This is a re-post of something I brought up a year ago. These businesses continue to prey on the faith hopes and dreams of performers. It needs to stop.  Education is the key.  Please re-tweet and share!

As a performer it kills me to see my fellow actors and performers getting duped. It’s usually by the same kinds of people every time. You know the ones. ‘Do you want to be the next Hannah Montana or Ashton Kutcher? Has the Lord called you to use your talent to build his kingdom? (that’s an actual quote) Then you need to come down to the SnakeNavel Convention Center and audition for our top agents and managers this Saturday from 10am to blahblahblah.‘  Actors For Christ. Singers For Buddha.  You name it, they’re out there.  Ads in the paper or on a website promising casting info or introductions to casting directors, agents or producers for a fee.   This is a multi-BILLION dollar criminal industry.

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I get it.  These ‘trade shows’ or ‘talent conventions’ give you a chance to meet lots of agents and managers at one time.  But it’s not the agents and managers who get you the work.  Don’t believe me?  Read this.

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Like a slimy used car salesman these businesses promise you the stars and deliver zero.

Question: How do you know if you’re being taken advantage of?
Answer:  Below are the most common scams and how to spot them. (thanks to the Better Business Bureau for their help on this)

Beware of any person, company, ‘talent convention’ or organization who:

1. Asks for up-front money, which may be called “registration,” “consultation,” or “administrative” fees.  Or they require you to ‘audition’ first and then if you’re selected they ask you to pay thousands of dollars for ‘training’ and ‘photo shoots’ with ‘their accredited professionals’ before you meet agents and managers. Legitimate agents work on a commission. They don’t get any money until you get paid for doing the work they have obtained for you.

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2. Pressures you to leave a check or cash deposit or sign a contract immediately. (I’ve been repped by William Morris and ICM and never had to sign a contract.) The agent may insist that you take acting lessons at a particular school or from a particular teacher; or may try to get you to buy expensive photographs, audition tapes, or other services or materials sold by someone he or she suggests. An agent’s time should be spent finding work for his or her client, not selling products and services. One of the biggest complaints from casting people? Actors spend WAY too much money on photos that don’t even look like the person who walks in the door. Money doesn’t make you photogenic.

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3. Displays pictures of famous models or celebrities on the walls to make you believe they are represented by that agency, although they’re not.

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4. Uses names which sound similar to well-known agencies. Fraudulent companies will sometimes do this to give the incorrect impression that they are connected to a legitimate entity.

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5. Places phony ads in the help wanted section of newspapers that say something like, “new faces wanted” for commercials, movies or modeling or claim that “no experience is necessary.”

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6. Charges you money to speak with agents over the phone. There are several websites who do this. Agents and managers are busy people but they won’t charge you to speak to them. They may not return your calls right away but that’s part of the game. No one should charge you on their behalf.

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Problems or complaints about an agent or an agency may be referred to the Better Business Bureau, state Department of Licensing and Regulation or consumer protection agency in the city where the company is located. To obtain helpful consumer information on a particular agency, you will need to contact the local BBB that serves that particular city.  Keep in mind that the Better Business Bureau recommends that you do your OWN homework, their accreditation is not an endorsement of any business or entity, they are simply the first step.  There’s no substitute for common sense.

There is no magic formula for success. Following your heart will take you to greater heights than following your wallet.   If it sounds too good to be true…well, you know the rest.  Here’s to your success!

-Kahlil (at) GigSmacked (dot) com

In the book Talent Is Overrated, Jeff Colvin, Senior Editor at Large for Fortune Magazine, suggests that he has found a missing link – the difference between being mediocre and truly achieving greatness.  And it’s not talent.

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An excerpt (paraphrased for space):

‘Look around you.  Look at your friends, your relatives, your coworkers, the people you meet when you shop or go to a party.  how do they spend their days?  Most of them work.  They all do many other things as well but how well do they do what they do?  The most likely answer is that they do it fine.  The odds are that few if any people around you are truly great at what they do-awesomely, amazingly, world-class excellent.  Why?’

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There a few things this book suggests that I don’t agree with – like the fact that clinical psychologists have had a hard time defining what ‘talent’ is, therefore it must not exist.   In a recent conversation with my stage manager Tony Lepore (who happens to have a degree in Philosophy) we decided that talent is a combination of experience and intuition combined with one other element.

This element is something the book touches on that I actually agree with.  Deliberate practice.

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Whether you’re on stage or off, a job requires performance.  Great performance requires practice that is hard, and it hurts, but it works.  Deliberate practice.  When I toured with Tops In Blue we had to rehearse 18 hours a day for six weeks – through stressed fractures, minimal sleep and unbelievable stress – before we set foot on stage in front of an audience.  But the finished product was undeniable and continues to wow audiences worldwide.

The best and most visible example of deliberate practice is Cirque Du Soleil.  When I got selected as a performer with them in April (after a nine hour audition) I had a new appreciation for how to rehearse.  Then I was invited to watch a rehearsal for KA at the MGM Grand and the precision and intensity of their rehearsal knocked me off my feet.

The result of their deliberate practice?  The most successful live entertainment company on the planet.

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Can rehearsal alone replace talent?  Is there a way to achieve greatness through repetition or are you born with an innate ability to do certain things better than most?

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Comment below and tell me what you think.

Kahlil (at) gigsmacked (dot) com

What’s the deal with getting an agent or manager?  How important are they?

From Reuters

Dec. 23 2009- An unknown director shoots a short film that cost 300 dollars (USD) to make, puts it on YouTube and ends up signing a reported 30 million picture deal. While this may sound like the stuff of an urban or rather Hollywood legend, the fact is, it just happened to Federico Alvarez. The 31-year-old producer from Uruguay was an absolute unknown when he uploaded his short film “Panic Attack” to the internet just 5 weeks ago. A few days later he was an internet sensation and one of the hottest new filmmaking talents in Hollywood.

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(SOUNDBITE) Filmmaker Federico “Fede” Alvarez saying:

“I posted on a Thursday and by Monday my mailbox was full with all e-mails from Hollywood. It was like, what? It was crazy. So, over the next week I started to get a lot of email from here like, ‘Oh your short is great, we want to meet with you.’ So, I was like ok let me go over there.”

Once in Hollywood, Alvarez’ services were heavily courted by studios and A-list power players. The now former advertising executive, who previously made a living shooting commercials in his home country, reportedly inked a 30-million dollar deal with “Spiderman” director Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures to direct an original film.

(SOUNDBITE) Filmmaker Federico “Fede” Alvarez saying (English):

“The great thing is that something happened and that is why everyone is amazed. In just three days in the city like Hollywood to have all this stories of people sleeping in their cars forever to try and get a gig. It was great to have three days in the city and to get a movie deal.”

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“Panic Attack” is just under 5 minutes long and depicts an alien invasion with giant robots and certainly gets your attention.

Alvarez told Reuters that his upcoming film will also involve an alien invasion, but will differ from the original short.

Thanks to John Russell from Reuters Los Angeles for this article.

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WILL YOU get a 30 million dollar deal by posting something on the internet? No guarantees. This is the exception not the rule. In the case of Alvarez this filmmaker took things into his own hands and created an opportunity for himself, which in turn generated huge interest. Who knows how many of these he made before the right person (and millions more) saw his work.

Creating opportunities for yourself is the only guaranteed way to get the attention of agents, managers, producers, people who can make the difference in you building a foundation for a solid career with true success or you wallowing in a used rubber career of excuses, ‘could have/used to know’ stories and mediocrity.

One of the biggest misconceptions we hear from performers is thinking that they need an agent or manager first, which will in turn provide them with a career. Dead Wrong. Stop wasting time mailing things to people with false expectations about the perceived outcome. There isn’t an agent or manager on earth who will provide you with a career and any who promise this deserve to be hung by their short and curlies. Like any other business if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. There are agents and managers who can take your career to the next level but you must give them something to work with. As the performer (mime, actor, juggler, magician etc) you and you only have the power to give agents and managers a reason to pay attention to you.

This begins with being honest with yourself about your strengths and your weaknesses. Stop asking your family and friends if you’re good enough. They’re supposed to say yes. Watch American Idol or any talent reality hybrid show. Most of those horrible auditions are a result of delusional people who have been told all their lives by friends and family that they’re the next big thing.

How do you stand out above the rest?

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1. PUT YOUR TALENT TO THE TEST. Take your act or a portion of your act as it is and hit the streets. Find a street corner with lots of foot traffic and see if anybody stops to pay attention. The objective here is to find out what you’re made of and how passionate you are about your craft. If you can stop people on the street for GOOD reasons you have something to build upon. The more you do it the better you’ll get. Give yourself four tries minimum. Instead of a hat for money which makes people feel obligated put a sandwich board or piece of paper and a pen out there and ask them to write down what they did or didn’t like. Nobody stopping? There’s room for improvement – keep going, it will work. If this scares you find another vocation.

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2. REHEARSE YOUR ASS OFF Take the feedback from your street gigs, get in the mirror and implement it. Some of the suggestions from the public may seem silly but take everything in, try it and throw out what doesn’t work. Some of the best advice you’ll get comes from some unlikely sources. The fact that the sources aren’t related to you tells you they don’t have any reason to lie. Practice makes perfect. Sounds simple but you wouldn’t believe how many performers simply don’t rehearse. Everyday work builds power. Remember – feedback is a two way street and requires discernment on your part. There are people who like to give feedback just to prove that they’re intelligent (but aren’t) and then there are people who honestly just tell you like it is. You want the latter.

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3. FIND A MENTOR Find someone who is already successful at what you’re doing and ask them to mentor you, tell them what you’re trying to do. So many performers are following in the footsteps of someone with war stories but have never been on the front lines. There is no grey area when it comes to advice. Find the real people who are already doing what you want to do. Don’t have Internet? Pick up a phone book. Not sure what to say? Here’s a start:

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Dear SoandSo,

My name is McLovin and I am a senior citizen pig juggler. I caught your act the other night at the Poontang Cafe and was wondering if I could buy you a coffee sometime to discuss the possibility of mentoring. I won’t be badgering you for autographs or anything, just honest feedback and hopefully a chance for you to share some of your wisdom with the next generation of senior citizen pig jugglers. I can be reached at 999-999-9999 or 999@gmail.com.

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You get the idea. Again, use discernment. Don’t expect John Leguizamo or David Copperfield to call you back right away. There are plenty of wonderfully talented working magicians/speed painters/actors/whatever that are more accessible and it’s going to take work on your part to contact them. The Internet has made it easier than ever to find people.

REMINDER:

Don’t stop until you get a mentor. If you get discouraged remember that it’s part of the journey.

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Once you have a mentor in place remember that it’s about the journey not the destination. If you create something with honest feedback, integrity and killer talent agents and managers will find you. It’s a fact.

-Kahlil Ashanti

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