Tag Archives: career

New Things To Think About With My Acting Career (or I Need To Plan Things More)

Posted on October 19, 2022 | Comments Off on New Things To Think About With My Acting Career (or I Need To Plan Things More)

I’ve written several times about how I want to get back into acting more. Things really came to a standstill for me the past few years, but I also used that time to get things a bit more settled in my life. I’m in a better place financially, which is important since so many things with acting cost money. And I think having a little bit of a break did help me really think about what I want to do and how I want to accomplish it.

I still want to get back into taking an acting class and have been looking into some options near me. I haven’t found one that fits in with my schedule or that I like yet, but I’m making an effort to find something because I know it would be good for me. I also miss the camaraderie you have being in a regular class. But because I have limited time after work and classes can be expensive, I don’t want to join one just to be in a class. I want to make sure I’m in a class that fits my needs as well as a class where I fit in with the others in the group. There have been a few people who have talked about starting up our own casual scene study class, and if one of those happens it might be a good match for me since they tend to be less expensive and very supportive. But since I don’t know if or when those might happen, I’m still looking into more traditional classes as well. And hopefully, I’ll find something that works for me soon.

I also know that I might need to start looking for a new agent. This is a longer thing I need to think about, but I’m not sure if my current situation is the best one for me or if I’m the best client for them. I know that with the pandemic, things have been weird. So I want to start conversations with my agent again before making any decisions because it’s not easy to find a new agent. And just like how I feel about classes, I don’t want to make any rash decisions. This is something that might take a lot of time to figure out, and I’m not in any rush.

But whether or not I want to look for a new agent, one thing I know I need to do is get new headshots. And I’ve been saying this for a while and I haven’t done it yet. I’ve talked to a few friends who are photographers to figure out who I’d like to take photos with, but now I’m realizing I might need to plan this out better too. There’s no guarantee the new medication will help me lose weight, but if I’m lucky it will make a difference for me. And if I lose weight, I will need to keep getting new headshots because my look will be changing. Headshots are not cheap (or cheap headshots are not usually good), so this is another thing that really has to be thought about. If I do new headshots now and then need new ones in a month or two, that can be expensive. Maybe I need to keep the ones I have for now until my appearance is different enough and then finally do the new ones. And maybe I can make a plan with a photographer friend to have sessions with fewer looks if I will be doing them more frequently. For example, if they normally offer a 4-look session, maybe I could split it into 2 sessions and pay a little bit more than half each time. I haven’t asked anyone yet because I want to have a better plan in mind before asking.

All of these things are things I feel I need in order to get my acting career off again. I know that I could still get auditions and book work with the headshots I have now and through my current agent. But I also know that having outdated headshots aren’t helping me much. Plus, I have used those headshots for a while now so a refresh would be nice and something different for casting directors to see when I’m submitted for roles.

I’m not going to let not doing these things stop me from continuing to pursue acting, but I also know that I’m probably not going to have a lot of success without them either. So I need to make a plan, even if it’s a 1 or 2 year plan, and get back into things with a purpose. I have been putting this off enough, and I can at least take the first few steps toward making these changes and then get into them more when the timing is right.

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Default ThumbnailI Should Start Focusing On Acting Again (or It’s Been A Crazy Few Years) Default ThumbnailBack To Basics (or How A Win At My Day Job Can Help My Acting Career) Default ThumbnailFiguring Out The Next Step (or I Need To Keep Acting) Default ThumbnailJob vs. Career (or Being Undercover At My Day Job) Default ThumbnailAudition Prep (or Taking My Career Seriously) Default ThumbnailBeing Proactive (or Bringing Acting To Me)

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I Should Start Focusing On Acting Again (or It’s Been A Crazy Few Years)

Posted on July 29, 2022 | Comments Off on I Should Start Focusing On Acting Again (or It’s Been A Crazy Few Years)

Recently, a friend asked me if I planned to pursue acting again. I wasn’t offended by the question, but to me, I never really stopped pursuing it. But I also know I haven’t been doing the same things I used to do. And because it seems like time moves faster each year, I haven’t really focused on acting as much as I probably should have for the past 2 1/2 years. And I know that there have been a few reasons why.

When the pandemic hit, everything shut down. Nobody knew when there would be acting work or what was going to happen. And at the same time, the agent that I have been with for the entire time I have had an agent sold the agency to someone new. They were going to take over the agency and keep the same client list, but of course, things got crazy since nothing was happening. I know we were supposed to meet with the new agent and get things underway, but that was all postponed. And I really wasn’t worried about making that happen since I had so much else on my mind.

For so much of 2020, I was focused on figuring out my work situation. I had reduced hours and then lost my job like so many other people. And when I was out of work, my main focus was to get a new job. And once I did get a new job, my focus was getting through my training and to be working so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay my bills. At that time, there still weren’t vaccinations available for everyone, so I also knew that if I had any in-person auditions or booked work, it would be a risk for me. I was still doing some self-tape auditions, but I really didn’t have that much going on. But I wasn’t worried since it seemed like everyone else was in the same boat as me and nobody was auditioning or working the same way they used to.

I don’t have a great excuse for why I wasn’t focused on acting again right after I got vaccinated, but I did look into getting some new headshots and possibly looking at talking to other agents. That didn’t happen, and then last summer was when I found out that my landlord was selling and I got into searching for a condo. And from the time that I started that search until just recently, the condo was the big focus of my life. Finding a new place, planning the renovation, and moving took up a lot more mental energy than I expected. And at the same time, I was dealing with some work changes that also took more focus than I expected. I wasn’t expecting to take this much time without a big focus on acting, but that’s how things happened and I can’t really go back and change anything.

And I know I’ve said this before, but I really do want to get back to being more serious about my career. I know I need new headshots, so I want to figure out a good time to get those done (and save up the money for them). I know that it would be good to get back into class, but I haven’t found one that I’m interested in just yet. And I have to work around my work schedule and so many classes would be during work time for me. I am still doing my self-submissions every day and trying to be productive as much as possible, but I know it’s not enough. So I also need to decide if I want to stay with my agent or consider trying to find a new one. Finding an agent isn’t easy, and it can be even harder now that things still aren’t fully back to normal. But it might be smart to look into options so I can make some good decisions about what I want my next steps to look like.

I know that it might not look like I’ve been pursuing acting for the past few years, but that’s not really how I’ve seen it. I know that it does look different and I haven’t done everything that I could, but I always do keep it in mind. But I need to do more than just keep it in mind and really get back on track and push forward. I know I need to do that or else before I know it another few years will pass me by.

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6 Jobs Not Enough? (or How Can It Be That I’m Still Underemployed?)

Posted on July 2, 2014 | 7 comments

I mentioned a week or so ago about an interview that I had coming up to do some survey coding work for the movie screening company I tried working with earlier this year. The interview went great for that job and I was hired on the spot. I think perhaps my history with the company worked in my favor. It’s going to be between 10-30 hours of work a week once things get going, but the issue will be when that will be. I first have to train, which will involve 2 or so months of working graveyard shifts.

The sooner I can work those graveyard shifts (and the more I can do each week), the faster I’ll be trained and able to work the daytime hours. I just got my first request for my availability, so hopefully I’ll have my first training session soon.

In the meantime, I’m unsure how stable my future will be with my assistant headhunter job. My boss has always had issues with getting people on the phone (as in they aren’t answering) so that’s one reason he brought me on. But I’m running into the exact same problem that he has had. He’s talked about whether or not this job is working out and yesterday he emailed me to say that he’s considering stopping the phone calls for a while. Pretty much while you are reading this (assuming you are reading this the morning it gets posted) I will be on the phone with my boss to discuss the future.

I don’t want to lose this job, but I understand the frustration. I’m frustrated too. I want to always improve on my work and do the best that I can do, but the problems are things that are out of my control. I can’t force potential people to answer their phone. I’ve tried calling at various times of the day and tried blocking my number to see if that would help, but it doesn’t. I’m lucky if I talk to 5 people over the course of my shift, which is 4 hours long.

So I’m back in the place where I’m looking for another job to add to my job collection. I currently have 6 day jobs (assistant headhunter, substitute teacher, box office staff, babysitting, dog sitting, and survey coder) and that’s not counting my acting career or blogging (which I know I should really try to monetize to help with bills).

I never thought I’d miss my 6 days a week telesales job, but I do. That was steady work that I could count on and it was flexible enough for me to do what I needed to do. I really need to find something else like it, but that’s so difficult.

There are a lot of jobs in Los Angeles that in the job ad will say “NO ACTORS”. And yes, they tend to put that in all capital letters. They assume that actors are flaky, and I agree that many are. But I’m not that way. Yes I might have to take a long lunch or work a weird shift so I can go to my audition, but I always finish my work. If only I could convince an employer of that.

So even though I just got hired for another new part-time job, I’m looking for work again. I can’t trust that my headhunter job will be long-term (even though I want it to be) and I have no idea how many or few hours I will get for the survey coder job.

So I’m asking for help again on here. If anyone knows of any flexible work, I’m looking. I’m happy to send anyone my resume, but to summarize it I have assistant, data entry, sales, coordinating, and writing skills. Plus I’d be interested in any babysitting and dog sitting work. If any of you could help me out, I’d be so incredibly grateful.

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Job vs. Career (or Being Undercover At My Day Job)

Posted on June 12, 2013 | 5 comments

Having a day job when you are trying to be have a career as a creative person is pretty typical. Most of my creative friends have had at least one job outside of their desired career to pay the bills. While some actors are pretty secretive about what they do, I’m pretty open myself.

There’s no shame in having another job while you are trying to follow your dreams. But at your job, it can be shameful to try to also follow your dreams.

I’m lucky that at my day job, it’s expected that people in my position are pursuing other careers. Most of the telesales team are actors, but there are also writers and costume designers.

But I haven’t always been this lucky. At my last day job, my first boss was very understanding about my life. If I had to go to an audition, I could make up the hours within the same pay period. That was it. But when I got a new boss, she started to ask for unreasonable things such as 2 weeks notice of when I needed time off for an audition. Most of my auditions are the day after my agent submits me, so there’s no way to normally give more than a day or two’s notice.

At my old job, I almost had to be secretive about my acting. That’s not what I want to do at my day job. I’m there to work, but I don’t have to make that job my forever job.

For some of my friends who aren’t creatives and don’t understand the idea of a day job, I explain it this way. For most people, a job and a career are the same thing. For my brother, for example, being a resident at the hospital he works at is working on his career as a doctor. But for me, my job and career are two separate things (at least for now). My job is whatever I’m currently doing to pay the bills, but my career is always acting. I currently spend 40 hours a week at my job, and probably an additional 10-20 hours on my career (when I get back into class that number will be higher).

It’s a tough life that we live as creatives, but honestly to me it’s completely worth it. Every time I get to perform, whether it’s at an audition, class, or booked job; I feel that I’m doing exactly what I should be doing. And yes, I wish that I could survive on just acting, but I’m also realistic. I have rent, bills, my credit card, and life to pay for. Sometimes you have to just suck it up at work a job you don’t love. You just have to keep in mind that it is a temporary situation and one day, you can look back at your time working days jobs as just a memory.

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The New TV Season (or Starting My Research Early This Year)

Posted on May 10, 2013 | 1 comment

It’s upfronts time!

For those of you that don’t know what the upfronts are, it’s the time that the tv networks reveal their fall tv schedules to advertisers (and the public). This is when you know what new tv shows will be on the air in the fall and what old shows will have another season.

Sometimes, the new tv shows or old tv show renewals are announced earlier, but everything is revealed at the upfronts. All the networks will be revealing their schedules next week (here’s a schedule and guide to the networks).

Why does this matter to me? Because this is when my preparation for my fall tv research begins!

I’ve previously talked about how I watch everything on tv to know what shows might be good ones for me to target. Normally, I start doing my tv research then. The only thing I did after the upfronts was send the casting directors of the new tv shows a quick congratulations note.

But this year, I’ve decided to do things a bit different.

There are a bunch of websites with information on the new tv shows (I like TVLine for the summary and IMDb for the production information). I’m going to start my notes right away. I can figure out who the casting directors are for the new shows and which ones I have a relationship with (good information for my agents to know). I can get most of my notes done early so when the tv shows premier in the fall, I can focus on watching the shows and understanding the tone and plot points.

Also, once the networks announce the new tv shows, they typically release a 3-5 minute trailer with highlights of the show. I’m going to take notes on those so I have something in case I get an audition for a show before it premieres (it’s happened before).

I think these are all positive steps forward that I’m making with my acting career. It might seem a bit overkill when I don’t get a ton of auditions compared to some of my friends (which I don’t mind since most of my auditions are for series regulars or guest stars), but when I do get that chance with that audition, I want to go into the room the best and most prepared that I can be!

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Finding A Work/Life Balance (or Preparing to Not Be Unemployed)

Posted on December 28, 2012 | 4 comments

When I was hired at my current day job, I was informed that it was seasonal. The job went from May until October, had October and the beginning of November off, came back before Thanksgiving, and ended just after New Years. I was a little concerned on what my financial situation would be like from January to May, but once I understood how much I’d receive in unemployment benefits I calmed down a bit.

Working 6 days a week every week leaves very little social time. When you get out of work at 9pm (8:30pm now) and sometimes have to be at work at 9am the next day, you just want to go home and sleep. I couldn’t attend anything at The Actors’ Network since everything there pretty much happened during my work hours. I had the same problem with Women in Film events. But I was ok with that because I would have all the time I needed to attend these events during my (f)unemployment (as my friends referred to it).

But now, it seems pretty sure that the job is going to be year round and not seasonal anymore. There is a chance that this could change because they’ve never kept my office open year round in the history of the company. They might decide that we aren’t work the cost.

But if we are year round, I need to find a way to have a life and work too. I pay for my memberships at The Actors’ Network and Women in Film and want to enjoy those benefits. I want to have time to see my friends and go on dates.

We’ve been told at my job that on the nights we work until 8:30pm, we aren’t supposed to ask for the evenings off. Those evenings are the best times to work on those days. But I think I need to start asking for a couple of evenings off a month so I can at least go to some industry events.

I want to be able to focus on my career and not just my job. But I also don’t want to risk losing my job because it pays well and let’s me go to all my auditions.

I am starting to look at other job opportunities out there. I’m not leaving my job, not anytime soon. But if I can start trying out another job (maybe freelancing) and see if it’s something that I can survive on, then I’ll see what I should do.

I have no idea how everyone else has a work/life balance. Maybe I’m only comparing myself to those trying to balance work and life. I’m trying to balance work, life, and career. But of those three, I’m not willing to give up any of them (well, maybe work if I won the lottery or something).

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