astute working actor.

Alex’s Info

One of the most informative email newsletters out there. Go to Alex’s Info site and sign up to receive daily awesomeness. It’s fairly LA based, but there are great resources in there for everyone. The email also contains information on thrival jobs, internship opportunities, and the like.

Cynopsis

Head over to their website and click on “Subscribe” in the top menu to get daily updates of what the heck is going on in this crazy industry. Get the news that the people at the top of this crazy town care about. You can also watch a 5-minute video of the morning’s news every day if you prefer.

The Hollywood Reporter

Rather than droppin’ a couple hundred bones on actually paying for the magazine, I suggest signing up for their daily email newsletters, or subscribing to their rss feeds. This is the kind of info the people with the money care about. The type of info that is great to have as a general understanding of what’s going on in our industry.

Info List

Tons of wonderful industry news on their main site. Lots of networking opportunities and such. Click on the “Register” link in the top right and enter your email to get on the list.

Gold Star

Damn you all of my friends who didn’t tell me about this until 6 months into my Los Angeles experience. If you want to get tickets to anything in Los Angeles, it’s mandatory to check Goldstar first. Pretty much every play, concert, or whatever has extremely (like 50+ %) discounted tickets. Awesomesauce.

Oh, and there are discounted tix for most of the major cities on here, not just Los Angeles.

ActorRated

ActorRated is like Yelp for actors. Basically it’s a place where people can rate and give feedback on the myriad services, products, headshot photographers, membership organizations, and the like. What you’re looking for isn’t there? Put it up! The more information we can give each other as a community, the better.

Performer Track

In short, PerformerTrack is online software that allows you to manage all aspects of your acting career. Auditions, expenses, contacts, etc.

I wrote about PerformerTrack previously, and I would highly recommend you check out co-founder Brian Vermiere’s interview with Inside Acting Podcast.

The Moth Podcast

As actors we’re in the business of telling stories. And The Moth Podcast has some of the best stories around. They are true stories, run about 15 minutes, and are told live without notes. Subscribe on work out those storytelling muscles.

The Actor’s Lounge

I absolutely LOVE The Actor’s Lounge. It is by far the best energy in Los Angeles. So what is it you ask? Great question.

The Actor’s Lounge is essentially an open mic night for actors. Any actor can simply show up and do a monologue (3 min. or less) or a scene (5 min. time limit for 2-person scene, 6-minute limit for 3 or more). There’s a live DJ on stage, phenomenal emcees (led by the truly brilliant In-Q), as well as music, dance, live painting, and film stuff thrown in for good measure. If you have a single creative bone in your body you NEED to check this out.

When: First Wednesday of every month, starting at 8:30pm (performers must show up early to sign up)
Where: Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Cost: $1 (though it might go up to $5 soon)

What are your favorite resources? If they’re not listed here, throw ‘em up in the comments section!

If there were ever a shortcut to success, it’s getting really great information and surrounding yourself with incredible people. The Actors’ Network (TAN) does both of those things. If you are in the Los Angeles area, and take your career as an actor seriously, I can’t think of something I’d recommend more in furthering your career than The Actors’ Network. Check out their website, find ‘em on facebook, and follow them on twitter.

Full Disclosure: I totally get paid if you join TAN and say my name. And by get paid, I mean I get points. Seriously. Like at an arcade. I think I can redeem them for spider rings or something if I collect enough. In all seriousness, I don’t give a flying patootie about the points (honestly, tell them Superman sent you), I just want to share great resources I’ve come across in my brief time in Los Angeles.

Introduction

Aurora (actress extraordinairre) recently sat down with the founder of The Actors’ Network, Kevin E. West. Check out the interview below for some wisdom and an introduction to Kevin.

What Is It?

The best way I can describe TAN is that it’s like a “graduate school for the working actor.” Kevin teaches seminars (topicals) a couple times a week on all of the topics a working actor needs to know. There are recitations (power groups) that meet once a month to keep everyone accountable, network, and share resources. And top-notch industry guests like show runners (Jonathan Prince), agents (Tracy Curtis), acting coaches, and casting directors come are there almost every day imparting their wisdom and giving you a chance to create relationships.

Just like grad school you get what you put into it, so sign up for as many topicals as you can, go listen to the guests, and meet as many people as you can. Everything is included in your cost (see below) and there are no requirements…attend when you can, don’t when you have to help Aunt Greta with her chili cook-off.

Like most universities, the school is only as good as the students, and the members of TAN are top-notch.

Topicals

The topicals are primarily led by Kevin, and cover everything from demo reels, to your resume, contracts, casting director workshops, phone technique, and the like (full list here). It’s kind of like class for an hour and a half. If you have gained any insight from my previous blog posts, then you’ll absolutely take something of value from these topicals. A great deal of my outlook and the information I have comes as a direct result of these sessions. These are a glorious way to learn from Kevin’s 20+ years of mistakes (and successes!) in LA so that you don’t have to repeat them. It makes me feel like I’m skipping classes of life…

Industry Guests

These are akin to your guest lectures at grad school. Take a look at TAN’s calendar to see who has come into The Actor’s Network recently, and who’s slated to come in soon. Agents, managers, casting directors (Joseph Middleton, Marci Liroff, Danielle Eskinazi, and Bonnie Gillespie are just a few examples of the casting people who’ve I’ve seen speak), producers, writers, you name it. These industry guests volunteer (they don’t receive any money) an hour of their time to come in and answer actors’ questions. Just watch your feet when you attend these things, ’cause people be droppin’ knowledge.

Power Groups

There are 9 (optional) power groups…kind of like college recitations. These are group of about 30 actors from TAN who get together once a month to discuss goals and progress, share resources, and ask questions. Each group is led by an experienced facilitator. These are a great way to meet other productive actors, and begin to really find a sense of community, one of the hardest things to do in this city, particularly when you first arrive.

Blog

The Actor’s Network also recently launched a kick-ass blog written by 16 of LA’s finest in myriad categories. Think of it as your homework.

Reputation/Whactor Factor

TAN has a stellar reputation around town. Being a member provides you with some serious legitimacy, and proves to most that you’re not a ‘whactor’ (compliments to bad boy Kristoffer Kelly for the term). Throw their logo on your resume if you want, and know that TAN is a 99% whactor-free zone.

Cost

$50/month. Seriously. I can honestly say that you get more from TAN for your money than any other single thing in Los Angeles (unless maybe you steal stuff…but the guilt and fear of getting caught probably make TAN worth it anyway).

There is also a one-time $55 charge when you join for the membership binder etc. Oh, and there’s a discount if you join for a full year, and once you are a member for 3 years your cost goes down to $200/year. They do ask that you pay in 4-month increments, though you can split your initial payment of $265, paying $165 up front, then your next $100 a month later.

Try going to grad school for those kinds of dollars and cents (I know, I know those are all even dollar amounts, no cents. Cut me some slack, I’m just some dude with a blog. Sheesh).

How Do I Join?

If you are in LA, the first step is to check out a (free) orientation. More details here. From there you fork over some moolah and get crankin’.

For those of you not in Los Angeles, you can still join as an online member, and get access to a number of benefits outlined here.

If I Were King…

…I’d make every actor sign up for TAN, get in a power group, and attend every topical and guest speaker for 6 months. After that you could go on your merry way if you felt like it wasn’t for you, but the information is priceless, and those 6 months would (hopefully) put everyone in the proper mindset to pursue this profession.

Moreover, it’s can be daunting to feel like you’re making progress in your career as an actor. TAN not only gives you specific information and help in moving forward, but it also provides a grounding for your actor life in Los Angeles. Surrounding yourself in this community will be a tremendous benefit as you navigate this nutty industry.

So, finish up that chili and get your butt down to Santa Monica and Fairfax. I promise you won’t regret it.

P.S.

If you’re like me and SOOO over school, don’t fret. Replace the word “school” in this post with the word “home.”

P.P.S.

Ok, smart ass, I know there’s no such thing as a “grad home” but you get my point…TAN is a great place to be.

On Thursday night I was standing backstage at Donny’s Skybox Theater, mentally preparing myself for my first show at The Second City: A full 30-minutes unscripted performance with Hugs and Pullups. As the team warmed up, I looked to my left and saw the above picture. I had to stop and take a moment.

John Candy, Dan Akroyd, Eugene Levy, Rosemary Radcliffe, and Gilda Radner.

“Oh boy,” I thought, “What am I getting myself into!?”

Call me crazy, but here were five of the most talented performers ever to rock Chicago all smiling (or, in the case of Eugene Levy, looking bad-ass) back at me, as if to say, “Hey JVB, go get ‘em, tiger!” I was in their house, and they we’re welcoming me in.

The moment was incredibly humbling, and made me realize just how lucky we are to be professional actors. I mean, really… who could ask for a better job than this? Sure, it’s not exactly the most stable career, nor the most financially promising, but…oh, what the hell, I’ll say it: Acting is NEAT! It’s FUN! We get to do the same things, perform on the same stages, that our childhood idols got to? Sweet!!!

Here’s my point: Actors, let’s make sure to appreciate little moments like these that sneak up on us when we least expect them. They’re a great reminder as to why we’re here, what came before us, and what may lie ahead.

~JVB

PS – While writing this post, I accidentally misspelled “performers” several times, typing “perFROmers” instead. Clearly Eugene Levy’s 70′s-tastic hair has made an impression on me…

Yesterday I was talking to a potential employee for one of my businesses, and she mentioned that her boyfriend was an actor. She said that he had come out to Los Angeles for 6 months to act, before “failing” and going home. Failing. That was the perception. I couldn’t help but think that he hadn’t even been her long enough to buy a box spring and take the cover off his couch. Hell, I’ve been stuck on the 405 for longer than he’d been out here. Alright, that’s a slight (very slight…) exaggeration, but you get my point. I’ve written before (here, here, here, here, and here) on being in this for the long haul, and how it almost always takes at least a decade to build the careers we imagine for ourselves. This phone conversation, though, got me thinking about expectations, where they come from, and what people think they can, or should, achieve when coming to this city.

I’ve been in Los Angeles for a little over a year now, and started actively pursuing acting almost exactly a year ago (I had my first audition in Los Angeles last July).  And here’s the deal: I haven’t been on TV. I don’t have a theatrical agent or a manager, though I did have a commercial agent for a few months (we have since parted ways, but that’s another blog post). I haven’t had an audition on a studio lot nor have I even auditioned for a major union commercial. There was no “pilot season” for me, and as of right now I’m not “coming to a theatre near you.” I’ve had meetings with 3 agents who decided not to take me on. That’s right. I’ve been here a year, don’t have any representation, no recognizable credits on my resume, and no auditions for major projects.

But guess what. I’m kicking ass. Honestly, my career couldn’t be going better. I stopped clicking and submitting via submission services in favor of relationship-based job getting, and now instead of auditioning I get offers. And when I do audition, I’m doing it for people who already know my work and call me in directly. I have a reel that I’m proud of, and footage coming in the next few weeks that will make it 10x better. A film I was in just got accepted to the LA Shorts Fest.  The companies I started allow me to have a flexible schedule and pursue my acting career as I see fit. People read my blog and ask for my advice. I have actual friendships with casting directors, writers, producers, and directors. I’m friggin’ happy.

And, more than anything, I am constantly surrounded by amazing people. If there’s anything I’ve learned about success, it’s that it comes as a direct result of the quality and calibur of the people around you and the company you keep. I’m ingrained in brilliant communities that support and inspire me. The people around me have the right attitude, are always eager to help, and believe in me. They introduce me to people, refer me to others, and actively help me in my pursuits. Although it is not as obviously tangible as an agency logo or “NBC” on my resume, the strength of my community is how I define my success…and I have it in abundance.

So, are you in SAG? Who’s your agent?

Why is it that actors ask these two questions the first time they meet a fellow actor? It’s hard enough feeling like you constantly need to justify your career to “outsiders,” so why do we do this to ourselves? How is it that somehow having an agent legitimizes you as an actor? I know someone who has been with (a reputable) theatrical agent for 4 years…and had 4 auditions from them. I know actors with the TOP agencies who never work. And I know actors without agents who work all the time. Finding out someone’s union status or representation just doesn’t really tell you all that much.

For me, I have stopped asking actors I just met these questions, in favor of asking if they have been working on any cool and exciting projects lately? That leaves the door open for them to talk about pretty much anything, and hopefully relieves a little pressure that actors so constantly encounter.

Final Thoughts

I challenge you to start measuring your success based on your relationships. How many professional industry contacts do you have in your database? (You do keep track of that right?) What is the level of the people you have these relationships with? How strong are those relationships? If you randomly decided to shoot a short film next weekend, how many people could you get to show up as a favor to you ’cause they think you’re awesome or believe in you?

It’s much easier to your friends and family back home that you’re going to be on Criminal Minds next week than it is to say that you just had an amazing coffee date with some producer over at NBC who wants to meet again next month, but I would wager that the latter is a greater career success than the former.

What about you? What were your expectations when you came to LA (or wherever)…?