Finding A Good Team

As my friend Caleb pointed out, Hollywood is like eating a huge elephant. Getting a successful acting career is a huge feat that requires many little steps. Having team members on your side makes it a lot easier.

I used to think that because I was a beginner, I didn't deserve a good team. I had to take whatever came my way, because that was the best I could get for now, and I would eventually work my way up. That's how I ended up with this manager that wasn't the best manager for me. He and I rarely talked; perhaps once a month via email or a super long phone conversation. He did little to help my career and it didn't seem like he really cared about my career. When we talked about getting a theatrical agent, he said he would come up with a list for me to submit to, which I never got. He did send me out on one audition, a fantastic one, but his cons outweighed his pros by a lot.

Fast forward to my new manager. He's absolutely amazing. I finally feel like I have an ally on my side that treats me like more than just another name or number. He doesn't just give me a list of agents; he sets me up on meetings. He doesn't just make resume suggestions for me; he makes my resume for me. This guy has spent hours working with me on my monologues and he was thoughtful enough to set up my IMDB page for me. He suggested a new acting coach that will work specifically on scene study with me, and when I called her, she asked for a monologue for the first class. He was thoughtful enough to talk to her and email me suggestions about the monologue for my class.

The difference between my managers is like night and day. One just looked at the elephant and verbally encouraged me. The other is actually eating the elephant alongside me.

Lesson learned: don't settle. Find who works for you and hold onto him (or her).