MEMBERS ONLY Article - What Works?

What Works?

or, How to be a working actor without banging your head against a wall.

The New Year is always full of dramatic statements to friends, family, and Facebook about how this year, everything is going to be different. Actors promise themselves that this year will be the year that they finally get their package in order, take more classes, or become more diligent with the actions they know they should’ve been taking all along.

Inevitably, almost universally, they fail OR are overwhelmed by the actions it took to reach their goals. So I want to challenge the traditional goal-setting rituals of the New Year and help you create your own customized plan for a successful acting career...

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ARTICLE: Are You Working Hard Enough? Really?

Not easy to build.

Last month, I wrote an exclusive article for our TLTaccess.com Members about burnout - the inevitable result of too much stress and working at a level-ten frenzy. This month, I want to swing to the other side of the pendulum and ask you, “Are you really working hard enough?”

I think we actors can easily point to the trials and tribulations of trying to make it in show-business and come up with a myriad of reasons (excuses) why our careers aren’t moving forward. “It’s tough.” “I don’t have the money for classes/headshots/coaching.” “If I only knew the right people.” “If only my agent sent me in more, or I had a better agent.” And so on…

Guys, it is very tough to be an actor. A lot of gurus say that if you can do any other job – do it. Well, I say bull**** to that. Rather than bail on your dreams because you can, you should tighten your belt, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to beat the hell out of any challenges that dare to take you on.

Whether it’s money, time, agent issues or whatever, there is a solution that someone has discovered. You are not the first actor to wish they had better contacts or better reps. Your challenges are not unique to you, so, what makes YOU different from the thousands of working actors?

You’re not working hard enough, or you’re not working smart enough.

Now, before you go crazy on me, please note that the keyword there is enough. You may be working very hard and very smart, but it may not be enough. Enough is a relative term, and so you have to decide what’s enough for you. A 19-year-old gorgeous blond model who is the niece of a famous director is going to have a different value for the term “enough” than you might have. But the principle remains the same: If you’re going to be a successful actor, you have to figure out what it’s going to take, and then do ENOUGH OF IT!

Honestly guys, this is a big subject, because every actor’s journey is different, so I can’t point to a checklist of actions and wash my hands of you. If you’re struggling, stop trying to figure it out on your own. Get connected to a trusted group of actors or industry professionals who aren’t afraid to tell you you’re slacking off. Even better, schedule a Career Consultation with Amy locally or via Skype. Whatever you do, do it NOW. Like, right now, today, in the moment, because this is your dream we’re talking about! It’s you vs. the world, and only one of you gets to walk away victorious.

Time to roll up your sleeves.

Justin Turner + Amy Lyndon 

The Lyndon Technique

Marketing Director

http://www.TheLyndonTechnique.com

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818-760-8501 - Call to schedule your Career Consultation

ARTICLE: Consistency Cures Anxiety | TLTaccess Members Only

Dude. Chill.

I don’t know about you, but choosing acting as a career choice has proven to be a bit stressful at times. I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on training and materials, and the industry-wide success-to-rejection ratio just plain sucks. So for me, it’s easy to get stressed and anxious about my career. However, I’d like to share with you the cure.

Consistency is the cure for anxiety.

When we take action everyday, it breeds a sense of purpose and momentum, and alleviates those feelings of helplessness and anxiety about our careers – or lack thereof. This article will help you nip those feelings in the bud forever.

CLICK to visit www.TLTaccess.com, join, and click on the Articles page to download & read the rest of the article!

Ok, guys, get on the ball and create the Plan! I promise you this: all the feelings of anxiety, doubt, stress, helplessness and confusion will disappear if you do exactly what this article tells you. You can apply it to every part of your life, and I challenge you to mark your calendar for the day you started working the Plan, because a year later, you will be in a completely different place in your career.

What have you got to lose? Nothing, and you have everything to gain.



Cheers!
Justin Turner - Marketing Director
The Lyndon Technique
www.TheLyndonTechnique.com 
www.TLTaccess.com - Download your FREE 4-Week Booking Kit

Honing Your Edge: The Power & Purpose of Consistent Marketing

Tom Cruise keeps it real.

I’ve been talking to a lot of actors lately that feel like the actions they take never get them direct results. Consequently, they give up on those actions. It can be frustrating when you’ve put time and effort into your business and yet there seems to be no direct results. However, I’d like to challenge some of your ideas when it comes to getting “results.”

In TLTaccess, we talk a LOT about different marketing techniques, but you probably at least know the basics: mailings, postcards, websites, social media, etc. These can all be tedious to keep updated and maintain consistently – especially when “nothing ever happens.” Here’s the thing though: these actions aren’t meant to get you direct results.

“Wait, what? Then why the hell am I doing them?”

Good question. While consistent marketing will help get you results, there will almost never be a direct correlation. What consistent marketing will do is prepare you for when opportunity and preparation meet in the form of an audition, agent meeting, or general.

Let me give you an image: by the advent of the Edo period of Japan, a class of former-mercenaries – Samurai – had been elevated to the highest caste system in the society. These warriors were renowned for their fierce military prowess and ethical code of honor. Their symbol was their weapon, the samurai sword. Samurai kept their swords razor-sharp; so sharp, that many on the receiving end claimed that a cut from a samurai sword didn’t even hurt at first because it was so freakin’ sharp. Samurai would spend hours and hours sharpening and honing the edge of their swords knowing that when it came time to do battle, their weapons would carve through any barrier of armor like it was warm butter. This elevated them from being careless or lazy mercenaries to being legendary warriors.

Consistent marketing isn’t your prowess on the battlefield. Consistent marketing is the long hours you put into honing the edge of your career. If you have clearly typed yourself, then doing mailings and casting workshops and creating one-sheets keeps that sharp. So when you walk into an audition room, you are the sharpest version of that type in the room, so clearly defined that it’s impossible to ignore. Guess what? You’re hired. When you walk into an agent’s office and you have exercised the muscle of razor-sharp self-promotion, the agent will start trying to convince you why you should sign with them, not the other way around. (No joke: a TLTaccess.com member just had 4 agent meetings and every single one made offers and follow-up calls essentially fighting over him!)

Guys, hone your edge. Stay consistent, but just remember that your marketing is not the battlefield – it is what prepares you to be a legendary warrior. Er, actor. :-P