Life is busy, both for Ed and myself, but anytime I email him asking for a lunch date, he always gives me a time within the month, assuming that he is in town (that said, for a good portion of the last year, at the age of 81, he has been touring the country, with his one-man show: an honest, dynamic, 90-minute portrayal of FDR).   This lunch is different though, and he knows it.  This one is… on the record.  However, no real agenda exists.   It’s merely an excuse to capture a fraction of his wisdom in print.

I offer to pick him up at his home in Valley Village – he still drives, but judiciously.  It’s a modest house, in no way indicative of the person who resides inside, that, like it’s inhabitant, contains a rich history of our industry.  Every tabletop has a plethora of awards on it, not for need of self-reassurance, but more due to economy and lack of storage space.  The coffee table, nightstand, mantle, office desk, and more all house Emmy Awards.  A furniture piece in the kitchen contains five Golden Globes, all side-by-side.  Another table contains a hodgepodge of awards from TV Guide to TV Land – all denoting some sort of life achievement.   The rest of the mantle, which, as said, is bookended by Emmys, contains a variety of items that can only be associated with an icon.  A handful of dolls representing the likes of everyone from Lou Grant to Carl Fredricksen (his character in Disney/Pixar’s UP), a photo of him playing Celebrity Jeopardy, his grinning mug gracing the front of a Wheaties cereal box, and a handful of photos with friends over the years – from embracing Betty White in a bear hug to playing games with Richard Dreyfuss.  Everything feels commonplace in its space, but it adds up to an extraordinary life.

Even before Ed voices his choice of restaurant, I know where we are going, for often our elders become creatures of habit. The Eclectic Café in North Hollywood is near his house, boasts affordable meals, and the management always greets him with a hug upon entrance.  I can’t blame him for being a repeat customer.  We sit down and order.   I know this lunch will not be as casual as those previous, because as I tell him, it’s my goal to in some small way, communicate to others how special these outings are to me.  “You’re kind of like my Morrie, ya know?”  He looks like he wants to throw up upon hearing that.  I ignore it, and take it for what it is: an expression from a man who knows his bark is part of his charm.  I know, in the end, the conversation will take its own path, as it always does.

“What was your first role?” I begin.  “I was paid for the first time when I joined a playwright’s theater club after getting out of the army.  It was populated with people from the University of Chicago.”  “Do you have a favorite role?” I ask.  “Favorite role.”  A pause, while he searches through a catalogue of parts that is likely well into the four digits now.  “I loved doing KING HENRY IV PART I.  It was my second year at that theater.  It has some of the most interesting speeches in Shakespeare.  I was also highly praised for my Prospero (from Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST).”  I chimed in, “I think everyone inherently expects that you would say Lou Grant.” “Yes,” he starts, “but that is much later.  When I think of the totality of Lou Grant, nothing is even close.  Plus the fact that it is my singular achievement, in being awarded Emmys for portraying Lou Grant as both a comic and dramatic character.  I am the only one who got Emmys like that.”

“You are known for being politically active,” I say, punctuating that this interview will cover a variety of ground, as his career is not one to be summed up in sound bites and easy answers.  “Yea, but only since I acquired fame as an actor,” he responds.  “I would contribute when I could and give my name.  After the success of LOU GRANT is when it started to count – to the point that it led to the cancellation of the series.  I agreed to be on a board supporting medical aid in El Salvador with other actors, including Howard Hesseman and Lee Grant.  We went to New York and Washington to make an announcement of its formation and contribution to provide medical aid.  Because of my popularity in playing Lou Grant, I became chief spokesman.  I read the preamble of the group and we opened up to questions (at a press conference).  The second question was from a cable news reporter who asked if I was in favor of free elections in El Salvador.  I said ‘Yes,’ with which he followed, ‘What if those elections yield a communist government.’”  Ed makes a face, indicating he was both frustrated and taken aback.  “This is 1982 – the second year of Reagan’s presidency – and the question was out of left field.  I gave some sort of waffle answer and went on to the next question, and gave a limp answer there too.  The whole time I was thinking, ‘I have been avoiding putting myself on the line, taking a stance, all this time, protecting myself, to come here now and waffle?’  So I went back to the guy who asked the question and said that I wasn’t satisfied with my first answer.  I said that if that is the government the people of El Salvador choose, then so be it.  But in saying that I knew I was dooming myself, and to a degree, my career.  And in all the controversy that followed, that particular statement was never mentioned, but I was immediately regarded as a Communist.” (It’s true that to date, more than once, I have friends or acquaintances ask me if Ed was, in fact, a Communist.  He is not, though I find it intriguing that belief still occupies a space in some people’s mind above his work and craft.)  “I was accused of giving union money to the organization, which is not true.  I was immediately attacked by Charlton Heston for not properly identifying the fact that I was not speaking as President of the Screen Actors Guild at that time.  Nothing less would have satisfied him than me cutting my throat in public.” (For more information, see this November 1982 feature in PEOPLE).

“Did you and Charlton Heston ever talk directly about your issues?”  He pauses.  “During my first meeting as President (of the Screen Actors Guild), he had assembled a group outside.  The board was about to pass the absorption of extras into the union.  He was outside with news cameras, along with some stuntmen and day players who supported his opposition, fearful that extras would take their jobs away.  I went out there to confront the press.  Charlton Heston acted like he owned the guild up until that point.”

“Were other known actors posing problems?  Any other known actors in the opposition?”  “He was representing the elitist actors.  We had an election deciding the fate of the extras.  It was to decide whether to bring in the 1500 extras who didn’t have SAG cards.  Their union had gone belly up.  The union represented them throughout the east, in Hawaii, and so on, and it was only in California and on the west coast that they weren’t represented.  And the vast majority of extras had SAG cards already.  We had two elections and to be fair, we went as far as to dictate that we didn’t need a majority, but a 2/3 plurality.  But we never got it.  Not then.  After I left office though, it became automatic under some other law.”

“Where do you think the balance is regarding an artist/actor’s position in the greater political sphere,” I followed up, knowing that, in my mind, the line is gray and completely dependent on circumstance.  “Do you mean, should he keep his mouth shut?” he asked, reminding me there is no need for formalities – and he is right, sometimes one should simply say what they mean.   “No,” I respond.  “Not that – everyone is entitled to an opinion.  I just don’t ever want to speak with authority in an arena where I lack education.  But at the same time I do believe that individuals have a duty to use their name and energy and talents to raise awareness for issues that aren’t receiving attention.”  He seems pleased that this is now a dialogue.  He responds, “There is no balance.  Nobody takes into consideration that it is perfectly right for John Q. Public to say, “Who the fuck are you to be telling me what to think?’  Because I am a celebrity, people will open their ears when they might not give the time of day to another person.  But you must also take into account that once an actor takes a position, he may well alienate 50% of his viewing public, and that becomes problematic for the producers.  He is in essence endangering his career.  People don’t consider that.  I won seven Emmys and five Golden Globes before I had the courage to become outspoken.”

I wanted to dive into politics fairly early on, knowing it would eliminate the need for any type of proper question-and-answer etiquette.  At the same time, I also wanted to ensure we dedicate time to what is at the heart of Ed, his work and his craft.

“So many actors, even after they ‘make it,’ fear that it won’t continue.  Did you ever fear that it could stop?” “Sure.  I came to California in 1961.  I worked and worked, getting a little more money, some better roles and such, for seven years.  Then the bottom fell through.  I stopped getting roles.  I went through years of fret and worry.  I had three kids.  I feared I’d have to walk away from my house.  Then that third year was the busiest year I had ever had.  I made $50,000.  And the following year was Mary Tyler Moore.  Young actors now can worry about winning and losing, but it’s always been like that.  How do you get over the fear of not knowing where the next job is coming from?  You learn to live with it.” He adds, as an after-thought, knowing that he should offer something a little more tangible.  “Some actors decide to produce as well.  But there are few successful actor/producers.  Tom Hanks is certainly one.  Danny DeVito is another.  People seem to find that little dwarf exciting.”

“Did you always want to be an actor?” “I didn’t think it was something you did.  I was a bourgeois from Kansas City.  Doctor.  Lawyer.  Even Indian Chief.  But actor?  In college I went to a summer school and decided to try out for a play.  T.S. Eliot’s MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL.  I ended up being the lead.  I was hooked.”

“What are your thoughts on the theater?” “I think it’s the place to start but I don’t care if I ever go back to the theater.  There are as many phonies on stage as there are in front of a camera.  That said, it’s the place to learn.”

“What actor have you most enjoyed working with?” “Mary (Tyler Moore), of course.  Jack Lemmon was wonderful (shared credits include FACE OF A HERO on Broadway, and the Oliver Stone film JFK).  And Steven Weber – I loved working with him (they collaborated on Aaron Sorkin’s STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP).

“Are you a workaholic?  Are you ever going to stop?” “Is that the sign of a workaholic?  What else am I good for?”  I elaborate, “I didn’t know if you would ever reach a time where a 7am call time wasn’t attractive anymore.” “This is probably one of my many gaseous statements but I liken myself to a musical instrument.  When presented with the libretto by an author, I aim to be the best instrument to hit the notes.  I am a specialist.”

“How important is it as an actor to have a career that spans multiple mediums?  At 81, and with your history, you still work in a variety of fields.  Film, TV, theater, video games, music videos, voice-over, etc.”  “You learn from it all.  I feel I can get as great an epiphany from doing a voice-over as I can from being on a stage in front of 7000 people – which is too many anyways.  The ideal theater seats 500.”

“Do you have thoughts on the current state of Hollywood?” “Oh I don’t think we’re progressing at all.  There is more youth-oriented bullshit, more zany comedy – which to me is meaningless.  To expect the appearance of a SOME LIKE IT HOT out of the comedies out there now – not a chance.” I knew that we were entering back into a dialogue, as this topic is one we frequently revisit.  For him to believe that good work no longer exists is, to me, both unbelievable and false, as he himself is still currently a part of great art.  I start, “But you have to admit, there is still a lot of good work being done as well.” “Where?  Like what?” he yells, knowing his answers before I utter my questions.  “Let’s look at the last few years I said. “WINTER’S BONE.  THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT.  For heaven’s sake, what about UP?”  “Yes,” he concedes, “but look at 1939.”  I remind him that believing there is good work now in no way discredits the amazing work that has come before.  I also point out that crap has always existed; we just choose to remember the good work.

We are well into our second hour, so I make the decision to start approaching a finish line of sorts. “What do you want people to remember you for?  What do you want your legacy to be?” He grunts. “You do know you will have one, right?” I kind of sheepishly respond.  “I don’t know anything.  That’s too awesome to assume.”  I tell him that it is with the greatest confidence that I know his career is one that will be perpetually referenced and remembered. “Do you want to be remembered for acting?”  He softens, “I look at Kirk Douglas.  I look at what that son-of-a-bitch has put away in his life.  Lonely are the brave.  He has a lust for life.”

“Who do you still want to work with?” Without missing a beat, he gives his list, “Edward Norton.  Roberto DeNiro.  I would like to see what Philip Seymour Hoffman is like in combat.  Harrison Ford.  I think he could hold his own with me.”

“Do you have a method?” “It’s all innate.  If necessary I will try to change the dialogue if it doesn’t reflect the feeling.  But that’s with inferior writers.  Note that there are also writers who should kill you if you try to change their words.   What I was taught is that it is all about ‘doings.’ Every utterance by you is done to affect somebody.  Be it God.  Or your inner being.  To convince yourself.  To convince your friend.  Active verbs.  Convince.  Demonstrate.  Question.”

“Are you happy?” I question.  As suspected, he answers with an emphatic no.  For even if Ed was happy, I would still expect him to say no.  “Why aren’t you happy?” I follow up.  “Have you looked around you?  The state of our nation?  The state of our world?  We live in a jungle.  You are talking about divorcing our lives from what’s around us.  Maybe someone successful during the Depression could do that.  But I doubt it.  They turned their back on the starving and the unemployed.  I can’t do that.”

I remind him that out of thousands and thousands of actors in the world, his career is in the top 1%.  If he is not happy, with all the opportunities and recognition he has received, what hope does the rest of the acting community have? “That’s their problem,” he laughs. He continues, seriously, “The point is, the work is the glory.  It’s not that there are not rewards, but to be able to have a moment in front of a camera, or on a stage, where you hear the pin drop, that’s what we’re all here for.  Acting is a job like any other, in that, when you do it well, that’s where the joy is.  I think I am being honest.  Yes.  There is the selfish part that is being watched by thousands or millions, and when that leads to money, it’s all well and good.  But it’s like when a tree falls in the forest, you know?  It’s the same as having that moment.  Having that moment in your mind and in your heart – that is when the solace comes.  You will always have that moment.”

We get ready to leave the restaurant.  They inform us that our bill has been taken care of by the joint’s owner.  I know this can’t be completely foreign to Ed, but he still acts shocked and tries to fight it.  Part of his rough exterior undoubtedly comes from the fact that he is continually showered with praise and lifted up so high.  He has to somehow offset it, and indicate that it hasn’t gone to his head.

Ed stops for a second, his expression indicating he wants to end today’s lunch on a challenge rather than a mere statement. “I fear for all art.  There is a wonderful quote from Brecht: ‘Art is not a mirror held up to society, but a hammer with which to shape it.’  Is Tony Kushner our last hammer?” he asks.  “So if you fear for art,” I say, “is it then up to artists to save it?”

“Yes,” he says, “We have to find the artist who will do that.”

Andrew and Ed, on set.

Andrew Carlberg is an independent film and theater producer, currently working for Executive Producer Laurie Zaks on the hit ABC series CASTLE.  He also founded and chairs The 4th Wall, a theater initiative in partnership with The Geffen Playhouse.  Theater: THE MERCY SEAT (L.A. Premiere; VS Theatre at The Ford); WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH (West Coast Premiere; Rogue Machine at The Lounge); 110 STORIES (L.A. Premiere at The Geffen Playhouse); DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL MAKES LOVE (World Premiere; Comedy Central Stage and Rogue Machine).  Film: AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL (written by Neil LaBute; starring Sarah Paulson and Wes Bentley; World Premiere: Palm Springs Int’l ShortFest) and I HAVE IT (written by Bekah Brunstetter; starring Larisa Oleynik and Devon Gummersall; World Premiere: Rhode Island Int’l Film Festival).  Andrew also has a handful of music videos to his credit.  For more information, visit www.westernskiesproductions.com.

Joy has given us an excerpt from her book Pitch Perfect: Communicating YOU Flawlessly and is offering the whole book to Minerva readers for $5.

5 Ways to Woo the Media

Don’t just contact members of the press. Wow them! Here are 5 easy ways to make a beautiful and lasting impression with media professionals. Use these tips to solidify your connections and you might find that you’ll get called again and again to be featured.

1. Figure out why you want them. Before you approach a particular journalist, make sure you know why you want them. Be clear about your pitch and why it fits their needs, beat, style, strengths and interests.

2. Familiarize yourself with their work. Writers write for people to read their work. Broadcasters want to be watched. Nothing is more flattering than experiencing someone who’s familiar with their work and possibly a fan. Isn’t it flattering when people know your work?

3. Respect their time. Before you start a live conversation with any media professional, take a minute to ask them if this is a good time for them. Be on time for scheduled interviews. And, be flexible to accommodate their schedule.

4. Get to know the human behind the story. Make personal connections without overstepping your boundaries. If you both went to UCLA, make the connection. Talk about being parents, being single, being from Florida. Do your research on the media pro and see if it unveils similarities. This can be found by reading their bio or wiki page. TIP: Try casually bringing up the commonality from your perspective and allow them to make the connection.

5. Offer them your help for free. Media professionals always need good leads or experts for their stories. Offer to help them get those leads whenever possible and offer your help for free. This will keep you in the know about what they’re working on and make you a trusted ally.

Would you like to read the whole e-book?  Joy is offering Pitch Perfect for only $5 for Brains of Minerva readers.  Get it here.

Want more great reading on self-PR?  Check out these posts:

Ask Joy – Publicist Joy Donnell on the Red Carpet and Spreading the Word About You

Ask Joy – Publicist Joy Donnell on Rebranding Your Acting Career After Working in Reality TV

Ask Joy – Publicist Joy Donnell with a 2011 DO List

Ask Joy – Publicist Joy Donnell on Press Releases, Blogger Briefings and Getting the Word Out

An Expert’s Tips on Assembling Your Press Kit (Yes, You Need One!)

How & When to Reach Out to the Press

Ask Joy – Publicist Joy Donnell on Freeing Yourself from False Impediments

Ask Joy – Publicist Joy Donnell on Starting Twitter Chats

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

Ms. Joy,

I want to do something fun and different, particularly different for me. I’ve been toying around with the idea of starting my own Twitter chat. I’ve participated in a ton of them and I’ve seen how it helped the owner’s Twitter following and reputation grow. I think that doing one myself will really help my branding, respect, and word of mouth.

The only thing is I have no idea what to do or how to do it. I’m also not sure what’s off limits to use as a topic. I don’t want to be boring and I don’t want to be a repeat. Can you give me some ideas of how to brand and publicize my Twitter chat successfully?

-Feeling Chatty

Dear Feeling Chatty,

I love Twitter chats! They’re a great way to share information, engage the Twitter community, gather fans and followers, sell products (indirectly) and just have fun.

I’ve helped market and grow Twitter chats and I participate in Kellye Crane’s #solopr whenever I can because I’m inspired by the topics. However, I’ve never started a Twitter chat myself because it is a true labor of love. Before you go down this road, make sure you have time to devote to it. The last thing you want is to start cancelling chats or letting your topic collect a thick layer of dust. With that in mind, branding and publicizing your chat boils down to topic, time, technique, and talking about it.

You can’t start from where you are until you know where that is, so, although picking your topic can seem banal, it’s actually fundamental. If you’re aiming for the chat to increase your brand awareness, then your topic needs to make sense for your brand and adhere to your key messages.  If you keep your chat close to your brand’s core, you will better resist the temptation to let the chat be all things to everyone just so it will grow. Be on brand and on topic and grow a true community from there.

Your chat is going to be identified by a hashtag [ # ] and this needs to be catchy as well as memorable. Since tweets can only be 140 characters, I suggest picking a chat name that is 6-9 characters including the hashtag. This way, tagging won’t eat up too much of anyone’s tweet.

Once you have your topic and fabulous name realized, you need to decide when your chat will take place. Again, be realistic about how much time you can give this. The only rule with time is to be consistent. If you want to do every Tuesday at 2PM EST, then let it be that. If you know you only have the first Tuesday of every month, then you better pick that time slot.

Your chat can’t grow if folks don’t know when to find you. Recall every time a network has messed with the timeslot of your favorite show- it will feel just like that to your tweeps if you let them down with the schedule.

The next important step is to determine your technique or chat style. You can keep it free flowing and informal where everyone jumps in suggesting topics, you can be structured with a Q & A style or, you can even bring in special guests who have deeper insight of the topic. Again, the only rule is to stay consistent so that people know the rules.

After you get all the details out of the way, you can move on to the publicity. You have to talk about the chat and give it life. Make a webpage just for the chat that explains what it is or add the details to your website. Let all of your contacts on all your social networks know about it and invite them to join in. List the details in your email signature and on your business cards. Seek and search for strangers on Twitter who might find interest in your topic and invite them to join in.

Don’t stop, yet. List your information in this free Google Twitter chat spreadsheet that anyone can access as long as they have the link. Be friendly to newbies- who might be overwhelmed- by retweeting what they contribute or giving them a personal shoutout after the chat. Let all your chatters know that everyone’s insight is valuable.

By linking your topic to your brand, keeping a reliable schedule and format, and spreading the word in fun, friendly ways you can grow a Twitter chat that will complement your overall brand goals. Plus, you’ll meet some amazing folks along the way. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Keep rising!
Joy

If you have a publicity or PR-related question to ask Joy, send it to joy@doitinpublic.com with the subject “Ask Joy”.

Ms. Joy,

How do you overcome the fear and anxiety that comes with being out there and being seen? I desperately need publicity and without it nothing happens for me. The problem is that I always have these doubts that keep me from doing what I need to do. I’ll take new publicity photos and then get scared to show them to anyone because of what they might criticize. I hate my bio because it’s just awful. I never want to give it to reporters when they ask for it.

I get sweaty and tongue-tied when I interview. I also don’t network well. I’m never really sure how to introduce myself to people and what I should be trying to accomplish when I meet someone new.

The icing on the cake is how foreign this all feels to me. Publicizing myself feels like bragging and some kind of “hey, look at me” thing. That’s not how I was raised. My childhood was the be seen not heard type and I still get reminded of that by my family. They really criticize the things I do and honestly, it deflates me when they judge me.  I try to not let it affect me but I never shake it. All these doubts are holding me back. I just do nothing.

I’m very driven and I want to be successful on my own terms. You might read this and think I need a psychotherapist. I know this isn’t what you normally give tips about but I really need your help.

̶ Holding On

Dear Holding On,

I can give you a laundry list of tips yet, it won’t mean anything until you’re ready to take the reins. I won’t suggest a psychotherapist but, we all need a confidant. So, I do suggest you get someone you can trust and talk to regularly.

A lot of our views about ourselves get burdened by bunk we carry around from our past. We know our baggage can affect our self-worth and self-esteem but it also affects our self-publicity. If, deep down, you don’t feel fantastic about yourself, you probably can’t encourage other people to feel fantastic about you, your career or your products. That is, after all, what you’re really asking people to do when you self-promote.

When I came to Hollywood and started working with talent, I assumed my biggest challenge would be yanking folks off the red carpet, as if everyone would be glory hogs. Reality showed me the opposite: many people are shy, terrified of doing press, and bogged down by doubts placed upon them by others as well as themselves.

Most of the fear comes from not knowing. Whether it’s not knowing how you’ll be judged or how the interview will go or what message you need to get across, the fear pauses you. This fear confuses you and makes you so scared of wrong moves that you make no moves. That’s how you end up spending time and good money on new publicity photos just so you can show them to no one.

Anxiety’s a natural part of every publicity campaign. Every pro has that nail-biting moment because of all the known unknowns and unknown unknowns involved. My suggestion to overcome it from a publicity standpoint is to get real, get support, and get bold.

You will never open up your mouth to promote yourself with confidence if you don’t have clarity first. You need to get real about the core of your message and what you’re all about. Getting real about this will help you also get real about what you want versus what you never want, what you can give and what you want to get. You’ll be acutely aware of what your publicity campaign really needs to do for you.

If you clarify your message to yourself, you’ll know what your message needs to be to others. You will introduce yourself with power because you know what you want to say. You’ll put together a better bio because you know what message it needs to convey. Plus, you’ll convey your message with consistency because you know how to stay on point. Consistency inspires trust and trust inspires love for your brand.

Once you get real about your message, you need to get real about your support base. We all need a support system. If the one you have isn’t working, you must organize a new one. Perhaps a college friend is a better source of encouragement than your family. Maybe you should reach out to someone you admire to be your mentor. Either way, you need to seek out and nurture the people who will really support you. Their words of encouragement and constructive criticism can slowly replace the doubt-inducing words you’ve been building off of until now. Your support team will also help you spread the word. Good word of mouth is the best buzz there is.

With clarity and proper support in your arsenal, you will notice a change in your swagger. You’ll talk differently because you know what to say and you’ll walk differently since you’re no longer weighed down by boo boo. Now, you can get bold. The best way to be irreplaceable is to always be different. Keeping things new and fresh not only excites consumers, it also invigorates you. It’s tough to be scared when you’re invigorated.

Look for fun, exciting ways to convey your message. Shake things up with a cool Youtube video. Collaborate with someone unexpected that can strengthen your brand (think Queen Latifah and Cover Girl).  Turn one of your competitors into a partner.

The point is to free your campaign from false impediments. Publicity is supposed to provide possibilities. We put things out there because you never know what can happen, who might find it, and what elevation may result from it. It’s like life- anything can happen for those who are brave.

Keep rising!

If you have a publicity or PR-related question to ask Joy, send it to joy@doitinpublic.com with the subject “Ask Joy”.

Fast forward to the present – we have learned the hard way that, though loyal, our (thoughtful, creative & attractive) audience is quite specific, and, uh, this demographic doesn’t have the reputation for being too spend-y. These, unfortunately, are not qualities that excite advertisers. We are too niche.

Producing this content takes many (many!) hours each week, and each year we pay hosting/server fees, banking fees, and business taxes. We get a lot out of putting this site together, and we know you get a lot out of reading it: we see our audience growing, and you tell us how much the site means to you when we meet you out and about in LA and New York.

These are uncertain times at Minerva. We are attempting to figure out the viability of the site for the long-term and are exploring our next steps. In the meantime, will you make a donation in honor of the value you’ve received from the site and its fully searchable archive? $10 would be great, and if you can afford more, please consider a larger donation to compensate for those who can’t contribute.

Now is your chance to let us know how important this site is to you. If you’re a performer your donation is tax deductible as an education expense, and all donors can choose to be listed on our Donation Wall with the cute/inspirational/self-promoting tag line of your choice!

Thank you for helping make Brains of Minerva healthy & sustainable, the way it strives to make your life in acting.

Photo by Webtreats

So, you want to answer phones for the people who make movies happen? You dream about making copies for the guy who sold a TV show that ran for three seasons on CW a couple years back?  Are you dying to be the guy who tells the extras where to eat their lunch?  Let’s make that dream come true!

These are the jobs are on the “inside” where you can learn the true ins and outs of the business.  It’s a learning education second to none.

As a rule industry office jobs and production jobs are not for busy actors who need to be free for frequent auditions.  But if you’re not too busy during the day these jobs let you make some great connections and you can see how this business is really run while you build up your credits.  You might end up befriending an insider who’s supportive of your career.  If you ARE a busy actor (lucky you) I’ve thrown in a couple places where personal assistant jobs are posted.  These can  sometimes be flexible and depending on the client can lead to some good connections.  They key to a happy working environment is to be honest when you’re hired.

I started out as an intern at a production company while I was acting and had a national commercial running.  I figured I’d make a few connections and move on when I booked my next big job.  A year and a half and one promotion later I hadn’t done anything else with my acting career and I was spending 9 hours a day behind a desk.

Most companies won’t allow you a 2 hour lunch break so you can run to Santa Monica for an audition.  As one sadistic producer said to me, “In some places if a single incoming phone call goes to voicemail, you get fired.”  There are some laid back people in this business but even they expect their underlings to be committed and focused.  I got “asked to leave” my old job when I took off a few days to get married. I convinced them I wouldn’t do it again and they let me stay on until my auditions started picking up and I volunteered to go.

I did make some amazing connections while working at the production company which did film and some TV development.  It wasn’t a central hub like working at an agency but I met some great producers who have been invaluable resources during my journey through this business.  As an actor networking with film producers can be tricky because most of them can go years between times they’re casting something and even then it’s often the director’s call who gets hired.  Still, they know people who know people.  A good producer can be a good friend to an actor.

By some amazing luck I managed to get to my commercial agent through my job at the production company.  For a few months we shared offices with a top tier management company.  One of the Junior Managers and I were friendly and he introduced me to an agent he had just met at a party.  She had only been at her current position for a month and was building up her client roster.

Some firms have a policy against hiring actors fearing the frequent schedule changes and the perceived flakiness.  It might even be hard to get an unpaid internship if you’re an actor but it can’t hurt to ask as each company has their own policy.  The most important thing is to be honest when you’re interviewing but you don’t have to pour your heart out while writing a cover letter or on your resume.  Bring it up in the interview when you’ve already charmed them.  But if you lie to them when you’re hired how are you going to parlay that into a connection later on?  I know I said I wasn’t an actor but since you’re casting this TV show… kind of awkward.

Myself, I’ve stopped pursuing acting for writing.  These kinds of jobs work well for writers because a film producer might only hire actors once every few months/years but they’re always looking for a new script.  Actors have a harder time using these contacts to their advantage but they’re a lot more valuable as connections than a shift supervisor at Subway.

By far the best resource out there is with people you know. I’ve gotten introduced to a large number of amazing people just by asking for introductions. Don’t think just because someone’s not in the “business” that they don’t know anyone. My great-aunt who lived her whole life in Boston happened to know a Los Angeles based AD who was working for Bruckheimer, my wife has introduced me to a couple executive producers she’s met through her completely outside the industry job… ask everyone you know.  This is not the time to be shy.

Another major point to make is that these listings only pick up a tiny percentage of the jobs out there.  This will come as no surprise to anyone who has tried to be an actor but most job listings aren’t listed for the public to see.  They’re e-mailed around between a few friends or someone simply calls up a couple people he knows and asks if they know someone who’s looking for work.  Connections are gold. Job listings are green tinted bronze, at best.

Currently I’m unemployed (helping out those high unemployment numbers) and here’s a list of resources I use to look for work:

Free to You:

UTA List/Temp Diaries – This is the cream of the crop.  The biggest agencies, the busiest production companies and network TV shows go through here if they write up a job listing at all.  I get the list in a timely manner from friends sporadically but it’s posted online with a delay of a few days. I suggest you sign up for their mailing list as they e-mail you when the list comes out and they also forward on a few good job leads that aren’t on the official listing. On their website they also have a listing of temp agencies used by the business. Those guys are absolutely flooded with people who need work, but you should get listed with them anyway.  Temps are the lowest of the low.  If you’re a temp expect that no one will bother learning your name, but they can be a good way to get some experience and make some money.

Staci’s Job List: Once in a while there’s something good in there but it’s often a rehash of UTA list stuff a week late. She still has some unique stuff in there once in a while and it’s worth the sporadic e-mails.

The Grapevine Agency: They sometimes have assistant type jobs but mostly they have nanny/housekeeper work. If you’re looking for personal assistant work they’re not bad either.

The Help Company: They also have personal assistant work and once in a while have “office assistant” jobs. They’re a bit NY heavy and also have lots of nanny/housekeeper listings.

Reality Staff: This one has a few office positions but is mostly work in the field and in production of reality shows. Once in a while they have a non-reality gig as well. I’ve never used their pay service but it lets you attach a cover letter to your submission. Of course if you’re enterprising you can often find the hiring company and contact them directly without having to pay Reality Staff anything although they’re doing some good work, so it wouldn’t hurt to throw them some change.

The other ones are move obvious: mandy.com and entertainmentcareers.net and showbizjobs.com and of course, Craigslist.  None of those guys need my explanation or endorsement.

Each of the studios has their own site for hiring. NBC has recently broken off from the GE site and now has their own, Fox has one, Time Warner has one and MTV has one. Disney’s is weird and is hard to figure out what jobs are new, but they have one too. Paramount I think uses Monster.com. The links to all of those can be found with a 10 second Google search, so I won’t bother to list them.

As an aggregate search tool I use is indeed.com which picks up A LOT of duplicate positions (I see 3 month old listings at NBC once in a while) but it can find jobs listed in odd places that you can’t search every 10 minutes. I have a bunch of searches saved on there. I still check as many sites as possible in case my search terms don’t pick something up and also to get past the delay in Indeed’s indexing but this is a great way to cast a wide net.

For Some Money:

I don’t spend money on any of these services and I certainly don’t get a dime from them.  But here are a couple that I’ve heard are legit. They cover many of the same jobs that the free sites do.  Don’t cry if you spent your 20 bucks and don’t find anything you haven’t seen before.

I know nothing about Media Biz Jobs except that a friend told me they’re good.  Not a creepy friend either, but a nice one.

Production Notices used to have some free stuff and it was always high quality.  They’ve since started charging but from what I’ve seen the quality hasn’t suffered at all. They often have PA jobs that you don’t see anywhere else.

Interning is a great way to get work, but you’re not going to get paid at first.  These positions are in clear violation of labor law but no one seems to care much.  You’ll be fetching coffee, making copies and doing other work that people get paid to do but you simply won’t get paid.  If you’re working for a halfway legit company these positions can lead to work.  Don’t fall for the “Intern Personal Assistant” jobs that are billed as something that could lead to paid work if the producer whose house you’ll be “interning” at sells a script.  Work for a company or at least someone with a real office.  While I was working as an intern I was offered several jobs within my company.

How to get these jobs?  Just call up companies and ask for whoever hires their interns.  Say you want to intern for them.  If they don’t need anyone, call the next company.  Some places are flooded with interns and some will let anyone come in and intern.  Also if you intern at a place that passes around scripts you can read upcoming (possibly casting) projects to your hearts content.

AVOID:

I greatly dislike Hollywood Entertainment Jobs. They post fake job listings all over the Internet and when you respond to them (they’re often at something like hrentertainment@yahoo.com) they write back telling you to pay for this site if you want to be considered for the job. Who knows if the job even exists in the first place.  Lame.  If you want to spend money spend it on companies that don’t spam.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find a job/sell a script…

I am an actress. I intern at my on-camera agency. I go in and help out when I can, a couple of times a week. Many times, we – the other intern, assistant and even agents – sit there and find ourselves bitching about actors’ behavior and how frustrating it can get. Which made me wonder, what I can do about it? Well, I can write about it.

First of all, some of the issues I mention you would think are givens that any actor would know, but I still get surprised. My hope is to give you some insight into one agency that may help you have a better working relationship with yours.

Materials

Gone are the days of mostly hard-copy submissions; almost all breakdowns ask for electronic submissions only. But while there’s no reason to send your agent 50 headshots of your three different looks, I say it’s still a good idea to have some hard copies in the office.

When actors have new headshots, my agent asks them to print out their favorite 20 to 30 as 4×6 work prints and then make an appointment to review them in the office. This way they can be laid out, compared, and favorites can be chosen easily. But even with such specific instructions, many clients email 100 pictures anyway. What impression do you think that makes with the agent? Exactly – that they didn’t listen (and don’t we as actors need to know how to follow directions?). The attachments take a long time to open, slow down the computer, and can’t really be arranged on the screen to be compared.

Etiquette

Answering the phone at the agency made me realize how important phone etiquette is and what an impression it leaves with the person answering the phone. Chances are, the assistant or even intern answering the phone can help you with your question. Think about it: if you ask for the agent for a trivial issue, that takes time away from the agent making a pitch call for you, taking your booking, getting you a higher rate.

And I don’t think it’s too much to ask of the caller to say “Hi, This is so-n-so, how are you? Maybe you can help me with this.” I cringe when I answer the phone and the caller says “Who is this?” No “Hello”, no “May I ask who I’m speaking to?”

Please confirm your audition right away. Every actor’s audition confirmed means the agents/assistants/interns can go home at a reasonable hour and aren’t still in the office at 7:30 at night, on the phone, trying to get a hold of actors who haven’t bothered to call their agent back. Did you know that some casting directors give the agency a deadline for confirming the audition times, or the actors will get replaced?

Here’s a biggie: Every time you step foot into a Casting office, you’re not just representing yourself, you are also a representative of your agency. Here is an extreme case, but it helps prove my point: I remember an actor who took a female friend (not represented by the agency) to a theatrical audition and crashed it. Apparently, he had heard they were looking for her specific type. That casting director then called the agency, irate about how unprofessional this behavior was, how it wasted their time, what were they thinking and did the agency send the actress. I know it was quite some time before that office regained their trust and called any of my agents’ people in again.

It is absolutely okay to drop by the office and say hello. A quick phone-call checking if it’s a good time, to find out if they’d like a coffee drink or snack is a thoughtful thing to do. Try not to overstay your welcome, however; ask about headshots (do you need any more), maybe have a fun story to tell, or tell us about a successful workshop or class.

And it might not seem like it, but it is a small town. My agent has an amazing reputation with many casting offices and their talent should want to help them keep that good name. Watch what you say about your representation when in a class or at a workshop. It can and will get back to them. I’ve seen it happen first hand: I was doing a workshop during which another actor badmouthed her agent to the guest. I recognized the actor from their headshot. Yes, we were rep’d by the same agency.

If the partnership with your agent isn’t working out, be professional and let them know you are leaving. They will understand and wish you the best. You are a good actor and they are a good agent, it just wasn’t the right fit for either one or both of you. My advice: leave on good terms and don’t burn that bridge.

Preparation

It’s our job as actors to audition. I have actually had an actor tell the agent that they can only audition after 3:oopm because that’s when they get off work. Or weekends. “Are you kidding me?” was my reply.

Asking to change the time can turn into a major time-consuming task for the agent, especially when it comes to a theatrical audition. The appointment times are close together and time frames are virtually non-existent. For commercial auditions, some CD’s give time frames, to be used only in case of emergencies. Asking for a different time because you’re meeting your mom for coffee or are celebrating your friends’ birthday the night before and don’t want to get up early doesn’t qualify as an emergency. It makes you appear “difficult” and you don’t want the reputation of being high maintenance.

Another not-fun phone call is when a CD calls and asks where an actor is, who had been confirmed. Last minute things come up, everyone knows and understands that, but have the respect and call your agent to tell them you can’t make the audition after all.

Booking out can be tricky. You could have been submitted before you told your agent about your trip, and then get the audition. It would be almost impossible to keep track of the audition and shoot dates for each project and all the days all the booked out talent isn’t available. And you want to start being submitted a few days before you are back in town, since scheduling auditions can take a day or more. For me, it never fails that I will get at least one audition while I am out of town. I look at it as “playing hard to get”. I suggest to let your agent know of your travel plans as far in advance as possible and discuss it with them about how to handle submitting you. Of course, it also depends on how long you’ll be unavailable to audition – a day or a month makes a difference.

Mapquest or use your torn Thomas Guide if you don’t have a Smartphone, but know where you’re going. Your agent is not your personal navigation system. Again, would you rather your agent spend 10 minutes on the phone with you giving you directions, or on the phone with a casting office praising your talent?

I watch a lot TV, especially the shows that are shot in LA . (Shows shot in other states or Canada generally only cast the lead guest stars or recurring out of LA.) One of my pet peeves are actors who say they don’t watch TV – then you’re not an actor in my book (unless you only do theater). We’ve all heard it: get to know the names of the casting directors, associates and assistants. Know what show your type might be cast in, and target those offices. Let your agent know about CD’s you’ve met, or what roles you want to get submitted for. I’m sure your agent is on “favorite” or “go-to” lists of casting offices and their people get called in on a regular basis. There are many resources online that list projects and who casts them: IMDb Pro, CastingAbout.com, Breakdown Services CD book and updates, Alex’s Info Newsletter, etc.

“That” Question

Why am I not getting out?” gets asked a lot. And if anyone has a good answer, please let the rest of us know. Get new headshots, sure, enroll in a class, why not, take some workshops, okay, send out postcards, will do. So many actors do all these things and more, and still don’t get a lot of auditions. Maybe your agency isn’t one of the big agencies, or maybe the agents don’t have strong relationships with a lot of casting offices, or the casting offices have to bring in people from certain agencies, or there are so many actors submitted, it comes down to luck rather than talent and experience? Maybe we actors overestimate the power of an agent and we have unrealistic expectations. As long as we do our job as an actor, and our agent does their job, we have to believe in the process and that this is part of the career we have chosen. It is about the journey not the destination, right?

For Unrepresented Actors

Here are my thoughts on blind submissions: they almost never work. Just yesterday we got a phone call: “My daughter just graduated from Barbizon”, how can I get you to represent her?”  Sigh. I’ve seen the amount of headshots that get sent to an agency and going through them is the very last thing on their to-do list. They do get opened and looked through, briefly, and most likely tossed in the recycling bin. I remember an actor actually sent a $5.00 bill with her headshot and resume. It got our attention, but not in the way that actor intended. It didn’t get them a meeting.

From my experience, having a friend walk you in and introduce you has the best chance of peeking an agent’s interest. Provided your friend has a good rapport with the office. I’ve brought many friends into the office. Unfortunately I’ve had a few bad experiences – they were taken on, then didn’t put up headshots, never made auditions, or turned out to be flaky. Now I am more careful about whom I introduce to my agent.

Workshops are a wonderful tool as well. My agent is impressed not only by a good performance, but by smart questions. She prefers the “How many actors of my type to you represent?” over the “How many actors are on your roster?” question. Her philosophy is that if she already represents 15 actors of your type, and knows their work and commitment, it will be an uphill battle for you to get ahead of those 15. You might only get submitted if the 15 ahead of you have already worked the show or are booked out.

And just a side-note: if you are cold-calling to ask about representation or see if there is interest in your submission and I happen to be answering the phone and you are rude to me, I feel more compelled to be rude right back or put you on hold indefinitely.

I’ve had the chance to sit in on some of the new-client meetings as well. Actors have actually said “Oh, trust me, I’ll book everything” or “Let’s make some money!”

Actors who blow my agents away with their performance (just last week she was telling me about this improvised scene an actor did during a meeting that made her laugh so hard) leave a much stronger impression than these one-liners that are completely off the mark.

Actors who take their career seriously stick out. The agent will notice you and therefore be willing to work with you on your career. You have to put in time, effort and hard work, and educate yourself on the business side as well as the creative side. It is both tough and rewarding, and your agent wants to help you reach your goals. My favorite times in the office are definitely the ones when a booking comes in and my agent gets to tell the actor the great news. As much as us actors love getting those calls, our agents love making them.

Photo by wili_hybrid

In any and all of the work I’ve done so far as a professional,
I’ve never seen anything good come out of anger and/or the
unwillingness to collaborate.  To make one’s point, to share
one’s talents, to touch another person’s heart–these are the
gifts that have been used most positively by me and those
around me.

- Neil LaBute

I love actors.  I love writers.  I love directors.  I get a high from the collaborative process.  Almost every night when I go to sleep, I do so ready to wake up, excited for what lies ahead.  The next set of encounters.  The next page of words.  The next day of shooting.  The next collection of performances.  A large portion of that enthusiasm comes out of my respect and love for those I work with on these artistic endeavors.  I have been fortunate at a relatively young age to have a career that has the hallmark of pairing new, young talent with high-profile, established staples of our community.

I produce because, like all of us, I want to be a part of telling a story.  However, I know where I fit into the process.  I know where I can be most effective.  I don’t need to note a script that is ready to shoot in order to hear myself talk.  I don’t need to hover over a director that clearly has command of a set in order to re-establish my presence.  A writer and a director need to know that I have the same confidence in them that I do in myself.  Every good producer is different and brings something unique to a production – it’s the one occupation in our field that lacks true definition.  It’s a special quality, but we all know when it’s possessed.  There are enough individuals in our industry, from Scott Rudin to Brian Grazer to Kathleen Kennedy to Harvey Weinstein, for us to know that a good producer can truly elevate the quality of a project.  There are no secrets or short cuts – it’s about hard work, focus and genuinely caring about the matters at hand.  However, I do believe that certain realities contribute to a producer’s ability to do his or her job well.

1. Exercise Good Taste. Scott Rudin is the poster child.  Whether it’s last year’s THE SOCIAL NETWORK and TRUE GRIT, or recent Broadway productions of FENCES and GOD OF CARNAGE, Scott Rudin knows good material.  When I see his work, I am never surprised that it is amazing.  If I had those scripts and those actors, I, too, would pour every waking moment of my existence into bringing them to life.  Good material and good talent go hand-in-hand.  Yasmina Reza’s brilliant script for GOD OF CARNAGE led to the enthusiasm and interest of Marcia Gay Harden, James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels.  Their performances coupled with their names made the play an event.  If you surround yourself with good writing and good acting, you will find that you’ve never wanted to work harder.  After that, it’s a snowball effect.  Once you’ve established that you have an eye for material and talent, the train doesn’t stop moving.

2. Protect Your Director and Actors. Do everything you can for them.  You look good when they do their best work.  I always have an open door policy that I establish from the first meeting.  Every actor knows that they can call me directly with any issue, no matter how small.  If as an actor you are uncomfortable in the dress you have to wear for 12 hours, then, believe it or not, I really do give a shit.  That is not trivial.  If you are a director that doesn’t feel you have the right location for a pivotal scene, I don’t want you to just make due.  I want to do everything in my power to deliver what you want.  When your actors and director are comfortable and confident, they will perform better.  Even when I don’t 100% agree with them, I will go out of my way to work for them.  They need to know you care.  Also, I cannot stress enough that while your obligation to talent may technically end when a project is completed, a good producer knows that you have entered into a lifelong pact.  My nights at the theater, my DVR and my Netflix queue are filled with the work of directors and actors I have collaborated with in the past.  I consistently keep up with their work, especially if I intend to work with them again.

3. Respect the stage. While I moved to Los Angeles wanting to make film and television, some of my most rewarding experiences have been in the theater.  There is no medium like it.  There is no filter, no editing.  It is where you can show your skill in the purest light.  My theater initiative, The 4^th Wall, began with the goal to make great theater more affordable and accessible to a younger generation of artists.  While that is still its cornerstone mission, it has evolved into an organization that links the screen and the stage.  My working relationship with Neil LaBute (both in film and theater) emerged from that organization.  My friend and collaborator Mark Freiburger has written and produced a successful feature with Matthew Modine, a relationship that was forged at a 4^th Wall event following one of Matthew’s plays.  The 4^th Wall has presented work starring Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Laurence Fishburne, Rita Wilson, Chris Pine and many more.  The stage allows you access to these actors.  You have a guaranteed, shared two-hour experience with them.  Will that result in collaboration after one introduction?  Probably not – but that’s because relationships take time and work – whether they are personal or business.  What it does allow for is the first step, so that when it comes time to call an agent, or when you see that individual again, a foundation and point of reference exists.

4. Distinguish roles. Often I have collaborated with actors that have also served as producers on a given project.  In these instances, when an actor is serving as the producer as well, it’s important to know what you are physically capable of accomplishing.  There is always a threshold that’s reached prior to principal photography or opening night when an actor needs to begin focusing on their performance more directly.  That moment varies from actor to actor, but be aware of it, and know that is the crossroads when you will need more support from fellow producers.  Also, don’t feel the need to fulfill a starring role, or any role for that matter, if you are serving as a producer.  One actor that I frequently collaborate with is very explicit when we are seeking material that, while he desires to act in the piece, he is open to a supporting role if it fits into his wheelhouse.  With that being the case, he positions himself to contribute more as a producer.  In addition, he creates the opportunity to act alongside talent that is potentially larger than he is – which adds to his on-screen value.

Producing is incredibly fulfilling work, though it is also stressful, and not for the weak-willed.  It’s brutal.  You are often the first person on the project and the last person to put it to rest.  You have a duty to your directors and actors to shoulder any burden you can for them – for the clearer their headspace, the better your chances of a successful production.  Production is a jungle.  Enter the wilderness first and clear away as much brush as possible.  Then let your cast and crew play.

Be sure to check out Andrew’s next stage productions: the Los Angeles premiere of Neil LaBute’s THE MERCY SEAT with VS. Theatre Company at [Inside] The Ford and the West Coast premiere of Edward Anthony’s off-Broadway hit WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH with Rogue Machine at The Lounge Theatre.  Both plays open this month.

Photo by Shiloh King Strong