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The #1 Thing All Successful Commercial Actors Do

Preparation for commercial auditions for most actors consists of reading the copy a few times, trying to get it mostly memorized, and then going in the room and hoping for the best. I’m willing to wager that around 60% of all actors do this. This is about as effective as watching an episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” in order to prep for an agent or manager meeting. Yet, so many actors do this, and not surprisingly, get little to no results from their commercial auditions, and quickly become frustrated and cynical.

To be fair, it’s not completely the actors’ fault. There’s so much hype and mythology surrounding commercial auditions that actors feel like a mere good delivery, mostly off-book should be adequate for gainful employment. Actors are told over and over again that booking a commercial is “just about your look” so why should they approach such auditions with the same strategic fervor that they would a theatrical audition?

Sure, your look matters, but only to an extent. All major commercial production teams and casting directors treat the commercial like a short scene. And so should you. You should view commercials as perhaps a more authentic snapshot of human life than episodics or film, because they feature real products that most of us already know and use in our daily lives. And while the people featured in commercials have cleaner kitchens and clearer skin than we do, they are still trying to incorporate peace, safety, and happiness into their lives just like the rest of us.

The best thing you can do to launch a commercial career is to join a high level craft-based acting class (many are not—do your research) and learn how to properly break down a scene: line-by-line work, character development, learning how to make winning choices, advanced third reality work, style, etc. The method that you use to break down a scene in class, whether it’s HBO or David Mamet, must be the same technique that you use to break down commercial copy about how American Express has no late fees.

You need to fight the urge to imitate the guy that you’ve seen on these commercials, and focus on bringing yourself to the part. Don’t try and channel the sophisticated guy that drinks espresso and is a sports car connoisseur. Don’t try and imitate the busy mom who loves her kids but is exasperated by her incorrigible husband. You can only be you. Work on commercial copy with the support of a class that helps you bring yourself to the role—while being a busy mom, an espresso-drinker, a frustrated credit card user, a laundry doer chasing whiter-whites. It’s must always be your version of it.

Show them you can improvise. This is one of the biggest nuggets of gold (platinum really) that you can use today to win more roles. So often, I would say 90% of the time, the commercial copy that you are given at an audition, the client just feels so-so about. They really want to see what ingenuity and wit you can bring to it. And if they don’t, they will tell you. This occurs when the session runner tells all the actors in the waiting room, “stick to the script.” Sometimes it’s your job to take the swill that the writers came up with, and make it look awesome—to show them what they didn’t know they wanted.

Getting this vigorous weekly workout is the prerequisite to any successful commercial career, as its aim is to keep you sharp, proactive and at competition level to succeed in this Olympic-like environment. At our studio, we help actors to launch commercial careers and make the impossibly brave choices that win the role. Conquering the commercial beast is another skill in your actor canon of weaponry, and despite so many objections I hear from actors, it can help you become a more powerful, sharper theatrical actor. So many great actors that have come before you have done them, and many great actors continue to do them (often overseas). So be prepared to work, open your arms to welcoming more financial success in your life, and get ready to be excited about KFC’s new grilled chicken sandwich.

 

This article was originally posted on Backstage

How Actors Can Get Started in Commercials

All major commercial production teams and casting directors treat the commercial like a short scene. And so should you.

The best thing you can do to launch a commercial career is to join a high level craft-based acting class (many are not—do your research) and learn how to properly break down a scene: line-by-line work, character development, learning how to make winning choices, advanced third reality work, style, etc.

Getting this vigorous weekly workout is the prerequisite to any successful commercial career, as its aim is to keep you sharp, proactive and at competition level to succeed this olympic-like environment. At our studio, we help actors to launch commercial careers and make the impossibly brave choices that win the role.

 

5 Audition Myths To Smash Before Your Next Big One

In my work, I find that actors often cling to common misconceptions about the auditioning process—or myths as I like to call them. Believing these myths is potentially very damaging because they can poison an actor’s mindset and ultimately their performance.

Disavowing the following audition fables is helping our clients win more roles:

Myth #1. Casting Directors Make all Final Casting Decisions

Bear in mind that the production team has hired the casting director to help them find the best actors. This is similar to how the production team will hire location scouters to find the best filming locations. In this case, the casting director is just another person who is trying to complete their job as best as they can so they will be hired again. Yes, casting directors do push certain actors forward, and weigh in behind closed doors about who they think is right for the role, but the writers, directors and producers always have the final say in casting.

Myth #2. You Must Obey all Character Descriptions and Stage Directions

Character descriptions and stage directions are meant to be used as a guideline, not a gospel. When too many actors treat these things as absolutes that they must incorporate, then you get too many auditions that look identical over and over again. Furthermore, actors forget that some of the descriptions writers put into their work are solely to help the producers better visualize the story. These descriptions are not meant for you to be a slave to them. Allow the character descriptions and stage directions to help guide and inspire you, but don’t feel shackled by them. You must still add your own paint colors to the canvas.  

Myth #3. The Audition Starts After You Slate

The audition never starts the moment you start acting or start uttering the words from your sides. The audition begins the moment you enter the building—the moment you put your car in park. Once you set foot on the property where the audition occurs, you are “on.” I’m not saying that you have to already be in character, but you have to start being the person who is the solution to the casting puzzle of filling the role. You need to step foot on the property completely prepared, focused and ready to begin at a moment’s notice.

Myth #4 Don’t Get too Big

Being big is often not a bad thing! The fear of being “too big” is perhaps one of the biggest fear and source of anxiety I hear from actors before their big auditions. “Are you sure they won’t think I’m too big?” “Shouldn’t I throw it away more?” and so on.  Bottom-line: If you’re afraid to look like an asshole or a freak, you will. Moreover, a note I continually hear from production and casting is that, actors can always be pulled back, but it’s impossible to pull something out of them they never demonstrated at the start. 

Myth #5. When Auditioning for Co-Stars Don’t Make a Meal out of a Snack

I hear this all the time from actors—when auditioning for these smaller roles, they’re supposed to know their place, say the line and not attract too much attention. The myth behind this mindset is that the powers that be want small parts to be a bit utilitarian and thrown away. The only truth in this is that you’re not supposed to belt out your lines Broadway style on bended knee, projecting to the back of the imaginary theatre. For co-stars and other supporting roles, where you just have one or two lines, you still have to come in emotionally loaded and alive in the reality of the character as possible. If the series regular comes in, orders a pint of beer from you, and your one line is “What kind?” (i.e., what kind of beer?) you still need to make a brave and visually obvious choice. You need to know what hour of your shift this is, how many days you have worked in a row, your emotional relationship to your job and to the patron, etc. In this manner, you can deliver your line, “what kind?” with the authenticity of a real, working bartender. And yes, while you might not be memorable to the person watching their favorite show, you will stand out to the producers during the audition process from all the other actors who think they just need to be blank slates delivering utilitarian dialogue.

I would never tell actors there are no rules when it comes to auditioning, as there are some: make a choice, be memorized, bring a headshot, be prepared and emotionally full, etc. But these myths outlined here are potentially damaging to the success and originality of the actor in the audition room.

 

This article was originally posted on Backstage

The Skill That Makes Actors More Castable

To stand out, actors must possess the skill of tenacity—this simple cultivable skill is what sets successful actors apart from the “American Idol” masses. Tenacious actors know that major success is a direct result of writing, directing, and producing their own projects. In so doing, they actively cultivate a fan base via social media and email marketing. This level of grit actually makes you more attractive, castable, and valuable to production teams. A client of mine, Karla Solarte, grew an outstanding viewership for her innovative and original YouTube channel, which eventually caught the attention of ABC, who signed her to a year-long holding deal to compete for every major pilot—and Kevin Costner’s manager who now reps her.

Growing a fan base and knowing how to strategically market yourself in this industry not only makes you more attractive to production, it also allows you to create more opportunities for yourself. At our studio, we love helping actors to develop the charismatic tenacity required to stand out to a production team, and to launch their careers.

Read my recent article, here, for ways to launch your acting career now.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

How to Survive Going Home When You’re Not Jennifer Lawrence or Ryan Gosling

Disclaimer: If you have loving supportive friends and family who lovingly support your career choices and say loving and supportive things at all times, this article is NOT for you.

With summer coming and certain branches of the industry slowing down, some of you might be heading home for visits or have vacation plans which include spending time with family members or old friends.

This can be a mixed blessing. Great to reconnect with the people you care about, but at times it can feel like you have a judge and jury scrutinizing your life and making assessments on how well you’re doing—or not. Sometimes this scrutiny can take the form of a barrage of questions; other times it’s a few passive-aggressive remarks.

These moments can make you feel inadequate, judged, or like an outright disappointment. Friends or family members seldom intend for us to feel this way—these questions or remarks often come from a place of concern for our welfare. Sometimes these anxieties or personal opinions have a way of seeping out. People say things like, “Do you have a savings account?” “I think you’d make a great lawyer” “My friend Fanny is an actor and she booked a recurring on Forensic Files and a Nike commercial.”

If it were a perfect world, everyone would just say supportive things and wish you the best, and act like you’re a competent person charting the path of your own career. However, because cold reality awaits us, it’s best to carve a game plan so that you can still spend time with loved ones without taking a blow to your self-esteem.  

The goal for this article is to make these interactions go smoother, to make you feel better and to stop any looks of pity, words of pity, or any other such negative exchanges. For example, you’re not there to be the punching bag to make other people feel or look better about their life. If say, cousin Mikey is going through a divorce and has a half-million dollars in med school debt, you’re not going to be the tool he uses to make himself feel better in front of the entire family because, at least he’s not an actor and on the fringes of society.

Tip #1. Adopt a body attitude of success and happiness. This is perhaps the most important point of all, and if you can master this one, you’re winning half the battle. People can sniff out discontent and personal misery almost effortlessly. It’s part of human nature. Walk into any potentially threatening interaction with the attitude that you’ve already made it—that you have the career that you want today. If there’s any universal truth that I’ve witnessed to be true, it’s that what you project—what you put out there—you will become.

Tip #2. Prep your responses. Now remember, you’re the wild one. You left home to forge a path in the big city in a scary industry known as show business. People are going to want some feedback on How Things Are.

Here are the questions you are going to get when you go home. Sound familiar?

  • What have you done?

  • Is there anything I can see you in?

  • What are you working on?

  • How come I haven’t seen you on any billboards?

  • Are you on any shows?

  • How are things? (tone of pity)

Below are several responses that you should tailor to fit your situation. Feel free to add in some of your own personal successes (such as: my improv team had ten sold-out shows or I met the (writer, director, producer, casting director) for Breaking Bad and she loved me).

“Things are great. I’m in development for a couple projects and it’s really exciting. I can’t give too many details at this early stage, but I’m frankly thrilled and my reps couldn’t be happier.”

You can use the phrase “in-development” to refer to scripts you’re working on or shopping around or projects you are developing with friends or other collaborators. “In development” sounds more impressive than “my friend and I are working on a script.”

“Things are great! In the last few months I’ve met some really high-level (producers, directors, writers, casting directors) and had some big auditions that all went really well. My agent and manager are really happy. I’m not supposed to talk about the finer details just yet, as the paperwork isn’t signed, but I have no complaints.”

This response allows you to be honest if you haven’t booked anything and then throws the listener more of a curve when you talk about “the paperwork not being signed.” What paperwork? Frankly, it’s nobody's damn business which paperwork you’re referring to—if it’s a contract with CBS or a gym membership. If people would ask more sensitive questions, then you wouldn’t have to protect your life choices like this.

“Things are great. I just fired my management because I think I can do better so I’m currently in meetings with other reps right now. I’m really excited for the year to come because I know I can get through more doors this way.”

This is a great response because we forget how impressive talking about our reps are to many non-industry people. Simply using the phrase “my management” can make you sound like a mover and shaker and the fact that you recently fired your management (of course, we would phrase that differently when talking to our colleagues out here).

“Things are great! I’ve booked some really cool indie projects with some really awesome up-and-coming directors. It’s been a crazy ride but I’ve been really pushing myself as an actor and I couldn’t be happier and the road ahead is really exciting.”

It doesn’t matter if you’ve just done some low-budget indies or short films recently with so-so scripts. That’s exciting to the rest of the world, who earn a living from pushing papers around. Present these projects as exciting endeavors which add to your blossoming career.

While friends and family may sometimes intentionally, or unwittingly deflate your sense of achievement, every little milestone in this industry is seriously awesome and should be celebrated. It’s a tough as nails business and you have to truly love acting to succeed—the only way to “make it” is by chiseling your own path to success and creating your own opportunities. I help my clients launch their careers—on their own terms—and empower them to never wait around for industry breadcrumbs and handouts.