Film Festivals – a Haven for Actorpreneurs

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!

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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!