In What Media Will you Work the Most ? Where Will You be the Most Successful??

How Does the Industry see you? What is your strongest talent? Are you camera ready...or highly photogenic? Do you love working on camera? Or do you shine the most while on stage? Where should you spend your energy to develop and succeed at your acting career?

There are FIVE WAYS of determining your most likely successful media.
1- Your physical type
2- Your training
3- Your own option -what do you do best and LOVE
4- Where you get cast (work) most frequently NOW
5- Where you WANT to be in the future (not what is happening in your career right now)

Daytime or Primetime TV requires a "camera ready" appearance and the skill to act believeably on camera. That starts with solid acting training, howevera lot of theatre trained actors find it difficult to make the transition.

Musical Theatre depends on your singing and dance abilities.

Theatre is very diverse and requires all types but the best trained andmost talented actors generally win the majority of roles ...Or TV/Film stars who are Big box office lures.
(*Smart Marketing tactic? Establish yourself in TV or Film FIRST. Then you'll get a starring role in a Broadway show MORE EASILY because you're a NAME- you have drawing power).

Film, like TV requires a specific "look" and photogenic requirements for a majority of roles. But great film actors have one thing in common- they're brilliant in the "close-up" expressing every emotion as a delicate stroke. Most have trained in theatre first.

FYI:It's best to get solid theatre training if you want to work in any media.

Models and really pretty people book modeling jobs, commercials (beauty products) and tons of roles in TV and Film because people like to look at beauty. It's easy on the eye. So instead of just a cop or a detective, who's most often cast? A tall, dark and handsome actor and if the role is for a female forensic expert,she's gorgeous. But, in the last 10 years "character types" (read normal, average looking, very unusual or mature) have been the trend. So Primetime is filled with "real" people not just the "babes". Some shows specialize in being gritty and are very realistic. No pretty or movie star types there.If you want to work, study the market, watch every PRIMETIME SHOW from 7:30 PM - 11PM, Mon-Friday and KNOW where you fit in. KNOW YOUR MARKET!!!

"It's a waste of time trying to meet the Casting Director of a
show that will NEVER hire you because of your type."

Most TV shows are fast paced sitcoms or action series so there's less dialogue and more action. And "type" plays a major factor in the casting process - your charcter is either very good or very bad -sweet girl/nasty girl, evil villain/rescuing hero, geeky guy/handsome guy.

"The reality is- you can work in ANY media if you're trained and professional...but the likelihood of being specifically cast in roles on Primetime TV or in Films is based as much on your appearance as it is on the brilliance of your talent."

Why not go to the market that will give you the most opportunity and work? That means NY or LA if you want to be in the big leagues. To find out in which media you will be most successful, assess your training, your greatest interest, your experience, where you feel you are most talented AND your physical attributes, complete this simple exercise:
CIRCLE YOUR CHOICES
ADD YOUR POINTS
Sex:
M -2 F-1
Age range:
16-21: 5 22-26: 4 27-32: 3 33-42: 2 43-50: 1 50-90: 4
Physical attributes:
Tall-5 Average/short-4
Physical attributes:
Slender/in shape-5 Average-4 Overweight-3
Hair:
medium-5 dark-4 fair-3 white/gray-2 bald-1
Strongest talent:
Musical Theatre 1 Theatre 2 TV 3 Film 4
What do you love to do the most?
Musical Theatre 1 Theatre 2 TV 3 Film 4
In what area is your most experience?
Musical Theatre 1 Theatre 2 TV 3 Film 4
What is your #1 goal - to work in which media for the next 5-10 years?
Musical Theatre 1 Theatre 2 TV 3 Film 4
In what media did you work last?
Musical Theatre 1 Theatre 2 TV 3 Film 4
TOTAL POINTS _____________

Add up your TOTAL points. Which best fits your score? Are you:
GROUP I 15-27
GROUP 2 28-36
GROUP 3 37-42
GROUP I actors are best suited to pursue Theatre and Musical theatre.
GROUP 2 are probably going to work a lot more in Primetime TV.
GROUP 3 should definitely pursue Film work.
What does all this mean in terms of WHERE YOU SHOULD BE?
If you are in Group 1- You should be in NY- for Broadway Musicals, Theatre work and CASTING for all the major rep companies, summer stock, tours and musical tours for jobs outside NY.
If you are in Group 2- you could be in NY or LA but there are thousands more roles for Primetime TV in LA -(about 115 shows - give or take) compared to NY. (15 shows)
If you are Group 3- no doubt about it, LA should be your home.These are generalities and the quiz is based on the 5 points mentioned earlier so you could fall outside the norm...take it a with a grain of salt. But, it might behelpful in deciding where you should be and how best to advance your career.

Next week we'll deal with the LA MARKET...WHEN'S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO LA TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

Successful Marketing!
Gwyn