Movies Hall of Fame

July is finding your market month at TAM, so we have 4 weeks of marketing tips about that.

Part I – Focus on one thing
Part II- What is your niche/brand? What makes you unique?
Part III – In what media are you most likely to be booked? 
Part IV – Where should you be to work the most?  

The whole point behind finding your market is to make your career more successful and your life easier. Why struggle? If you focus on the one thing you do best-and perfect that, you will develop a niche, a market entirely your own, for which you are known. And that, is the key to creating a successful career.
Examples? – Robin Williams and Jerry Seinfeld both did stand-up comedy for a number of years before being offered sitcoms which led to being offered films. Their strength was comedy but it opened doors to amazing careers because they just focused on one thing until they were really excellent at it.
Bebe Neuwirth and Kristen Chenoweth are both singers/dancers as well as good comediennes. They booked broadway shows which led to getting work on sitcoms which led to where they are now- film and TV work. Some of the highest paid actors in NY and Hollywood began as models or doing commercials until they were really good at it and making a living working on camera.
That skill led to getting work on Soap Operas, Primetime TV and major feature films.

So, the trick here is to focus- Choose one thing (one of many of your talents, I’m sure) and do it repeatedly. If you spend your time and energy going in many directions- grabbing every audition for everything in every media trying to just be a “working actor” you will probably succeed at just that, working ….but not succeeding at your highest potential. Instead narrow down your choices in the order of your priorities. What will make you extremely happy if you could be doing it everyday?

WARNING: If your answer is-”Whatever makes me the most money so I can buy my parents a house, get an expensive car, not have to have a day job and buy a lot of great things!” – think again. There are easier
ways to become rich and amass a lot of stuff other than struggling to be a movie star. What you do every day that inspires you, makes you joyous – that’s a successful career and life.

Answer these 3 Questions and you’ll be clear about that one thing.
1. What do you do best? What do you love (or why did you become an actor)?
2. In what media do you work the most right now? (theatre, musical theatre, commercials, daytime, primetime, film, voice -overs, sketch comedy or improv)?
3. Where are you most comfortable auditioning and performing? (on stage, in front of a camera, in a recording studio, with a band, in a comedy club)?

OK, here’s the follow through for that one thing:
Make a list of the top 3 medias in which you would love to be working all the time. Then, follow through with #1 on your list. Spend most of your time learning that craft, studying with the top masters in that media, taking every course and workshop with those top masters, hanging around that theatre or studio, learning, absorbing, meeting, networking, developing your one thing- with an obsession- 24/7. Breathe it, live it, taste it, become a clone of
the masters, see how they got there, ask questions, ask them to be your mentor, assimilate. No other profession requires this much commitment. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen/women-they
need education, training and have to work hard but they don’t have the same level of competition as you. They can get jobs right out of school-you have to fight, focus and be the absolute best in
the audition if you want to just get one little booking-not even a full time job! And then you have to do it again the next day and the next to create a career. It’s a lot tougher for you.
But if you follow though as above, guess what will happen? You’ve just set yourself up for that golden opportunity- the “door-opener” that will jumpstart your career. Being around “greats”, being in the right place at the right time with the right skill set is creating your own lucky break. Believe me, it happens! 

Successful Marketing!

Gwyn

Reality TV is now a mainstay in our lives. It also just happens to be the best way for actors to get their start in Hollywood.

Many of the participants in reality TV shows are simply actors trying to get some air time. Though not all of these upcoming actors receive fame and fortune by appearing in reality shows, they all do receive some general recognition at the very least.

Those most likely to reach stardom from reality shows are participants in talent searches such as American Idol – Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson being a great example. These might not seem like the type of contests that actors would get started in, but because being an actor involves more than just looking good on camera, focusing on just one facet of your talent is a great way to set you apart from the crowd.

So if you’re serious about getting started in Reality TV, you need to first get yourself set up for the auditions.

You already know who the big names are – the major networks, Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS – so pick the shows you would love to be on! Just make sure you have what it takes to be a major contestant, so if you can’t swim, skip Survivor, and if you can’t sing, don’t try American Idol, it’s not worth it.

Casting agents for the biggest network show post their reality show casting at selected online talent sites like New Faces Models and Talent at www.newfaces.com Because New Faces gets the information directly from the network casting agents and sites, the castings are always on NewFaces.com first. And you don’t have to go to a different source for each type of casting, New Faces brings together all the different genres in one place and has all the details on how and where to apply.

Many of these shows will allow for applicants to send in pictures or videos for consideration. Most reality shows will require applicants to fill out a detailed application before they can be considered. Some may also subject applicants to physical or mental tests during reality TV show auditions. For example, you can’t get on Survivor without these physical tests.

Once you get past the application process and make it into a reality show, be ready for a great deal of television exposure, which might just put you on the A-list.