Don’t Just Tell a Talent Agent About Your Dreams. Show Them Your Work!
Your dreams are not much different from any other actor’s dreams. It’s your work that sets you apart.
(by Carmichael Phillips)
(Photo by Bruce Mars on Unsplash)
Imagine someone constantly telling you about their extravagant dreams:
• “I’m going to be rich and famous one of these days”
• “I’m going to have my own private jet one day”
• “I’m going to live in a big house in Beverly Hills”
Now, imagine how you would feel if you heard all this boasting a thousand times.
By the thousandth time, all of that big talk begins to sound like white noise. Your brain begins to tune it out. Your ears become bored with the sound. Your eyes might even do a roll.
Now, imagine you are a talent agent. You are flooded every day of your life with mail or emails from actors who are eager for representation. Many of those actors tell you different versions of the same line.
• “It’s always been my dream to be an actor”
• “I want to be a movie star”
• “It’s my destiny to be famous”
• “I believe I can be the next Meryl Streep, or Denzel Washington, or Damian Lewis”
By the hundredth time, this, too, begins to sound like white noise. By the thousandth time, it begins to sound pathetic. That’s why, when it comes to approaching an agent, your actions speak much louder than your words.
Don’t just tell an agent about your dreams, show them your work
Don’t just tell an agent about your dreams, show them your work. Show them what you’ve done to make those dreams come true. Tell them about all the acting classes you’ve taken and how those classes have helped improve your acting. Tell them about all the extraordinary things you’ve done to make progress…knocking on doors of opportunity, creating your own content, winning awards, establishing relationships.
Your dreams are not much different from any other actor’s dreams. It’s your work that sets you apart. It’s your work that gives you a unique story of accomplishment, one that no other actor can tell, one that doesn’t sound like white noise.
At that point, you’re no longer a dreamer. You’re a doer. You’re a go-getter looking for the right agent to partner with, not a dreamer looking for a unicorn.
Don’t tell an agent your fantasies. They’ve heard it all before.
Show them your hustle. Show them your knowledge of the business. Show them your ability to knock down doors.
Show them your work!
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