So you’re an actor. You probably didn’t choose this lifestyle because it’s an easy ride. There are some people who go into acting because of the possibility of living the good life with fortune and fame, most people with the tenacity to stick it out long enough to be going for the goal of acting know that the reality of an actor’s life doesn’t provide much of either luxury. Chances are, if you’re acting, you’re doing it because you love it. Take care of that passion and land acting jobs by following these steps.
1. Send out headshots and resumes on a daily basis. Do at least ten per day. This can be done from looking at the casting listings at TalentPostings.com. You can send in headshots and resumes on paper or through electronic submissions. Whether it’s for a specific part to a casting director or to obtain and agent or manager, it’s important to continuously pursue work.
2. Crack a book open. Relax at the start or end of the day with a play or screenplay. An actor must constantly learn and study characters. Try to get your hands on scripts that will be produced in the future to yourself a head start on the characters you may be able to seek.
3. Act in any way you can. Ask your friends or roommates to run lines aloud with you, especially when you have an upcoming audition. Get into class as often as possible. When you can’t, read aloud.
4. Go to auditions daily, whether through ads, an agent or an open casting call. Do your due diligence, and never audition anywhere or for any company that’s suspicious. However, get yourself out there as much as possible.
5. Be a couch potato for 30 minutes to an an hour. Every actor should spend a little every day learning the current climate of acting. If you get called into a television audition, you want to know the style, mood and direction of the show. By spending an hour a day on this sort of research, you’ll be prepared for any modern audition.
6. Work on something for your Special Skills section each and every day. The Special Skills section of a resume should be honest. Never claim you can do something that you cannot, or you’ll likely be found out. Instead, learn new skills to place on the resume or perfect those that you’ve already stated.
7. Brush up on your memorization skills. Even if you don’t have any lines to currently memorize, work on ways to optimize how well you remember things. There are books, tapes and games to assist you, even for gaming systems.
8. Do something that has absolutely nothing to do with show business in any way. In order to keep your sanity, you need to have interests outside of your art. Even if you have a job apart from the arts, it doesn’t mean that every living second has to be in acting. While you need to focus, you also need to have time for yourself and cultivate a passion outside of the art.
9. Ask for feedback. If you have recently auditioned, call your agent the next day to get feedback. The casting director has usually told your agent something. While you don’t want to bug your agent every time there’s an audition unless he’s invited that, always ask for feedback when you think you did a really good or bad audition.
10. Say one or two affirmations to yourself each morning and evening. Make it about you and your art. This is to inspire you and re-energize you. You need to stay focused on your passion in order to make it work for you.
For more information or to jump start your acting career, the best online resource is TalentPostings.com. To quickly jump start your acting career, you can let acting auditions find you by submitting your own Talent Profile on TalentPostings.com.