The following is a chapter from his free ebook New Thoughts for Actors. He teaches regular workshops in Los Angeles (and periodically in New York) and coaches privately. Email info@jackplotnick.com to get on the mailing list for his weekly $30 drop-in cold reading workshops and monthly $5 Lecture for Charity.

TAKE IT FROM WHERE YOU ARE

In college I had an acting teacher who, if she felt a student’s performance in a scene hadn’t gone well, would shout “BE THERE!”

I always found this so frustrating.

I wanted to “be there”, but I really had no idea how to “get there”.

Where is “there”?

I believe what she meant was “be there in the moment.”  And I certainly couldn’t disagree with the thought.

It is important to experience a scene specifically focused on the moment-to-moment thoughts, words and events of the scene, and not to have your thoughts stray to unrelated areas.

However, many actors use this phrase of “being there” as a weapon against themselves.

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Often, in my workshop, when I ask an actor how he felt a scene went, he will reply,

”I just didn’t feel like I got there”.

To which I say,

“You’re mistake is thinking that there is a ‘there’ to get to.”

In voicing his experience like that, the actor has created a reality wherein there is a possibility of NOT getting there.

You must be very careful of how you word things to yourself

It is mistake to believe that there is some place you must get to.  By setting up your reality this way, you have created a possibility to fail.

By creating a reality where there is a “there” to get to, you will always be striving to get there.  Your ego will not allow you to achieve your goal of “getting there”, and you will spend the scene chasing after an experience you think you are supposed to be having.

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Why create a reality in which you can lose?

Why not get rid of that way of looking at it?

Why not choose a reality wherein you can’t fail?

Just remember this:

You’re always “there”.  You can’t leave “there”.

Right before I am going to perform I say to myself:

“I am going to take it from where I am”.

What I mean by this is wherever I am is a fine place to start a scene.

I completely accept where I am internally, how much preparation I’ve done, and how I am feeling.

As long as you begin a scene in an honest place, the scene will take you where you need to go.  Only from honest soil can the scene grow and become something wonderful.

It used to be that I’d look at an audition room door and feel that I had to be something totally different from myself once I entered that room.  The door became an impenetrable wall of fear.

And whatever I thought I was missing upon entering, I would simply try to fake, in hopes that the missing emotion would catch up to me or, if worse comes to worse, I could just trick the audience into believing me.

But then I realized that exactly who I am in the waiting room is who I should be in the audition room.  Exactly.

The only thing separating me from who I am in the waiting room, and who I will be in front of the casting agent is 15 steps.

And so it is with any performance.  The scene will take me where I need to go.

I have a friend who described it likes this:

When he was a young actor he saw a performance as the act of jumping though the chalk paintings of MARY POPPINS.

Sometimes he’d land safely in a completely different, colorful world full of magic… but more often he’d SPLAT onto the pavement.

Now he’s happy, no longer experiencing the nerves he once felt, safe in the knowledge that he’s the same person onstage and off.  He is only involved in his honest journey.

Actors who want to “get there” will approach a scene with a long “to do” list.  They frantically attempt to check off each item as they go.  They are constantly evaluating whether or not they have “done enough” to enable themselves to fully experience the scene.

Where does this list come from?  Often it is the ghostly echo of voices from past acting teachers.  Things like; “Make sure your beats are clear” or “You must find circumstances from your own life that coincide with that of the character’s”, etc…

There are a million things an acting teacher could remind you to do.  Do you really want to enter a scene with a list of shoulds and shouldn’ts in your head?

When you do a scene, you want to have only your character’s thoughts in your head.  Obviously you can never have your thoughts 100% aligned with that of the character’s or you would be insane.  However, the goal is to have as few “outside” thoughts as possible.  Well, the character you are portraying certainly isn’t focusing any attention on a laundry list of acting techniques.  He doesn’t have a preconceived notion of how this experience should look and unfold.  He isn’t focusing on whether he is “there” or not.

Imagine it like this:

When you have a goal to “get there”, it’s as if you envision your performance as a board game, like “Candy Land” or “Life”.

You see your goal as moving yourself through many spaces in order to get to the final square, which is your destination:  “THERE”.

Perhaps each space along the way represents some important acting step or technique you feel you must remember.  One teacher had told you, “Always maintain eye contact with the person you’re talking to”, while another said, “I don’t believe you are angry unless you show me.”  The list goes on and on.

If this sounds familiar, it is time to let go of that way of thinking.

Just push that game board off the table and onto the floor!

You can skip all those steps by simply saying to yourself the affirmation:

“I am going to take it from where I am.”

If you are hungry, then the character could be hungry at the top of the scene.  If you are tired, then the character could be as well.  If you are experiencing nerves, don’t feel you have to pretend you are not.

Once you look at it this way, the panicked feeling that you are faking something or hiding something from your audience goes away, and you experience a great sense of relief, and relaxation.  You no longer have to fear that you are a sham that will be found out.   Accept what is, and all pressure to be something else fades away.

(Please don’t misunderstand me.  When I say, “Take it from where you are”, that is meant for the moments right up to when the scene begins.  Once the scene has begun, you should dive wholeheartedly into the circumstances which the scene presents.)

As actors, we always want to convince ourselves that there’s something we’re missing, some approach to the scene that we haven’t thought of.

I had an audition where I had to play a man on crystal meth.  I have no idea what the effects of crystal meth are, so I was very anxious before the audition.

I thought, “I should’ve done more research.  I’ve got to prove to these people that I’m a man on crystal meth.”  I was trying to envision what they wanted to see, and then felt a pressure to make myself appear that way.

I could’ve brought all this self-doubt into the room with me, but instead I accepted that there was nothing I needed to know, do, or prove.  By freeing my mind of these negative thoughts, I was able to more fully throw myself into the imaginary circumstances of the scene.  …And I booked the job!

So, the next time you think, “ I want to get there”, just remember that by creating a place you have to get to, then by definition, you are not there.

Why not just accept that where you are is fine.  You see, it’s the panic that you don’t know what to do that ruins the audition.  The “fake it till you make it” reflex.

“Take it from where you are” is a shortcut to say, “Fuck it, I’ll just go in and enjoy myself.”

Also a filmmaker, Kristina freelances as a videographer, is co-creator of the web series Frick, and collaborated with Claire on the Brains of Minerva Acting in Horror interview series. Kristina was recently accepted into the graduate film program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Kristina appears in Chillerama, Adam Green’s much-anticipated new horror movie, which will see a theatrical release this fall. Her German film Bela Kiss will bow in German theaters in 2012. In the meantime, check out Kristina’s performance as Maks Vex, rogue super heroine here, and follow her on Twitter here.

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting on a train from Munich, Germany to Esslingen, Germany- a 2.5 hour journey- where I am going to see a presentation of the first 15 minutes of Bela Kiss, a German thriller in which I played the lead last year. It was an ultra low budget project shot in the Black Forest with English speaking actors, all of whom had to be German citizens. I am taking this trip on my own dime, to show support, reconnect with the director, and also to see whether this is a project I will feel confident promoting in the states (note: it was amazing and I JUST found out that it has been picked up by Drei Freunde for theatrical distribution in Germany – the same company that distributed the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!).

The reason I am in Germany right now, though, is not to watch 15 minutes of a film I shot. Next week, I’m shooting a TV pilot in Berlin for Germany’s version of HBO and they flew me to Germany. Sometimes the timing works out!

I’m lucky to be a dual- citizen as well as to be quad-lingual… But the recognition that these things could help me in my career as an actress did not occur to me until a few years ago. And, though very exciting, building a career simultaneously on two continents (and in several different countries) has been a gamble.

I strongly believe the only reason I was even able to break into the European acting market was because of my break-out role as Lynda in Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween. It was a studio film that had an international audience. Through it, I was able to go to festivals and horror conventions where I met people from Italy, Germany, France, Serbia and Spain who appreciated my work. I simply made it a point to tell everyone I had dual citizenship and would love to work more in Europe. I took my opportunity and ran with it. I try as much as possible to stay in touch with these contacts and keep them up to date with my work. The term “out of sight, out of mind” applies everywhere in the world. So, working in Europe, NY and LA creates 3 times as many contacts to keep up with – something which has been overwhelming at times. Thank God for the Internet.

You may be wondering why I even would want to work in Europe. The answer is very simple: to go back to my roots and be closer to my large extended family. And then, three years ago, I fell in love with Berlin. I had been flown there to shoot a trailer for a film (the writer and director found me on a website listing all English speaking citizens). Berlin is a city teeming with angst-y, intellectual, chain-smoking, politically conscious artists who love the art for the art and not because of the money that comes with it… I had found my second home, though I don’t smoke and have to say sitting in a bar in Berlin can be nauseating! But from that time on, I knew I had to find a way to work in Berlin while continuing to book jobs in NY and LA.

There are ups and downs to this process. The downs involve 1) difficulty finding a supportive agent in both America and Europe 2) union rules and degree of protection vary from country to country and 3) the money that it costs to invest in this endeavor often evens out with what you earn. The upside is …. you’re working!! And isn’t that what actors are always complaining about? Not working enough? Plus, work begets work. And good work, anywhere in the world, begets even more!

The hardest thing about trying to work internationally is finding support from agents on both continents. I have struggled very much with this. No one in LA wants to hear about their client working overseas for too long – unless they’re getting some money – and the agents in Europe don’t believe me when I say I can be on a plane within a day because I have so many points on my frequent flier card. You do end up missing castings in both places. And the time difference between LA and Europe – 9 hours- is pretty daunting and makes telephone conversations almost impossible. Overall, it seems too difficult for everyone; for everyone except me, who’s actually doing all the work. In October, after I spent 2 months in Germany playing the lead in Bela Kiss where I was able to do some of the best work of my career for deferred payment (yes, feel sorry for my bank account…) my LA based agent dropped me three days after my return to the states and one day after I turned down an offer they sent me for the worst script I had ever read in my life… but, alas… it paid. I still haven’t found a new agent.

The last two years, my agent in Berlin got me this many auditions: 0.

And yet I’m working!! Viral and Skype casting has become more prevalent. And, in Germany, casting directors often cast off of your reel. I have a friend in Germany who’s full reel is about 40 minutes and the casting directors watch every minute of it, are familiar with it, and show only the pertinent scenes to whomever is interested. The guys who cast me in the trailer we shot in Berlin three years ago wrote the part in the TV pilot for me that I’m going to shoot next week. In fact, the part is called Kristina! And I’m supposed to be shooting a film in Italy this fall.

However, if I do not book a US based job in the next few months, I will possibly lose my SAG health insurance, and this leads me to the next point: Unions. Working in different countries involves learning and dealing with different customs and different industry standards. In Germany, I recently found out to my astonishment that the crew have a union that enforces overtime, while the actors do not. There IS a union for actors in Germany. You can find it here. However, it simply has no negotiating power. It offers free legal services though for a small fee of 50 euro a year.. If you don’t have an agent and need someone to look over your contract, they are specialized in this.

So you’re probably wondering “what about the SAG universal rule?” Well, most European productions will have nothing to do with it. It is completely foreign to them. Why should they have to pay SAG for an actor who is working in their country under their rules? And that is exactly what I’m doing.when I use my EU passport. I am going there to work in rules. However, what this means is that, although I’m getting paid, SAG is not registering it and if I don’t make enough money in a year, my health insurance falls through. Again, this is a gamble.

It is also very interesting to learn how an actor’s daily rate is calculated in Germany. Actors get higher wages if they attended an acting conservatory. Yes. You heard me right. The main television stations ZDF, RTL and ARD have a rating system. For example, you would get paid the most if you attended the best acting school and have worked previously for said station.

Now, to the cost of working bi-continentally. So far, in my experience, I have made no money. This pilot I will shoot next week will be my first real paycheck. All the other work I’ve done has been pro-bono or deferred payment with travel costs paid for. So no money lost but none earned. It’s kind of like when you’re first starting off acting and do theater for free or short films for free. I considered it an investment. And it HAS paid off. If the pilot is picked up, I will have a recurring role that will work for at least a few months in Berlin. And since Bela Kiss will be playing theatrically, I suppose that will lead to more work.

But the experience I’ve gained is priceless. And the opportunity to play roles that would most likely be played by film stars in America is also priceless.

The experience of working with highly trained actors on set – most German actors have gone to a conservatory and worked extensively in theater – is definitely different from the US. The art of acting is taken very seriously. I would probably say there’s less FUN on set and people are really intense – there are less compliments thrown around. But I see how seriously they take their job and with what respect acting is treated and it makes me PROUD to be an actor… In a casting session in Germany, it is highly frowned upon to arrive with your sides! In fact you are automatically disqualified if you are not off book. Quite different than here wouldn’t you say? The down side of this is that German acting can be quite stiff at times. However, I think this is changing as American TV and American style naturalism is becoming popular over there.

Concerning languages and accents, I have had to work very hard to get rid of any trace of an accent when I speak German. In Italy, they love the accent. In America, my languages and accents have helped me do voice overs for video games. I shot a movie in Serbia for six weeks. A year later, there was an audition for Criminal Minds for a Serbian serial killer. Guess who got the role? I went into the audition with the little knowledge of Serbian I had learned on set. It all ends up intertwining.

So, in the end, is it worth it? Well, probably not if you don’t have dual citizenship to start off with. Without that, there are simply too many hurdles to conquer. And probably not if you don’t love languages and traveling! After that, though, how much effort do you want to put into working overseas? I would say, if you don’t have to spend too much out of pocket, it’s worth trying. If you have contacts that you can start off with, that’s good. And just ask, ask, ask. Ask people to introduce you to casting directors and agents and producers. If you are a working actor and have an acting reel with American television shows on it or any film work here, they really love that. Hollywood is still the mecca of film after all. And in the inter-connectivity of today’s world, who knows if working overseas cannot actually get you on Hollywood’s radar a little bit quicker than waiting in traffic on the 405…

You’ve seen many of your students through the whole grad school process, from choosing which schools to audition for through graduation and starting (or re-starting) their professional careers. Can you share with us some characteristics/habits/choices that students who are most satisfied with the grad school experience seem to share?

Actors who have a good sense of themselves, where they are at in their lives, and a clear idea of where they want to go next, are, I believe, in a good place to pursue a graduate degree in acting. In addition to that, preparation is key. I know from personal experience that just showing up to the audition and hoping for the best is not a good way to go! I tell the actors that I work with that by simply seeking out a coach, they have already taken a huge step ahead of most actors auditioning for graduate school.  It simply speaks to their commitment, their interest in doing the best work they can and honestly puts them in a place to succeed.

The number of applicants and the “slim” odds of securing a place in a program are deceiving. When I watched the auditions as a student at Yale, I was shocked to see who was walking through the door. There is no screening process for these auditions. Anyone can fill out the application, pay the application fee and show up – and they do! Most have not put the time into the work. Confidence is huge. Having put in the work and feeling prepared is a great way to build confidence. On the other side, being “fixed” is dangerous. Ultimately you want to have a balance. I like to encourage my clients to think of going in to “rehearse” the monologue in the audition rather than “perform” the piece. It is liberating to be in process with the work. It is also incredibly important to love the pieces you choose. They must be pieces that you are hot for and that offer those in the room a glimpse into your work, your process and yourself as an artist. Subtle differences in an actor’s approach to the experience can take the pressure off and allow the actor to share their work with those capable of offering the training they seek.

The actors I have seen really succeed in this process have allowed themselves permission to be themselves in rooms they audition in. It may sound simple but one of the most important things you can do is be yourself. They want to see you. An actor must reveal him/herself in their work and really allow themselves to be present in the room. Each program is looking for people -  actors they want to work with and be in the room with several hours a week for several years.

It seems that so many of the highest profile acting grad programs offer curriculum/experiences with very different strengths and emphases. Can you give us a brief overview of the types of programs out there and what a prospective student should start thinking about when choosing which schools to apply for?

Things to consider when deciding on which program to attend can be as simple as the geographic location of the school or which program you felt the best connection with. Clients of mine have been married and/or own homes in New York and did not want to leave New York for school, some clients want to be in New York and only New York because of the networking opportunities and relationships that result from being in the place they want to spend their career, some want to get out of New York and be somewhere warm, some feel being out of New York will help them focus on the training rather than becoming distracted by the city. Other considerations might be: Is there a relationship to a professional theater company? Will I be working with student directors or professional directors or a combination of both? How many production opportunities are there each year of the program? Will I be developing relationships with student playwrights, directors and designers? Do I work exclusively with the actors in my class for all years of the program or do I work with all of the actors at the school? Is the school a part of a larger university and campus? Do graduates have a showcase for industry professionals in New York and L.A. upon graduation? What are the alumni of the school up to? What is the school’s reputation among casting directors and industry professionals? Will I have the opportunity to have extracurricular outlets to direct or write as well as act? How many years is the program? What is the classroom time to performance ratio? Is teaching to be part of my training? How many actors are in each class? Are there international opportunities? What is the day-to-day schedule? The answers to these questions will help you determine your priorities and decide which schools might be the best fit.

What are some of the best tools and resources for finding out about acting grad programs?

Finding out what each program offers and from that which program is a good fit for you is probably one of the most challenging aspects of the entire grad school process. For this reason I host an MFA Grad Panel in New  York offering the chance to hear first hand from very recent graduates of several popular MFA programs. The 2010 panel included graduates of the following programs: A.C.T., A.R.T., Brown/Trinity, NYU, Rutgers, UCSD and Yale Drama. There is no substitute for first-hand experience and although each graduate’s experience is unique to them, you can learn a lot by hearing from someone who has been through a program. The MFA programs change often as do the programs’ faculty, the dean of the school, and the artistic director of the theater associated with the program, which makes it very important to gather information from current students or very recent alumni.

The websites of each program offer great information on curriculum, faculty and mission statements but are limited beyond that. The auditions themselves are the best resources for finding out if a program is the right one for you. Just as the faculty and department heads are getting a feel for you and your work in the audition, you want to be getting a feel for them. Looking at Playbills and imdb.com for actors whose work you are drawn to and discovering if they went to a grad school and where they went can also be a useful jumping off point.

The admissions office of a school will often put you in touch with a current student and/or alumni to be of help answering questions. A few schools have information sessions and/or visitors days that offer prospective students the opportunity to meet the Dean, talk with faculty and students, see a production, tour the campus and get answers to any questions. Seeing productions at a school is also a great way to get a taste of the program and the work of the students. However, it is important to remember when seeing the work of students in a program that they are actors in training and are likely working on roles that offer them something of a challenge.

When is the audition “season” for acting grad schools and how far in advance do you suggest students start researching schools and preparing their auditions?

The auditions for most programs begin in New York in January and go through the end of February. Many programs audition in several cities around the country – typically, New York, Chicago and San Francisco. I have worked with actors who begin coaching with me as early as up to a year before the auditions begin. The bulk of my clients begin working in the early Fall and continue through the end of their auditions.

What does the typical grad school application and audition entail?

Every MFA grad acting program has their own application, audition requirements and unique audition structure, which can become overwhelming if you are applying to many schools. The components of the application (typically filled out and submitted online) require a personal statement, an application fee and several recommendations submitted by faculty or industry professionals who can speak to your work as an actor and a person. The personal statement is an applicant’s chance to articulate who they are, why they are seeking training at the graduate level and how that school’s program would uniquely serve them.

The audition itself typically consists of sharing from two to four monologues, (classical and contemporary pieces) and an interview. In my coaching sessions with clients, I do my best to prepare each actor for what they can expect based on the schools they are applying to. Many schools (Yale, NYU/Tisch, UCSD and A.C.T.) have a series of different kinds of callbacks (“end of the hour” callbacks, “end of the day” callbacks, “group callbacks” etc.) to narrow down the search whereas other programs have only a single audition from which they will ultimately make their decisions (Brown/Trinity, A.R.T.). Yale, NYU and UCSD also have “callback weekends” typically at the beginning of March when the final applicants (approximately 50 for NYU, 30 for Yale and 16 for UCSD) are brought to the school to participate in classes, meet the faculty and get a feel for whether the school is a good fit them and whether they are a good fit for the school. It is from this weekend that the final class is chosen. Knowing how your audition will go down in advance and actually “rehearsing” it has proven hugely helpful. Each year I offer my clients a series of Mock Auditions in which I replicate the experience you can expect to have at the schools you are auditioning for — including a waiting area, an initial audition, a callback, a song, and interview.

At Yale, current students are allowed to watch the auditions for students for the upcoming year. You said you started your work coaching people through the process because of many of the mistakes you saw people making over and over. Could you share some of them and how auditioning students can make better choices?

The experiences I personally had auditioning for grad schools, the incredible time I had as a student in grad school, and the fact that while I was at Yale I was invited to sit in on the prospective students auditions led me want to help others achieve their own dreams of going to grad school. Having been through the experience myself, with varying successes (I auditioned for my top choice school three years in a row) as well as witnessing the process from the inside while a student at Yale Drama, I knew I could offer help to those who wanted it. One of the biggest things I discovered watching people audition for Yale was how much actors appeared to be working to prove themselves in their audition, or wow the auditors with their work. I remember Ron [Van Lieu, Chair of Acting at Yale Drama], saying he would much prefer an actor come in and simply do good work than worry about being great! The pressure of the situation can feel terrifying and the stakes seem incredibly high but this is not American Idol. There is no prize to get or contest to win, what you are seeking is training. I love working with an actor to making sure he/she is bringing all of him/herself to the work. If this happens the school can see the person revealed through the work, not just the effort behind the work. This hugely important. I saw one actor after another make this mistake. More often than not, an actor would come into the room and introduce him/herself with warmth and openness and then when the monologue would begin, rather than reveal themselves through their work they would completely disappear. It seemed they were working to show you who they wanted you to think they were rather than the person they are.

Ultimately one of the things I believe applicants have the hardest time grasping, is that each program is looking for people. They are not looking for the best actors. Not young people or old people. Not the most good looking people. Not someone who has it all figured out. Not the most experienced actor. But generous, committed, imaginative, bright people who have a desire to grow and expand within the art form. One of the things I work with actors most on is making sure they are bringing themselves into the room and into the work. They have very little time to get to know you and your work, so bringing generous amounts of you and that can help you help them learn about you.

Many actors I talk with automatically discount the idea of going to grad school because of the financial investment, especially in this economy and with such uncertain prospects upon graduation. Can you give us some insight into how your students have found ways to finance their education, tips on doing so and/or mistakes to avoid?

I find that if the interest in furthering your training is there, it should be worth the expense. It can be dangerous for actors to limit where they apply based on what they believe to be the cost of the program. I recommend actors apply to the schools they are interested in and not let money be a deterrent. When you get accepted to a program then the conversation of how to afford it can begin. Because many of the schools are incredibly competitive there is often opportunity to request scholarship or grants when they have invited you to their school. I do not know of any situation where a student was not able to attend school because of money. And most schools subsidize the cost of the training with stipends, workstudy, scholarships, financial aid and/or paid teaching opportunities.

Are there any “wrong reasons” to go to grad school?

Because you are scared of real life. Because you think it will guarantee you success.

One of your panel guests said she didn’t know “what a big family grad school would be” and really benefited from the sense of community. I know when I went I was totally focused on how it would improve my craft, but, I think the biggest benefits were actually in my personal development. Can you talk about some of the non-acting benefits the process has had for your and you students?

One of the greatest gifts grad school offers beyond the actual training is strong personal and professional relationships – a community that carries into the professional world and beyond. Many clients who have gone on to MFA programs were surprised to find out how much they loved having the opportunity to teach undergraduates as part of their MFA requirements. Other benefits include extracurricular opportunities to direct and write and having the chance to explore another city. The collaborations with professional theaters and institutions affiliated with your program often give you professional homes after you complete the program and a network that enriches your professional and personal life for decades.

In the last MFA Panel discussion you hosted, one of the grads, who I believe had been acting in LA before going to Yale, said she looked at her time in grad school as “a chance to get back to the purity of acting” for 3 years. What kind of payoff can that investment have for an actor later in their career? How has it shaped your career?

It’s almost impossible to speak to how much my graduate training has influenced my career.  The three years I spent at Yale were the most fulfilling of my life.  All of my expectations were met and exceeded by many more gifts that I could have never expected.  The most significant of these was, of course, the training itself.  The class time with Ron Van Lieu and Evan Yiounoulis, Beth McGuire and Waltson Wilson, James Bundy, Peter Francis James and all of the faculty, helped me to find a technique I could stand behind and the confidence to become the artist I am.  I have also been fortunate to take the excellent training I received and pass it on to the next generation of actors as I serve on the acting faculties of the National Theater Institute (NTI) at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and the Powerhouse Apprentice Training Program at Vassar College.

The second biggest assets from my time at Yale were the relationships I formed with the other students at the Drama School. Yale benefits from being the only school where all of the disciplines of the theater are represented with a degree program.  Many of the playwrights, directors, designers, stage managers, technical designers, theater managers, dramaturgs and the other actors I met at Yale are now some of closest friends and all together we have developed into a kind of extended family.  Playwrights I had worked with while at Yale have since written roles for me in their work.  Directors I had worked with while at Yale call me up and cast me without an audition.  And the actors I had worked with at Yale are now not simply former ensemble members of mine, but true family.  The ongoing support, inspiration and love I receive from those who I spent those three years with has been worth the cost of tuition and then some.  By coaching, I strive to help others have the experience I feel so fortunate to have had.

Photo by Buck Lewis

Can you tell us the history of the New Media department? Can you share some recent progress SAG has made in regards to getting new media producers on board as SAG signatories?

Senior leadership at the Guild created the department in 2007 to investigate new technologies and the way those technologies effect the work of our members. Mark Friedlander was its first director and continues to lead the department. Recently, the department has expanded its purview to include a contracts administration function as well. We encourage actors to spend some time perusing SAG’s Digital Media Center to learn more about all the resources and services the department has to offer.

SAG has seen tremendous growth in the volume of signatory productions. Comparing the first half of 2011 to same period a year before, SAG more than doubled its number of covered productions. The department has seen an approximate 9-fold increase in annual signings over the last three years (2007 to 2010) and is on track to beat that again this year.

Sarah and I recently talked to a Seattle actor who had just joined SAG after booking 2 commercials. She wants to continue to build her reel but says that when she auditions for new media projects in Seattle she has been told several times by producers that “we don’t want the hassle of dealing with the union on this” and she’s out of the running. What advice do you have for an actor in her position? How can she advocate for the union with producers who are skeptical of the process of becoming a signatory?

It’s a pretty common occurrence for us to meet reluctant producers.  However, it is equally common that once we have a chance to explain really simple and fast our process is that they decide to sign up. Our growth in the space is a pretty good indication of that success.

The process of becoming signatory to the SAG New Media Agreement is very simple.  And they can do it fast. We have worked very hard to be responsive to producer feedback in simplifying and streamlining our procedures. Most recently we launched a web app, the Online Signatory Application, which allows producers to quickly and easily complete the process of becoming a signatory on the SAG website. A producer can often complete the process in as little as two days.

Becoming a signatory often leads not only to the production benefiting from the SAG talent pool, but also SAG’s resources can make all aspects of the filmmaking experience more efficient and professional for everyone involved.

Dena Beatty, Executive Director of the Seattle & Portland Branch Office has had great luck recently with helping actors get producers on board working SAG. As is often the case, working with SAG enables a filmmaker to up-level the whole production by taking advantage of SAG’s experience. Dena was able to help a filmmaker attract investors by suggesting he produce a (union!) web series as a predecessor to his feature. Another great initiative leading to more union jobs has been SAG’s efforts to partner with the Oregon Media Production Association to educate producers about the great supply of union talent in the Portland area. (Here you can read about these and other non-union to union stories & a view a step-by-step guide about turning non-union projects : SAG Organizing)

What consequences might an actor face if, as a union member, she knowingly works in a non-union new media project?

All members of SAG must abide by Global Rule One, which prohibits them from working in New Media on a non-union production. A member failing to abide by Rule One may face union discipline.

Members who violate Rule One could be required to appear before a Trial Board conducted by a group of their peers. A Trial Board has the authority to discipline, to impose fines, suspend, or recommend expulsion of a member from the union.

What’s the biggest misconception new media producers have about becoming a SAG signatory?

That it is a difficult, time consuming, and expensive process. None of those are true. It is a very easy and fast process and can be completed online. And our rates in new media entertainment are negotiable.

The rates for both background performers and principal performers are completely and separately negotiable between the producer and performer. If the producer offers a deferred rate, they will also need to negotiate the details of what event will trigger the payment to the performer. Other terms that are negotiable are hours in a work day and overtime rates. In all cases, we advise our producers to abide by all labor laws applicable to the state in which they are filming. The performer rates are not affected by the production budget, and SAG does not disclose budget details to the performers.

What are the goals of the New Media department and how can SAG members help you achieve them?

When David White, SAG’s Interim National Executive Director, assumed his post, he issued an imperative to the staff that SAG “match the level of technology in other media.”

To that end, we’re working on a Digital Production Center 2.0 release. This will offer producers more capability to manage their entire production on-line, and many of the daily forms will be able to be completed remotely. We also expect this to speed up the financial assurance process (e.g., making sure a production has sufficient bonds in place to protect the cast). Currently, the Center streamlines productions by reminding the production when its paperwork is due and by acting as a portal for SAG members to access information about their production in one place.

We want to continue to evolve the department with the growing business needs of the new media space. We want to be a resource for our members and the production community at large. Feedback and open dialogue among all the parties involved in this industry will help us to do just that.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers about working SAG in new media?

It’s the new media producers who can say it best. To see what they have to say about working in new media with SAG, take a look at this video.

If you are an actor new media has provided an unprecedented opportunity for you to take charge of the types of roles you play. Go produce the SAG project you have always wanted to be in. And if you’re a producer and have concerns about working with SAG, please give us a call and let us help you. We want to be partners in the growth of this business.

SAG New Media Resources:

SAG Production Center

Online Signatory Process

New Media Online Signatory

SAG New Media

New Media Related Videos

SAG New Media Reps on the Production Center

New Media Producers Work with SAG

The following is a chapter from his free ebook New Thoughts for Actors. He teaches regular workshops in Los Angeles (and periodically in New York) and coaches privately. Email info@jackplotnick.com to get on the mailing list for his weekly $20 drop-in cold reading workshops and monthly $5 Lecture for Charity.

ACTING “STRAIGHT”

I received an email from an actor who had been reading my website, and had a specific concern he wanted to share with me:

Dear Jack,

There is an issue I have been constantly dealing with, and I think it is the reason I have held myself back all these years.

Every time I get an audition, it’s usually to play a straight, ‘total guy’. I know I’m not a raging queen but I go back to all the teasing from school, all the ‘faggot’ calling and it actually makes me think I can never get parts because I am gay and straight guys have it so easy.

This is a major issue. I guess I just wanted to know if you had felt that and if so how you deal with it.

My response was similar to the following:

As a gay man, I also struggled with that exact issue.

There was a time, not long after I had graduated college, when I felt I had a terrible secret.

And that secret was that I wasn’t really a “MAN”.

(Or at least not the kind of “man” I thought I was supposed to be.)

When I would perform, I was afraid that everyone could see my secret, and I let this issue negatively affect my performances.

Then, one day, it just hit me…

I AM a man.

I just simply am.

I don’t have to prove it, or “Act” it.

It just is.

By definition, I am a man.

My insecure ego was creating this self-doubt.  It was an illusion.

Are all men super-macho?

No.

My god, if Andy Dick can portray a straight man on “Newsradio” then certainly you or I can.

Not all straight men act “butch”.

Do straight men cross their legs?

Hell yeah!

Do straight men get emotional?

Hell yeah!

Stop cutting out your self for fear that you are not right.

If you look at a list of the top TV shows of all time, there are plenty of popular and successful actors that are far from macho: Alan Alda, Bob Newhart, Mathew Perry, Jerry Seinfeld, Don Knotts, Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Tony Randell, Larry Hagman…

None of these men had any problem being seen as a straight leading man.

Why do we want to focus on the few tough-guy characters?  Remember, for every Captain Kirk, there is a Mr. Spock standing right there alongside him.

And even William Shatner isn’t intrinsically a tough guy.  He often plays very sweet, endearing roles.

Speaking of top TV shows, look at Henry Winkler.  He was hardly the actor you’d first imagine to play the womanizing tough-guy “The Fonz”:

From Wikipedia.org:

An interesting note about his character on ‘Happy Days’ was that director/producer Garry Marshall originally had in mind a completely opposite physical presence.  Marshall sought to cast an Italian model-type male in the role of Fonzie.  However, when Winkler, a Jewish Yale MFA student interpreted the role in auditions, Marshall immediately snapped him up, smelling success. Winkler’s character gradually became the focus of the show as time passed, a testament to Winkler’s acting and Marshall’s foresight.

You can only be who you are.

If they want someone with an innate energy that is tough and hyper-masculine, they will hire that guy.

However, as was the case with “The Fonz”, the more interesting choice was the less “on the nose” choice.

I heard a story, that for his HAPPY DAYS audition, Henry was merely doing an impression of Sylvester Stallone, who he had just worked with in LORDS OF FLATBUSH.

So, the tough inner life as funneled through a sensitive actor was just what the role needed.

So don’t talk yourself out of roles!

There is a secret to gays portraying straight roles:

If you try to prove you are straight, YOU WILL COME OFF AS GAY-

(- or at least stiff and stilted as though you are hiding something: i.e., that you are gay!)

However, if you don’t care, and don’t get involved in being anything but who you are, THEN YOU WILL COME OFF AS STRAIGHT.

We are all the same really. All humans share the exact same integral characteristics.

So if you honestly play the circumstances of the scene, you will come off as straight as the character is.

However, if you deny a part of yourself, and strictly control and monitor your behavior, then you will not be able to play the scene.  Instead, you will be delivering some lifeless idea of the character.

You are your own tool to make your art.  If you are not using your tool, then there is no human being inhabiting the role.  The scene will be dead.

Why do we focus on the few hyper-masculine images out there?

Our ego wants to keep us in a place where we feel we are not “enough”.

Just accept that you will never be Vin Diesel.  So what?!  No one expects you to be!

Besides, that macho thing that you wish you could be is so fucking limiting.  Those people don’t get many jobs.

On the other hand, think of your favorite film actors;  Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dustin Hoffman, Tobey Maguire, Gene Wilder, Ralph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, Jason Schwartzman, Kevin Kline, Mathew Broderick, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Owen Wilson, Richard Dreyfuss, etc. etc.

THEY certainly aren’t putting on some bullshit macho crap.

That macho behavior crap is learned and acted by the people who do it.  It’s not real for ANYONE. No one comes out of the womb and acts like that. They see people do it, and they imitate it.

So, it’s not even REAL to begin with.

You are so much more interesting than that.

You have warmth and sensitivity. Why would you want to deny or hide that?!

A great tool to rid yourself of this issue is affirmations:

I release and destroy my need to be “masculine”.

I release and destroy my need to be an “Actor” – I’m just here to be me and have fun.

Those kids from your childhood may have called you “faggot”, but they’re gone now.

So, whose voice is that you’re hearing in your head, still calling you “faggy”?

It’s YOU!

They may have given you the baton, but you are the one who is still running with it.

Read the Finding Your Inner Child chapter on my website, and start treating your inner child with the love and acceptance he should’ve been given from the beginning.

He wants to shine.

The actor who had originally written to me responded to my thoughts as follows:

You are so right, I have always tried to “act” like a straight guy, and was so nervous that someone would ask about my girlfriend or wife, that I was not “being” the goofy, sweet, caring, funny person I am.

I always hold back, for fear of being found out as being gay, and therefore not as valuable as a “real” straight guy.

Outrageous! I know, I so see it!

I don’t know many actors who are gay and do great work. So I always wondered what it was I was or wasn’t doing right. Thank you for being there and open to talking to me about all of this. I am really very excited about this ‘new’ chapter or step for myself.

A side note:

With so many great actors coming out as gay lately, and still playing straight parts, there are plenty of terrific role models; Neil Patrick Harris, T.R Knight, Ian McKellen, Rupert Everett, Robert Gant, Chad Allen…

I wanna talk about what doesn’t get talked about: quitting acting.

People in the industry, even coaches and teachers, won’t go there.

Because it’s scary. It’s personal. And because industry-related businesses rely on actors being actors, even if it’s time for them to move on.

I’m not here to convince you to quit acting; if you have zero doubts about your career and how it affects the rest of your life, stop reading now.

But if you’ve ever struggled, doubted, second-guessed, or questioned your career as an actor, then let’s take a minute to get real. Every actor I’ve ever spoken with one-on-one admits that at some point she’s questioned her career choice. And I think that’s a good thing.

You’re an actor because you’re the question-asking type. You didn’t go for traditional job. You had a vision, you worked your ass off to chase it, and you’re still here. That’s to be commended.

What’s not to be commended is when you keep chasing at the expense of what’s best for you. And guess what? If don’t want to act anymore? It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure or a sell-out. What no one tells you when you’re starting out: your dreams can change.

Truth:
Your priorities may change.
What’s fun may change.
What’s fulfilling may change.
What you’re willing to sacrifice may change.
Your interests may change.

If these things shift for you and you’re not willing to adjust your career accordingly? That’s the failure.

I’m not saying give up when it gets hard. I’m saying get honest. Evaluate what you get out of being an actor now. I’m asking you to entertain the tough questions.

Questions like:
Does this feel like a chore/obligation, or am excited to do and pursue the work?
Do the sacrifices feel too…sacrificial?
What are the financial returns?
Is this artistically fulfilling?
What do I stand to gain by quitting?
Does acting fit in with the lifestyle I want?
Who am I if I’m not an actor?

These can be extremely difficult questions. And when the answers emerge, they aren’t always black and white. So maybe you’re on the fence a bit, or starting to feel burned out; this could be a signal that you need a break. I asked actress Aisha Kabia (How I Met Your Mother, Knight Rider, Three Rivers) to share her experience:

“I took a break from acting from May – September of 2009. I was creatively tapped out and emotionally exhausted. I needed to check back in with myself to see if I was still on the right path. I immersed myself in yoga, reading fiction and being with family and friends. When auditions started picking up again in October I found myself full because I had nourished my artist for so many months and that fall I tested for a tv show and booked 5 national commercials in 5 weeks! I was in a space of fun, relaxation and creativity because I had given myself the gift of just being. Now instead of needing to take big breaks I know it’s crucial to schedule consistent artist dates and fill myself with what I love so I have something to give when I approach any audition or role.”

Or maybe you know in your gut that you need a change. Be assured that there’s other great stuff out there waiting for you.

Actress Amanda Randall (CSI Miami, JAG, All My Children) grappled with the tough questions for several years. She shares her decision to transition from a successful acting career to finding other meaningful work:

“I feel that a decision to change paths in the field of acting can be a very personal one — maybe more so than any other career path.  Essentially our trade is ourselves. It is the craft of materializing our deepest emotions, feelings, and reactions, and pouring them into an imaginary scenario. It is a honed skill process in and of itself; and to find yourself at a crossroads where you want to leave that comfort zone and explore other territories can be terrifying. For me, personally, it became very necessary.

When I moved to LA, I booked my first gig almost right away and got Taft-Hartley’ed into SAG. I booked another gig and really felt like things were happening quite quickly. Then I lived in NYC for a year — I booked a couple more gigs, but even with all the moderate success, the suppressed urge that ‘this just wasn’t right’ would not go away.

Once I moved back to LA I started to have some serious doubts. I began verbalizing them. I was poor. I didn’t have health insurance. I had zero financial support from my family. The acting jobs were fun when I got them, but still felt so false and unfulfilling. I constantly was going on auditions for characters and roles that I didn’t give a shit about.  And I had this aching urge inside of me that was only growing stronger. Instead of just acknowledging that the urge was there, I began exploring it. I started to journal. I made lists. I asked myself questions….over and over and over again.  “What do you want?  What do you want to do?”  The only thing that came clear to me was that I wanted to help others. To teach. To inspire. To protect. To represent. Can one do that in the field of acting and arts and performance? Of course. Was that the path that I, personally, was supposed to take in order to make it happen? Turns out, it wasn’t. I needed stability. I needed purpose. And I needed to play the most difficult role that I had yet to attempt: that of Amanda Randall.

I experimented with different options. I contemplated teaching: the passion wasn’t there. I pondered the idea of a random office job: it wasn’t doing it for me. I thought about being an astronaut: I was afraid of heights. OK not really on the last one. But it went on and on. And THEN this little thing called Proposition 8 came about…right around the same time that my darling partner and I became engaged. It gave me purpose. It gave me understanding.  It helped me to identify with the oppressed. It enhanced my empathy. And it only fueled my fire to help defend and protect the rights of individuals who have been discriminated against — in any capacity. I finally felt passionate again and was given specific direction. I was working at a law firm as a legal secretary during the day and doing plays at night. By that time I was literally turning down auditions. I also decided I had done my last play for a while and was going to apply to UCLA’s paralegal program. I wanted to pursue some legal training and knew that knowledge was power when it came to representing and defending the oppressed. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Will I act again? Maybe. Will it be for pay? Who knows. But what I do know is what I am doing now feels right. And I no longer have that aching urge inside of me.”

Confession: I, too, have had the aching urge. And I was astonished that there was really no where for me to go with these looming questions. So I sat with them. Chewed them, cried over them. My great (and eventual) realization was that I had put myself in a bad marriage with my career. I expected acting to be my source of income, purpose, happiness, creativity, and social life. That’s a lot of pressure for a husband. I’m still an actor–love it, pursue it–but I absolutely had to find other places to disperse some of those needs. Finding coaching has been a big part of that for me. Now I’m glad to have a more balanced, happy marriage with acting.

If you tackle your own big questions and feel at peace with acting, Godspeed. I think you’ll be a better actor for having faced the questions. And you’ll probably answer them at many stages of your career. The practice of checking in about your career satisfaction is a good one to cultivate; no one else is going to sit you down for a yearly review, after all.

But if you have the aching urge, listen to it. Aching Urges don’t go away on their own; they demand answers. You satisfy them when you have the courage to listen, question, and consider new possibilities. And as actors, we’re very good at that.

Read part 1 of the interview series here.

When did your interest in building online communities begin?  For actors that are overwhelmed by social media, do you have any advice on how to navigate it?

Eesh, this answer could be a separate article all its own. Ha! I’ve probably always been a community builder. The Internet just came along as a great place to help that along at the right time. Back Stage launched their message boards while I was a columnist there and I was the geek leader, for sure, so they gave me a “Casting Qs” forum and I moderated it, for anyone with follow-up questions about my weekly articles. I had already been a regular poster at Wolfesden (R.I.P. 2004) since 1999, and a member of e-Groups (which later became Yahoo Groups) since moving back to Los Angeles in 1998. I brought together a group of fellow actors who wanted to rehearse or run lines or work out with one another pretty much right after moving here. I had just come out of grad school, where using online forums to connect between in-person meetings was just part of the deal. It was a natural progression, really. Creating the Yahoo Group for Hollywood Happy Hour was a bigger deal than I ever thought it would be, at the time. Every week, I’m amazed at the support, encouragement, and information that flows through that mailing list.

I know that social networking in its current form can be overwhelming. As much of an “early adopter” as I am, for technology, I’m also very much a “lurk then lead” type too. I’ll wait, watch, observe the culture, eventually join, and then BAM! I’ll be running the place. But I think I see too many eager (and well-meaning) actors jump in and start flailing—and publicly—without realizing the damage they may be doing to their industry relationships. There’s this one poor dude who has tweeted at me no fewer than 37 times (I blocked him once he got up there, in frequency) to spam out the link to his demo reel. Once I blocked him, he contacted me through LinkedIn. He posted to my Facebook fan page. He sent email to all of the email addresses he could find on me (and I have a lot). Do I now know his name? You betcha. And I will never be an inroad for him to get access to a producer or director whose contact information he could also abuse. All he has taught me is that he is not to be trusted behind a keyboard. And if you can’t be trusted with a computer, I sure as shit can’t trust you in a role opposite an Oscar, Emmy, or Tony winner who has agreed to do a gritty indie I’m casting.

No, I have never watched his reel. His talent is irrelevant, because his professionalism is non-existent. Too risky.

Why and how are things like twitter and facebook useful for actors?  Do you have any examples of actors who you think use those tools exceptionally well?

I’ve been saying for about a year now that I think Facebook will be done by 2012. It’s going the way of MySpace (and I’m not looking for debate on this). While some have said Tumblr would be its replacement, I’m not seeing that yet. I think Twitter will have a greater lifespan because of its non-forced-reciprocity. Because people can just be on-brand and share quick blasts from their various devices without having to endure the blather of folks who may find them fascinating, but not so much vice-versa, the Twitter micro-blogging format has staying power. Add “likes” (not just “favorites”) to the options, and we’re golden. Facebook—while amazing and certainly life-changing for many of its users—has led to social networking fatigue among many folks (including me) and as I see ridiculous “like” campaigns springing up, I know we’ve jumped the shark on its usefulness. At this point, we are all Zuckerberg’s data (not his customers).

Using the existing tools well means being on-brand with every status update, with every tweet: Coming up with a balance of actor news and real-life shares that help us truly “get” you and feel more connected to one another, even before we’ve met (or remind us of the existing connectedness, should we already know one another). Being responsive to a fanbase is essential, of course. But berating people into being your fanbase isn’t very cool. I’m not a huge fan of being overly promotional. I am, however, a fan of living authentically and thanking people who respond to that. Being engaged is great. And that takes time.

Actors need to be Googleable. They need to have their demo reel, headshots, resumé, and contact information totally out there, so we can bump into them when we need to find them, without having to click through pages of crap to get to them. We also shouldn’t have to—daily—unsubscribe from actor email blasts. It’s gross how many actors just sign us right on up, without asking, before sending out these “here’s what’s new in my career” e-blasts. They may have decided it’s harmless, because if we don’t want the emails, we just delete or hit unsubscribe. But what they’re not thinking through is the residual effect that has on our impression of them. If—when I see your headshot in an Actors Access submission—my reaction is, “Ooh! Spammer!” that’s not going to help you get called in. As for folks who are doing it right? The ones who email once and say, “Hey, Bon. I read for you on that industrial last month. I have a quarterly e-blast. May I add your email address to my list?” I’m actually more likely to opt in for that one, because of how outlandish the courtesy is. (And isn’t that a shame? Courtesy shouldn’t be outlandish.)

I sometimes worry that the group coming up behind me seems so much more focused on building an audience than they are on being great actors.  Sometimes Claire and I want to bang our heads on the wall and yell, “Get off twitter and go back to acting class!  Go rehearse a play!”  Do you worry about that or are we just being out of touch?

Ooh, girl! You’ve so hit a hot-button issue, here. Again, this one could be another article on its own. Ha! This goes back to the “like” campaigns. I received an email for Your Turn in my column a bit ago about someone who actually suggested that actors list their social networking stats (number of followers, fans, etc.) on their resumés. My exact response? “That right there is some BULLSHIT.” It’s gross. I can’t even begin to explain how gross I think it is. Let’s just leave it at that.

Is all of this busy work happening at the sacrifice of acting technique? Craft classes? Actual work on the work? Wow, I hope not! Let’s hope it’s happening at the sacrifice of chronic drug-taking or some other really bad habit.

All kidding aside, I don’t know that I’ve seen any sort of decline in acting class attendance lately. In fact, I’m seeing more acting coaches branch off from their “parent” studios to create their own schools these days. So, let’s hope that classes are full, the craft is still alive and well, and all this social networking is just obsessive busy work that some folks have taken to extremes. There’s always some silly Actor Mind Taffy-like activity taking actors’ attention; it’s just not usually stuff that other actors get to witness. Let’s say this falls in the category of the mass mailings to everyone in every guidebook sold at Samuel French. So, somewhere, someone has always been doing needless spaghetti slinging to try and get noticed, but observers wouldn’t see it. Now that it’s a social networking thing, y’all see it. You keep going on with your craft, ladies. The rest is just noise. A different bad, not-quite-tuned-in radio station, but the same noise.

Self Management for Actors is such an important idea – how did that book come about?  Can you share one idea from it with our readers?

I so love that li’l book. I really do. Basically, Self-Management for Actors started out as a collection of all the emails I had answered, in my first years of writing “Casting Qs” for Back Stage. Because I had interviewed hundreds of casting directors, it’s like I became the ad-hoc expert on trends in casting (because, back in those days, very few casting directors were actually going to speaking engagements, blogging, posting on message boards, or revealing anything about what their world was like, outside of interviews like the ones I was doing).

I was bombarded with emails from actors about everything. And I would always do my best to help. If I didn’t know the answer, I would research and find an answer. I’d connect with anyone who would talk with me—from SAG reps to TMA board members to city attorneys to child actor activist reps to members of the ATA to working actors to studio execs to top casting directors to trade publication journalists—and get answers. And then the book was born. It was the road map I would have wanted, back when I was an actor. It was all the stuff I sucked at, as an actor. And it’s what—for many talented actors—makes the difference between being “just talented” and being “castable.”

I’m thrilled that I was smart enough (or enough of a packrat, or both) to bring all of that great information together. I also never lose a contact. So, anyone who ever said something better—at a talk at SAG, during a panel discussion for which I was moderating, on a message board—I contacted and asked to contribute an essay to the book. I knew I didn’t want mine to be the book’s only voice. I’m very grateful for the contributions from so many people in this wonderful industry, filling that book. I’m very lucky that so many wonderful friends and colleagues have found the book worth contributing to, recommending, even buying in bulk and then donating to current students at their alma maters.

The overarching premise is that actors have far more control over their careers than they think they do. This town is designed to keep actors feeling powerless and small. My book is an attempt to say, “Hell no. That’s not true. Stop buying it just because that’s what they’re selling. THEY need you to feel small because if you realized how big you really are, THEY wouldn’t be in control.” And frankly, they’re not. We’re watching a revolution of self-producing happen. We’re in the midst of a major shift in the way people behave in this industry. Casting directors, agents, managers, producers, directors, publicists, showrunners, writers, development execs… they’re all sharing behind-the-scenes peeks into their worlds, when ten years ago, almost no one was (and those of us who did were ridiculed for doing so). And now, actors are putting together their own resource maps and sharing them with one another. When I got started, actors were rarely sharing tips with one another. If you could find one actor to mentor you, you were lucky. Twenty years ago, The Actors’ Network began building upon that model. Today, thousands of actors are creating resources for one another, sharing their journeys with one another, supporting and encouraging one another—and gleefully so. There’s very little of the old, “I had to work hard for it, so you have to figure it out like I did,” attitude in this generation.

Outstanding. That Self-Management for Actors has added to that generational evolution? Awesome. Lucky me.

I have this column of yours bookmarked because of all the fantastic practical advice it contains.  Which columns of yours do you consider ‘must reads’?

Ah, yes. The intro to the “Get Critiqued!” series. Lots of good links in that one. Thanks. I think one of the most valuable parts of “The Actors Voice” is that Showfax keeps everything free and searchable, so I can do those links back to previous columns, which means you can dig as deep as you’d like on any particular subject.

For me, the “must reads” are the ones I email out the most (and yes, I do answer my email, though it is getting harder to do so in a timely fashion, due to high volume). Those would be: I Think I Want To Be an Actor (for the just-starting-out type), Just Get Better (for the filled-with-excuses type), Help Us Help You (for the about-to-reach-out-to-anyone-for-help type), How To Network Badly (for the networking-phobic type), The CD Workshop Issue (for anyone wondering what actually changed when AB 1319 went into law, January 2010), Conspiracy of Yes (for anyone who wants to enjoy how far you’ve come every time you get anywhere close to a booking), and Get Ready for LA (for the moving-to-LA-soon type).  Also Agent-Free Auditioning. I get a lot of email about that one, from actors trying to go it on their own before they’re repped (and sometimes after).

I have personal favorites too, but those are probably the ones I hear the most about. I think I write about the same themes many times over (of course) and just come at the information from different directions, which helps folks who may not have “heard it” the first or second time. So, while the resource and tools columns are very popular, the ones on mindset and getting out of your own way are my faves.

Keep creating!

Bonnie, as you can see, is a very busy woman!  We were so thrilled she took the time to answer our questions.

You were one of the first (if not the first) providing advice and information to actors online.  How did your column, The Actors Voice, begin?

I had been writing for Back Stage (then called Back Stage West) for several years. I interviewed several hundred casting directors, and that’s how I ultimately got into casting—through a relationship created out of one of the interviews I had conducted. I’d been in love with the good folks at Breakdown Services for years by then, and they had used me as a moderator for many panels featuring casting directors, even while I was writing for Back Stage. About a year after I left Back Stage and after a series of meetings about a then-emerging tool called Actors Access, we started talking about having me write a weekly column for the site. Of course, I had been missing my weekly ritual of writing for actors, so I was thrilled to have a new home. Gary Marsh and Bob Brody gave me tons of room to play, and it’s been ridiculously fun to write every week.

How do your different roles – casting director, author, producer – work together?  Do they ever conflict?  Do you have any techniques for others that wear many hats for how to juggle it all?

I have to say, I’m very lucky for the timing, here. It’s a lot like Outliers, in that being born at the right place in the right era with the right skills can offer a huge advantage. I’m not saying I have that, because I’ve been a few years too early for comfort in this industry, sometimes, but I do have the great fortune of maybe looking like a trendsetter, simply because I’ve chosen to do something that wasn’t very popular… and then it got popular. Case in point: self-publishing my books. Back in 2002, when we published Casting Qs (based on my first hundred interviews for Back Stage), self-publishing was seen as a horrific thing. They called it “vanity press” and said we’d never get our books taken seriously at colleges and universities (which was, of course, a goal for us). Today, Self-Management for Actors is in its third edition (second printing) and on required reading lists at schools all over the country. And self-producing is not only hot now, it’s essential. Artists have to be hyphenates today.

“Hyphenate” used to be a dirty word. Now it’s not. But the key is being good at everything. Being only okay at a bunch of different things just makes you a flake. You have to be—especially in this town—exceptionally good at a few things to be taken seriously. And you have to be able to compartmentalize. You can’t flit around and be in “producer brain” when it’s time to write another book. And you can’t be in “casting mode” when you’re hiring your crew. A business partner friend of mine said just recently in a meeting—as I stopped myself on one thought, said, “Hang onto that,” and went into another one, and then came back to the original one as if taking the pause button off—”You’re like an air traffic control tower, in these meetings.” That focus, that segregation of issues, that ability to keep the chaos in order so that you can deal with only the most blazing fires first is key to juggling the hyphenate lifestyle. Not everyone’s brain is built for it.

For the past year or so, I’ve actually been transitioning out of casting (you’re getting a scoop, here) and I’m almost only ever casting projects I’m also producing. It is now taking a very special script (and/or a very special relationship with the producer or director) to woo me to “just cast” anymore. When we launched Cricket Feet, Inc., in 2002, we said our ten-year goal was to be producing. We have been producing now for a couple of years. I really like producing. I’m very good at it. I’m also good at casting—especially on the micro-budget indies and super-fun webseries—but I’m finding myself less interested in casting projects that I’m not also so passionate about that I take on a role as producer. So, to bottom-line the answer for you: Be in the moment. Deal with the most exciting and urgent things first. Rest when your body tells you that you should. Surround yourself with amazing people. Then, whatever amount of balls you’re juggling feels easy—or at least fun—to handle.

How did you get into casting?  Are there particular kinds of projects that you like to cast the most?

These days, I’m loving casting the ones I’m producing, of course. Webseries are fun because the scripts are coming to me at about the length of hour-long pilots for TV, but I’m given as much time as I would usually get for a low-budget feature film. That’s the best of both worlds, really. And I’m finding that I’m able to get some pretty fantastic people attached (folks you would never expect are interested in doing web-based work) because of where we are, in terms of the respect that web-based productions are now getting. I still love low-budget indies (I hover around the $2M mark) because that’s where my heart started, in casting. I had worked at the Sundance Institute in 2001 and 2002, so when I learned I loved casting, I knew I had to get into indie film.

My start was actually in reality TV for FOX. I had interviewed Katy Wallin (along with several hundred other CDs, of course) and she asked me to come work for her as casting coordinator on a new show. She ended up hiring me on a total of four shows (three as casting coordinator for FOX, one as full casting director for E!) and between each set of shows, I would take six weeks off and cast an indie film on my own. I was impatient. Didn’t want to work my way up through TV. Had film relationships… used ‘em. In 2007, I cast my first web-based project. Most recently for the web, I cast a time-travel short for Comedy Central’s Atom.com, a series of vids for Lie To Me doctor Paul Ekman, and the mega-hit zombie-killing Bite Me (the first-ever live-action series from mega-web distributor Machinima), which is now being shopped to television for its second season.

Should an actor prepare differently for indie feature auditions than they do for other kinds of work?

I think for all auditions, actors should be as prepared as they can be. And that doesn’t just mean the standard “learn your lines” type stuff. As anyone who has read my columns or books knows, I’m a research junkie. I can always tell the difference between an actor who has downloaded the entire script, really thought about who this character is and what world he or she inhabits, and then made some very specific choices based on those observations—even if they’re wrong—and the actor who grabs the sides, spends ten minutes with them, figures, “I’ve got this,” and wings it.

That’s not to say that the less-prepared actor can’t book it, but when you have so little in your control anyway, isn’t it best to have put at least as much as is within your control in the bank? Another part of that research, of course, is about the tone of the project. If it’s TV (unless it’s a pilot—and even then, you can track the previous work of the major players involved), you should watch episodes to get the tone of the space and time and world these characters inhabit. And don’t just watch the series regulars. Watch the characters in the roles the level at which you’re auditioning (co-star, guest star, non-celeb recurring). How do they serve each week’s story?

This is a little tougher with film, of course, unless it’s a franchise. But you can still get hip to what the filmmaker’s voice is, usually. And tracking previous collaborations, you can get to know whose work consistently turns them on, and that should help inform your choices (both for submitting and when auditioning). Research, research, research. Almost every piece of advice I ever give is rooted in research. And in having a healthy mindset. Because all the research in the world won’t matter if your head’s in the wrong place. Notice I haven’t mentioned talent. That’s a given. We expect you to be brilliantly talented. Because you are, right?

What are some of the ways that the industry has changed during your time working in it?  Where do you see it going?

Wow. Seeing as my first professional acting gig was in 1977, I’m gonna have a tough time pinning that answer down. Actually, maybe by having such a long-haul view of the industry, I could state it simply: There’s more access now. Before, there was no breakdown going out in front of the actors. You had to join SAG, get an agent, and hope the agent got you and believed in you enough to pitch you, get you into the room, and then your talent could take it from there. Now, the amount of work to which an actor has access—direct access—is astounding. And it’s not just “crappy low-budget nonunion work,” as the story is often told. There’s all sorts of work—and work being created by actors themselves—that is winning Emmys and getting distribution and that’s just incredibly empowering.

I see us shifting not only out of the studio system we were in long ago, but out of the era of media conglomerate as the owner of all: the creation, the production, the distribution. We’re witnessing a lovely evolution of mini-studios, mini-distribution entities, players that aren’t monopolies entering the field of distribution quietly while the huge corporations create vertically-integrated distribution structures, attempting to keep their products in front of people across as many platforms as technology will support. It’s the mini-studios that are the end result of the types of communities we’ve been building for years, here. This goes back to the Outliers model on which I created a class for hyphenates working on the Self-Management for Actors principles: Anywhere you can gather together a group of people who will co-conspire for the group’s collective success, you can witness a tier jump faster and farther than would ever happen for any of its members, on their own.

It’s an exciting time, and right now there’s more power in being “a little guy” who’s a member of an exciting creative community than there has ever been.

Photo by Holloway Pictures

RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL, CUT YOUR HAIR!!

Psst. Over here. I kind of wanted to keep quiet about this. They say that baseball fans are extremely superstitious. Well, if that’s true, than actors aren’t far behind. Every actor knows, when you feel like you’ve figured something out, unlocked the answer to some actor riddle, and it’s working, may lightning strike you down if you talk about it too much. If you do, you might jinx it. Nay, you WILL jinx it!! JINX! Okay, now that I’ve said that out loud, I believe that having done so, naturally, releases any superstitious negative outcome. Like when I’m on a flight and I start imagining the plane crashing, I then believe, of course, that since I’ve already played it out in my mind then, obviously, it won’t happen! That totally makes sense. Totally.

If you are of the human persuasion and an actor who auditions for commercials, then read on.

In a surprising and exciting turn of events I booked 6 national commercials in 7 months (2 for Time Warner Cable, 2 for Td Ameritrade, Dodge, and Southwest Airlines). It was actually 6 in 6 months, but I changed it to 7 because the double 6’s freaked me out when I saw them so close together. Eek. Now, maybe I magically and spontaneously became a better actress or more “real” “subtle” and “natural” in my auditions, but between you and me, I am pretty effing sure it’s because I cut my damn hair.

I have been blessed with having the same wonderful commercial agent for 6 years, Pam Sparks at Sutton, Barth & Vennari (as well as their recent fantastic addition, Rachele Fink). Over this time, I had many auditions and very, very, I mean very few jobs. My numbers really sucked. Bad. Yeah, I did get some callbacks, and some avails here and there. I booked a few small gigs that I either got cut out of or that didn’t run. Needless to say, I was waiting, ever so patiently, for my lovely agent to drop my ass.

Occasionally they would call me into the office to “discuss” why I wasn’t booking and I would inevitably get simultaneously awkwardly defensive and awkwardly apologetic. We always ended these discussions with a renewed (ahem, repeated) sit back and wait for “my time” attitude. Which is, frankly, often the case. Any good commercial agent, in my opinion, knows that it can take years, and literally hundreds and hundreds of commercial auditions, for that ever-elusive “click” to finally happen. It’s like dating. Sometimes you have to kiss a hell of a lot of frogs before that frog turns into a national commercial.

But I had hit the wall. I was carrying far too much tension at my auditions, and even more at my callbacks. I couldn’t stop that desperate energy from sifting out from my pores and bouncing off the walls. And I was so tired of seeing the commercials that I didn’t get mocking me during my favorite TV shows. I was even more tired of seeing them go to girl-with-short-wavy-bob. I became obsessed. For the non-actor, this seems crazy (and, um, it is.) I mean, really. It’s. Just. Hair. But for us, changing our look is a big deal. It means money, new headshots…it’s a commitment. And what if it doesn’t work? Then you have to wait for it to grow back and of course think of all the things you’ll be missing when it’s in the inbetween phase!! (Oh the neurosis.) You’ve convinced yourself that you’ve lost your “big break” job while you were growing out your bangs!

But this is what I’ve learned: when you’re not working as much as you think you should, then get out of your comfort zone and try something new. For me it was becoming the girl-with-short-wavy-bob. For you it could be something else entirely. But no matter what it is, the answer is right there in that little square rabbit-eared box. Oh god, I just aged myself..um..I mean, that 42 inch plasma screen box. I started looking and learning from commercials in a new way. I began dressing exactly the way they did. I studied the trends. Hair, make up, colors. This takes some self-reflection and honesty. Are you being realistic about your age range? Do you have a clear idea of your basic type? Also, simple things too like hair color. Is it dull on camera? Needs some highlights? Or is it dead from too many highlights? Do you even know? For men, is there a facial hair trend going on? And for those that can’t grow any, then how else does that look play out? There isn’t any one answer, but there are many practical things that you can do that may just help your chances in a very competitive industry.

This doesn’t have to be about a giant makeover or a huge overhaul. I asked one of my agents at SBV, Rachele Fink, to weigh in on the subject and she had this to say: “Commercials set the trends and hair is a major trend that young girls and women look for in commercials whether they actually think about it or not. One time I asked a girl if she would cut her hair, even just style it, and she said no, and I said this isn’t the agency for you because you won’t book with the same style from the 90′s. Actors have to be current and willing to set, and be able to change with the trends of our society.”

In my experience if you want to book commercials, you’ve got to conform, conform, conform. A tough pill to swallow? I know.

I get it. Two awesome lefty artist types in the East Village of New York City raised me, so the idea of conforming to the norm was totally against my grain. But in this case, the norm was working and I wasn’t. I had spent my whole life trying to be different, to be un-labelable. You know, Me! What I ultimately realized was that “me” is what books the job, and looking “right” for it just makes it easier for them to do it. Ultimately, your personality, your essence, your vibe is what people want to see and hire. But the commercial world also needs you to meet it halfway.

Jill Alexander, a friend and talented actress, has worked on over 50 National Commercials. She also teaches a fantastic commercial workshop, which I highly recommend, by the way (www.jillforpromqueen.com). This is what she said on the matter: “I think you have to be a real person in order to be successful in commercials. Which means wearing your hair in a way that makes you feel confident and attractive, and not in a way that makes someone else look confident and attractive. I do not believe that there is any rule of thumb. A smart haircut will help you in all aspects of your life.” I can’t speak for how that new haircut will go over at home, but feeling confident and contemporary will never hurt you at your auditions!

I bumped into an accomplished commercial casting director recently at Trader Joe’s. This particular office hadn’t called me in a really long time so I fumblingly saddled up to her in the cheese section and said hello. When she asked how I was doing, trust me, I was thrilled to finally be able to blurt out, “Great! I booked some stuff recently, and….well, I cut my hair. What do you think?”

And she quickly responded, while fingering through the Brie, “Ah, commercials…it is all about the hair….”

Shit. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself…

You can see Sunah & her wavy bob in action here and here.

Photo by Maya Adrabi

Tammy has nearly 15 years public relations experience providing her the opportunity to build long-standing relationships with a variety of media outlets. Starting her career at Medialink, the leading broadcast PR company in New York, Tammy was responsible for overseeing PR strategy and cultivating media contacts. Taking her knowledge and skills out on her own, she has worked on a variety of projects spanning the entertainment, lifestyle, technology, medical, non-profit, consumer product, and publishing fields.

At some point, and sooner than later if you’re taking your career bull by the horns, someone is going to say to you: “Send me your press kit” or “Email me your EPK (electronic press kit).” You’ll probably nod your head and reply “no problem” while secretly panicking inside because you meant to put one together but haven’t had time, and you don’t really know what it is or what goes in it, and blah…blah…blah. While I can’t drag you over to your computer to start packaging your materials, I can tell you what steps you need to take to get that kit together. In other words, your excuses end here!

First, I like to start by figuring out what the purpose of the kit is. Are you sending it out to the media or to potential agents & managers? This is important because they don’t necessarily contain exactly the same thing. I like to refer to a package you’re sending to the media as a “press” kit and a package you’re sending for self-promotion as a “personal” kit.

Second, are you sending out hard copy kits or emailing it? With hard copy kits, the more pages you create the pricier the printing costs get. You’ll need to compile everything into a folder and factor in the cost of postage, courier, or gas if you’re delivering it yourself. Another option is having the kit available as an E.P.K. (electronic press kit), which is an electronic version that you can either attach to an email or make accessible as a download from your website. It contains the same information as the hard copy kit, and the only distribution cost might be hiring someone to help you format it for delivery. Make it as compressed of a PDF file as possible without losing quality because no one likes waiting too long for downloads. Along with this file, you can also attach your demo reel or teaser footage to support the information in the kit.

Now that you know there’s more than one kind of kit, let’s figure out what goes in each of them.

The Dreaded Bio

Every kit needs a biography. I know, I know — you hate your bio! But, this is probably one of the most important pieces in any kit, so you need to create one you love…or at least one you can live with. There are different types of bios depending on its purpose: press kit, IMDB, personal website, promotional package, theatre program, etc. For this article, the type I’m talking about is a ‘full length’ bio for inclusion in a press kit. This is often the most difficult to write and the basis for all the others.

Craft a bio that tells your story, something we wouldn’t have known from just reading your resume. It can be more than one paragraph, but not longer than a page; and it doesn’t have to be told in chronological order. You can start with your biggest successes and head backwards into how you got to where you are today or you can create a theme that explains how your personal life experience has helped you in your professional career. You don’t need to reveal anything that makes you uncomfortable or that you wouldn’t want to see in print and it never hurts to inject a little bit of your personality into it either. For a examples of a good actor bio and a not-so-good, click here.

Please Release Me

A press kit can include a press release that highlights you or your current project. If you’re sending a kit to the media, it’s because you’re looking to gain coverage of some sort. Whether you’re seeking a feature story about you or a review of your latest theater production, a press release contains all the basic information: Who, What, When, and Where, along with a news-hook to grab the reader’s attention. A reporter will also consider the urgency of your story idea. If you think logically and ask yourself “why is this important right now?” you’ll begin to understand how a reporter approaches story ideas. Typically, they like to cover stories either before or as they’re happening, not two months after your show airs, so keep your releases about future events.

A release can also be included in a personal kit, even if it’s highlighting something that has already occurred. Releases written for this use can be longer in length, incorporate additional background details, and help to fill out a package if you don’t have a lot of other stuff to include.

For sample press releases, click here.

One-Sheet…or Two

Personal kits often include ‘one-sheets’. Just as a movie poster is a one-sheet for a specific film, you can create one-sheets for yourself or any of your projects. These are literally one-page in length, crafted to highlight a specific project or success, and they usually contain more pictures, logos, and elements of eye-candy than actual written text.

For example, using a specific role you booked on a TV show: at the top of the page is a photo of you on-set and next to it a quick description of your role on the show; below that in the middle of the page you might have the networks logo and the stats on how the show did in the ratings that week; and at the bottom of the page another photo of you in costume or sitting in the make-up chair and a quote about your performance from the director or casting director.

Another example, using a web series you created and starred in: at the top is the web series logo and a brief description of your participation in it; in the middle of the page are a few photos of you on-set and some stats on how many viewers you’ve had or where it launched, and at the bottom of the page are simple descriptions or logos from any awards you’ve won, festivals you’ve screened at, or possibly quotes from press you might have received.

This is your opportunity to go crazy with Photoshop if you have the skills, but these can also be created in standard programs like Word. There are lots of places to view examples and get templates, just search online for ‘one-sheet’.

Clip-Clip-Clippings

I get asked all the time, “So, what exactly am I supposed to do with all these interviews?” Well, this is the place to strut your stuff. Gather them up, scan them into your computer and create pages of your clippings. You can reproduce an entire article or just pull out the best blurbs about you. Be sure to label the source or add the outlet’s logo next to each quote and arrange these in a visually stimulating way similar to a one-sheet. You can sort them by project if you have interviews that span over a number of projects; and you don’t have to include the date if some of your clippings are older. These are your bragging pages, so don’t hold back.

Now that you’ve create these pages, it’s time to think logically again about when to use them. As a general rule, the press doesn’t really care about what other press thinks of you or your project. You don’t usually see Variety quoting Entertainment Weekly…or Deadline.com quoting EXTRA! They want to make up their own minds without any outside influence, which means they’re not really interested in clippings that contain reviews or opinions about something they’re also going to review or cover. The exception is when a reporter is covering you for a feature about the entire body of your work. So, when do you use these clippings pages? In your personal kit, attach them to your website, send them to casting directors, or give them to your agent electronically to help them pitch you.

Say Cheese

Photos are a must with any press kit. Whether you work them into the one-sheets, embed them into your bio or keep them separate, a good photo is worth 1000 words.

When putting together your press kit, keep in mind that reporters love to get behind-the-scenes photos, even if you’re just sitting in the make-up chair. I suggest always taking your own camera with you to set even if you can’t use the photos until after the show airs. You might consider having a few posed shots available for reporters to print as well. Every actor has a headshot, so you can use these to send out, But you might go back and review the session again to find ones that you liked better than your agent…and use them.

Next time you get headshots taken, consider snapping a few shots for editorial purposes. Not sure what I mean by editorial photos? Flip through some of your favorite magazines and pay attention to the photos. Not the advertisements, but the ones that contain the people who are featured in the stories. Notice that a lot of the time they aren’t just your standard head. They can be simple or crazy, placing you in an environment that relates to your role in a specific project or your overall career path. These types of photos can always be cropped if the reporter doesn’t have enough room to print the entire scenario, and who know…you might just get a unique headshot out of it that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

Of course for personal kits, your photos really need to target the recipient. If you’re sending to an agent or manager, then be sure to send your best headshots; and don’t forget to attach your resume.

More Stuff

Create your kit to look like a cohesive package. You can use the same header design, logo, or color scheme throughout to make it feel like a single campaign.

Other stuff to think about: If you’re a director/producer/creator of a project, it’s perfectly normal for you to write and include a page of “Notes” that tell the story about how your project started or a behind-the-scenes account of the production. Also, a cast and crew list is a good idea to include for kits that focus on an entire project, but not necessary for an individual’s kit. If you’re an actor or musician, include a demo of your work in hard copy kits, but not always necessary when sending to the media.

Overall, the most important part of any kit is simply getting it done. Stop worrying about whether you have enough stuff or the “right” stuff to put in it…just get started!

Visit Tammy’s website at www.SpotlightPRCompany.com & sign up for her newsletter in which she shares PR tips, media details, and resources. She’ll be back next week sharing info on time-lines for your publicity outreach.