The New Business of Acting: How to Build a Career in a Changing Landscape - The Next Edition

by Brad Lemack

Overview

The best actor never gets the role. But the right actor always gets hired and if you want to be the right actor, you need to create a well-paved pathway through the traffic jam that can slow you down, divert your attention and create stress behind the wheel of the career you're committed to driving forward. It's your journey and it's time for a career tune up, even if you're just starting out In this revised and expanded Next Edition to his popular book for actors, talent manager, educator and author Brad Lemack tackles the tough challenges actors face in seeking, building and maintaining rewarding careers in the new landscape. From the role of personal ethics and integrity to landing the role of a lifetime, Lemack teaches readers how to navigate through and thrive in a continually changing landscape in an industry challenged to redefine itself and how it does business. Whether you're new to the business or in need of a professional career rebranding, The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition will empower you with a critical perspective on how to create, map out and embark on a life-long journey that will earn you the career-building opportunities you seek.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780971541085
Publisher:	Ingenuity Press
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	282
Sales rank:	706,580
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Brad is an award-winning publicist, talent manager, educator & author. He opened Lemack & Company in 1982. Prior to that, he was a publicity exec at Norman Lear's TV company. Previously, he was a producer & broadcaster in Boston. He has been on the faculty at Emerson College LA since 1995 and the Elon Univ LA Program since 2010. Brad received his BS degree from Emerson College and his MA from California State Univ, LA. His 1st book, The Business of Acting, was first published in 2002. His 2nd book, The New Business of Acting, was first published in 2010. The Next Edition is his 3rd book.

Read an Excerpt

When I wrote and published the first edition of my first book, "The Business of Acting: Learn the Skills You Need to Build the Career You Want" back in 2002, none of us working in the industry then could have imagined nor predicted the massive and drastic shifts that were headed for the business in the years that were to follow. The challenge for all of us was then, as it is now, to fully understand, embrace, adapt and adjust to those shifts.

Arguably, five of the most impactful of these significant changes have been the SAG and AFTRA merger, the introduction and proliferation of both self-submission and self-tape auditions, the gross inequality in actor pay, the necessity to become a prolific and skilled Hollywood "hyphenate" and, perhaps most importantly, the impact of the #MeToo movement on an industry now struggling to redefine and rebrand a tainted image - and what that means for new-to-the-business actors and those formerly professional, "working" actors seeking to jumpstart their careers.

We'll get into all of this in the 20 chapters that follow as we enter "The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xv

Preface xvii

Introduction 1

1 The Industry's Desperate Attempt to Reinvent Itself and Its Brand Image in the #MeToo Landscape 3

2 The Transition from Student to Working Professional 11

3 The Transition from Formerly-Working Actor to Getting Back in the Saddle Again 23

4 Skills to Build a Career On in The New Landscape 29

5 The Hollywood (or "Insert-Where-You-Live") Hyphenate: Another Reason Being a Great Actor Is Not Enough 41

6 The Art of the Head Shot: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words and a Potential Opportunity 57

7 The Business of Talent Representation: A Perspective on the New Landscape 71

8 The Business of Talent Casting: The Continuing Shift in the New Landscape 93

9 Self-Submitting: The Art of Selectivity in Pursuing Audition and Casting Opportunities 107

10 Self-Tape Auditions: Never-Before-Seen Opportunity vs. Incredible Risk 121

11 Unions and Actors: A Look at SAG-AFTRA and a Perspective on Whether, When, Why and Why Not to Join 131

12 An Actor's Resume and Bio: Create Critical, Work-in-Progress Tools That Define Your Unique Brand and Promote Your Potential 153

13 Emotional, Physical and Fiscal Fitness in the New Landscape 171

14 The World Wide You: Creating, Promoting, Marketing and Protecting Your Brand Online 211

15 It's All About the Plan: Create and Launch Your Action Plan for Career Success 217

16 Notes For the Beginning of Your Journey 237

17 An Actor's Code of Ethics 239

18 Resources for Actors 243

19 Websites Referenced in The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition 245

20 The Last Word … 249

Endnotes 251

Your Notes 253

Appendix: About the Author 255

Index 257

Editorial Reviews

"Read his book or get out of the business."—Adam Ginivisian, Agent/Partner, ICM

"The Business of Acting" is a must-read for any actor." —Back Stage

"Brad presents his material with great wisdom and accessibility. He is a clarifying voice with a deep and compassionate understanding of the actor's journey. He has a wealth of valuable information to share in the business and in life."—SAG-AFTRA Foundation

From the Publisher