[Your Name Here] I answer questions from The Actors' Connective Toronto about how I became an actor marketing whiz! :)
What questions do YOU have about marketing or your career in general? Let me know, and I'll gladly answer them for you! :)
Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen
[Your Name Here] I talk to The Actors' Connective Toronto about the perfect actor-rep dynamic!
Here's to your grand partnership!
Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen
[Your Name Here] (Not gonna lie, I've been REALLY excited to write this blog for months, now!)
Soooo...we're all about plumbing the gifts of social media, right? I mean, chances are you're on Twitter and FB; chances are that you have a blog or a fanpage or a Pinterest.
And chances are also that you have friended, liked and followed not only your favorite casting directors, but also your dream collaboration team of actors, directors, writers (etc.) whom you admire. You like their posts, you comment on them, you at-reply, you retweet. You rock star, you!
But what if there was a way to make this even more FUN? Even less schlocky or hammy? What if there was a way to make it, also, 100% about just having fun and building a rapport together instead of marketing?
Oh friends, there is. :D
Who here has tried Words With Friends or Draw Something? Maybe you're addicted to one or both (I totally am). Well, as you may know, it integrates FB friends who have the app--and I'd put money on the idea that you have a few dream collaborators who frequent them--and you can then play loads of games with your targets. :)
Have fun bonding on a whole other level--pure play!
Ahoy, mateys!
Jen
[Your Name Here] Ahoy, my friends!
I've been for a while without writing because I recently spent over a month in LA, and I'm writing to share with you the bounty of my trip. :)
As I've shared here, part of my unique trust in ships has to do with the fact that I've been called in from SOLELY those...across the country. By people I've never met before.
While I didn't get to meet those particular offices in person while I was in LA, I DID meet several more who recognized me from my efforts!
At a workshop, one CD stopped in the middle of her speech to a 30+-person class and said, "I know you! I get your postcards!" Another said that she always got my mail and always opened it. While doing drop-offs, yet another peered at me and said, "I know you, you've come in for us before, right?"
These are just. Ships. Being sent 3,000 miles away to tremendously busy offices. My friends, your efforts will not be wasted--my experiences are totally proof!
I also maximized my trip by shipping every single week to my selected offices; did as many drop-offs as possible, and I also workshopped with 8 of my selected 11. :) Those touch-ins count as ships, too!
Now that I'm back with LOADS more goodies in my noggin, what questions might you have about my experience? Serve 'em up, friends!
Ahoy, mateys!
Jen
[Your Name Here] My gal Catherine Rogala asks:
"As you know, I am on a quest right now to land the role of a life time in an upcoming movie. I have contact info for the producer and cd, but would like to also send my ships to the screenwriter and director. I can't find any contact info for them on imdbpro, only their agents. Any thoughts?"
I do indeed know, Catherine--and I'm so proud of you! (This amazing girl is giving her all for a plum role in the next HUNGER GAMES film. Check out her prowess here!)
So here's the deal--there's definitely a chain of searching you can take into your own hands to get your footage/headshot to the right people! So let's start with IMDBPro, which you noted.
-IMDBPro has their agencies and managers. This will be the last resort, so keep it in your back pocket.
-Time to see if they're on Twitter. Google their name "Joe Smith" + Twitter to see what comes up. The director had an immediate hit and the writer does not. No problem! Moving on! :D
-Time to see if they're on FB. (Check both fan pages and personal accounts.) And always ignore the community pages with no pictures; those are akin to wikipedia entries. The writer isn't on, and the director doesn't seem to be, either.
-Check for blogs that they may write. I couldn't find either for these guys, but that's okay.
So you have one Twitter account! Bully! Need more? Let's think outside the box...
What about their IMDBPro History? If they've been around for a while, earlier productions may have been with their own production company, meaning that the contact info goes to them. Sniff out their history and if the contacts match. Also, the director is the Exec. producer on TOUCH--what about sending to their production offices as a backup?
Also, check in with any IMDBPro 'friends' in common--the director and I have one friend that links KINGS and KING KELLY! Not sure if he met him properly, but it's a shot, right?
What about the Production Company? Chances are that the writer and director will be in that space a LOT throughout pre-production, so definitely target that solid place with a solid address! (Also, there are apparently *2* production companies...so you can target Lionsgate, also! "Director, c/o Lionsgate...")
And if you feel like you've exhausted the possibilities online...what about the phone?
Who could you call? You could call Color Force-- "Hi there, my name is Catherine Rogala, and I'm looking to get my materials to director so-and-so for the role of _____ in HG:CF. How can we make that happen?"
You could *definitely* call their managers/agents and ask for the most direct way to get in touch!--
"Hi there, my name is Catherine Rogala, and I'm looking to get my materials to director so-and-so for the role of _____ in HG:CF. I haven't had much luck finding his contact info--how open would you be to referring me to the best possible way to get these to him?"
You're on FIRE (CATCHING fire, you see what I did there?!), Catherine! Keep making bold moves and the universe will bring it back to you!
Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen