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

Answering YOUR Questions: Help! My Branding Lacks Consistency!

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

Answering YOUR Questions: How Do I Market Bi-Coastally?

This question is from my buddy Dianna Craig:

"I heard from @dallastravers how successfully you've marketed to casting LA. How did you do it?"

Awesome question! I covered the gist here (How I Know Ships Work), but let's get REALLY SUPER DE DUPER SPECIFIC so that you, too, can craft your gameplan.

1. First, know that the opposite coast is your destination. So, because I'm a sitcom girl, I basically figure that there's no way I won't be working in LA (Universe, you are welcome to prove me wrong and give me a NY sitcom...!). With that in mind, I knew that picking some LA CDs with whom to familiarize myself before the eventual move. 

2. Do some SERIOUS research. Right this moment, do you have a CastingAbout subscription? If not, get one! How about IMDBPro? Both are definite essentials, guys. And they're quite affordable, so hook yourself up. Once you get to CastingAbout, it shows you who is casting what for EVERY production going on. Get laser-focused--choose your desired genre, and start taking simple tallies of what CDs are casting the most indie dramas/one-hour episodics/half-hour sitcoms. I ended up with SEVERAL pages of CDs, but I limited myself to 6--and chose the top 6 casting offices casting the most sitcoms.

3. Acquire the appropriate information. Who's at this office? Which associates work on which projects? Are there publicized email addresses? What's the mailing address? These details can be found on either IMDBPro or CastingAbout, so write 'em down and put it on your list! While you're at it, see if they have a Twitter, an FB fan page, etc. Put them on your social radar!

4. Send your first ship. I'm a fan of my first ship including some kind of introductory note, as well as a 5x7 headshot/resume. I try to keep it classy, you know? So maybe something like,
"Dear Lily, I'm working on a move to [other coast] soon, and I'd love to get on your radar. Looking forward to seeing you there!"

5. Keep it consistent. Dallas Travers heartily endorses the Rule of 7, and I am totally feeling its effects! Keep a ship going out monthly, making it feel just as genial as it would if they were a local CD for you! Your ships will be noticed and, with time, your long-distance CDs will become familiar with you.

How familiar? Well, I had not 1, but *2* LA offices try to call me in this fall, and they didn't come from my manager's submissions--they came directly from the CD thinking of me and requesting my presence. I wasn't able to come in either time, but I *will* be out there soon, and when I am? I think I'll be welcomed with open arms! :)

Hope this helped, dearest Dianna! Readers, what do you think? Questions, comments? Serve 'em up in comments, on FB or Twitter! :D

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

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

Actor Drop-Offs

And it ain't about carpooling! (WOKKA WOKKA!)

You want a free and easy way to get facetime with a CD? Time to do a drop-off. 

Let's review what I am NOT talking.

I am NOT talking ignoring very well-documented NO DROPOFFS EVARS PLZ THX requests.
I am NOT talking bursting into an office and trying to schmooze.
I am NOT talking impersonating someone to get past security.
I am NOT talking about crashing auditions (unless it's done REEEEALLY tactfully).  

I AM talking...

Respectfully going to an office, introducing who you are and what you want to do.
"Hey there! My name is Mr. Froggypants, and I'm here to drop off this headshot for Mrs. Potato-Head for the role of Lothario in SPRING FORWARD. What's the best way for me to do that?" If they then tell you to put your headshot in the giant bin clearly marked "ACTORS! HEADSHOTS HERE!," please respect their requests and follow signage. :) Who knows? You might even get lucky and get to pass it to Mrs. Potato-Head herself. But don't be shady about it; be kind, polite and transparent. 

Ideally going in with PURPOSE. 
I don't recommend that you just randomly drop off your headshots willy-nilly. It's best if you choose offices with projects that are casting that role that you just MUST be seen for; that way, you're fresh in their minds, and they can see you as an actor with (!) purpose and a plan! Also, dropping off ship mailings can work, too--and save you postage money!

Knowing what to expect.
For networks, know that there's really no way you can get upstairs into the office without an appointment. That said, it never hurts to ask, but be prepared to be redirected to a mailroom/messaging center. And be nice to the people there! They'll be the ones handling your precious cargo and getting it into your CDs' hands.  

Being yourself!
So let's say everything goes swimmingly, and you GET to that office, you're directed to Mrs. Potato-Head and then she starts up a conversation with you. WHAT DO YOU DO OH GOD?! Keep it together! Take it easy, you are just 2 colleagues talking, okay? Be positive, ignore the crazy desperate gremlin in your head, and...most importantly...

Be open to receiving the magic that you're creating. :) If something wonderful comes of your bold, ballsy action--GREAT! You deserve it for being a purposeful, intelligent, driven artist!  

Questions? Comments? Killer stories about drop-off successes or bombs? Share 'em with me--comments, FB or Twitter!

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen