How to Market Yourself as an Actor
Advice on Building an Acting Career
Once upon a time there were two actors, Toby Tortoise and Max Hare. Max was a real dynamo who instinctively knew how to schmooze at a party. He was intense, talented and charismatic. Toby, on the other hand, was quiet, focused and determined. Though it always took Toby a while to come out of his shell when rehearsing a new part, once he did, he never failed to deliver a great performance. He was one of those actors who shine brightest while onstage but was a wallflower in real life.
Toby and Max Get Started
Now as time past, their styles of managing their careers became more and more apparent. Max was fearless about meeting new people. He had an easy charm and confidence that allowed him to make a wonderful first impression, but he lacked the focus to follow up on all the different leads that came his way. Max would hop from one interesting thing to the next and never seemed to find the time to call back Mr. X about auditioning for his theatre or staying in touch with Ms. Y about that movie she was trying to produce.
Toby's problem, on the other hand, was that he felt awkward while trying to network and usually became tongue-tied. Though he wished his work would just speak for itself, he knew that somehow he had to gain the attention of the many directors, agents, producers, etc., if he was going to be successful and he struggled mightily to acquire the gift of gab. To his credit though, once Toby set a task for himself, he stuck to it, plodding along every day toward his goal. He would ask, "What one thing can I do today that will move my career forward?" When he had an answered that question he would do it, every day without fail.
Max’s Big Day
Then one afternoon, Max ran into Toby at an audition. He said, "Dude, I've finally landed an agent! Jean Fontaine has agreed to sign me to an exclusive contract. It's only a matter of time before I'm famous!" "Congratulations, Max," Toby replied, "What a great opportunity." "Yeah! Now I can just kick back and wait for all those great auditions to start rolling in,” crowed Max.
So Max hung out with his actor friends, going to opening night parties and basking in the reflected glow of their envy. Toby, meanwhile, read books on actor marketing, mailed out headshots and resumes and followed up on every lead that came his way. Slowly, he taught himself how to talk to new people and be, if not the life of the party, at least comfortable in his own shell. As a result, over time, Toby began to get more and more auditions for better projects. Max, on the other hand, had gone out on several high profile auditions, but when he failed to land those parts, his agent began calling him less frequently.
Toby’s Advice
Then one day it was Toby's turn to be jubilant. He called up Max and said, "Remember that summer stock theatre I worked at a few years ago? Well, I stayed in touch with them and they called me in to read for their new season. They've just offered me the roles of Hamlet, Macduff, and Biff in Death of a Salesman!” After a pause, Max replied meekly, “That’s great Toby. Good for you.” “What's wrong?” said Toby. Max replied, "My agent just dropped me. He said it wasn't working out. I thought he would take care of my career for me and I wouldn't have to bother with all that business stuff. Now I'm back to square one." Toby became thoughtful and said, "Dude, when it comes to the Biz...if you snooze, you lose."
The Tortoise and the Hair
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