Answering YOUR Questions: Getting in Front of the Creative Team!

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 

Answering YOUR Questions: THE VLOG!

Introducing to Ships Ahoy... VLOGS! :D 

The maiden vlog guest is my dear friend Suzanne Smart, who asks:

"What's the best way to track one's marketing so that it becomes like a machine?"

Enjoy! :D

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

Answering YOUR Questions: How Important is Getting Focused?

Matt Wilder is one of my very best friends. We talk shop about our careers all the time, and now he asks: 

"How important is it to decide upon your #1 dream genre?"

[To clarify, he means picking hosting, musical theatre, improv, sitcoms, indie films, etc.]

Matt, I think that your focus is EXTREMELY important. And as a heads-up to you all, I'm going to be straight up channeling Dallas Travers right now. 

See, NOT having focus leaves your action very scattered. When you take scattered action, you don't really get anywhere; you put a lot of energy into a lot of areas, and none of them show much progress. I read a great quote today that I am going to totally misquote right now because I can't find it:

"If you want to make a real dent in what you love, stop making tiny taps everywhere else." Dallas' mantra "Do less more often" can also apply here--choose one goal and WERQ THAT MOTHER OUT.

See Matt, because here's the magic in what happens--yes, I want you to get SUPER LASER FOCUSED and pick just *one* goal and put all your energy towards it. Yes. Do that. BECAUSE.

The MAGIC is that--after you've spent so much joy and life force putting yourself out there in bold new ways, you will attract ALL KINDS OF JOBS. A perfect example is that MY big goal is to have my own sitcom--but what do I attract? Indie films, cable dramas, theatre, etc. (AND sitcoms.)

Just because you put all your focus somewhere doesn't mean it's the ONLY bounty you'll reap; the Universe will bring you so much wealth from other areas that it won't matter that they're not your main focus. Was FRANNY *not* the highlight of my life just because sitcoms are my goal?! 

I ask you to have the bravery to focus and take decisive, consistent, bold action on ONE goal. I know that if you do that every day and keep trusting in your journey, you will see beautiful results!

What do YOU guys think? Have you found that laser-focus helps or hinders your career? Please let me know in the comments, FB or Twitter!

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

Answering YOUR Questions: Getting a Rep the SMART Way

My ray of sunshine friend Cara Saunders asks:

What is the best, authentic way to go about getting representation - agent & manager?

Cara, awesome question! Cara studies with Dallas Travers, too, and Dallas has some AMAZING resources--the most urgent of which is this free phone seminar, The Agent Equation. Click and sign up toute suite for her career-changing tips! 

Otherwise, what would MY action plan be?

1. Work backwards from your goal. With a subscription to IMDBPro, look at your target projects and the people who are getting cast in YOUR roles (guest star, recurring, supporting, etc.). Who are they and who's representing them? Which office's clients are getting the roles that YOU want? Great--put these offices on your short list (limit yourself to 10).

2. Look at their client lists. You want to go somewhere where you'd be a valuable commodity, right? Most talent rosters are visible on IMDBPro or on the office's home site. Are you seeing a LOT of you or none of you? Focus your energies on the ones who could use you most.

3. Look at their clients' chops. Click on the IMDB pages of their clients. Are these people WAY far ahead of you? Are they close to your level? This will help you judge if you need some credits under your belt, or if you may be ready for their roster. If you need more credits, maybe you want to focus on a lower-tier of agency--OR you want to oomph up your resume first

4. Go the whole hog. Time to focus on your target list--which means workshopping with/meeting them when possible, shipping to them regularly, and being ready to make phone calls to ask for meetings. Be consistent, be bold!

5. Be prepared for when you get in the room. Go in with a plan! Helenna Santos has this AWESOME agent kit that she created for agent meetings--it shows all her ships, how she sells and markets herself, and what people have to say about her, leaving reps confident that she's a solid person to represent. It's this beautiful, tidy folder with everything you could possibly imagine--basically, a Helenna press kit. [Crap, I really wanted to find it, but her videos are now archived here. I recommend all of them!]

6. Don't lose heart! I know that finding an agent can be a PAINFULLY trying experience; that it can be frustrating and seem endless. However, know that your time will come--and until then, all you can do is plant your seeds and trust that they will grow when they're ready.

7. Remember...you're your best agent! My manager is AMAZING. We have a stellar relationship and I honestly couldn't ask for anyone better. He's phenomenal, and I'm pretty sure he knows I think so. But there are honestly some times that I wish I could just call casting and pitch myself--and with him as my signed representative, I can't step on his toes like that. It's disrespectful and just doesn't work. HOWEVER! If you're representing yourself, you can do just about anything that you want to pitch yourself, making bold moves on your own behalf without having to worry about overstepping bounds. Appreciate the freedom of this position while you can!

Cara-Sunshine, you're phenomenal, and you are right on time, all of the time. Your perfect rep will be there for you in good time! In the meantime, I think these are pretty killer steps, don't you?

What do you other readers think? Please give me your feedback! :) Blog comments, FB, Twitter!

Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen 

Answering YOUR Questions: What's the Secret to Positivity?

Super-fan Dianna Craig asks another question:

I'm so impressed by your positivity and what you've manifested in your career. What's your secret?

Dearest Dianna, some things you're just lucky to be born with--and my resilient, positive nature is probably the best natural-born gift I've got. I've always seen the shiny side of the coin and my cup is never half-empty, it's just not in my nature to think that way. Not that I don't have days where I feel like complaining or ranting or not appreciating life (oh yes indeedy, I sure do). But the overwhelming majority of the time I feel lucky, blessed, and optimistic. 

Well, that's just wonderful, you freakin' ray of sunshine. But what about the rest of us?!

You can TRAIN yourself to be a positive, optimistic person--in fact, the training that I did to do that was what I feel really catapulted me from content-off-off-off-Broadway-actor into deliriously-happy-TV-star-on-the-rise. 

You know what you're about to hear, at this point. Yes. My list of fantastic Optimism Flexing Exercises.

1. Dallas Travers, Dallas Travers, Dallas Travers. If you're reading this, you've probably studied with her (or are highly considering it). Dallas is all about taking bold, empowering action....and letting go, without attachment, to results. And supplementing that need for control with mindset. She is ALL about having the right kind of mindset for your own happiness and the prosperity of your career. My favorite tool she uses is something called LIVING MANTRAS. It's downloadable via iTunes, and it's a series of questions you ask yourself to change the way you think about your life. It definitely trains you to use rose-colored glasses.

2. Make optimistic choices. A simple but large part of being positive and optimistic is simply refusing to get involved or invested in people or events that are all about negativity and downward spirals, you know? Listen to fun, upbeat music. Watch more of Jim Henson's work (I'm serious). And for real, pick your friends wisely. Which brings me to...

3. Get into a positive community. Dallas has this wonderful insight--there are Your People, and there are Not Your People (or NYPs). Your People understand you, love you, support you, cheer you, and seemingly always buoy you up when you're down. They believe in you and are drawn to you, and when you see them, you're left feeling BETTER, more whole. People who are NOT Your People? Well, they leave a little much to be desired. Maybe they shoot you down. Maybe they belittle you, or just cast a pall over your energy when you see them. And after interacting with them, it might feel like you were just rained upon. Bottom line? Find Your People. Spend as much time with them as humanly possible. :)

4. Search The Universe. I've been working on a greater understanding and more trusting relationship with The Universe--it's been a journey for me over at least the last month, and I've put all the metaphysical ooey-gooeyness into a simple equation:

Big Dreams + Trusting the Universe + Joyful Action - Attachment or Expectation= BLISS. Need some help with this? Sign up for TUT! 

5. Visualization Techniques. Dallas is a big proponent of Evening Visualization--getting REALLY CLEAR visions of your ideal gig as you nod off to sleep; imagining where you are, what you're wearing, who you're talking to, etc. I love this, and when I do it, I dream of it all night! The idea is that your subconscious absorbs this information as truth, and it becomes more true and attainable for you. Another exercise I love is writing bhavanas--writting a journal entry or letter 6 months in advance, detailing your life and how everything has come into fruition. :)

6. Listen to these. I'm part of a podcast called Manifesting Mastermind, and we meet weekly to talk about positivity, trusting The Universe and pursuing your dreams!

Dianna, I wish you MUCH happiness and positivity with these! Readers, what other tools do you use? What here has worked for you; what's come up short? Please share with me! Comments, FB, Twitter! :D

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen