How to generate opportunities when you’re an independent artist or freelance professional
The generation of new opportunities requires some face time. “Choose a career you love, give it the best there is in you, seize your opportunities, and be a member of the team.” A straightforward and inspiring message. But, how do you generate opportunities & be a part of the team when you’re an independent artist or freelance professional? One easily actionable answer is: by building your tribe. The whole point of networking is to help position yourself for the kinds of opportunities you’re interested in — by learning who has similar interests and in turn have them learn about you….
3 Ways to Protect Your Fellow Actors From Scams
I subscribe to a couple of message boards so I can keep in touch with what actors are discussing in the industry. When a new post comes in, I am either emailed directly by the message board, or the board’s RSS feed is delivered to a special section of my inbox. It really is a wonderful way to stay “up to the minute” without having to go to their websites each day.
Some time ago I happened upon a set of posts that really made me sick to my stomach. Apparently, someone (or a group of people) have been scamming actors with fake audition notices. But it wasn’t the actors’ safety that was in danger—it was their wallets.
It’s hard to understand exactly what happened, since I only know what was posted on the message board. But apparently, some actors (and many of them children) submitted for a feature film via an audition notice posted online. The film was listed as shooting in the Southern U.S., and many actors were offered roles in the project. But these actors were told that in order for the production company to book their flights to the location, the actor would need to wire money to the production company via Western Union. Some actors were asked to pay $250, others were asked to pay as
Don’t Submit Yourself Willy-Nilly and 4 Other Great Tips
Is your career at a standstill? Our Backstage Experts are full of amazing advice to help move your career forward, and we wouldn’t want you to miss one drop of it. Here are five tips to keep in mind during the week ahead!
Be a generous actor.“Generosity opens you up—expands your heart and strengthens you. When you give something away, you’re acknowledging that you live in abundance and have more than enough. You’re not losing anything but rather regaining the joy and expansiveness of the truly happy artist. My working actors know that acting at its finest is not about what they are feeling, but about how thy can make others feel and that they are always at their best, happiest, and most effective when they are about something bigger than themselves.” —CRAIG WALLACE
Make sure your reader can act.“I see a ton of tapes that come from agents for me to review and people sending me their self-tape services to pass along to clients. What I noticed is that everyone is using readers who can’t act, or who are reading like a CD, or are completely overacting. The key is to have a great actor reading opposite you.” —SARA MORNELL
Determine your level of