Look at show business like a pyramid.  Not a pyramid scheme, but like a numbers diagram with the largest amount of the show business population being the at the base…that’s you, the actor.

You’re not at the bottom of the food chain because you aren’t important, you’re at the bottom because there are so very many of you (approximately 50K new actors enter the U.S. marketplace every year!)…more people than any other type of person involved in the entertainment industry.

So who is next up on this pyramid?  Agents.  Yep, actors are all seeking representation to enhance their network of relationships and get to the next level, just one step above where you are on the food chain!  There are fewer agents and managers than there are actors…but you knew that!

Talent agents and managers are lobbying and pitching and submitting their clients for the audition slots offered by casting directors.  Yes, they are next up on the ladder and there are more agents/managers than CD’s, thus it follows agents often feel in the same position of  knocking on doors trying to get in.

Who do casting directors fight to get in the door of, serve, get work from?  Though generally hired and paid for by the producers, ultimately their job is to please the directors of the project they cast for, fulfilling the director’s vision by bringing the best possible candidates for the role directly to them, making their job easier.

And who are directors out there trying to please?  The producers that hired them and provide their paycheck.  Of course the director also wants to please the audience that will ultimately watch the film, TV show or play, but the ticket buying audience has to, well, buy the ticket! The director has the responsibility of creating the whole project, setting the tone, telling the story, and if all works out, the producers are pleased because the project is not only a creative and critical success but a financial success as well.

Some will argue my last point, but at the top of the show business food chain is ultimately the writer.  If we don’t have prolific, visionary writers shaping story to move, touch and inspire audiences, then we have nothing to produce, direct, cast, represent and ultimately act in.

Therefore, a HUGE tip for actors is to become friends with, get to know, network with and create relationships with writers or just become one yourself.  Ultimately these story tellers are the ones that shape our views and ultimately, the world.

It’s really all about the numbers, not status, worthiness or value…and it gives you the opportunity to see that defining your product, shaping your message, and marketing yourself consistently is ultimately what show business is all about.

What are your thoughts on the hierarchy of the business of show?

Let’s start again with the premise that shorter is better.  Long, drawn out explanations about you, what you offer, the reasons why you became an actor, and why you are a perfect fit for this job, agent, role, etc. won’t get read.  Cover letters are out.  Cover notes are in.  But you still need to communicate all of the above.  How?  By shifting your approach in a huge way so you get your message across quickly.

The goal of  “regular” writing for most communication is to inform or entertain.  Newspapers, magazines, fiction and non-fiction novels.

The goal of copywriting for ANY business is to get people to do something, to take action or at the very least take notice.

In essence your message is the copywriting part of your campaign to attract a rep, introduce yourself to a casting office or other industry contact, and these days it’s likely this will be done on-line.  But don’t worry, I’m still a fan of hard copy mailing and follow ups, as are a lot of other industry professionals.  This works for both of these formats.

There are 6 steps of an effective copywriting process:

1. Research – who they are, their wants and needs, their past experiences.
2. Determine of the goal of the message
3. First Draft
4. Revise, rearrange.
5. Send
6. Constant Follow up

By the way if you don’t have the answers to what you offer, why you’re a perfect fit for a job, agency, etc. or they “why” you’re an actor in the first place, I urge you to go back and read some of my previous posts on these subjects.  In essence a note that you send should not be about what you want but what you provide.  And the key to it all is why you’re a fit and in alignment with what the other person is looking for.  Do your homework first and writing the note will be easy.

“You don’t stand a tinker’s chance of producing successful advertising unless you start doing your homework. I have always found this extremely tedious, but there is no way around it.”
— David Ogilvy – Father of modern advertising (lived until 1999…created Ogilvy and Mather in 1949…the most powerful ad agency and still is today…seen it all, through the early internet)

David Ogilvy had the task to do copy writing for a Rolls Royce ad. He spent three weeks reading about it before he came up with the headline and the rest of the copy.  In emails, think of your subject line as your headline.

While he was talking about traditional advertising, it equally applies to your doing research on the people you are communicating with.  This is the number ONE mistake actors make in this area.  No research.  By the way, unlike David Ogilvy, I believe this can be a ton of fun. Learning about how other people got to where they are, their likes and dislikes, taking notice of another person’s life…I find it extremely interesting and delightful!

In marketing, it’s your job to figure out why people need you, how they need you (casting directors are different than agents are different than producer/writers, etc), what they need you for SPECIFICALLY, and what really matters to THEM. If you don’t have this figured out, you really cannot write a message that will be meaningful and therefore it’s a waste.

You have to interview people.  Find out what they think about your kind of your product, what language they use when they talk about it, what attributes are important to them, and what skills, talents, and unique qualities would most likely convince them to choose you.

Take these answers and then give them bullet points.  My template for a great, short note accompanying a submission for a rep or for a gig is this:

Salutation – this is an acknowledgement of them, the person you’re writing to.  “Congratulations on 10 years as a agent”, or “I loved the article your wrote in Backstage”, or “I so appreciated your comments at that discussion panel”.  Acknowledging them puts them in the right mindset to receive what you write next and creates an immediate connection.

Bullet Points or 2 to 3 short sentences – “I’m new to LA after 10 years as an actor in Dallas” and “I play witty, sarcastic, quirky, girl next door types” and “My last audition with CD so-and-so resulted in a callback”.  There literally are a million variations on what could be written here to describe what you’re offering.  Everything else is on your resume so there’s no need to repeat that info here.

Closing – This is your request for a meeting, a thank you for reviewing your materials, or an invitation to your show.  Again, it has to contain the request for the action you wish for them to take.

This copywriting, done correctly, will speed the process of you connecting to representatives and other industry because it will get read!  I can tell you, because you already know, that when someone opens an email or letter and they are busy, which we all are, then something short and sweet that looks like it will take 10 seconds to read will get read.  Something that, at a glance, has paragraph after paragraph and seems like it’s going to take longer, won’t get read.  And honestly if they have the time to read it, they’re not busy enough and you’ll hear crickets chirping when you meet up with them!

This is the way of the world in the business of show right now.  Adaptation is key.  Shorter is better.

Your comments?  Please let me know below!  As always, here’s to your success!