I once worked as a Marketing Consultant for a large company in Ohio and the CEO once sat down with me and told me a story that really resonated with me, and I’d like to share it with you. He was a black belt martial artist in karate and he said that after years of training and hard work, when he finally earned his black belt, his sensei pulled him aside and said, “Now you can begin to become a master.” The CEO was confused. “Didn’t I just earn my black belt? Doesn’t that make me, on some level, a master?” His sensei replied, “You’ve only mastered the first step. A black belt is only a student who has thoroughly prepared to begin the journey.”
I think many actors live with the expectation that what they have or who they are ought to be enough to be a working actor in Hollywood. Our unions require no apprenticeship, casting directors tell us to “be ourselves” and we see people with no training and no experience being plucked out of nowhere for stardom. The truth is that our perception is different from reality. The star “plucked out of obscurity” has been training and auditioning for years, has their package together and has been ready for opportunity when it comes. To be a working actor, you have to view it as a black belt would: you must become a master at all the basics, then you will be able to successfully navigate the path to becoming a working actor.
What are some of the basics? Here’s a partial list in no particular order of importance:
- A properly formatted resume
- Headshots representative of your type and specific to the genres that type would work in
- Demo reel also representative of your types
- Voice over reel
- Agent and/or manager
- A proper marketing and follow-up plan
- Acting training
- Booking training – it’s completely separate from acting training
- Improv and comedy training
- Commercial training
- The ability to network
- Social Media presence
- Healthy, facile body able to endure 16 hours on a night shoot
- Audition outfits
- Membership to all the self-submission sites
- Camera to self-tape auditions or access to a taping service
- Website
- Day job with lots of cash and flexibility
I could go on and on. Being an actor is NOT easy, and neither is becoming a black belt. But once you have all the basics in line, then it becomes simpler to build a successful career as a working actor. In fact, this is the very purpose of The Lyndon Technique and TLTaccess.com – we exist to give actors practical tools and advice to become acting black belts.
So begin today to prepare for your journey. One day, people will point to you as an example of mastery at being a working actor. Until then, start training!
Justin Giddings + Amy Lyndon
The Lyndon Technique
http://www.TLTaccess.com - Visit to download your FREE 4-Week Booking Kit!
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