Resume Feng Shui

(All this is credited to the wonderful and magical Bonnie Gillespie, who you can and probably should follow, read, love, etc.) 

Bonnie covered a really wonderful topic forever ago, and she called it 'Resume Feng Shui.' She wrote it years ago, but I find it's an essential lesson with virtually every actor I know--especially those preparing for their 'tier jump,' 'quantum leap,' or otherwise GIANT STEP UP. :)

So what is resume feng shui? Go on and read the article--but here's the essence of it: Your resume needs to show who you are RIGHT NOW and WHERE YOU'RE GOING. Sure, the actual timeline of the resume is where you WERE, but how the heck does that serve the people who are casting you NOW? This is especially true for older actors (whose treasured credits were in an entirely different 'type'), as well as young actors fresh out of college (who are holding onto fun credits that were WAY too old for them).

Hey, I'm a character actress--I get it! I was playing adults while I was in high school! Or if you killed as Juliet years ago, I bet you totally nailed it--but the person reading your resume isn't going to know how to cast you, since even YOU don't showcase the roles that are appropriate for you. The goal is to sweep out the credits that are there for sentimental value--those are special to YOU, and nothing can make them go away. But they don't belong on your resume. <3 

Also, don't be afraid of white space. I know it looks like you haven't done anything--but the real principle (and something that's been a lesson everywhere)--make room in your life for bigger, better things. Literally! Make ROOM! The good stuff has to displace something else, it has to replace the lesser stuff--so REMOVE the lesser stuff to invite that goodness and abundance into your life, your career, and your resume. 

Let me show you how I feng-shui'd the crap out of my old resume (circa Sept. '10). Here's the original resume:

There's a lot there, right? That's a heavy-handed resume, hard to digest. This is also VERY theatre-heavy, and I want to focus on TV and film (and now have substantially more on-camera credits to fill this up). Here's how I tear it apart:

And the final product? A VERY clear resume that shows where I'm going and what I'm currently excelling in. 

So what are you waiting for? Get some spring cleaning done, feng shui your resume and allow the good energy to flow into your career! 

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

Why I Love Dallas Travers

YES JEN, WE KNOW YOU LOVE DALLAS. You quote her in every entry, tag her up and down, and even designed this whole biz off a concept that she introduced to you.

WHY MORE DALLAS!?

Because I think you guys need to know how brilliant she is, as WELL as how wonderfully committed she is to helping our ilk: 

I just adore her. :) Isn't it so nice to have someone so steadfastly on your team?

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