Time to Get Down to Business

A new year begins and it's time to get down to business. There's so much to do. This past year I wanted to work on improving my skills and therefore didn't look beyond non-union productions. Lots of work came my way and as I became more widely known producers and directors began contacting me prior to putting out a general casting call (gratifying since my showreel is still waiting for more clips to become available.)

Anticipating a move now to union productions, I'm putting my photo and résumé where I hope they'll attract a wider audience. New profiles going up at IMDbPro and Actors Access at BreakdownServices.com certainly. Actor's Access is free. IMDbPro costs a small fee, but it has become my home page for keeping up with industry news. Castingabout.com lists contact information for television, film, and theatre projects being cast in Los Angeles and New York. Showfax.com is a resource for downloading sides for productions being cast.

My new headshots come in at the end of this week from photographer Bonnie Miller and will be mailed and emailed out to a half dozen agencies locally and a select few in New York. New notecards and business cards are in the works. Considering a revamp of my website to something not quite so dark. Right now I'm working off a template. I may need to invest in a better design.

Actors can do a lot to promote themselves - and need to if they're going to get anywhere - but at some point you also need objective input and guidance. This year I'm hoping to connect with a manager who can help me in that area. Managers and agents are not plentiful in the DC area (Good grief, there are more in South Carolina!), but I've contacted friends and acquaintances in the business and asked for recommendations in hopes they can refer me to managers interested in taking on new clients.

One good thing about being over 40 - you have an inherent sense that you need to accomplish things NOW. I do.

p.s. Saw True Grit last weekend.  The Coen brothers did a much better job telling the story, but it still needed John Wayne.  Rooster Cogburn is larger than life, and so was he.