1. It’s called show business, not show art. I truly believe that art can heal the world. Moreover, my goal is to increase the number of artists who share their gifts of empathy, love, and communication on a daily basis all over the world.
It’s with that goal in mind that I implore you to embrace the biz side of showbiz.
2. You’re an entrepreneur. Congratulations! You’re the president, CEO, CFO, CSO, and COO of your own company. Cool, right? OK, maybe it’s a little daunting. But like it or not, you are a small business owner. I promise it will serve you to start thinking like one.
3. It’s probably going to be a few years before this career pays for itself. Perhaps your professors told you to stop “wasting time” at your waiter job. “If you were really committed to being an actor you’d spend all of your time being an actor.” Umm, OK. But as soon as I graduate, how am I supposed to pay rent?
What Actors Should Know About Paying for College I’ve never met anyone who was able to make their entire living solely from acting work sooner than four years after moving to LA. And that’s the fastest. Is it possible to do it sooner? Sure. But if your plan—you do have a plan, right?—is solely reliant upon booking a series in your first month (see: Powerball odds) you’re in for a rough ride.
4. It takes roughly 10 years to become an overnight success.
Step 1: Move to the big city.
Step 2: Get an agent.
Step 3: Fame.
All in six months, right? Wrong. I don’t know where the hell this idea came from, but start looking up your favorite actors on IMDb and looking at how many years are between their first credit and the first credit you recognize. Plus, they were probably around for a hot minute before their first credit. I’m guessing it’s at least a 10-year gap for most of them. Sure, every once in a while someone wins the lottery, but buying a lottery ticket is not a prudent career strategy.
5. It doesn’t matter how great of an actor you are if no one knows you exist. When I was studying theater in college, it felt like if I just gave the best Shakespeare monologue and booked the lead in the school play then I’d be on track to an abundant acting career. If only. The thing is, you could have the finest acting chops this side of the Mississippi, but if no director, producer, nor casting director has ever heard of you, how are you going to book a role in their project?
Part of being a professional actor is marketing and networking. Being a brilliant actor is of course necessary, but your next step as an actorpreneur is to ensure that the buyers know what you’re selling.
Taking the Work Out of Networking 6. You want to get typecast. First, if you’re being typecast, the means you’re being cast. #Winning. Perhaps a wig and some stage makeup allowed you to play an octogenarian in college, but in a city with hundreds of thousands of actors you will almost always play characters closely resembling who you are in your daily life.
Further, when I was in college I thought that typecasting meant that I was limited to only playing one thing. What I’ve learned is that understanding my type is really about understanding myself. From my physical appearance to my essence, how do people perceive me? What “worlds” do I most easily fit in? What stories am I best suited to tell? Typecasting isn’t about a limitation, it’s about specificity.
7. There is no one path to success. Unlike many other professions, there isn’t a single way to create the career (and life) of your dreams. That thing that lights you up? Run towards that. Improv, voiceover, standup, musical theater—all can lead to a remarkable career. Follow your bliss. Rigorously.
8. Mindset matters. By now I trust you’re getting the picture that there’s a difference between acting and being an actor. In order to have the long-term career you envision, it’s going to require courage, tenacity, vulnerability, and hustle. Developing a winner’s mindset is crucial. In fact, I would say it’s the most important thing you can do. And the best part? It’s entirely within your control. We can’t always control whether we book a specific job, but we absolutely have everything it takes to charge forward and choose happiness every day.
The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
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