Answering YOUR Questions: Marketing for the Beginner Actor

Robert Montgomery asks: "My question is, as an actor just starting out, where do you begin with marketing?" 

An excellent question, since most of the information I distribute here is for the established actor! But in a way, you're in a great position--you have the opportunity to start off on the right foot, versus doing years of crappo marketing the way that most of us do before we get it right. ;)

(And Robert, you may have done a number of these steps already, but I'm just gonna start from square 1!)

1. Get clear on what you want to do. It might seem like you're limiting your options. Actors, especially new ones, love being open to whatever is brought their way! We love theatre! We love film! We love commercials! We love voice-overs! But the downfall here is that we master none of these things; we so widely disperse our seeds of focus that nothing can be sown. So imagine your IDEAL career--mine is to be a series regular on a sitcom--and make that your focus. 

2. Get some killer headshots, with your focus in mind. Do headshot research--specifically, who's really good at photographing your type. Then book them. Then take shots that (1) reflect your brand well, and (2) target your dream jobs. I'm not going to use this headshot to reflect my career goals, know what I mean? Read this before the shutter clicks!

3. Choose your target list. If you're starting out, you're likely unrepresented--and that's totally cool. Being your own agent can be quite freeing and exciting! You chose WHERE you'd direct your energy; now it's time to decide to WHOM. If you chose off-Broadway theatre, who's casting those shows? Write down all the CDs, then pick a maximum of 12 (and pick the ones who cast the most, of course!). This is your target list. Cozy up, you're going to work on getting very intimate with them! (Ack! You know what I mean.)

4. Keep practicality in check. Yeah, if you're BRAND new, you're probably going to need to get your feet wet before you get some good traction in your career. That's okay! While your target list gets familiar with you, now is the time to take classes and do (likely) unpaid work--webisodes, non-union jobs, maybe community theatre; student films, too. 

5. Start sending those ships. If you're brand-spankin'-new, order some simple headshot postcards and send updates like, "Charming, Effervescent Character Dumpling is new in town and taking sketch comedy classes over at PIT! I'll invite you to our next industry night!" Don't get discouraged by your lack of experience; you're laying important groundwork for when you DO have a killer resume! Without credits you can also send one-sheets, castability sheets, press releases...you can do all kinds of ships without a packed resume!

6. Get face-time as much as possible. Again, you may not be able to get into big TV auditions, but if you're getting really good, it would be great to get in front of your targets and show them your chops. These are workshops, and they can be either very beneficial or a giant waste of dough. You're much more likely to reap their rewards if you, again--STAY FOCUSED. Don't workshop with anyone who's not on your list! Even if you have no resume, if they like your work and you're appropriate for a role, they may call you in. 

7. You've got the flow, now stay consistent. Don't add or subtract from your target list, yet. Stay steady and mail to them every month. Need help with creating compelling ships? Just ask me! But you can absolutely find something relevent to send or say on a monthly basis, even as a newbie.

8. In the meantime, build your empire. Create a web presence. Contact a great web designer (ask your actor friends who they love; I adore Erin at The Actors' Enterprise) to design a simple site for you. Open social media accounts--Twitter, Facebook Fan Pages, YouTube. Film yourself doing sides and put it on your channel! Start a blog! Create a presence and find your peers. :)

Hope this was helpful, Robert! :) What questions do YOU have, readers? Did you love this? Need more guidance? Let me know in the comments, FB or Twitter! 

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

PhotoStamps

How can you add some jazz, pizzazz to your ships?

How about a stamp with your adorbs little face on it?

Get yourself over to PhotoStamps.com and order some custom stamps! You can make them headshot stamps, OR you can have fun and do show-specific stamps!

A heads-up--Photostamps ARE indeed expensive; they cost about double what a normal stamp does. But if you want a little extra POW in your marketing, I find they're a great addition!

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

Answering YOUR Questions: One-Sheets!

(When is it your turn? When you ask me a question, silly. Get on that!)

My new friend Kate O'Phalen says:

"Your one-sheet looks totally awesome. Have been meaning to make my own, but feel a bit overwhelmed with where to start. Tips on that would be awesome!"

The one-sheet to which she is referring is this one:

Create

So Kate, how do you get from desire to product? (Well, first of all, with pulling my hair out over my first one-sheet last year---but after that, it was cake!)

Big Things to Have in Place Before You Start:
 -Your Brand. Definitely Absolutely. Your ANGLE. Don't have that yet? Here's some help. 
-Your Message--maybe it's your first guest star or off-Broadway show? Maybe a first starring role? My news on this is that I'm basically sweeping film festivals--so I keep the news about films!
 -Your Creative Bent. Is your one-sheet gonna be a sort of ad, like mine? Is it going to look like a magazine cover? Maybe it looks like a news article, or like a scrapbook or collage! Whatever your approach is, GREAT--just go forth with it in mind!
 -Your preferred software. Most of you folks will be on Macs--in that case, Pages is the shizz. If you're a PC like me, you can either create giant graphic files or use MS Publisher.

So let's assume all that IS in place. You're rock-solid about your brand, you have a clear message, and you have some creative ideas about what you want to do. Really, brand should steer you entirely. So if you're doing a magazine cover, what mag is on-brand for you? Is it Essence, or GQ, or MAD magazine? Is it Tiger Beat or Simple Living? Or maybe O! Go with fonts, colors that feel like the magazine (which, of course, means they're on-brand for you). Introduce clever article blurbs that relate to you--your jobs, your personality, your castability or interesting talents.

My dear friend Suzanne Smart is a KILLER baker, so hers is modeled after a Bon Appetit magazine index page. Marissa Kelton's simply looking for a job--so hers looks like job applications! Shamia Casiano here looks like hers should be gracing a SAG or AFTRA newsletter cover! My silly friend Natalie Kim makes hers seem like an interview in a magazine. Find even MORE examples in Dallas Travers' FB photos.

Oh, and one more big thing--don't feel like you need SO much content to do these! :) They should be really easily digestible. Just little blurbs and pictures here and there, as long as they're super on-brand and sending an authentic message. You'll know you got it right when you swell with pride just looking at them!

Does that help, Kate? Readers, what do you think? Let me know in the comments, on FB or Twitter!

And psst...if you STILL feel lost? No worries! I make killer one-sheets! Just ask! :)

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen 

But How Do You Know Ships WORK, Jen?

An EXCELLENT  question!

Rarely are we given the opportunity to measure just one factor of our marketing and its impact on our success--usually, we just see the sum of all parts, and hopefully all those parts are moving us along nicely.

For instance: Here in New York, I'm a working, represented actor. My manager submits me on breakdowns, I have auditions with casting directors, I meet them at workshops, AND I mail to them. Their familiarity with me (and my success with them) is a lovely stew of all those crucial ingredients. 

However, one region that can be used as a 'control' (I'm gonna geek out a bit, here) is Los Angeles.

1.) I have never been to Los Angeles.
2.) My manager is not bicoastal, and does not have the ability to submit to LA breakdowns.
3.) LA Casting Directors have never met me before.
4.) However, I DO mail to a select group of LA CDs. Consistently.

So, how do I know that ships alone can work? Because, dear friends, I have been called in by *2* LA offices for projects for which I couldn't have been submitted; they contacted my manager directly asking for me to come in.

There is only one explanation--from getting my consistent, on-brand, authentic ships, these offices now KNOW me and my type. So much so that *I* popped up in *THEIR* heads as they were poring over their breakdowns, and they Googled me and contacted my rep!

So, guys, your mailings are important. Probably a bigger piece of the puzzle than you'd thought, huh? ;) Throw away your self-sabotaging thoughts of 'oh, these never get opened anyway, who will read them?' Because SOMEONE is. Promise. :) 

Ahoy Mateys!
Jen 

Why are they Called 'Ships'?

Here's the scoop directly from career guru Dallas Travers herself (and it's originally by Chellie Campbell): 

'In the nineteenth century, the merchants in London built grand, tall-masted sailing ships. It would take many months, sometimes years, to build them. Then they would hire a crew, outfit the ship, and store provisions for the long sea voyage. One fine day, the ship would weigh anchor, hoist its sails, and sail out of London harbor, on its way to visit foreign ports, and trade for gold, spices, silks and jewels. The trip would take many months--often years--with no communication lines open to speak with people back home.

Once the ship had sailed, the merchant could do nothing more; only wait for that future day when the ship would return, sailing into London harbor laden with treasure. On that day, the merchant's fortune was made. And that's where the expression, "Waiting for my ship to come in," comes from.

Some people are going down to the dock, waiting for their ship to come in but they haven't sent any out! If you want the fortune, your responsibility each day is to send out some ships. And you had better send out more than one, because stuff happens to ships. One runs aground just outside of the harbor while another sinks in a hurricane. Pirates commandeer a few, the whirlpool gets one, and on the next one, there's a mutiny. Then, of course, there's the one that hits the iceberg.

Once you send the ship out, it's out of your control. You are only in charge of sending it out, not when it comes in.

When you get into the habit of sending ships out on a daily basis, even if you know some ships aren't going to make it back home, you are still confident and optimistic because you know you've got a whole fleet sailing out there.

Send those ships out everyday. Then prepare to unload your treasures.'

Ahoy Mateys!

Jen