I read this in New York Magazine and had to share it with you.  It’s a long article but stick with it…a sobering reminder that everything that glitters isn’t gold.

Click HERE to read.

‘If only an agent would discover me.  If only a record label would sign me.  If only that casting director would pick me.’

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You can’t put a band-aid on a gunshot wound, so let’s go deeper to the source and stop the bleeding.

Try this: stop looking for gigs and start building relationships.

With the onset of social media, the days of ‘please listen to my demo’ or  ’I'm going to send my headshot to every agent in Hollywood’ are over.   Now, more than ever, you have the power to stand out, to get eyeballs on your brand, for free.  Even theater and product reviews are subject to the madness of the mob.  If you do quality work, people are going to talk about you and the quality of those interactions will lead to tangible relationships.  How do you capitalize on those relationships using social media and leverage them for career success?  Read ‘Engage’ by Brian Solis, or follow Mashable, the most influential blog in the world when it comes to all things social media.

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How do you build relationships?

• If you come in contact with someone who is influential, don’t talk shop.  Allow them to get to know you as a person, give them a reason to care about you, not your resume.
• Play gigs for free, offer your services for free.  Unless you really suck you’re not going to get turned down, and it’s a chance to leverage that free gig with a referral or some contacts for future paying gigs.
• Find a business model and stick to it.  If you aim at nothing, you hit nothing.
• Go to networking events.  There’s nothing I hate more than a room full of people, but no one is an island.  Get out of the house.
• For every person who turns you down for a gig, ask them for three people that may be able to help you.
• Invite that casting director, author or marketing guru to your event or show.  They’ll probably blow you off – unless you’re persistent, and that builds respect as long as you know when to chill.  I think influential people are like super models:  they don’t get asked out as often as you think, because everyone thinks they’re always getting asked out, so nobody asks.
• If you’re fortunate enough to book a gig, finish by saying thank you and realize that entitlement is a one way ticket to mediocrity.  Check out Gary Vaynerchuk’s, new book The Thank You Economy.

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These aren’t things I read about on the Internet, they are things I’ve done and continue to do – and they work.

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I look forward to reading about you.

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Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com