May 20, 2025 • 4 mins
New and developing actors get bombarded with advice, but much of it can seriously damage your career. In this video, veteran talent agent Anthony Boyer and manager Jess Canty break down some of the worst advice actors hear when starting out: from using amateur headshots and faking IMDb credits to relying on outdated training or saying “yes” to everything.
If you're trying to book real work and build a long-term career in the entertainment industry, you need to know what to avoid. Learn why background jobs, paid query services, and the wrong day job can hold you back, and why networking and strategy matter more than chasing trends or waiting for your “big break.”
Watch this before you waste time, money, or momentum.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello from Hollywood.
(00:00):
My name is Anthony Boyer.
I've been a talent agent in Los Angeles
and New York for the last 15 years.
And I'm Jess Canty
and I'm a talent manager here in Los Angeles.
And this is take out
On today's video, we're going
to be talking about bad advice that actors get, uh,
from usually well-meaning individuals in their lives,
(00:23):
whether those are other actors,
Absolutely. Teachers,
your weird uncle at Christmas.
Everyone, everyone seems to have an opinion about this
industry in a way that people don't about other jobs, right?
So That's right. Yeah, we definitely wanna tackle that.
Some of the dispel some myths around some of the advice
(00:44):
that you may get and hope
that this helps you in those situations.
Yeah, I think the key early on is learning who
to take advice from and who to ignore.
Um, and so we're gonna give you some advice on bad advice.
One of the major first things
(01:04):
that you'll likely run into when you're starting your acting
career is the friend who takes headshot.
Now, we know that headshot can be expensive,
but as we've said in a number of other videos,
starting an acting business is like starting any other
business, and you need to be prepared
to make an investment in that business.
(01:24):
There's always going to be startup costs,
and one of the first startup costs is headshot.
It really is the key
that unlocks the door to everything else.
We always advise clients if they don't feel like they can
quite yet afford a professional headshot photographer,
it's better to wait until you can afford that
and save up for a few months, as opposed to taking
(01:48):
the headshots with the friend
and then having to replace them
a few months later Anyway,
you're actually spending more money in
that scenario than if you had just waited.
A good headshot photographer entry level is gonna run you in
Los Angeles somewhere between 375 and $400 for the session,
and then you'll wanna budget a little bit
(02:10):
to put those shots up onto actors access casting networks
and potentially get a little bit of retouching done.
So you probably wanna budget around five to $600 for
that first set of headshots.
Again, this is, it unlocks everything.
This is the first investment you're gonna make
in your career.
(02:32):
And a professional headshot photographer not only knows how
to properly frame you specifically for headshots, they know
how to properly light you for headshots,
and they know the framing that actually works
with the thumbnails on those two
casting services I just mentioned.
A lot of times what we run into with headshots
(02:54):
that are from the friend who takes headshot is that
the lighting just doesn't quite pop,
or the framing isn't correct.
And so then you will have a problem when you're trying
to upload those to the casting sites. One
Piece of bad advice I would love
to chat about is fake credits.
Now that can be fake credits on IMDB, which a lot
(03:15):
of people get an IMDB pro account,
and then they kind of go on
and start to like either create, uh, something
that never really existed
or they try to put a credit onto an existing project
a little that's a little less common than it used to be.
It used to be much easier to do,
but yeah, so, so trying to like
horn swale people into thinking
that you've had all this additional, uh, experience.
(03:39):
More common in my experience is people who
actually put on the physical resume, uh,
either fake credits, fake projects,
or trying to expand the role that they actually had a lot
of times will see like series regular, uh, on something
that they were definitely not a series regular on
or on a, on a series that was not really a series.
(04:01):
Sure. Um, and so you just wanna be careful that you're,
sometimes there is like, say a web series
and you were a series regular, and that's true.
But for the most part we kind of, these are easy to look up,
it's easy to check and see the person who gets
that resume may be the a person who worked on that project,
uh, or a person who knows that project intimately.
(04:22):
Don't, you don't have to apologize for
where you're at in your career.
You can just use the resume to present yourself
as you are now with the understanding
that your resume will improve.
Uh, sometimes when I'm pitching, I will say,
I will use the phrase resume hasn't
caught up to the talent yet.
Like, that's okay.
Like, you don't have to invent things
(04:43):
and it's really gonna put you in a bad light if you do get
caught, which you will eventually get caught.
Another piece of advice that actors may be given
that we don't necessarily think is the best advice is
that if you have graduated from A BFA
or a BA program where you've specifically focused on acting
or film and television theater,
that you don't need any more training post-college.
(05:06):
That simply isn't true.
Most actors, professional actors get ongoing training
and coaching throughout their careers.
It will change over time.
You may go from, you know, scene study, which is
what you've mostly probably been doing in college
to when you get out now
we're saying don't do more scene study.
(05:27):
Right. You actually, the nuance of this is that you,
you probably don't need any more scene study training
and it can feel a little bit like a warm hug
to go into a scene study class once you're out of school.
So for anyone in this situation,
we recommend doing the things
that you haven't done in school.
Taking an on-camera class, if you were a theater major,
(05:49):
taking a commercial class, taking a class that's focused
specifically on auditioning, taking a class that in,
in stunts for the camera, something that is going to
continue your education,
but broaden the scope of what you've already learned,
you will always need training.
(06:09):
You will likely always need coaching.
Very famous a-list actors receive coaching all
the way through their careers.
And so the idea that you're done when you're done
with school is a bit of a myth.
Staying in the same class too long
or staying with one coach for too long
is also bad advice that people get.
I hear all the time people telling actors like,
(06:31):
find the school that you like
or find the studio that you like and stick with that
and like, keep working that one muscle, that one muscle.
I find that that is pretty bad advice,
but number one, you never wanna be the
best person in your class.
You wanna constantly be seeking out opportunities to learn.
And if you're not being pushed,
if you're not being challenged, then you're not learning.
(06:54):
Quite honestly, it's like when you go to the gym,
if you just train one muscle
and you don't train it any harder or,
or with any variety, um,
then you know you're not really pushing yourself
and you're not really gonna grow.
Um, so I think it's the same holds true of acting
or of any real skill.
You wanna make sure that not only are you pushing yourself
by being around people who are better than you,
(07:15):
but also just that you're trying different techniques.
Because here's the other thing, when you're on set
and it's, you know, take 13
and you just quite can't quite nail it, you need a lot
of tools in your, in your tool chest, if you will.
So I think having different techniques
and different styles
to fall back on when necessary is also really important.
Absolutely. I think the one minor exception to that is
(07:38):
you may find a coach that really just
always pushes you that you're a little intimidated by
or perhaps just you have that rapport where you just want
to perform for them and they get the best out of you.
That kind of person is okay to obviously keep
for quite some time.
Class is also a networking opportunity, so
(08:01):
ex expanding the number of classes
and people that you meet is really important as well.
Another thing
that we do not recommend is putting background
gigs on your resume.
Now, background work is fantastic.
It's an amazing way to get on set.
It's amazing way to understand how a set works
(08:22):
and understand the politics of of set.
It's great to just, you know, meet other actors
when you're first moving to a big market, be it LA
or New York or Atlanta.
However, if you put those jobs on your resume,
it will likely preclude you from booking that show again,
(08:43):
where if you don't,
and you know, the casting office,
you weren't prominently featured in some way as background,
you possibly could book
that in a speaking role in the future.
Yeah. And even like on a film,
like you just don't want people to think of you
as a background actor.
That's the other side of it
(09:03):
Too. So I think just
showing like this is the,
and it's not the same skill set either, right?
So you're not really showing off anything other than I've
been on a set and that's okay at the very beginning,
but once you have like real professional acting credits,
I I think that background should
move off very, very quickly.
The next piece of advice, uh, I see a lot of actors get is
to work on shorts, which is fine,
(09:26):
but then to work on more shorts and more shorts
and more shorts and do the student films and do all this.
And the fact is, at some point,
if a short film doesn't really speak to you artistically,
um, I think you should start saying no much earlier than a
lot of people I think want to,
and there are a few reasons for this.
Number one is, again, we don't necessarily want people
to think of you as a person who only does short films
(09:49):
or who doesn't work on larger projects.
But in addition to that, I think there's this idea of like,
if you're playing, if you're competing in a smaller pool,
if you're the big fish in a small pond, I think that it can,
it can become comfortable.
Mm-hmm. And so to challenge yourself to push yourself,
I think getting off of those sets
sometimes is really important.
We see that on the theater side also,
(10:11):
where maybe someone grew up in a smaller market
and you can work constantly there.
You just, the offers just come to you
and it's very tempting to just say, yes, it feels good
to get offered work, but at what cost?
Right. And if you're not available, if you're, you know,
you, you aren't putting yourself in front of the people
who are working on larger projects,
I think it can become detrimental.
(10:32):
I think the same thing with short films.
I think that they're super useful.
I think especially if artistically they speak to you,
I think it's great, but I think it's an easy way
to feel busy without real, it's like a treadmill, right?
You're doing a lot of work, but you're not
moving forward. Right.
And oftentimes they don't pay that well or pay at all.
Yeah. And yet, to your point,
at some point a sh the shorts work should become
(10:54):
really a footage play.
Is there a piece of footage?
Is this a character that you know you can play
that you just don't have footage for?
That would be a reason to do a short sort of
after you've built up a bit of a resume?
Your point about the big fish in the small pond, I think
of course it depends on your goals.
If you are completely happy, you know, in
(11:14):
that small market doing that regional theater
and you know, that's totally fine.
But if you have larger goals, like you said, the nos sort
of start to become as important as the yeses.
Yeah. I've always said I think
that the most powerful tool an actor has is
saying no and meaning it.
I think that's really the only way
to move anything forward in a lot of cases. Yeah.
(11:35):
It's kind of the, when one door closes another one open.
Yeah. You got a lot. You gotta nail it shut,
you say no one can get in. Yeah.
The idea of using a paid service to query agents
and managers, there are a number of these out there.
One of the things that they sell is that you can kind
of personalize these emails, which just means that my name
(11:58):
or Anthony's name will end up in the salutation,
but the rest
of the email looks like every other email coming from
that service, from every other actor
that is using that service.
And so really what's happening there is the person that,
or the people that started
that service are surely making a lot
(12:20):
of money off of actors Sure.
Who are signing up for it. They may find some success.
You know, I, I'm sure these wouldn't be
around if some people didn't get signed this way.
But for the most part, you know, most agencies
and management companies get to the point where when we see
that these are coming from these services,
(12:40):
and especially if I hover over links
and see that those links are being tracked so that
it kicks a message to that service
that I've opened the email
or I read the email that personally kind of creeps me out.
Yeah. I feel like someone's in my inbox.
That's an enormous red flag. Yeah.
I hate links in my, I mean,
(13:00):
Tracking links. Tracking links, yeah.
So I will hover over
to see if it's tracked
and then I know it's probably from one of these services
and for the most part I'm deleting that email.
Okay. Now there we get so many of these,
I'm not actually remembering anyone that has done that.
So if you're a little scared
(13:21):
because you've done that in the past
and you wanna, you know, I would say, oh,
try resubmitting just on your own in the way that
that agency or management company has already made public
how they want to be submitted.
So sometimes it's through the website,
sometimes they're okay with email queries,
but they may have a specific email address
that they want queried.
(13:42):
That's another indication that it's coming from a service is
that it's not following that instruction.
So it's a waste of your money.
You're probably helping someone else who is maybe an out
of work actor support themselves
and, you know, no shade on anyone who's trying to
make a living while they're pursuing an acting career.
(14:05):
But I think some of these services for actors
where actors have to pay to do things that you could do
for free, we just recommend to be very careful.
It's just very like spammy
and very, we don't, we didn't ask to be signed up for this.
Um, now you may not care and that's a choice you can make,
but for me anyway, I think just doing market research
(14:27):
and coming up with your own, uh, email, you know,
that shows off you very well,
is just a much more effective use of your time.
And it's a whole heck of a lot cheaper.
I got an email a couple of weeks ago, uh,
and it had a link to this Actor's, actor's Access profile
and I open it up and I see, uh, an Atlanta agent
(14:47):
and a New York agent and a New Mexico agent,
and a Los Angeles agent and a Chicago agent.
And I think, I think there was a Louisiana agent.
There were so many agents all listed on this person's
actor's access profile.
And I thought clearly, uh, someone told this actor,
get representation in every market.
(15:08):
You can be a local hire anywhere it's
just a plane ride away.
I think that that's particularly bad advice. Agree.
Not at least because when I open that
and I see that I don't know where I fit in mm-hmm.
Uh, it feels like you're never gonna be
available in my market.
Uh, it also feels a little desperate, honestly.
It feels a little bit, um, like you are really just eager
(15:31):
to take any kind of work.
And if we're trying to build a career, if we're trying
to build, you know, a business that makes an impact,
I think chasing small things like that starts to be sort
of a not a good look.
That's just me personally.
In addition to that, I wonder,
can you truly work in all of these markets?
Right? Can you truly keep all of these reps happy?
(15:53):
This idea came out that like, well, you can, you can,
everything's self-tape anyway, so you can work
as a local everywhere.
But really when push comes to shove, I think a lot
of markets are, are pushing back
because actors are, are
failing at the last minute when they see the, the flight,
the price of flights.
Uh, they're not reliable in any one market.
(16:14):
I just really personally see much,
much more return on investment when people focus on
one or two markets.
So I think finding those two markets where you,
or you know, one or two markets where you can really dig in
and really try to build something in those markets
rather than, you know, chasing every like CoStar, uh, that,
(16:35):
that you can find, you know, no matter where in the country,
even if you're losing money on every booking once a,
you know, flights and, and commissions and,
and hotel rooms are taken care of,
I just think you're better than that.
You don't need to do that.
I, I don't think that it puts across a very professional,
uh, look for your package for most people.
Listen, you might be in a situation
(16:56):
where you truly can be a local in five different markets.
I would still probably encourage you to focus on one
or two just 'cause you know, if you're really trying
to be all things at all times,
how good can you be at any one thing?
I think really devoting your energy
and your resources to building a career in one
or two markets pays dividends in the long run.
(17:18):
Remember, we talk a lot about
how this is a relationship business.
So the idea that you can build a relationship with
that many agents
and then have them want to cross work together, you know,
most of the time when people have agents in two markets,
those agents are aware of each other
and they're trading information about
(17:40):
where they're pitching or what.
And there's actually a division of labor there,
and everyone's on the same page as a note.
You know, if you have moved quite a bit
and you've simply forgotten to take down agencies
that you used to be repped by in your actors' access,
they do show up for us when you send your information over.
And I always get scared if I see another management company
(18:03):
in there, when someone submits to me, I usually hold off
because none of us like to poach.
So, you know, it could be that you've just forgotten
to remove them from your, your actor's access
after you parted ways and make sure you take that step
before you start reaching out about new representation. I
Would add to that, that's very similar when you send out
(18:23):
your resume, don't send out your agent's resume
with the logo on it.
That's a, that's, that's not even bad advice.
It's just like, just don't do that. Yeah.
First of all, it might not even have your personal contact,
but also like I can see that you're with x, y, Z agency.
It doesn't, no one, none of us.
Well not none of us, most of us don't like
to poach clients from one another.
(18:44):
Exactly. But I think quite often people assume that,
you know, the best day job support job
to have is working in food service.
And there's a long history of actors, of course
that started in the restaurant business.
I would say that with the way that sort
(19:05):
of food culture has exploded over the last 20 years
with the food network
and people sort of being much more demanding about going out
and the fact that it's gotten so much more expensive,
restaurants really have for the most part
moved into demanding a high level
(19:25):
of service from their wait staff.
And I worked in food service for a while
and I know I had a lot of actors on my staff,
and it can be a really hard thing
to manage when you're working.
You know, usually a night shift from four
to 10, 11, 12 at night, quite often there's pressure
(19:47):
to hang out with staff after your shift.
You're very tired the next day.
And so getting in the gym, doing the things you need to do
for your acting business
and get those self tapes in,
I think it just can be a lot to handle.
Especially if you're not at one of those restaurants
where you can just work Friday, Saturday, Sunday
(20:08):
and kind of make all your money for the week.
If it's something that you really truly feel like you can
balance and you are strict about, you know, not going out
for that shift drink
and spending your money that you've just earned on that
and you know, putting it back into your business instead so
that you can afford those headshots.
(20:28):
Of course, we wouldn't wanna pick on any one specific job,
but especially in LA and that
and New York, I think it can just be a hard industry to pair
with acting.
When I watch the bear, I always wonder like
those hours are insane.
Like they, they're in the morning. Yeah.
They're there for the entire evening service.
(20:50):
I've never worked in a restaurant. I think I take that back.
I worked in a restaurant for one day, I couldn't do it.
I couldn't handle it. Yeah.
But yeah, I think there are lots of jobs,
especially in the gig work economy now.
Um, there are a lot of extremely flexible jobs.
So I would say if you're looking to do something
that's gonna put you in contact with people, uh, up close
(21:11):
and personal, I think a lot of the gig works.
The Postmates, the Ubers, those kinds
of things are maybe a bit better
than the restaurant industry.
But really, like, do your research.
'cause I, most actors I meet these days actually have kind
of interesting jobs that are funding their careers.
So something to, to think about.
One piece of advice that I hear all the time,
(21:32):
or one source of advice mm-hmm.
That I hear all the time is, well, my friend says,
or my new favorite, well my friend's agent says,
every career is a bit different.
Uh, whatever your friend is dealing with,
whatever your friend's agent is dealing with is
probably completely different than your, uh,
scenario than your situation.
(21:53):
And that agent or that manager isn't in the day to day
of working with your business.
If you have a team that you have entrusted with your career
and they are giving you advice
and you watch one of our videos, you're like, well,
you know, Anthony
and Jess say, I think that that's bad advice.
Honestly, I think you can take it into consideration,
(22:15):
but at the end of the day, like you've entrusted this team,
uh, to give you advice and to help you build
and manage your career, looking outside of
that relationship
and pulling in, uh, advice that's meant
for a different business entirely.
It's like, for instance, if you work at Little Caesar's
and you have a friend who works at Papa John's, the
(22:38):
what they're doing on a night to night basis,
it looks very similar to what you are doing,
but they have different clientele,
they have different procedures,
they have different things going on.
So it's just like any other business where
you can take it into consideration.
But I would not operate on that advice,
especially if it goes contrary to your advisors, to the team
that you have built to help you build this career.
(23:00):
And I wanna double down on something that you said,
which is that if there's anything in any of these videos
that we say that contradicts something
that your team is saying, listen to your team.
Yeah. Again, we're trying
to give the most general principles that we know have worked
for our clients over time,
(23:21):
but part of the reason why you're with your specific team is
because you trust them.
You've built a relationship with them.
And I think sometimes when we hear the, but my friend or,
but my friend's agent, it actually kind of pushes on
that trust that we've built a bit.
And it's, you know, it's a human nature to kind of,
(23:41):
for us when we hear that, to say, well, wait a minute.
Like, do they not trust me anymore?
So just be mindful of that too, if you're bringing
that up now, it doesn't mean that you can't find another way
of asking the question.
I was thinking about this. What do you think about it?
Right. It, it may be very well that your agent
or manager agrees, but something you've heard.
(24:04):
But it's the way that you present it.
I would also say, we're gonna put this
video out on a Tuesday.
By Wednesday everything will be different.
So like things move fast, things change.
So again, just because we said something in a video doesn't
mean by the time it comes up for you that it's
that it's a hundred percent relevant.
That's true. That's true.
And that goes back to what we said at the top, which is
(24:25):
the biggest thing we want everyone
to take from this is over time learning how to
and where to get advice from and what trust
and sources mean to you.
Another thing that I think actors here all the time is
the say Yes to everything.
Say yes to every job. And this, we were kind
of talking about this before with the shorts,
that's just not feasible.
(24:47):
A and b, it doesn't really allow you to be strategic.
We really look for clients and I think most agents
and managers look for clients that are in this
for the long haul.
And so have some kind of strategy behind the kinds of work
that they wanna be doing, the things
that turn them on artistically.
And so if you're just kind of saying yes to everything,
(25:08):
it doesn't really help you to have a comedy short credit
and then a CoStar in a Ryan Murphy drama
and then, you know, uh, go do a play
and then go, you know, act
as a cinematographer on someone else's project
that takes you away for a month.
Be careful about what you say yes to.
(25:30):
It's still your time, it's still your energy
and it's still your artistic effort,
and you wanna make sure that it's of quality.
It can be hard to know what is a quality project
and what isn't a quality project.
If something makes you feel uncomfortable,
if something looks a little weird,
if the description is a little funky,
(25:52):
even if the part's right for you, trust that instinct and,
and probably either don't submit to it or if you do submit
and then the person reaching out is just making you not feel
super comfortable, don't be afraid to turn that down.
Yeah. You don't need to be exploited.
You don't need to be abused. I was literally just talking
with an agent in my office today.
(26:14):
Uh, there was a, an independent film producer who refused
to give out a script,
but then like refused to like, said
that they could only read the script in their presence
and just everything started to be very red flaggy.
And at some point I'm like, at what point do you even want
to be on that set?
Because it's all going to be like this.
So watch for those red flags and don't be afraid to say no.
(26:36):
It's like we said, that's kind
of your only power is saying no and meaning it.
A couple of years ago I thought maybe I'd gotten into some
like ruts, right?
Maybe I'd gotten a little comfortable in my routine.
So I was like, if anyone invites me to see something,
I'm going, I'm going to say yes.
Mm-hmm. The very first day
after I decided that I got an invitation to a,
(26:58):
a film screening, a featured film screening,
and normally I would've avoided this at all costs,
but I was like, no, I'm, I said,
I would say yes to everything.
So I-I-R-S-V-P-I go to this screening.
It's the worst movie I've ever seen in my life.
I immediately, instantly regret it saying yes to everything.
You never have to say yes to everything.
Trust your instincts.
(27:19):
Um, you know, you can be a little more open-minded. Sure.
You can be like, well, maybe this is a person I'd like
to know, or this is a project I'd like
to work on if they can meet my terms.
Something like that. So, you know, it's okay to say no
and in fact it's encouraged
And to your point about, you know, oh, you have to come
and read the script in my presence.
(27:39):
I find that a, a big red flag is often people
who are at the beginning of their careers.
Zap is more in film than me. Yeah. Oh yeah.
Um, that are emulating something that they've heard
a major director does.
This particular director referenced Quentin
(28:00):
Tarantino. I was just
gonna say that's a Quentin Tarantino thing. Yeah.
The reason why Quentin Tarantino demands that people come
and read his latest script is
because a couple of movies ago,
his script was leaked on the internet
and he did not get to make that movie.
Right. Or he decided not to make that movie
after he had put all this time in.
So, you know, Quentin has earned the right to demand
(28:23):
that people come read the script and,
and his presence, both from a career perspective
and from the fact that he got seriously burned someone
that's just out of film school that is, you know,
presenting their film with their name above the title
and demanding that you come to their house
to read their script, that's probably a red flag
(28:47):
If they start to get a little think for their britches.
I'm not saying it's always a red flag,
but, uh, personally speaking, I think it's, it's,
I would ask questions.
Yeah. One other piece of advice,
and we talk about this all the time on this channel, is, uh,
people who believe that all you need
to focus on is your acting right.
(29:10):
Uh, all you need to do is focus on creating the best
acting product you can.
You can. And let your team handle the rest.
And that's particularly bad advice,
because again, you're building a business.
Uh, we talk about this a lot.
Networking is fundamental to building a business.
Um, you know, advertising, getting out, creating leads,
(29:32):
meeting people, knowing what's going on.
There's so much about this industry that really relies on,
on people, really on any industry, uh,
or at least almost any industry
that relies on just being actively engaged.
And I actually find there are agencies that
ask actors not to take a driver's side,
(29:54):
driver's seat in their own careers.
And frequently those actors then, you know,
will years later when the in, when, when it goes sour with
that, uh, when the relationship with that agent goes sour,
they'll find their way to us.
And in our meeting we're talking
and you, it's very clear that they don't,
they don't know what's going on in their careers.
Mm-hmm. They don't know how to drive it anymore.
(30:14):
They don't really understand, you know, they don't know
who they know.
They don't know who their fans are
because they've never worried about any of that stuff.
Now I'm not saying you need to keep like,
detailed spreadsheets.
Right. I think it's great if you do,
but you know, a lot of people don't operate that way.
But you should not just sit back
and wait for the phone to ring.
Right. It's so hard to stay engaged in your own career
(30:39):
when you only flip the switch, uh, when there's an audition.
Mm-hmm. And I think it's really hard
to feel connected to the industry.
I think it's really easy to kind of get burned out
that way too, where you just feel like, you know,
you're not really connected in the same way.
I think people think I've got an agent,
I've got a manager, you know, I can just sit back and,
and let them drive.
(31:01):
And unfortunately they're, you know,
your agent's making 10%, your manager's making 10
to 15% mathematically, that just doesn't work out.
It just means that you still have to be putting 80%
of the work in
and finding work for yourself
amongst your network needs to be part of that 80%.
(31:22):
You need to be bringing work to your agents
and managers while they are running down the road
of going through casting.
But you need to be making those relationships
with producers, directors, writer friends, and,
and working that network
and bringing opportunities to your team as well.
Another piece of advice that we don't necessarily agree
with is the idea that you must go to drama school in order
(31:45):
to have a productive career in quite a few cases.
The actual opposite is true of that. Right.
So if you look at the trajectories of many
high profile actors
and actresses, they probably never
attended a four year school.
And they may have attended a four year school
(32:05):
and they may not have attended a four year school
to study acting.
Right. We have nothing against these programs
and there are tons of people who do attend those programs
and do have very successful careers.
The key to this is,
and now my alma mater is going to be very mad at me.
Oh yeah. But the key to this is, is that most
(32:26):
of these programs will tell you not
to have representation while you're in school.
And they will tell you not to audition that you can wait
until you've graduated,
just focused on your craft while you're in school.
That is another piece of advice we
absolutely do not agree with.
The time between your 18
and 22 is some of the most valuable time in your career.
(32:49):
From the perspective of that is when quite a few people tend
to break out, there tend to be an outsized number of
possible roles in that age range.
And if you just go to school
and turn that potential
of working off while you're in school,
(33:09):
you are now competing.
When you get out with someone
who didn't make the same choice
and maybe is on their second agent,
they've already booked their first guest star.
They have set experience that you don't have.
So it is one of the few careers that's left.
I think that really doesn't require college degree moving
(33:31):
to New York, LA spending the money
that you would've spent going to one of those programs.
You know, living in those cities,
taking local acting classes
that are plugged into the casting networks
that you would be taking when you come out of school anyway.
And do some community college classes,
take some business classes, you know, just so that you are
(33:55):
in the mix with other people your age
and getting a little bit of that college experience,
focusing on working in whatever way you can
while you are in school.
I went to UCLA as a theater major over 20 years ago.
I will tell you that the people that ignored the department
are still working today.
(34:16):
Yeah. We wanna be careful and say that,
that that's not for everyone.
Absolutely. Some people really do well
by having that four year degree.
You mentioned earlier a lot, especially many
of these programs have great placement.
They, you know, you walk out with a good network
with a support system.
But it's something to think about,
would I be better off spending this four years in a large
market or even a mid-market Yeah.
(34:38):
Spending this money on professional acting classes mm-hmm.
Uh, and putting money into my business,
or would I be better off spending this money in this time
on, uh, on a, on a degree.
Yeah. The advice that like you have to go to college Yeah.
I think is actually in many fields, terrible advice.
That's sort of advice in general that is bad,
(35:01):
but especially I think in the arts,
in particularly in acting where, like you mentioned 17
to 22 is, is really a, a time to, to kind
of put your foot on the gasp for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, the way this system is set up is
that most acting programs are connected
to theater programs in universities.
Most film schools came along so much later
(35:23):
that they don't have acting programs.
And so a lot of people who want
to eventually work on camera are actually getting
theater based training.
And so then you and then are not spending any time exploring
anything on camera while they're in school.
And so that's kind of what we mean
by ignoring your department.
(35:44):
If ultimately you wanna be in film
and tv, go to a theater school in LA
or in Atlanta if you wanna do theater, you know,
plan on being in New York for school
or somewhere near New York
or somewhere where there's really good regional theaters
or moving there quickly thereafter when you have your degree
so that you can just jump right into it.
(36:06):
I think that's a good idea for a future episode. Yeah.
Maybe, uh, something about where if you are in a traditional
sort of acting program that doesn't offer a lot
of on-camera opportunities.
'cause a lot of film schools don't film departments. Yeah.
There's no crossover. Yeah. There's no crossover.
I think that's a good idea for, let's figure,
let's think about at a future episode where we talk about
how to make the best of that situation.
Yeah. One thing that I've heard a a number
(36:27):
of people say recently while putting together their reels
is, oh, you know, I need to do another project,
or I need to do another project.
Or they just wanna get a lot of, uh, a lot of quantity.
And I think really that's bad advice.
I think for most people, really focusing on a handful
of really good projects
that show you off very well is much more beneficial.
(36:50):
Absolutely. Um, for building a reel
and just for having footage in general,
I think when you have a reel that's full
of like 15 one line scenes, it doesn't really tell us a lot.
This is meant to show you off, show off your acting skills.
So I think having just, I like to have just two
or three scenes that really give good amount.
(37:11):
They show good work for the actors, show them listening,
show some kind of an arc.
I would much rather have that than like 15 short clips.
Sure. Uh, with, with a quirky,
with a quippy one-liner or something like that.
Quality over quantity rather than the advice
that I keep hearing people get, which is to, to have a lot
(37:31):
of variety
These days. A
reel with two or three really good scenes plus a couple
of self-tapes absolutely works for submitting to agents
and management companies.
And we absolutely can use
a really high quality self tape to pitch.
So just don't feel that pressure.
We do not advise is to change your look
(37:52):
to match whatever is in right now.
No, I had a client once that they sort of had, you know, a
bob haircut and they decided to go really, really,
really short with a pixie cut.
And their commercial agent was not happy about this
because it completely changed their commercial category.
(38:14):
If they were gonna make this change, it needed to be kind
of for good Right.
Or for an extended amount of time.
And the reason for that is your look does change things.
It, it cha it can sometimes change your casting category
like it did with this client.
Now they wanted to kind of transition out
of focusing on their commercial career
(38:34):
and transition more into theatrical.
And they felt like this would accomplish that and it did.
And so it was the right choice for them.
I had another client that they didn't get an opportunity,
he didn't get an opportunity to cut his hair during covid.
Yeah. And his hair grew out really long
and we realized it kind
(38:54):
of put him into this whole other category
and we got new head shots to just kind of test it out
before he cut his hair again.
And he started auditioning and booking like crazy.
I have the opposite of that story.
I have a, a client who went through chemo Oh no.
And had to shave her head has never worked more.
Changing your look can be a great thing,
(39:14):
but changing it every six months
because now you wanna be a redhead
or you wanna cut all your hair off,
not only is it gonna be incredibly expensive,
it actually will confuse casting.
And I have had other people who have gone down
that road and they so drastically changed their look that
(39:36):
it was basically like they had to be reintroduced
to casting all over again.
And they saw their auditions drop for like six months
until casting figured out that this was the same person.
So talk it over with your team
and in general, you wanna minimize the amount of time
you're spending kind of chasing trends.
Now sometimes your your look will change. Sure.
(39:59):
Uh, will happen. For instance, I have a client
who lost 150 pounds, which is great.
Never healthier. This, this actor used
to be a series regular.
Um, so I, but I had to do exactly what you said.
We had to reintroduce him to casting. Yeah.
Um, and that's a lengthy process. It takes time.
And so if you're constantly sort of shifting up
how you look, just know that it,
it not only can be confusing,
(40:20):
but it can take time off of moving forward in your career.
Mm-hmm. Trying to be a blank slate so
that you can be cast as anything.
Right. There's this idea,
and I actually, I do believe to some degree
that a well-trained actor can do many things
that people won't absolutely necessarily type them as
however, um, that's gonna be later in your career
(40:43):
that you're really starting to have those, uh, opportunities
and, and, and really that people are gonna trust you to do
that at the beginning of your career.
I'm not saying you need to get hyper-focused
and super drill in on like one specific thing,
but I think trying to be all things at once makes it really
hard to excel at any one thing.
(41:04):
And so trying to be a blank slate, um, visually
in addition to sort of like trying
to be a blank slate as an actor.
Uh, I, one thing that I sort of hit on recently is this idea
of like whoever your favorite actor is, uh,
I bet there are people who do an impression of them
and what is that impression of you?
(41:25):
What is an impression of you?
And the reason that you can do an impression of someone is
because there's something distinctive about them
that you couldn't just hire anyone off the street.
So if you're a blank slate, um,
even Meryl Streep is not a blank slate.
Like she's, she's won, you know, academy Awards,
she can play anything, she can really can play anything.
Absolutely. But like Meryl Streep is a distinctive person
(41:47):
with a unique point of view
and isn't trying to be a blank slate.
Right. And so unless if,
if you are better than Meryl Streep,
um, I'm gonna put my email.
No, I'm just kidding. Um, but,
but honestly it's something to think about.
Like, I think a lot of people tell actors, you know,
you want to be able to do everything
and I think that, that to do to a degree Yes.
(42:08):
However you want to be able
to do your version of everything.
Sure. And I think that that's much different.
And I also think, especially early in your career,
really focus
and drill down on the things that make you unique
and that make you your, the way
that you tell stories specific to you. The
Last piece of bad advice that we wanna cover is the idea
(42:28):
that you just wait around for your big break.
And we kind of touched on this a little bit earlier,
but this is the most collaborative
business in the world.
Theater, film, television, they all require collaboration.
And unfortunately you just can't sit around assuming
(42:48):
that the opportunities
to collaborate are just gonna magically appear.
You have to create your own momentum
and you have to continue to generate that momentum
all throughout your career.
One of my favorite interviews, I remember watching
with Kevin Bacon and it has stuck with me ever since.
Even someone of Kevin Bacon's caliber who has six degrees
(43:12):
of Kevin Bacon, right.
And has worked on comedies and dramas and TV and film.
Every time I finish a job, I am an out of work actor.
And so that is his reminder to himself that
he may take a vacation, you may take a week off, whatever
that is, but then he has to get back out there
and drum up that next job and go out
(43:34):
and see who his collaborators are, who is in his network,
who's got that next piece of work for him.
Does that mean that once this episode airs,
I can be in six degrees of Kevin Bacon?
Does he get a credit on this? Yeah.
Yeah. Great. Let's Kevin, come on the show.
Hey Kevin. Yeah. Come on in.
Thank you so much for joining us.
If you got value out of this, please click thumbs up.
(43:54):
Uh, click subscribe in that notification bill.
That way you get alerted every time we have a new episode.
Uh, again, I'm Anthony Boyer.
I'm.
Hello from Hollywood.
(00:00):
My name is Anthony Boyer.
I've been a talent agent in Los Angeles
and New York for the last 15 years.
And I'm Jess Canty
and I'm a talent manager here in Los Angeles.
And this is take out
On today's video, we're going
to be talking about bad advice that actors get, uh,
from usually well-meaning individuals in their lives,
(00:23):
whether those are other actors,
Absolutely. Teachers,
your weird uncle at Christmas.
Everyone, everyone seems to have an opinion about this
industry in a way that people don't about other jobs, right?
So That's right. Yeah, we definitely wanna tackle that.
Some of the dispel some myths around some of the advice
(00:44):
that you may get and hope
that this helps you in those situations.
Yeah, I think the key early on is learning who
to take advice from and who to ignore.
Um, and so we're gonna give you some advice on bad advice.
One of the major first things
(01:04):
that you'll likely run into when you're starting your acting
career is the friend who takes headshot.
Now, we know that headshot can be expensive,
but as we've said in a number of other videos,
starting an acting business is like starting any other
business, and you need to be prepared
to make an investment in that business.
(01:24):
There's always going to be startup costs,
and one of the first startup costs is headshot.
It really is the key
that unlocks the door to everything else.
We always advise clients if they don't feel like they can
quite yet afford a professional headshot photographer,
it's better to wait until you can afford that
and save up for a few months, as opposed to taking
(01:48):
the headshots with the friend
and then having to replace them
a few months later Anyway,
you're actually spending more money in
that scenario than if you had just waited.
A good headshot photographer entry level is gonna run you in
Los Angeles somewhere between 375 and $400 for the session,
and then you'll wanna budget a little bit
(02:10):
to put those shots up onto actors access casting networks
and potentially get a little bit of retouching done.
So you probably wanna budget around five to $600 for
that first set of headshots.
Again, this is, it unlocks everything.
This is the first investment you're gonna make
in your career.
(02:32):
And a professional headshot photographer not only knows how
to properly frame you specifically for headshots, they know
how to properly light you for headshots,
and they know the framing that actually works
with the thumbnails on those two
casting services I just mentioned.
A lot of times what we run into with headshots
(02:54):
that are from the friend who takes headshot is that
the lighting just doesn't quite pop,
or the framing isn't correct.
And so then you will have a problem when you're trying
to upload those to the casting sites. One
Piece of bad advice I would love
to chat about is fake credits.
Now that can be fake credits on IMDB, which a lot
(03:15):
of people get an IMDB pro account,
and then they kind of go on
and start to like either create, uh, something
that never really existed
or they try to put a credit onto an existing project
a little that's a little less common than it used to be.
It used to be much easier to do,
but yeah, so, so trying to like
horn swale people into thinking
that you've had all this additional, uh, experience.
(03:39):
More common in my experience is people who
actually put on the physical resume, uh,
either fake credits, fake projects,
or trying to expand the role that they actually had a lot
of times will see like series regular, uh, on something
that they were definitely not a series regular on
or on a, on a series that was not really a series.
(04:01):
Sure. Um, and so you just wanna be careful that you're,
sometimes there is like, say a web series
and you were a series regular, and that's true.
But for the most part we kind of, these are easy to look up,
it's easy to check and see the person who gets
that resume may be the a person who worked on that project,
uh, or a person who knows that project intimately.
(04:22):
Don't, you don't have to apologize for
where you're at in your career.
You can just use the resume to present yourself
as you are now with the understanding
that your resume will improve.
Uh, sometimes when I'm pitching, I will say,
I will use the phrase resume hasn't
caught up to the talent yet.
Like, that's okay.
Like, you don't have to invent things
(04:43):
and it's really gonna put you in a bad light if you do get
caught, which you will eventually get caught.
Another piece of advice that actors may be given
that we don't necessarily think is the best advice is
that if you have graduated from A BFA
or a BA program where you've specifically focused on acting
or film and television theater,
that you don't need any more training post-college.
(05:06):
That simply isn't true.
Most actors, professional actors get ongoing training
and coaching throughout their careers.
It will change over time.
You may go from, you know, scene study, which is
what you've mostly probably been doing in college
to when you get out now
we're saying don't do more scene study.
(05:27):
Right. You actually, the nuance of this is that you,
you probably don't need any more scene study training
and it can feel a little bit like a warm hug
to go into a scene study class once you're out of school.
So for anyone in this situation,
we recommend doing the things
that you haven't done in school.
Taking an on-camera class, if you were a theater major,
(05:49):
taking a commercial class, taking a class that's focused
specifically on auditioning, taking a class that in,
in stunts for the camera, something that is going to
continue your education,
but broaden the scope of what you've already learned,
you will always need training.
(06:09):
You will likely always need coaching.
Very famous a-list actors receive coaching all
the way through their careers.
And so the idea that you're done when you're done
with school is a bit of a myth.
Staying in the same class too long
or staying with one coach for too long
is also bad advice that people get.
I hear all the time people telling actors like,
(06:31):
find the school that you like
or find the studio that you like and stick with that
and like, keep working that one muscle, that one muscle.
I find that that is pretty bad advice,
but number one, you never wanna be the
best person in your class.
You wanna constantly be seeking out opportunities to learn.
And if you're not being pushed,
if you're not being challenged, then you're not learning.
(06:54):
Quite honestly, it's like when you go to the gym,
if you just train one muscle
and you don't train it any harder or,
or with any variety, um,
then you know you're not really pushing yourself
and you're not really gonna grow.
Um, so I think it's the same holds true of acting
or of any real skill.
You wanna make sure that not only are you pushing yourself
by being around people who are better than you,
(07:15):
but also just that you're trying different techniques.
Because here's the other thing, when you're on set
and it's, you know, take 13
and you just quite can't quite nail it, you need a lot
of tools in your, in your tool chest, if you will.
So I think having different techniques
and different styles
to fall back on when necessary is also really important.
Absolutely. I think the one minor exception to that is
(07:38):
you may find a coach that really just
always pushes you that you're a little intimidated by
or perhaps just you have that rapport where you just want
to perform for them and they get the best out of you.
That kind of person is okay to obviously keep
for quite some time.
Class is also a networking opportunity, so
(08:01):
ex expanding the number of classes
and people that you meet is really important as well.
Another thing
that we do not recommend is putting background
gigs on your resume.
Now, background work is fantastic.
It's an amazing way to get on set.
It's amazing way to understand how a set works
(08:22):
and understand the politics of of set.
It's great to just, you know, meet other actors
when you're first moving to a big market, be it LA
or New York or Atlanta.
However, if you put those jobs on your resume,
it will likely preclude you from booking that show again,
(08:43):
where if you don't,
and you know, the casting office,
you weren't prominently featured in some way as background,
you possibly could book
that in a speaking role in the future.
Yeah. And even like on a film,
like you just don't want people to think of you
as a background actor.
That's the other side of it
(09:03):
Too. So I think just
showing like this is the,
and it's not the same skill set either, right?
So you're not really showing off anything other than I've
been on a set and that's okay at the very beginning,
but once you have like real professional acting credits,
I I think that background should
move off very, very quickly.
The next piece of advice, uh, I see a lot of actors get is
to work on shorts, which is fine,
(09:26):
but then to work on more shorts and more shorts
and more shorts and do the student films and do all this.
And the fact is, at some point,
if a short film doesn't really speak to you artistically,
um, I think you should start saying no much earlier than a
lot of people I think want to,
and there are a few reasons for this.
Number one is, again, we don't necessarily want people
to think of you as a person who only does short films
(09:49):
or who doesn't work on larger projects.
But in addition to that, I think there's this idea of like,
if you're playing, if you're competing in a smaller pool,
if you're the big fish in a small pond, I think that it can,
it can become comfortable.
Mm-hmm. And so to challenge yourself to push yourself,
I think getting off of those sets
sometimes is really important.
We see that on the theater side also,
(10:11):
where maybe someone grew up in a smaller market
and you can work constantly there.
You just, the offers just come to you
and it's very tempting to just say, yes, it feels good
to get offered work, but at what cost?
Right. And if you're not available, if you're, you know,
you, you aren't putting yourself in front of the people
who are working on larger projects,
I think it can become detrimental.
(10:32):
I think the same thing with short films.
I think that they're super useful.
I think especially if artistically they speak to you,
I think it's great, but I think it's an easy way
to feel busy without real, it's like a treadmill, right?
You're doing a lot of work, but you're not
moving forward. Right.
And oftentimes they don't pay that well or pay at all.
Yeah. And yet, to your point,
at some point a sh the shorts work should become
(10:54):
really a footage play.
Is there a piece of footage?
Is this a character that you know you can play
that you just don't have footage for?
That would be a reason to do a short sort of
after you've built up a bit of a resume?
Your point about the big fish in the small pond, I think
of course it depends on your goals.
If you are completely happy, you know, in
(11:14):
that small market doing that regional theater
and you know, that's totally fine.
But if you have larger goals, like you said, the nos sort
of start to become as important as the yeses.
Yeah. I've always said I think
that the most powerful tool an actor has is
saying no and meaning it.
I think that's really the only way
to move anything forward in a lot of cases. Yeah.
(11:35):
It's kind of the, when one door closes another one open.
Yeah. You got a lot. You gotta nail it shut,
you say no one can get in. Yeah.
The idea of using a paid service to query agents
and managers, there are a number of these out there.
One of the things that they sell is that you can kind
of personalize these emails, which just means that my name
(11:58):
or Anthony's name will end up in the salutation,
but the rest
of the email looks like every other email coming from
that service, from every other actor
that is using that service.
And so really what's happening there is the person that,
or the people that started
that service are surely making a lot
(12:20):
of money off of actors Sure.
Who are signing up for it. They may find some success.
You know, I, I'm sure these wouldn't be
around if some people didn't get signed this way.
But for the most part, you know, most agencies
and management companies get to the point where when we see
that these are coming from these services,
(12:40):
and especially if I hover over links
and see that those links are being tracked so that
it kicks a message to that service
that I've opened the email
or I read the email that personally kind of creeps me out.
Yeah. I feel like someone's in my inbox.
That's an enormous red flag. Yeah.
I hate links in my, I mean,
(13:00):
Tracking links. Tracking links, yeah.
So I will hover over
to see if it's tracked
and then I know it's probably from one of these services
and for the most part I'm deleting that email.
Okay. Now there we get so many of these,
I'm not actually remembering anyone that has done that.
So if you're a little scared
(13:21):
because you've done that in the past
and you wanna, you know, I would say, oh,
try resubmitting just on your own in the way that
that agency or management company has already made public
how they want to be submitted.
So sometimes it's through the website,
sometimes they're okay with email queries,
but they may have a specific email address
that they want queried.
(13:42):
That's another indication that it's coming from a service is
that it's not following that instruction.
So it's a waste of your money.
You're probably helping someone else who is maybe an out
of work actor support themselves
and, you know, no shade on anyone who's trying to
make a living while they're pursuing an acting career.
(14:05):
But I think some of these services for actors
where actors have to pay to do things that you could do
for free, we just recommend to be very careful.
It's just very like spammy
and very, we don't, we didn't ask to be signed up for this.
Um, now you may not care and that's a choice you can make,
but for me anyway, I think just doing market research
(14:27):
and coming up with your own, uh, email, you know,
that shows off you very well,
is just a much more effective use of your time.
And it's a whole heck of a lot cheaper.
I got an email a couple of weeks ago, uh,
and it had a link to this Actor's, actor's Access profile
and I open it up and I see, uh, an Atlanta agent
(14:47):
and a New York agent and a New Mexico agent,
and a Los Angeles agent and a Chicago agent.
And I think, I think there was a Louisiana agent.
There were so many agents all listed on this person's
actor's access profile.
And I thought clearly, uh, someone told this actor,
get representation in every market.
(15:08):
You can be a local hire anywhere it's
just a plane ride away.
I think that that's particularly bad advice. Agree.
Not at least because when I open that
and I see that I don't know where I fit in mm-hmm.
Uh, it feels like you're never gonna be
available in my market.
Uh, it also feels a little desperate, honestly.
It feels a little bit, um, like you are really just eager
(15:31):
to take any kind of work.
And if we're trying to build a career, if we're trying
to build, you know, a business that makes an impact,
I think chasing small things like that starts to be sort
of a not a good look.
That's just me personally.
In addition to that, I wonder,
can you truly work in all of these markets?
Right? Can you truly keep all of these reps happy?
(15:53):
This idea came out that like, well, you can, you can,
everything's self-tape anyway, so you can work
as a local everywhere.
But really when push comes to shove, I think a lot
of markets are, are pushing back
because actors are, are
failing at the last minute when they see the, the flight,
the price of flights.
Uh, they're not reliable in any one market.
(16:14):
I just really personally see much,
much more return on investment when people focus on
one or two markets.
So I think finding those two markets where you,
or you know, one or two markets where you can really dig in
and really try to build something in those markets
rather than, you know, chasing every like CoStar, uh, that,
(16:35):
that you can find, you know, no matter where in the country,
even if you're losing money on every booking once a,
you know, flights and, and commissions and,
and hotel rooms are taken care of,
I just think you're better than that.
You don't need to do that.
I, I don't think that it puts across a very professional,
uh, look for your package for most people.
Listen, you might be in a situation
(16:56):
where you truly can be a local in five different markets.
I would still probably encourage you to focus on one
or two just 'cause you know, if you're really trying
to be all things at all times,
how good can you be at any one thing?
I think really devoting your energy
and your resources to building a career in one
or two markets pays dividends in the long run.
(17:18):
Remember, we talk a lot about
how this is a relationship business.
So the idea that you can build a relationship with
that many agents
and then have them want to cross work together, you know,
most of the time when people have agents in two markets,
those agents are aware of each other
and they're trading information about
(17:40):
where they're pitching or what.
And there's actually a division of labor there,
and everyone's on the same page as a note.
You know, if you have moved quite a bit
and you've simply forgotten to take down agencies
that you used to be repped by in your actors' access,
they do show up for us when you send your information over.
And I always get scared if I see another management company
(18:03):
in there, when someone submits to me, I usually hold off
because none of us like to poach.
So, you know, it could be that you've just forgotten
to remove them from your, your actor's access
after you parted ways and make sure you take that step
before you start reaching out about new representation. I
Would add to that, that's very similar when you send out
(18:23):
your resume, don't send out your agent's resume
with the logo on it.
That's a, that's, that's not even bad advice.
It's just like, just don't do that. Yeah.
First of all, it might not even have your personal contact,
but also like I can see that you're with x, y, Z agency.
It doesn't, no one, none of us.
Well not none of us, most of us don't like
to poach clients from one another.
(18:44):
Exactly. But I think quite often people assume that,
you know, the best day job support job
to have is working in food service.
And there's a long history of actors, of course
that started in the restaurant business.
I would say that with the way that sort
(19:05):
of food culture has exploded over the last 20 years
with the food network
and people sort of being much more demanding about going out
and the fact that it's gotten so much more expensive,
restaurants really have for the most part
moved into demanding a high level
(19:25):
of service from their wait staff.
And I worked in food service for a while
and I know I had a lot of actors on my staff,
and it can be a really hard thing
to manage when you're working.
You know, usually a night shift from four
to 10, 11, 12 at night, quite often there's pressure
(19:47):
to hang out with staff after your shift.
You're very tired the next day.
And so getting in the gym, doing the things you need to do
for your acting business
and get those self tapes in,
I think it just can be a lot to handle.
Especially if you're not at one of those restaurants
where you can just work Friday, Saturday, Sunday
(20:08):
and kind of make all your money for the week.
If it's something that you really truly feel like you can
balance and you are strict about, you know, not going out
for that shift drink
and spending your money that you've just earned on that
and you know, putting it back into your business instead so
that you can afford those headshots.
(20:28):
Of course, we wouldn't wanna pick on any one specific job,
but especially in LA and that
and New York, I think it can just be a hard industry to pair
with acting.
When I watch the bear, I always wonder like
those hours are insane.
Like they, they're in the morning. Yeah.
They're there for the entire evening service.
(20:50):
I've never worked in a restaurant. I think I take that back.
I worked in a restaurant for one day, I couldn't do it.
I couldn't handle it. Yeah.
But yeah, I think there are lots of jobs,
especially in the gig work economy now.
Um, there are a lot of extremely flexible jobs.
So I would say if you're looking to do something
that's gonna put you in contact with people, uh, up close
(21:11):
and personal, I think a lot of the gig works.
The Postmates, the Ubers, those kinds
of things are maybe a bit better
than the restaurant industry.
But really, like, do your research.
'cause I, most actors I meet these days actually have kind
of interesting jobs that are funding their careers.
So something to, to think about.
One piece of advice that I hear all the time,
(21:32):
or one source of advice mm-hmm.
That I hear all the time is, well, my friend says,
or my new favorite, well my friend's agent says,
every career is a bit different.
Uh, whatever your friend is dealing with,
whatever your friend's agent is dealing with is
probably completely different than your, uh,
scenario than your situation.
(21:53):
And that agent or that manager isn't in the day to day
of working with your business.
If you have a team that you have entrusted with your career
and they are giving you advice
and you watch one of our videos, you're like, well,
you know, Anthony
and Jess say, I think that that's bad advice.
Honestly, I think you can take it into consideration,
(22:15):
but at the end of the day, like you've entrusted this team,
uh, to give you advice and to help you build
and manage your career, looking outside of
that relationship
and pulling in, uh, advice that's meant
for a different business entirely.
It's like, for instance, if you work at Little Caesar's
and you have a friend who works at Papa John's, the
(22:38):
what they're doing on a night to night basis,
it looks very similar to what you are doing,
but they have different clientele,
they have different procedures,
they have different things going on.
So it's just like any other business where
you can take it into consideration.
But I would not operate on that advice,
especially if it goes contrary to your advisors, to the team
that you have built to help you build this career.
(23:00):
And I wanna double down on something that you said,
which is that if there's anything in any of these videos
that we say that contradicts something
that your team is saying, listen to your team.
Yeah. Again, we're trying
to give the most general principles that we know have worked
for our clients over time,
(23:21):
but part of the reason why you're with your specific team is
because you trust them.
You've built a relationship with them.
And I think sometimes when we hear the, but my friend or,
but my friend's agent, it actually kind of pushes on
that trust that we've built a bit.
And it's, you know, it's a human nature to kind of,
(23:41):
for us when we hear that, to say, well, wait a minute.
Like, do they not trust me anymore?
So just be mindful of that too, if you're bringing
that up now, it doesn't mean that you can't find another way
of asking the question.
I was thinking about this. What do you think about it?
Right. It, it may be very well that your agent
or manager agrees, but something you've heard.
(24:04):
But it's the way that you present it.
I would also say, we're gonna put this
video out on a Tuesday.
By Wednesday everything will be different.
So like things move fast, things change.
So again, just because we said something in a video doesn't
mean by the time it comes up for you that it's
that it's a hundred percent relevant.
That's true. That's true.
And that goes back to what we said at the top, which is
(24:25):
the biggest thing we want everyone
to take from this is over time learning how to
and where to get advice from and what trust
and sources mean to you.
Another thing that I think actors here all the time is
the say Yes to everything.
Say yes to every job. And this, we were kind
of talking about this before with the shorts,
that's just not feasible.
(24:47):
A and b, it doesn't really allow you to be strategic.
We really look for clients and I think most agents
and managers look for clients that are in this
for the long haul.
And so have some kind of strategy behind the kinds of work
that they wanna be doing, the things
that turn them on artistically.
And so if you're just kind of saying yes to everything,
(25:08):
it doesn't really help you to have a comedy short credit
and then a CoStar in a Ryan Murphy drama
and then, you know, uh, go do a play
and then go, you know, act
as a cinematographer on someone else's project
that takes you away for a month.
Be careful about what you say yes to.
(25:30):
It's still your time, it's still your energy
and it's still your artistic effort,
and you wanna make sure that it's of quality.
It can be hard to know what is a quality project
and what isn't a quality project.
If something makes you feel uncomfortable,
if something looks a little weird,
if the description is a little funky,
(25:52):
even if the part's right for you, trust that instinct and,
and probably either don't submit to it or if you do submit
and then the person reaching out is just making you not feel
super comfortable, don't be afraid to turn that down.
Yeah. You don't need to be exploited.
You don't need to be abused. I was literally just talking
with an agent in my office today.
(26:14):
Uh, there was a, an independent film producer who refused
to give out a script,
but then like refused to like, said
that they could only read the script in their presence
and just everything started to be very red flaggy.
And at some point I'm like, at what point do you even want
to be on that set?
Because it's all going to be like this.
So watch for those red flags and don't be afraid to say no.
(26:36):
It's like we said, that's kind
of your only power is saying no and meaning it.
A couple of years ago I thought maybe I'd gotten into some
like ruts, right?
Maybe I'd gotten a little comfortable in my routine.
So I was like, if anyone invites me to see something,
I'm going, I'm going to say yes.
Mm-hmm. The very first day
after I decided that I got an invitation to a,
(26:58):
a film screening, a featured film screening,
and normally I would've avoided this at all costs,
but I was like, no, I'm, I said,
I would say yes to everything.
So I-I-R-S-V-P-I go to this screening.
It's the worst movie I've ever seen in my life.
I immediately, instantly regret it saying yes to everything.
You never have to say yes to everything.
Trust your instincts.
(27:19):
Um, you know, you can be a little more open-minded. Sure.
You can be like, well, maybe this is a person I'd like
to know, or this is a project I'd like
to work on if they can meet my terms.
Something like that. So, you know, it's okay to say no
and in fact it's encouraged
And to your point about, you know, oh, you have to come
and read the script in my presence.
(27:39):
I find that a, a big red flag is often people
who are at the beginning of their careers.
Zap is more in film than me. Yeah. Oh yeah.
Um, that are emulating something that they've heard
a major director does.
This particular director referenced Quentin
(28:00):
Tarantino. I was just
gonna say that's a Quentin Tarantino thing. Yeah.
The reason why Quentin Tarantino demands that people come
and read his latest script is
because a couple of movies ago,
his script was leaked on the internet
and he did not get to make that movie.
Right. Or he decided not to make that movie
after he had put all this time in.
So, you know, Quentin has earned the right to demand
(28:23):
that people come read the script and,
and his presence, both from a career perspective
and from the fact that he got seriously burned someone
that's just out of film school that is, you know,
presenting their film with their name above the title
and demanding that you come to their house
to read their script, that's probably a red flag
(28:47):
If they start to get a little think for their britches.
I'm not saying it's always a red flag,
but, uh, personally speaking, I think it's, it's,
I would ask questions.
Yeah. One other piece of advice,
and we talk about this all the time on this channel, is, uh,
people who believe that all you need
to focus on is your acting right.
(29:10):
Uh, all you need to do is focus on creating the best
acting product you can.
You can. And let your team handle the rest.
And that's particularly bad advice,
because again, you're building a business.
Uh, we talk about this a lot.
Networking is fundamental to building a business.
Um, you know, advertising, getting out, creating leads,
(29:32):
meeting people, knowing what's going on.
There's so much about this industry that really relies on,
on people, really on any industry, uh,
or at least almost any industry
that relies on just being actively engaged.
And I actually find there are agencies that
ask actors not to take a driver's side,
(29:54):
driver's seat in their own careers.
And frequently those actors then, you know,
will years later when the in, when, when it goes sour with
that, uh, when the relationship with that agent goes sour,
they'll find their way to us.
And in our meeting we're talking
and you, it's very clear that they don't,
they don't know what's going on in their careers.
Mm-hmm. They don't know how to drive it anymore.
(30:14):
They don't really understand, you know, they don't know
who they know.
They don't know who their fans are
because they've never worried about any of that stuff.
Now I'm not saying you need to keep like,
detailed spreadsheets.
Right. I think it's great if you do,
but you know, a lot of people don't operate that way.
But you should not just sit back
and wait for the phone to ring.
Right. It's so hard to stay engaged in your own career
(30:39):
when you only flip the switch, uh, when there's an audition.
Mm-hmm. And I think it's really hard
to feel connected to the industry.
I think it's really easy to kind of get burned out
that way too, where you just feel like, you know,
you're not really connected in the same way.
I think people think I've got an agent,
I've got a manager, you know, I can just sit back and,
and let them drive.
(31:01):
And unfortunately they're, you know,
your agent's making 10%, your manager's making 10
to 15% mathematically, that just doesn't work out.
It just means that you still have to be putting 80%
of the work in
and finding work for yourself
amongst your network needs to be part of that 80%.
(31:22):
You need to be bringing work to your agents
and managers while they are running down the road
of going through casting.
But you need to be making those relationships
with producers, directors, writer friends, and,
and working that network
and bringing opportunities to your team as well.
Another piece of advice that we don't necessarily agree
with is the idea that you must go to drama school in order
(31:45):
to have a productive career in quite a few cases.
The actual opposite is true of that. Right.
So if you look at the trajectories of many
high profile actors
and actresses, they probably never
attended a four year school.
And they may have attended a four year school
(32:05):
and they may not have attended a four year school
to study acting.
Right. We have nothing against these programs
and there are tons of people who do attend those programs
and do have very successful careers.
The key to this is,
and now my alma mater is going to be very mad at me.
Oh yeah. But the key to this is, is that most
(32:26):
of these programs will tell you not
to have representation while you're in school.
And they will tell you not to audition that you can wait
until you've graduated,
just focused on your craft while you're in school.
That is another piece of advice we
absolutely do not agree with.
The time between your 18
and 22 is some of the most valuable time in your career.
(32:49):
From the perspective of that is when quite a few people tend
to break out, there tend to be an outsized number of
possible roles in that age range.
And if you just go to school
and turn that potential
of working off while you're in school,
(33:09):
you are now competing.
When you get out with someone
who didn't make the same choice
and maybe is on their second agent,
they've already booked their first guest star.
They have set experience that you don't have.
So it is one of the few careers that's left.
I think that really doesn't require college degree moving
(33:31):
to New York, LA spending the money
that you would've spent going to one of those programs.
You know, living in those cities,
taking local acting classes
that are plugged into the casting networks
that you would be taking when you come out of school anyway.
And do some community college classes,
take some business classes, you know, just so that you are
(33:55):
in the mix with other people your age
and getting a little bit of that college experience,
focusing on working in whatever way you can
while you are in school.
I went to UCLA as a theater major over 20 years ago.
I will tell you that the people that ignored the department
are still working today.
(34:16):
Yeah. We wanna be careful and say that,
that that's not for everyone.
Absolutely. Some people really do well
by having that four year degree.
You mentioned earlier a lot, especially many
of these programs have great placement.
They, you know, you walk out with a good network
with a support system.
But it's something to think about,
would I be better off spending this four years in a large
market or even a mid-market Yeah.
(34:38):
Spending this money on professional acting classes mm-hmm.
Uh, and putting money into my business,
or would I be better off spending this money in this time
on, uh, on a, on a degree.
Yeah. The advice that like you have to go to college Yeah.
I think is actually in many fields, terrible advice.
That's sort of advice in general that is bad,
(35:01):
but especially I think in the arts,
in particularly in acting where, like you mentioned 17
to 22 is, is really a, a time to, to kind
of put your foot on the gasp for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, the way this system is set up is
that most acting programs are connected
to theater programs in universities.
Most film schools came along so much later
(35:23):
that they don't have acting programs.
And so a lot of people who want
to eventually work on camera are actually getting
theater based training.
And so then you and then are not spending any time exploring
anything on camera while they're in school.
And so that's kind of what we mean
by ignoring your department.
(35:44):
If ultimately you wanna be in film
and tv, go to a theater school in LA
or in Atlanta if you wanna do theater, you know,
plan on being in New York for school
or somewhere near New York
or somewhere where there's really good regional theaters
or moving there quickly thereafter when you have your degree
so that you can just jump right into it.
(36:06):
I think that's a good idea for a future episode. Yeah.
Maybe, uh, something about where if you are in a traditional
sort of acting program that doesn't offer a lot
of on-camera opportunities.
'cause a lot of film schools don't film departments. Yeah.
There's no crossover. Yeah. There's no crossover.
I think that's a good idea for, let's figure,
let's think about at a future episode where we talk about
how to make the best of that situation.
Yeah. One thing that I've heard a a number
(36:27):
of people say recently while putting together their reels
is, oh, you know, I need to do another project,
or I need to do another project.
Or they just wanna get a lot of, uh, a lot of quantity.
And I think really that's bad advice.
I think for most people, really focusing on a handful
of really good projects
that show you off very well is much more beneficial.
(36:50):
Absolutely. Um, for building a reel
and just for having footage in general,
I think when you have a reel that's full
of like 15 one line scenes, it doesn't really tell us a lot.
This is meant to show you off, show off your acting skills.
So I think having just, I like to have just two
or three scenes that really give good amount.
(37:11):
They show good work for the actors, show them listening,
show some kind of an arc.
I would much rather have that than like 15 short clips.
Sure. Uh, with, with a quirky,
with a quippy one-liner or something like that.
Quality over quantity rather than the advice
that I keep hearing people get, which is to, to have a lot
(37:31):
of variety
These days. A
reel with two or three really good scenes plus a couple
of self-tapes absolutely works for submitting to agents
and management companies.
And we absolutely can use
a really high quality self tape to pitch.
So just don't feel that pressure.
We do not advise is to change your look
(37:52):
to match whatever is in right now.
No, I had a client once that they sort of had, you know, a
bob haircut and they decided to go really, really,
really short with a pixie cut.
And their commercial agent was not happy about this
because it completely changed their commercial category.
(38:14):
If they were gonna make this change, it needed to be kind
of for good Right.
Or for an extended amount of time.
And the reason for that is your look does change things.
It, it cha it can sometimes change your casting category
like it did with this client.
Now they wanted to kind of transition out
of focusing on their commercial career
(38:34):
and transition more into theatrical.
And they felt like this would accomplish that and it did.
And so it was the right choice for them.
I had another client that they didn't get an opportunity,
he didn't get an opportunity to cut his hair during covid.
Yeah. And his hair grew out really long
and we realized it kind
(38:54):
of put him into this whole other category
and we got new head shots to just kind of test it out
before he cut his hair again.
And he started auditioning and booking like crazy.
I have the opposite of that story.
I have a, a client who went through chemo Oh no.
And had to shave her head has never worked more.
Changing your look can be a great thing,
(39:14):
but changing it every six months
because now you wanna be a redhead
or you wanna cut all your hair off,
not only is it gonna be incredibly expensive,
it actually will confuse casting.
And I have had other people who have gone down
that road and they so drastically changed their look that
(39:36):
it was basically like they had to be reintroduced
to casting all over again.
And they saw their auditions drop for like six months
until casting figured out that this was the same person.
So talk it over with your team
and in general, you wanna minimize the amount of time
you're spending kind of chasing trends.
Now sometimes your your look will change. Sure.
(39:59):
Uh, will happen. For instance, I have a client
who lost 150 pounds, which is great.
Never healthier. This, this actor used
to be a series regular.
Um, so I, but I had to do exactly what you said.
We had to reintroduce him to casting. Yeah.
Um, and that's a lengthy process. It takes time.
And so if you're constantly sort of shifting up
how you look, just know that it,
it not only can be confusing,
(40:20):
but it can take time off of moving forward in your career.
Mm-hmm. Trying to be a blank slate so
that you can be cast as anything.
Right. There's this idea,
and I actually, I do believe to some degree
that a well-trained actor can do many things
that people won't absolutely necessarily type them as
however, um, that's gonna be later in your career
(40:43):
that you're really starting to have those, uh, opportunities
and, and, and really that people are gonna trust you to do
that at the beginning of your career.
I'm not saying you need to get hyper-focused
and super drill in on like one specific thing,
but I think trying to be all things at once makes it really
hard to excel at any one thing.
(41:04):
And so trying to be a blank slate, um, visually
in addition to sort of like trying
to be a blank slate as an actor.
Uh, I, one thing that I sort of hit on recently is this idea
of like whoever your favorite actor is, uh,
I bet there are people who do an impression of them
and what is that impression of you?
(41:25):
What is an impression of you?
And the reason that you can do an impression of someone is
because there's something distinctive about them
that you couldn't just hire anyone off the street.
So if you're a blank slate, um,
even Meryl Streep is not a blank slate.
Like she's, she's won, you know, academy Awards,
she can play anything, she can really can play anything.
Absolutely. But like Meryl Streep is a distinctive person
(41:47):
with a unique point of view
and isn't trying to be a blank slate.
Right. And so unless if,
if you are better than Meryl Streep,
um, I'm gonna put my email.
No, I'm just kidding. Um, but,
but honestly it's something to think about.
Like, I think a lot of people tell actors, you know,
you want to be able to do everything
and I think that, that to do to a degree Yes.
(42:08):
However you want to be able
to do your version of everything.
Sure. And I think that that's much different.
And I also think, especially early in your career,
really focus
and drill down on the things that make you unique
and that make you your, the way
that you tell stories specific to you. The
Last piece of bad advice that we wanna cover is the idea
(42:28):
that you just wait around for your big break.
And we kind of touched on this a little bit earlier,
but this is the most collaborative
business in the world.
Theater, film, television, they all require collaboration.
And unfortunately you just can't sit around assuming
(42:48):
that the opportunities
to collaborate are just gonna magically appear.
You have to create your own momentum
and you have to continue to generate that momentum
all throughout your career.
One of my favorite interviews, I remember watching
with Kevin Bacon and it has stuck with me ever since.
Even someone of Kevin Bacon's caliber who has six degrees
(43:12):
of Kevin Bacon, right.
And has worked on comedies and dramas and TV and film.
Every time I finish a job, I am an out of work actor.
And so that is his reminder to himself that
he may take a vacation, you may take a week off, whatever
that is, but then he has to get back out there
and drum up that next job and go out
(43:34):
and see who his collaborators are, who is in his network,
who's got that next piece of work for him.
Does that mean that once this episode airs,
I can be in six degrees of Kevin Bacon?
Does he get a credit on this? Yeah.
Yeah. Great. Let's Kevin, come on the show.
Hey Kevin. Yeah. Come on in.
Thank you so much for joining us.
If you got value out of this, please click thumbs up.
(43:54):
Uh, click subscribe in that notification bill.
That way you get alerted every time we have a new episode.
Uh, again, I'm Anthony Boyer.
I'm.
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