Netflix Star Nana Mensah Thinks Your Best Opportunities Are Hiding in Plain Sight

The following Career Dispatch essay was written by Nana Mensah, who wrote, directed, and stars in the indie feature “Queen of Glory.” She will be seen alongside Sandra Oh on Netflix’s upcoming series “The Chair,” which premieres Aug. 20. 

It can be shocking, the places where opportunity might find you. I spent (I won’t say wasted) a lot of time waiting for an introduction to a friend’s fancy agent or a callback from an EPA or an audition appointment from a casting director I met at a pay-for-play session. But in reality, the most meaningful opportunities that came my way were from friends at or near my current level casting me in their plays, short films, and web series. 

I think there’s something to be said for creating opportunities within your current network rather than waiting for a leg up. Ultimately, when an opportunity came to sign with a reputable manager who would dramatically shift the trajectory of my career, it was my work on a YouTube series—“An African City,” created by Nicole Amarteifio, with whom I went to high school—that sealed the deal for them in deciding to take me on as a client.

Here are some other actions I would recommend:

• Stay plugged in. I belonged to several reading groups in which actors would get together to read and discuss Shakespeare, original work, contemporary plays, etc. It was such a great way to commune with other actors a couple of times a month and feel like you’re doing something to stay sharp, especially if things are slow. If you don’t know of one, start your own!  
• I’ll have what she’s having! This is controversial but can be useful if you have the right mindset: Keep tabs on actors who have the career you want. Get answers to questions like: Where and with whom did they study? What positive habits do they have that you can cultivate? How did they break out? Figure out how to apply some of that shine to your own career.
• Adopt a pet. This is also controversial, but I’ve found that having responsibilities separate from acting gets me out of my head, which can be beneficial. No matter how badly that audition went, the dog still needs to be walked; the cat still has to go to the vet. Those small achievements in service to another being can put things in perspective. If you don’t have the funds to keep a pet, offer your services as a pet sitter!

• Support, support, support. To quote Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, “I don’t shine if you don’t shine.” It’s great to get discovered chilling on a stoop in the East Village, but that will not be the case for most of us. And no one will be more important to you or your career than your friend network. So go see your friend’s one-person show in a crumbling black box theater on Avenue D. Offer to read a friend’s play or attend a reading, and send notes (if they ask). Stand in the rush line to catch a friend’s Off-Broadway debut, and greet them with bodega flowers at the stage door. This is a highly challenging business that can be steeped in negativity, so put out all the good vibes you can. Trust me—it comes around.

This story originally appeared in the Aug. 5 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.