Non-SAG New York

I have had three conversations in recent days, with some of the most talented actors I know. Each one asked me what I was doing to sustain my business - they were struggling.

The answer is, I stayed non-union.

New York - and this is a paradigm shift - is a non-union city. By that I mean that over 50% of the paying work seems to be non-union. Once you get your SAG card, you may find your options drastically diminished. If you don't have the connections and relationships with agents and casting director to sustain a career - you're unlikely to get them at that point.

Many people get their SAG card, and never get paid to work again.

A few thoughts:
•You don't need to be SAG to work on episodic tv
•You don't need to be SAG to work on feature films
•Non-SAG actors audition way more - they are eligible for all jobs
•More auditions means more booking, which means more money
•More bookings means better/stronger relationships with casting directors
•Non-SAG actors booking non-SAG work are building relationships with the SAME casting directors as the SAG work.
•There is less pressure for non-SAG actors - much more allowance for growth
•There are way fewer non-SAG actors the older you get. Age means less competition in the non-union world.

Conclusion:
•Don't join SAG until you HAVE TO.

I don't mean this to overly glib. I understand that celebrities are SAG. I know that most of the people you regularly see on TV and in film are SAG. Being SAG has prestige. Once you have momentum - GREAT! Join SAG. But if you don't - there's no need - in New York.

And there's a giant loophole: Financial Core Status (fi-core) which allows actors to join SAG, withdraw, and be covered to work SAG jobs and non-SAG jobs.****This will be the topic of next week's blog.

KEY audition tip. DON'T LEAVE just yet!

It happened to me again!

I had a callback for a project yesterday. It went well, but not stellar. After I left the room, I sat down and calmly checked my calendar, I played a few words on Word With Friends, I updated my audition log-book. They were still in there? Were they talking about me?

YEP!

The casting director rushed out and said, "Oh great - you're still here! Can you come back in, we want to try something..."

Then I went in again and (with new direction) - NAILED it!

Here's my tip: Do not leave an audition until the next actor is in the room, and the door is shut!


I have booked jobs because of this tip. It's a good one!

I took a tough class... made me think.

I practice what I preach - you should know this about me.
When an actor complains that they are not getting seen for TV shows, I suggest they pay to take a class with the casting director. I, myself, just finished one of those classes.

The teacher was SUPER-tough. Two girls cried last night. One girl quit acting entirely.

Here's what I wanted to share with you:

At the end, a girl asked, "Now what?" Meaning - okay, now that I have some technique, how do I actually get into the auditions?

Here was the casting director's response:

Most of you just simply aren't ready. And if you're not ready, you know you're not.
For those of you who are ready,
You were smart to pay to take this class. This is how we find new people. Especially people who don't have great agents.

(Furthermore he said, it would be great to meet everyone in the office at such events. They will discuss you, and keep you in mind.)

Then he went on to the very familiar speech: "If you can do anything else, just do it!" The odds of an actor making a living are so slim, that you have to have intense passion for it to make it worth your while.


I have to admit, I left this class crestfallen, even though I think I did really well. I would even venture a guess that I did well enough for him to call me in. But, man - reality... tough to handle sometimes.

So, where do you go from here?

I love performing. I want to do it for the rest of my life. Sure, the business is hard, but I love the life I have. I really, really love it. So, I'm sticking to it.
I probably will never be rich. That's fine. But, I know, with confidence, I'm in the right place.


Thanks for allowing me a public affirmation. I needed it.

Backstage and Actors Access

I was coaching a brand new actor this week, and we had to get down to basics!
When you're starting out, and you want to audition - all you need is a headshot/resume and copy of Backstage. Actors Access is pretty amazing too.

BACKSTAGE MAGAZINE is the go-to guide for actors in New York. The articles are surprisingly useful, and the reviews are generally right-on. But, the main attraction is the casting notices.
The magazine in print, comes out weekly on Thursdays. (Yearly subscriptions cost $79/year. $149 for online access.)

-If you want to attend open calls, you can find them.
-If you want to submit yourself for theatre and film, you can do that.
-If you're looking for classes, coaches, books, and schools - you'll find them there.
A great magazine!

(Note that the print version is much cheaper. And, [you didn't hear it here], but if you have an online subscription, several people can split it under the same username; no one will find out.)

ACTORS ACCESS is amazing too. AA is the part of Breakdown Services that anyone can access. Breakdowns is THE submission system for the industry. If you've got an agent, your agent uses Breakdown Services to submit you for projects. Sometimes the casting director wants to cast a wide net, so they open it up to AA. That means you can submit yourself directly - WITHOUT AN AGENT. (You can pay $2-$5 for each submission, or pay $68 for unlimited access for a year.)

-You can manage your own profile, and make it look like you want it.
-There are a ton of castings, some with pay: Student Films, Commercials, Plays... everything.
-Once you get an agent, they will use the profile you created on AA - You're in control of that.
-You can upload multiple pictures, video, audio - tons of stuff.
-It's a succinct, clean way to do submissions.


FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT IN NYC: Both resources are national. If you are in Montana, you still will find things for you on Actors Access. And now that digital auditions are more prominent - you can submit from anywhere. Just take a look! It's a great way to take control of your career!!

TEN ways to deal with audition nerves.

I recently sat down with a bunch of actors and we tackled the issue of being nervous at auditions:

Why am I so nervous, and what can I do to control my nerves?!

1 - Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Know the song so well, you could sing it if the piano played messes up every note. Know the sides so well that the reader could be speaking Spanish, and you'd stay on track. Concentrate on the acting moment BEFORE the text starts. Know where to start!

2 - Breathe.
I love Dr. Joy Browne's square breathing exercise.

3 - Know how to handle the waiting room.
I recommend having one and ONLY one conversation in the waiting room that has NOTHING to do with the audition. Force it, if you have to. It humanizes your competition, and humanizes you too, actually. Act like a person.

4 - Know that an audition is often not about booking the job, it's about laying the groundwork for future work through the same casting director.
Do what you do well, be confident in that.

5 - Wear comfortable shoes.
I'm serious.

6 - Remember that you love to perform.
You have a captive audience. Perform! It's supposed to be fun!

7 - Feel free to say hello to the casting director.
Make conversation. It relaxes you and them. AND, it shows that you're a nice, normal person who they might want to work with.

8 - Get there early.
If you arrive in a rush, you'll have no chance of relaxing. Even arrive early, and sit around for a few minutes before you sign in. (In the summer, I do this all the time, so that I'm not a sweaty mess in the room.)

9 - Stretch and warm up your voice
It's true. Your body is an instrument. It's got to be primed, and ready-to-go.

10 - Take a BETA Blocker.
This is officially cheating, but it's done! It's a homeopathic drug that calms your nerves. It calms everything. It helps people who have shakey hands, or who break out in hives. (*ActorsWhoMakeMoney does not endorse illicit drug use...)


And my new favorite quote for how to handle NOT getting the job: "I wasn't rejected; I was overlooked."

Should I pay to meet industry? Is that throwing money out the window?

Casting director workshops are often THE MOST USEFUL, and most accessible, tool that an actor can use. These are workshops that you pay for, and in turn you have the chance to meet, and to perform for, the casting director of your choice.

In the good old days, casting directors would schedule time out of their week to meet new actors—also known as general auditions (or generals). Some casting directors still do generals, but much less frequently than they used to. The recent trend is toward meet-and-greet seminars, where you pay a nominal fee to spend a half-hour listening to a particular agent or casting director tell you about their business and asking questions in a group of about 20 people. Then you get a five-minute one-on-one meeting with them to perform a monologue, scene or song.

There are many formats to these workshops, but the end result is the same: For $35 to $40, you can guarantee that you and your work are seen by the person who decides who gets the audition appointments. It is 100% more likely that you will get called in by a casting director if he/she is familiar with you and likes your work. These workshops are the best way to make them aware of you, and mailings should be used in conjunction with these workshops to reinforce the casting directors’ familiarity with you.

Now, some people say, “I just don't feel comfortable paying for an audition.” What we say to those people is that they should change their mind. It is naïve to think that you will be miraculously discovered. You must think about the industry like a business and understand how it works.

Accountability

When I coach actors, I help them create a list of goals. We decide on deadlines. We talk about budgets.

• Do you have the time to do it?
• Do you have the money to do it?
• Do you WANT to do it?

If the answer is yes - the goal is written down.
The client has the option of signing the list, and if they do - I promise to keep them accountable.

(Mostly I bug them by phone and email to make sure they do what they promised.)

Having coached for a few years now, it's become entirely clear that integrity is the problem for 90% of actors. By integrity, I mean wholeness. I mean doing what you say you're going to do.
People blame missed deadlines on money trouble, or work problems, or getting sick - but if you had real integrity - you'd get it done. You'd plan for problems. You'd finish things early.

I realize I sound a little bit soapboxy, but I bring this up today, because I noticed myself slipping on my goals. I have a few things I want to accomplish by the end of 2011, and I am way behind.

So - I'm blogging so that YOU ALL will keep me accountable.


Tips for getting things done through accountability:

• •Thoroughly think out your goals before you commit
• •Make a real budget. Find the money. Set it aside.
• •Put office hours into your week, when you plan to accomplish your goals.
• •WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN.
• •Give your goals to your manager, your agent, or your friend.
• •Use google alerts to keep you on track. Memotome.com works too.
• •Celebrate your success.