Film Festivals – a Haven for Actorpreneurs

 

AOTB ShowBiz Insider News Week of August 20th, 2012 / Issue #7

From Sundance to the New York Film Festival, TOP filmmakers present their works to the world, but so do the “little” guys (often actor/filmmakers)…and they’re the ones to watch!

Even though the just announced main line up of films for the 2012 New York Film Festival boasts recognizable names like Ang Lee, Robert Zemeckis, and David Chase in his first feature film directorial debut, much of the attention brought by these big names is MOST beneficial to the smaller films screened.  Why?  Money.

Sick of me writing about the subject of money yet?  I hope not.  You can count on me FOREVER to remind you that you are an actor in a BUSINESS called SHOW BUSINESS and the bottom line in any biz is bucks!

Distributors and large studios love finding smaller films, produced on a shoestring, so they can scoop them up for a song and (hopefully) make huge profits.  Of course the films have to be STELLAR…great cast, great story, shot beautifully…the whole package.  This is a wonderful opportunity for actors with an entrepreneurial mind and business savvy to show their wares as actors and or producer.

Why it’s important to be an actorepreneur.

I admit that’s a made up word, but you get it.  You want to make a living right?  As an employee of a production, there’s always the “opportunity” to be out of work.  As an entrepreneur who truly CREATES work for themselves and others, well, you’ve ALWAYS got something to do.  In the world of Film Festivals, this is the chance for visionaries to be a part of the process of taking something from nothing to full fledged project.

Here’s a short list of prominent Film Festivals where you can achieve several of your creative goals at once.  Do a little research and see if there’s a fit for your vision.  The links take you to festivals that are currently open for submissions for 2013.

Sundance Film Festival

Atlanta Film Festival

Santa Barbara Film Festival

Miami Film Festival

Los Angeles Film Festival – Indie

And here is an amazing website that you can search over 400 festivals:  CLICK HERE or simply GOOGLE for yourself!

To access our weekly newsletter archive, CLICK HERE.

To Your Success, Lisa Gold

Success Stories

Acknowledgement in this section isn’t only for actors!  A HUGE round of applause please for one of my favorite entrepreneurs, Donna Moore.

Writing, producing and starring in her own musical for over 7 years in workshop form and cabaret, Donna’s vision is finally being realized in it’s off-Broadway debut this Sunday, August 26th.  After years of persistence and stepping back from the lead role to lead the entire production as executive producer, she has created Cougar the Musical a mega hit already in previews.  It’s my privilege and honor to let the “cat out of the bag” and also let you know Donna is my BFF girlfriend and I couldn’t be MOORE proud of her!  I love ya sista!  Check it out at www.cougarthemusical.com

Show Business Tips

Keeping a schedule.  That’s the biggest tip I could offer anyone in business and especially show business where we live in a very unscheduled environment.  We don’t know when our next audition is going to be or our call time for a gig sometimes even the night before.  So how do you keep on track with the every day items that need your attention so you’ll always be working toward your goals?

I recommend the use of a Gmail calendar.  I discovered this amazing tool that syncs to most smart phones as an invaluable way to put lists of activities in to actual time existence.  Schedule a block of time, open it up and list the things you intend to accomplish in that block of time.  BEWARE:  Things always take longer than you think they do because of interruptions.  And the beauty of the electronic format lets you move time from day to day or even into the next month with drag and drop ease.  Just go to gmail.com and click on calendar to see what it’s all about! If it’s not in your schedule, it’s most likely not going to get done!

Tony Scott – Life and Death in Showbiz

I have had my own success as an actor and entrepreneur in the world of entertainment, but certainly not on the level of Tony Scott.  If I had the deals with TV networks and was a part of such iconic films as Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop and the recent Unstoppable just to name a few, I’d be flying high…one would think based on all outward appearances Tony had it all and was enjoying it, right?  Most actors and others involved in our biz would kill for his position and lifestyle.

Tony Scott, died yesterday after jumping off a bridge in what authorities are calling an apparent suicide. He was 68. Wow, unbelievable.

Apparently being rich, famous and talented was not enough.  Apparently, the deep void he felt that had him jump from a bridge to end whatever suffering he felt, was much larger than his “success”. It’s important to say here that, in my humble opinion, pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.  Where can one access the path to a happy, joyous and beautiful life/career experience then?  It ALL starts with they way you think and the resulting actions you take.

I once had an opportunity about 15 years ago to become Tony’s personal assistant.  I was at a crossroads in my career, before I bought Actors Connection, and was looking for something that would facilitate what I considered satisfaction and advancement in my life and career.  I didn’t get the job (obviously) and went on my merry way, carving out a path that has been an awesome roller coaster ride with twists, turns and learning opportunities.  But I always wondered what it would have been like to work for him.  How did he create such a vast empire, contributing his many skills and talents to millions?  I make it a point to model successful people and learn whatever I can from them.

His tragic and unexpected death (alleged as I write this, but investigators have found a suicide note) brings me back to what I call my mission these days in the area of providing information and services to actors.  I have this thirst and huge desire to make an impact on the acting community through my programs and coaching.  Why?

Through my own education and experience I ‘ve come to learn that pursuit of outward success (money, fame, fortune, recognition, an Oscar/Tony/Emmy – fill in the blank) is NOT what gets you anywhere unless the journey you are on ALSO includes the “thinking” that keeps your head and heart in alignment.  After all, what good is having all that stuff if you’re suffering along the way, and may be suffering even if you get everything you say you want.

It’s not a cliche, it’s very true indeed, that the journey is by far more satisfying than reaching the destination.  Once you get to where you’re going,  you’ll want to find the next place to go.  Once you get what you want, you’ll want something new.  It’s the design of human beings.

This year I began creating more programs around the “context” of having an acting career instead of just the content of what to do.  Think and Grow Rich Acting and my new APP program are just the beginning.  I feel a pull to bring more awareness and enlightenment to a community that suffers more rejection and scarcity than almost any other…and that can be tough.  Tony’s suicide brings a big lesson to those that will learn from it:  Acting and show business are PART of our lives, NOT our entire lives.

Personally, I feel  my ONLY JOB in life is to be happy, whatever that looks like.  I could honestly give up everything I’m doing right now and do something completely different…as long as I was happy doing it.  But don’t worry, I’m completely happy so I’m not goin’ anywhere!  So I offer this question to you… Are you happy?  If you are, then there’s your reason to keep doing what you’re doing.  If you’re not, then you may want to look at earning a living doing something you truly love.  Try something else.  What?  Anything…but find your passion and purpose, then go for it!

Weird I’m advising actors to possibly stop acting, right?  Probably not good for my business.  But truly, I want you to be happy FIRST and FOREMOST, whether you get that acting gig or not, have that agent or not, or become a rich and famous actor or not.

My vast sympathy and condolences go out to Tony’s wife and 12 year old twins, and to the audiences that will miss his great artistry.  Tony, I trust you are at peace now.

To YOUR success and happiness, however you may define it.  Lisa

On Vacation

As I write this I am sitting in a cute little vacation villa in a lovely resort with my dear friend Dian after a stroll on the beach and dinner in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.  I needed this vacation.  Yes, I travel a lot, but travel and vacation are two very different things.

Taking time to rest (13 1/2 hours of sleep last night!), relax and reflect is a very necessary part of life.  I go at such a fast pace most days, driving my business, taking care of endless details, housekeeping, caring for my brood of animals, communicating with friends and being (seemingly) constantly on the internet, well let’s just say that slowing down for a whole week is a bit overdue.  And it got me to thinking…

It seems that leaving your home and traveling to a place where the day to day things that occupy your time and mind is what we call a vacation, but we can also create that in our every day world.  Since I’m a Libra, I’ve always sought the balance in things and often take “mini-staycations” at home to revive myself.  You know, the occasional movie day (3 back to back, like my own film festival!) or brunch with friends that turns into a day full of eating, drinking, shopping then eating and drinking again.  It’s necessary, quite effective and yet somehow not quite the same.  Yes I think at least a week…the Europeans have it down, taking a minimum of two to four weeks at a stretch!

Leaving all of the “distractions” of life at home and traveling to another location gives me the opportunity to fill the time I’d normally be taking care of other things and people instead to take care of myself first.  The luxury of reading Think and Grow Rich again, finally learning Spanish from the Rosetta Stone course I bought over a year ago and staring at the ocean are high on my priority list.  Like they tell you on the airplane, “put the oxygen mask on yourself first before attempting to help others”.  This is an essential practice.

Writing this blog, putting out a newsletter, and having consults with my favorite actor clients also doesn’t seem like work…even though I’m doing it on vacation.  So it all comes back to this game I play with myself as an entrepreneur just like you.  If you are LOVING what you are doing when you are doing it, it’s never work.  And if you call it play, then isn’t life a constant vacation?  Yes!

My ultimate goals for this lifetime include laying on the beach all day and singing in my bar at night.  Its called The Gold Bar and it’s on a yet to be determined Caribbean island or in a Spanish speaking country. You can rest assured that everything I do daily leads to this goal.  It may not be my bar just yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be singing in one this week!

I’d love to hear what your favorite vacations look like, either at home or away!

To your success…and rest!  Lisa

The Great News/Social Media Collapse

 

AOTB ShowBiz Insider News Week of August 13th, 2012 / Issue #6

Mitt Romney, Domestic Violence, Michele Obama and the Olympics.  There is no longer a division between Social Media and Mass Media or as we used to call it, THE NEWS.

If you an informed person of any kind (which will always make you a more powerful and believable actor), the consuming of information about world events and pop culture is essential.  How you consume it has changed, and very quickly. Being aware of the information YOU put out as “news” via social media should be looked at immediately.  Then later, what your publicist puts out will also shape the direction of your career.

On the same day, I received in my email in box, via Facebook, and on Television, some of the very same information.  What does that mean and why should you care as an actor?  Your use of social media in your life/career will heavily influence the perception of your already and future audiences, thus you’d better be very careful with what you put “out” there.  And if you’re not using social media to put out news about what you’re up to, you are already behind the curve in a HUGE way.  In one way that’s good news, so read on to make sure you don’t “hurt” yourself from the get go.

Why it’s important.

Joe Biden is reaching out to raise money for the Obama re-election, not only with TV and radio ads but also via email and Twitter, so it’s “collapsed” together…any way to reach the public, right?

The Bourne Legacy movie (saw it and loved it) that premiered this past weekend was slated to bring in around 45 Million dollars but fell short of expectations due to the largest audience watching the Olympics closing ceremonies in history.  Attention, eyes, visibility…it’s all a competition.  News, entertainment…all translated to audience share which translates to money.

The race to get eyes on an event, a person, or make NEWS first is very material in a world full of cluttered messages.  What do people pay attention to?  The announcement of Mitt Romney’s running mate and which outlet would get the first interview with Paul Ryan was a Hollywood Reporter Headline that came to me in an email…the spoils went to CBS’s 60 minutes, who won out over 20 other media outlets all vying for the interview.

A new reality show, half in the can and ready to debut in the Fall, is canceled because it’s star, NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson is accused of domestic violence against his wife (unsubstantiated). The network, not wanting the risk, would rather lose the money upfront than take a ratings chance and fail.  Another example of the collapse of NEWS, Social Media and what we do in “real life” and how it all makes a difference.

Michele Obama’s hosting of a political fundraiser at Gwen Stefani’s house and enrolling the use of celebrities in film and music to draw a “regular” person’s attention to the Democratic cause is another example.  What is NEWS, real life, social media?  What is perception and how does all of this affect you?

Why you should care as an actor is that what you post on Facebook, what you Tweet, and how you act in everyday life DIRECTLY impacts your ability to have the acting career you want.  Eyes and ears on what you do OFF stage/screen as a “person” are completely related to your paycheck for work as an actor on stage/screen.  This is new…it wasn’t like this even a few years ago.

The easiest way to describe what there IS to do (gosh knows there’s not enough space in this newsletter to describe what you shouldn’t do!) is to just go with the following thought process:  What would make my mother proud if she were reading it on the front page of the local paper?

This doesn’t mean you can’t BE yourself…it just means to always be your BEST self.  The time to be “edgy, controversial, and stand out” is AFTER you have a million people in your corner liking you in your “real life” and on your Facebook page!  If you’re not there yet, then getting there will be tough if you’re snarky, rude, or behaving badly.

‘Nuff said…before I say too much!

To access our weekly newsletter archive, CLICK HERE.

To Your Success, Lisa Gold

Success Stories

A HUGE Congratulations to these 24 Act Outside the Box actors who were cast in “Saved by the Pole” and indie short film headed for Sundance: 

Joe Scanio, Joanna Bonaro, Danny Pollack, Nefe Nicole, Larissa Laurel, Ashleigh Awusie, Amanda Charles, Shannon Thornton, Gabrielle RyaLucy, Dolly Caires , Alexandra Bailey, Mahasiah Blaise Stephanie Riccin , Erin Wheelock, Joannie Lit, Jill Anne, Lori E. Cunningham, Tom Shewchuk , Timothy Hatcher , Joe Kramer, Leo Goodman, Rich Meinman, Tony Naumovski, and Andrew Kaen.

Show Business Tips – by Tracy Costa

In my never ending search for more time management tricks so that I can accomplish all that I want to do and still have a balanced life, my amazing associate and Goddess, Tracy Costa, handed me this one just the other day.  It revolves around the POWER of FIVE.  Tracy says “Lisa, do this and you’ll be a lot happier, and when you’re happier, I’m ecstatic!”  HERE’S the TIP:  You’re daily “To Do” list can only be 5 things. That’s it, just 5. If you complete everything on the list of 5, then you can look at your longer list and pick 5 more things. Only 5 more. You cannot add things to that list while you are working on the other items. Only when all 5 things are done can you add to the list. Oh yes, and breathe in between!

You Don’t HAVE to, You GET to!

Everything you do is worth enjoying.  “Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” – Benjamin Franklin

Most of us see the truth in Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote, but few of us live it.  I don’t think we purposely squander time.  It just happens.  Many of us work so hard and so frantically that we’re too tired to do much more than collapse in front of the TV each night after a long day of our pursuits.  We sleepwalk through our days, forgetting to savor the richness and color of life.  Tragically, days, weeks, months and years slip through our fingers like sand, unnoticed and unappreciated.  In short, squandered.

During my life, I have worked with everyone from a Tony Award winning director and performed for Presidents and Astronauts to spending my time coaching brand new, hope filled actors just starting out.  Some of the best “newbie” actors are children, wide eyed and awestruck by the mere mention of taking a new class or seeing a live performance on Broadway.  I have noticed that children have the edge on living in the moment.  They don’t live one second in the future or one second in the past.  They experience full, passionate hours of playing, learning and truly experiencing this wonderful world.  I’ve often asked myself:  why does this sense of wonder have to drop away as we grow older?

The answer is that it doesn’t.  When you make the decision to live each hour to the fullest, life becomes a buffet of great splendor.  No matter what dates are eventually carved onto your tombstone, each hour you live can be a magnificent symphony where life is measured by moments and experiences, not clocks and calendars.

Take this message to heart and I guarantee you will reawaken to, or perhaps even discover for the first time, a life, acting career and legacy filled with purpose, passion, pleasure and peace.

I couldn’t have said it better myself – and I didn’t.  The above passage was revised, laced with my perspective and shared with you from the amazing Giovanni Livera, author of Live a Thousand Years.

I’m only half-way through this book and I’m recommending it HIGHLY!  Lisa