From the first time I ever attended an acting class, stepped on stage either as an actor/comic/improv artist, read a script or got hired…I would float…just a bit. Over time, and often even before any of this we actors/performers/artists …DREAM. Dreaming to inspire yourself, dreaming to set the bar high, dreaming to give yourself a place to go and vision your future is outstanding. But if you’re just dreaming to avoid reality then…Houston…we have a “serious problem.” Please always bear in mind thoughts, ideas, advice, conversations, presentations, discussions etc. are ALWAYS predicated on the fact that you chose to come to Hollywood. There are wonderful, brilliantly talent performers all over the world perfectly happy to perform…somewhere else. They don’t uproot their lives to move to Hollywood, but you did. So for me, to try and build a working career here, you’re talking about a WHOLE “different Oprah” as I like to say.
So when you’re here, when you see stars, hang out sometimes at parties near Celebrities, get invited to Premieres, wind up on a few red carpets, live near the Oscars, have a friend who has a client that “won an Emmy” and many many others, these are all things that can cause us to forget…OUR DREAMS/GOALS…and you just wind up living up on Cloud 9…in your mind. Please, do yourself a favor and give yourself a better chance of reaching the stars…by stepping DOWN to Cloud 8.
When you look at all of the projects listed every day both on the “source websites” as well as perhaps various production publications, or the “legit breakdowns” stay focused on WHY you came here, and creating smart ACTOR ACTIVITY. Activity that isn’t just going to have you busy all the time, but without viable intelligent professional results over time. There are thousands of actors posting stuff on websites, Facebook, Twitter etc. but what are those projects really doing to assist you towards the WHY of coming to Hollywood? You live here, you’re here, you’re in the HEART of it…but don’t float so far above it that you’re really just dreaming about Hollywood…while you’re in flippin Hollywood.
Know and trust that many many people are working everyday in what we would just call, “Journeyman” type acting jobs, getting paid, putting monies towards their pensions as actors, building their credits, getting known by the “new” young folks in casting and continuing to keep themselves in the “CONSIDERATION” category by being a viable professional. Moving to Hollywood is easy, meeting enough people to have a few “cool friends” on Facebook is easy, getting behind the ropes for cool events…ain’t that hard, and sadly, finding yourself sitting at home or at a job but in Cloud 9 in your mind…is also REALLY EASY. Fight it, step on it, push it aside and be sure to watch out for it all the time.
Cloud 8 is in fresh air, it provides a wonderful view of where you wanna be, where you are and the difference between the two is simply deciding that you really WANT to make being a legit working professional in THIS marketplace your goal, and not having it be about how rich you are or becoming a STAR. It could be argued that “Honey Boo-Boo” is currently a star of cultural tabloid type mentality surrounding YouTube, gossip and Reality type people but I’m pretty sure that is NOT why you moved to Hollywood. Always on your side.
Kevin E.
(@TheKevinE), actorbizguru.com, actors-network.com, kevinewest.com, gettingthejob.com