[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] 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
Jen Ponton, Suzanne Smart | in Paper Ships, Questions, Vlogs [Your Name Here] 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
Actors, Dallas Travers, Jen Ponton, LOA, Matt Wilder, career, focus, goals | in Goals, Mindset, Questions, Your Roadmap [Your Name Here] 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
Agents, Cara Saunders, Jen Ponton, Managers, Marketing, Ships Ahoy | in Goals, Lists, Questions, Representation [Your Name Here] A question from the lovely Jamison Daniels:
"I'm working on locking in on my brand and finding my online voice! Any suggestions? #ifeellikeilackconsistency Your thoughts?"
Awesome, Jamison! We're gonna dive deep here, so wear your swimmies!
Friends, I did a Branding 101 article, but it was more about how to create your branded zinger line (those of you familiar with Sam Christensen have PLENTY of these to choose from, and all are wonderfully compelling!) than about first getting your overall marketing feel.
So locking in your brand is exactly how you explained it, Jamison--it's creating a unified voice that echoes across your online presence, your headshot, your work, and your hard-copy ships. Like the biggest brands out there, there's no question WHO is speaking when you read a tweet/blog/see a clip/etc. And it's just darn hard for us to do that, as spirits, as souls, as human animals; as people with a zillion different moods at any given time. And--to add to this!--as actors who INSIST, "BUT I AM AN ACTOR AND CAN PLAY ANYTHING!" So we keep trying to pull back and be malleable, but what we REALLY do is muddy up others' perception of our brand and send them packing.
As I'm sure it will not surprise you, Dallas Travers has an incredible tool for this. :D One that FLIPPED my idea of marketing into a totally understandable, fun territory! In her article she calls it her Target Audience; she's also referred to it as her Marketing Magnet. It is most favorite tool I've ever learned from her, and it's totally illuminating. Let's go through it!
1. You don't have to market to everyone. Just. One. Person. You want as authentic and unfiltered a version of YOU as you can possibly offer. To keep this pure, you must imagine you're marketing to a single, perfect person; your very biggest fan in the world. Who would love you most? Someone you know? A fictional character? A celebrity? Your mom? Whoever it is--whoever resonates with you SO MUCH that they can't not be your biggest fan--they're your 'marketing magnet.'
2. Spoiler Alert: This might be VERY frustrating. I've seen a LOT of actors have difficulty with this exercise; sometimes it nearly stagnates them! Or for some it's clear immediately, the way it was for me. Either way, accept and welcome however you deal with it--you will come through with clarity!
3. Got that Magnet? COOL. (Yeah, it's okay if there's a huge time lapse here.) Now it's time to figure out HOW to market to your magnet!
4. Flesh out your Magnet's daily life. Consider every possible thing about this person. Likes, dislikes, favorites; the way their home looks, the car they drive, the magazines they read and the music they listen to; the foods they eat. Write it all down and get really specific. The way that we know Bart Simpson reads MAD magazine and how we might assume Julia Roberts listens to Norah Jones. The way we imagine Johnny Depp's bedroom looks. The way you imagine Tom Hanks' office looks. Your mom's new recipes she can't wait to try out! Yeah, get it ALL out.
5. Use these clues to tap you into HOW to market to your magnet. So, if someone's magnet was Donald Trump, what would draw him? I'll guess rich colors (dark reds, navys, hunter greens), heavy card stocks, gold leaf, anything financially-based (a one-sheet based on Money magazine? Or Fortune?); designs that felt aristocratic and Ivy League. Right? Wouldn't he LOVE to open something like that? Or if Julia Roberts were to look at your website, wouldn't she ADORE all those warm, feminine autumnal colors and that sort of whimsical-but-practical-woman font that you've chosen? ;) And for both examples, you'd also use verbiage that would appeal to each. Use these clues to figure out how to best design both your ships AND your online presence.
6. Get creative! MAKE some ships; design your website; make a Twitter background! ALL using colors, themes, fonts, blurbs and verbiage that resonates with your magnet. Share articles and videos on FB or Twitter that your magnet would love! Get postcards of places your magnet would like to go; buy stickers that your magnet would love. EVERYTHING you create is to please them, got me?
7. Stay consistent! (Are you surprised?) As the theme here seems to be, consistency is king. :D STICK TO IT! We all know and respect a brand that stays consistent and strong, even if it's not 'for us.' I don't drink Mountain Dew, but I can sure as hell describe everything about it and point out people who DO love it. That's the power of their marketing. Be consistent with your message!
And the biggest part here is the spoiler. So you'd better not read it until you've done 1-7.
Okay?
8. Notice anything strange about your magnet? Yeah, me too. I don't think I need to tell you that your magnet is pretty much you, in a super-marketable nutshell. It's hard to look at ourselves objectively and see what a pure brand we are; it's much easier to do that through the mental re-routing of your magnet. And as you get more and more comfortable marketing under the safety umbrella of your magnet, you'll realize that it's a beautiful, unfiltered and totally authentic sharing of YOU. Exactly like your marketing should be. ;)
How'd you like them apples, Jamison? How about y'all, readers? Comments, questions, successes, difficulties? Share with me--I'd love to celebrate you or help you out! Here, FB or Twitter! :D
Oh, and BT-dubbs? My magnet is the Muppets. As I'm sure you won't be surprised. ;)
Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen