Thinking about DIY publicity

A rigorous three weeks.  Up and back to New York three times.  New headshots by Lev Gorn Photography  (Terrific!) and auditions that didn’t pan out (bah!)  I never complain about going to New York though.  The city is so energizing.

Thanksgiving Day, closer to home, I happened to be out at a military hospital (it’s a long story) having turkey in the cafeteria and listening to a military jazz combo and a female soloist singing a knockout rendition of the old Billie Holiday standard, "God Bless the Child."  Wow, what a voice this woman had!

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a local performer – at a community or dinner theatre or, in this instance, a hospital cafeteria – and thought, “Why isn’t this person cutting records or on television? They’re terrific!”  Well, the difference, I can only assume, is visibility.  Producers, directors, and agents tend to be risk averse because their professional reputations are on the line.  They go with talent they know has already worked successfully somewhere, even when the role doesn’t call for a name star (or the name star is totally wrong for the part!)  A frumpy Scottish maiden lady can sing in her kitchen her whole life, but once she gets positive reviews on Britain’s Got Talent then overnight she’s selling recordings.  Did her voice suddenly improve?

Current Website

Actors need visibility and, lucky for us, the Internet now provides many low/no cost, do-it-yourself tools for those who can’t yet afford a publicist.  When I decided to work on the on-camera side of this business, for example, one of the first things I did was set up an Actor Website that would offer basic information about me – including résumé and headshots – showcase my films as they came along, and allow me to post news.  A basic website isn’t expensive.  There are many business hosting sites that for a very small monthly fee offer templates for building a site, help you set up your domain name, help you with search engine optimization, and provide statistics on traffic to your site.

New Website Under Construction

I went with Yahoo Small Business.  The website I built was simple and serviceable and allowed me to get something up quickly.  I had the option of allowing advertizing on my site for click-through income – and many actors add this feature – but I didn’t want to feel caught up in the need to sell some widget or service so I left that off.  (The purpose of the website was to “sell” me after all.)  YSB allowed me to add an email address that serves to direct people to my website. Another advantage was that I didn’t have to stick to the template.  It can accommodate the custom site I now have in the works and all the tracking and SEO services will remain.

The second thing I did was to start building an Email Distribution List to issue major announcements and, ideally, generate media coverage when I had major news to announce. I was lucky in this regard as my day job gave me access to a media list-building service, but I could also have built the list one name at a time through internet searches or IMDb Pro, targeting production companies, producers/directors, and reporters from online and print publications that cover the business.

Issuing news releases is very important, especially for small production companies seeking to build a reputation. In many ways it’s easier for a production house because producers can announce every step in the production process – considering the script, hiring a director, beginning casting, beginning filming, production wrapped, film submitted for/wins awards, becoming an LLC, etc.  An actor can announce being cast in principal roles in major productions, signing with an agent, a move into a major market, etc.  (If you’re a star a publicity house will make an announcement every time you change your clothes.)

Online DIY publicity tools overlap somewhat, but each serves a distinct purpose.  The thing I always try to keep in mind is that they are visual and generate more attention with photos, illustrations, and links to additional information.  More tools below…

DIY publicity using Facebook

Almost every actor I know has a Facebook Page, but I wonder if they really consider how best to use it.  One mistake I see them make is mixing professional contacts with family and non-business friends, and leaving their comments public. That runs the risk of posting something embarrassing or impolitic to their good buddy that is then read by a producer or casting director who doesn’t know them well.  Bad.  They also randomly collect hundreds, even thousands, of “friends,” which makes building business relationships almost impossible.  For career purposes, especially early in your career, FB isn’t about you it’s about your connections.

An acting coach gave me this advice about FB and it made me look at it in a whole new way.  Here’s what he said: Keep family and non-business friends on a separate FB page, because your family know and love you no matter what you say (well…almost.)  On your acting FB page, limit your friends to 100 carefully considered people who may be able to help you in some way with your acting career (hire you or pass your name along) and that you really want to know better; then rebalance the list periodically, taking people off who seem to be focused too much on something other than acting, filmmaking, or stage (i.e. your focus.) With just 100 focused friends you'll be sure to see their posts and have a chance to find common ground.

He also said not to post more than once a day and be sure it doesn’t sound like an obvious commercial or is a photo of your food (total self-focus can be annoying to others.) Do comment, however, on friends’ posts every day (they get a FB alert so they won’t miss it), but avoid responding to controversial, non-business-related issues, like politics.

FB is where you want to connect, find out what you have in common with others in the business, and build relationships.  If you have 3,500 "friends," and each friend has 3,500 "friends," it’s going to be very hard to make that happen. For one thing, with 3500 friends, their posts are hitting your wall so fast and furious that it's like a Twitter feed.  You'll see their posts only if you happen to be online when the post comes up.  And it works the same in the other direction with your posts.  Keep your friends list small, comment frequently, look for things you have in common. Facebook is two-way communication.

Also look at your FB privacy settings.  I set mine up so that when I comment on a friend’s post, only that friend and others on that particular thread will see it.  It isn’t broadly public to my own list.  My own postings go public, but I try to keep my follow-up comments specific to each person. If I want to talk about something specific or a non-business issue, and I know the person reasonably well, I shift to email.

Here’s what else I do…

Other DIY publicity tools for actors and filmmakers

A lot of actors and production companies post video clips to YouTube or Vimeo, but not as many think to establish a Personal Channel, which is super easy to set up and has the advantage of eliminating distractions from ads and random kitten videos.  My personal channel, to which I’m now giving more attention, will hold my reel and a repository of clips that I want to highlight, submit with my résumé for auditions, or link to from other outlets. You can give a personal video channel a custom look and the overall impression is much more professional than open posting of clips to the web.  I like it.

A Blog, like this one, gives me a chance to dialogue with others who are in the business, or interested in the business, and is easy for interested others to find with a web search.  As with a personal website, many actors use a blog as a means of earning money on the side via click-through advertising.  I don’t, because for me the blog actually is a personal journal.  It helps me stay focused, clarify my thoughts, express frustration, whatever – but all related to acting.  It keeps me on track.  If I mention a product or service, I don’t get paid for it, and that’s okay because I’m an actress and not a retailer.  Remember to link your blog posts to your FB and/or Twitter page to draw traffic back to the blog.

Many actors are on Twitter, but I'm not yet convinced that it’s worth my time and focus because it strikes me as largely one-way communication.  If I were a big star with a huge fan base I guess it would be useful for giving brief news flashes a personal touch.  But I’d have to be very careful about what I said in those few words, or with what was said by a publicist on my behalf.

When I was exploring Twitter I subscribed to several name actor feeds only to find myself disappointed in the person who came across in those all-too-brief remarks. An actress I admire posted only bland commercials for her work that clearly were written by some hired PR person.  Blah.  An actor I always considered funny and curmudgeonly sounded shockingly crude (and I suspect that was really him.) I found it affecting how I regarded that person as a professional.  Actors need to keep that in mind.  Twitter isn’t necessary starting out; maybe it’s something to think about for later, but carefully.

One easy thing you can do, and this applies especially to producers, is share information and visuals.  Your movie just wrapped?  Take 3-4 production stills or flattering screen shots of every member of the cast and email them to the cast members. Create a movie poster and send a digital copy to all cast and crew.  Encourage everyone to post these to their websites, blogs, and FB pages with a link to your movie site to draw traffic. Cast and crew members need stills for their online sites.  Accommodating that is appreciated and reaps benefits down the road.

Here's a very important tool: set up a Google Alert to track mentions of your name (production company, film, etc.) on the Web.  It’s free, takes a second to set up, and it allows you track what is being said about you and comment and make a connection when appropriate.  It can give you a heads-up when you’re generating buzz.  This is a must-have.

Finally, a gadget a lot of actors are using to direct casting people to their information on the Web is a QR Code printed on their headshot.  I’m still evaluating this.  I find it vaguely off-putting to be bar-coded like a can of soup.  True, it allows those with  IPhones and some other devices to scan your  code  and be directed right to your website or other information online.  But why not just print your website in small type under your name on the headshot?  (And use your name and contact number as the file name on your digital headshot?)  Again, I may need convincing here.

With all of these tools, the key consideration is the time it takes to maintain it vs. the size and specificity of the target audience.  Are there other tools out there?  Other ways of using those I’ve mentioned?  Please write and let me know.  One day I’m going to hire a publicist and every time I change my dress you’re going to hear about it.  Until then I need all the DIY help I can get.

3 DIY Strategies for Promoting Films and Actors

Enjoying my cup of morning tea and researching online strategies for promoting my work.  Here are a few I’ve come across that sound promising:

Post and include a Photo Spread: Remembering that the Internet is visual, one DIY strategy for promoting films and film events (premieres, screenings, film festivals etc.) is to write a quick summary (1-2 paragraphs) for your blog, website, and/or Facebook page and illustrate it with as many photos/screenshots as possible, complete with identifying captions and tags. Photos tell your story far better than words.  Post them to your blog or website immediately, but wait to post (and link) to Facebook until Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. in the time zone where most of your market is likely to be found (EST for New York, PST for Los Angeles, for example.)

Why 9:30?  Social media research has shown that people log-in to Facebook as soon as they get their morning coffee and settle in.  The next best times are 11:30 a.m. (just before they go to lunch) and 5:30 p.m. (before they leave work for the day.)  Wednesdays are best for having others see and share your post because they’ve caught up on their workload and aren’t yet making plans for the weekend.

If you have a sufficient following on Twitter, also tweet a promotion to direct people to your posting.

Issue a News Release via Email:  Once you’ve posted the summary and photos, consider other media opportunities at longer-lead-time film industry publications, websites, e-newsletters and acting/producing blogs.

Turn your summary into a one-page, post-event news release – written third-person; putting the Who, What, Where, Why, When and How in the first paragraph; adding an interesting quote in paragraph 2; and at the end giving a contact number and email address for obtaining more information (you can find effective news release formats on the Web.)

Target editors and reporters at media specializing in acting, independent film, documentaries, etc.  If your original post was to a blog, website or other public site, be sure to include a link so editors and reporters can see and download the photos.

Even if it doesn’t generate a story right out of the box, putting your name or production company name in front of the media on a regular basis will develop name recognition and make you and your work known in media circles over time.

Videotape an Interview:  Get in the habit of videotaping brief interviews with your director, prominent actor, or screenwriter at your event (premier, festival screening) or onset during filming.  Or have someone tape you if your aim is to promote yourself.  You don’t need expensive equipment.  Even a Flip Ultra camera will do and comes with simple editing software that can help you quickly put together an Internet-ready video.

Remember that the key to a good interview is to draw up your 3-4 questions in advance and let the person you’ll be taping have a look.  It helps people focus and gives them time to remember and include interesting anecdotes. If you are the one being taped, consider your audience and how you want to come across on camera.  Look at actor interviews online and study those you think are most effective.

When shooting, have the person look just to the side of the camera rather than straight at the camera (you know the drill.)  Post the edited tape to your YouTube/Vimeo Channel, then link/embed the video in your website and blog and in posts to Facebook, Twitter, etc.  If it turned out especially good, consider writing a 2-sentence intro and emailing it to industry media and other professionals you know in the business.

Employing this strategy gives you a video interview that is easily accessed and shared, and potentially much more attractive than one generated by a reporter—even if it carries a bit less cachet—because you control the message.

I like these and they're do-able.

Now, time to feed the dog.

A Tip for Learning Lines

Getting your lines down cold for a film or play involves a lot more work than one would think.  You can go over the script with your scene partner, but unless the two of you go through life joined at the hip he or she is not often available when you are.  Bringing in a friend or significant other to read the lines with you can be problematic because (a) ho hum, they're not invested in the outcome and have other things to do and (b) they're likely to give you a flat read in any case.

The usual way.

Alternatively you can highlight your lines on the page and hold the script at your side for quick  reference as you memorize, or hide sections of the script with your hand as you learn them, or record the scene partner's lines and flip back and forth in the script as you flub your own.  It's frustrating and a slow slog.

Here's a tip I learned from an actor in Los Angeles that has proved very effective for me, doesn't require a partner or script in hand, and goes anywhere.  Here's what you do:  read (act) the entire scene into a hand-held voice recorder.  Read your scene partner's lines loudly and with whatever emotion and pacing you think is appropriate.  When you get to your own lines in the scene, read them at a whisper.

Later - driving to the day job, walking down the street, making dinner, whenever you have a moment alone - pull out the recorder, play the scene back, and speak your lines in a normal tone and with feeling.  If you blank or get a line wrong, the correct whispered line is right there for immediate reference.

It works like a charm and has cut the time it takes for me to learn lines by at least half. 

At the Thrill Spy FF screening of Commitment...

I am astonishingly wide awake this morning despite just four hours of sleep.  Rich Volin's thriller short Commitment screened at the Thrill Spy Film Festival last night.  I hadn't yet seen the final cut and was incredibly pleased at the great job he did with it.  Co-stars Lee Ordeman and Altorro Black were in the audience, as was Rich and his lovely wife and my husband who took me to dinner afterwards at Restaurant 701 for an early celebration of our eighth anniversary.  A fine evening.  I basked in the glow. I drank way too much champagne.  As I said, I'm astonishingly wide awake this morning!

Lee Ordeman, Writer/Director Rich Volin, Producer Monica Mingo, me, Altorro Black

Building an Acting Website

After almost two years of having an acting website I built myself from a simple Yahoo template, I’m finally working with a web designer to construct a custom site and very excited at the prospect. First, of course, I had to find the designer, a task that not only involves searching for someone who has talent and is priced within your budget but also a person who has a personality and sense of design that complements your own.  An effective working relationship is all about chemistry.

Happily, I belong to two online acting forums so getting recommendations was as simple as shooting out an email saying, “Hey, I need a web designer!”   Some of those recommended were commercial design firms, others were individuals doing it as a side business.  (Those designers below marked with an asterisk were recommended by more than one actor, so if you’re considering a custom site their samples may give you some design ideas.)

I then sent all of the designers a mock-up of what I kind of had in mind (above) and a detailed description of how I wanted each tab to function.  I used to think with vendors that if I really “spelled it out” I’d be limiting the person’s creativity and insulting them as a professional, but that thought only led me and the respective vendor down many a blind alley.  So I now go in with a core idea of what I want, but remain open to suggestions.

After I heard back from everyone (noting how long it took each to respond) I looked at all of the samples and finally decided on Los Angeles web designer Shannon MacMillan.   Being an actress herself she seemed attuned to what an acting website should look and feel like.  In terms of pricing, she was about in the middle.  She also understood my desire to keep the site (as she puts it on one of her own samples) “minimalist, hip, and inviting.”  Looking at her samples I had additional thoughts on the design, so by the end of the year everyone will see how it actually turned out.

One final thought: be sure than any animation programs used on your site are viewable on IPads and other Apple products.  You don't want to build a fancy site and then find that half your casting people can't view it.   Also, if you're not yet ready for a custom site, you can build a fairly sophisticated site for free by using the templates at WIX.  An actress friend used it to create her site and it's really quite good. Check it out at www.allisonjhoward.com.

Web Designers:

Shannon MacMillan: shannon@maxsitedesign.com
http://www.bluestormcreative.com

Dennis Baker: dennis@websiteforactors.com
http://www.websiteforactors.com

Nate Barlow: nate@natebarlow.com
Samples at:
http://www.natebarlow.com
http://www.deepintosports.com
http://www.lookingglasswars.com
http://www.daleobert.com
http://www.ingezrameau.com

Natasha Chernyavskaya
http://www.PixelsMania.com

*Enci: Enci@illuminatela.com
Samples:
http://enciperforms.com
http://lucychambers.com
http://courtneygains.net
http://eileendietz.com
http://dinamorrone.com
http://teddyvincent.com
http://markwithers.net
http://gailsilver.com

T.C. Gunter: Dabeka Inc.
http://www.dabekaink.com

Derek Houck: https://twitter.com/derekhouck
Samples at:
http://jaimiepaulson.com/
http://www.myacceptance.org/
http://luckymarketingfirm.com/

Justin Kropp: justin@thesojk.com
The SoJK Design Studio
http://www.thesojk.com

Jordan Callier:  jordan.callier@me.com
Samples:
http://www.bouldertamales.com/
http://oldwestdailyreader.com/
http://www.shelleyvalentine.net/
http://www.imageandstyleguru.com/

*Clay Teunis: info@tunarelli.com
Tunarelli Sound and Design
Samples at:
http://www.tunarelli.com/Tunarelli%20websites%20designed.shtml

Tim Kenney Marketing
http://www.tkm2.com

Swood Media: mail@SwoodMedia.com
http://www.swoodmedia.com/websites.php