The Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast

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Malissa’s Motto, “One foot in front of the other.”

In this episode Malissa and I talk about:

Why you MUST invest in a self-tape setup.

What it means to be a bicoastal manager.

What she looks for when looking for new talent.

What a pitch deck is for actors looking for representation.

The importance of following up.

Your resume and skills should be honest.

Qualities of her favorite clients:

• Wow factor in self tapes
• Paying attention to instructions
• Positive energy
• Gratitude
• Follow directions

What Melissa wants actors to know but doesn’t have time to tell them:

• Know you as the actor has a business and work side to it
• Make the chart
• Know who you saw and what they called you in for
• Send thank you’s to casting directors after an audition
• Coaching and classes
• Keeping your instrument tuned

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The Language of the Agents and the Casting Director is spoken in: 

1. Your Resume
2. Your Pictures
   • Telling agents and Casting Directors you are not green.
3. Have a good follow-up, how, when and what you say in your follow-up.
4. Your Demo Reel, how it’s edited, where is shown, what you put on it. 
5. Website— always put your direct contact info, even if you have an agent.

The outline of a resume: If you put so much stuff on it that it’s hard to read, it’s going to get deleted or discarded and you don’t want that!

The Letterhead:

• Your name
• Your union affiliation
• Cell Phone
• Email
• Website
• Social Media Handles

Your stats:

• Hair and the eyes
• Your height and weight (or size)
• Vocal Range (if you are a singer)

The Film Section

• 3 columns only
• Any info you want me to know with an asterisk (ie: *scene with Tracy Morgan)
• The role you played
• Production Company
• Director’s name underneath that

Television/ New Media

• 3...

How does a casting director get hired?

By reputation. Selling themselves and working with them and getting rehired.

How does the process work?

Ad agency hires the director

They will send scripts, usage, when it’s shooting, the boards, and conflicts, character breakdowns.

CD sends them out to agents-- to their favorite agents (about 10).

Agents send a list with pictures and CDs send back a list of who they want to see/ self-tape.

CDs send the auditions to the ad agency and the director.

Ad agency and directors send back a list of callbacks.

The client decides who gets the role.

Commercials are 50% unions 50% nonunion

Qualities of actors you love to have in the room:

• Show up on time
• Have other lives outside of acting
• Put the work in to get to know you as well

Mistakes actors make in callbacks: They go into the callback putting too much pressure on themselves.

“You don’t go in asking for the job, you go in the room doing the job.”

Go in knowing...

The Three Pillars

1. The Core Work
2. The Quality of your acting Training
3. The Language of the Agents and the Casting Directors

Your Audition/ Meeting Notebook

Get a little notebook!

• Date
• What was the Audition/Meeting for?
• What was the Type of Audition? (OC, Industrial, Print)
• Who was the Casting Office? Specific Casting Director?
• What Material did you do? (Script, take a picture)
• What did you wear? Hair? Facial Hair? Make Up?
• Where was I emotionally?
• What did I do well?
• What is my intention for my next audition?
• Additional notes

Your follow up list

About Frank:

Frank is a 30 year veteran of the music and post-production industry, which a long list of IMDB credits from TV networks, feature films, and animation companies like Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

He spends his days making commercials, cartoons, TV shows and more at Digital Arts in NYC. At night, he’s on a mission during Covid Times to get everyone up to speed so we can continue working together!

First thing: Get a coach, take the classes, learn the craft!

Common Biggest Mistake:

1. A home studio is not a USB mic, a laptop in the middle of your living room
2. Your mic isn’t connected
3. Think outside the box
4. Forgetting to turn phantom power on
5. Turn the Rolloff off
6. Mouth noise tricks
7. Stop ruining your sound by over processing it

Two Types of Goals

Achievement Goals and Habit Goals

Achievement Goals- One Time Accomplishment

Habit Goals- Regular Ongoing Activity

• Requires maintaining a practice
• You want them to begin with action verbs
• Want to have a start date
• Frequency
• Time Trigger
• Streak Target

“Right Goals” and Action Plans: AIM

A-cceptable- What is the acceptable minimum?

I- Ideal- What is the acceptable maximum?

M- Middle. What is a reasonable stretch?

SMARTER Goals

Specific

• What is the first step you are going to take?
• Make it really simple!
• “Anyone can eat an elephant one bite at a time.”

Measurable

• Action-Oriented (ex: run 3 miles 2 times per week)
• Verbs!

Reasonable OR Risky

• How reasonable is it that what you’re say8ing you’re going to do, you’re actually going to do
• Out of our comfort zone

Time-Oriented

• By when exactly will you complete the first step of the goal

Exciting

• Compelling
• Does it ignite your imagination?
• What will you feel like when you...

About Heidi:

Social Media can be an AMAZING TOOL.

• Build Relationships
• Research
• A Virtual Stage for you to Perform

First thing actors need to know on social media?-- People are looking you up!

Social Media Profiles are a direct reflection of you and show you’re a team player.

5 Things You...

What to Get Your Reps for the Holidays

1- Post-Covid: Movie Tickets— Research a theater near their office/ home

2- Gift Certificate— Research what do they actually like (ie: Starbucks vs. Dunkin)

3- Charity— Ask which charity they support

4- Food Bank— Possibly to one in their hometown

The Crucial Follow Up List

Go through you contacts

Type up writers/ directors/ producers/ agents/ managers/ CD’s

The Benefits of Postcards

• Holds
• Avails
• Callbacks
• Bookings

Separate commercial/ print list from theatrical list

Forward moving energy, put all your resources towards what will move you forward.

No E-Cards

Remember “How you do one thing is how you do all things”

The Six Business Tools Every Actor Must Have:

1 - Resume

1. simple
2. easy to read
3. quality is more important that quantity
4. list by credible credits, not by date done
5. the importance of CREDIBILITY!

2 - Pictures

1. embrace your age and “you-ness”- “I am what I am”
2. don’t try and be something that you are not
3. watch TV and find yourself - be what you see on TV, but be yourself!

3 - Cover Letters and Emails

1. Mailings DO WORK! But they MUST to be done in the Language of the Agent and the Casting Director or they just don’t work
2. Helpful to study with teachers that the industry recognizes as the Best.
3. Keep all communications brief!
4. Cap & Bold anything credible!

4 - Follow up List

1. Always mark down and keep an updated list of every Agent/Casting Director/Writer/Producer, etc you have met face to face on a Zoom call. Have their updated contact info and let them know when you have...