A lot of “artists” hate it when I say, “ANYONE COULD DO WHAT I DO.” Perhaps I am desperately trying to be humble. But, acting is the polar opposite of Rocket Science and Brain surgery. The folks that thrive in comedy were not the class clowns you knew back in school, with a few rare exceptions.

For every 100-1000 bitter jaded wannabe complaining about nepotism, etc, there is one of us defying the odds

You’re parents are half right. The chances of you succeeding in this business are slim to none, but not due to lack of work. More likely:

1. You will quit moments before finding success.
2. You have a horrible idea of what this business is after studying with teachers that have not tried to get work as performers in 20+ years.
3. You simply don’t have the drive. The dream won’t get you their. You have to love the game, the hustle, the BIZ of SHOW.

But then again…

Have we scared away the would’ves/could’ves? Good. Now let’s talk turkey. If yiu are seriously serious, here’s the thing. There is plenty of work. There is always a way to get your self out of a dead end retail/restaurant job and making money using your talents. For every 100-1000 bitter jaded wannabe complaining about nepotism, etc, there is one of us defying the odds.

• Start a social media channel for your performance: post something daily. You might eventually make money doing it but at least you have something to showcase your work.
• Produce a show: Improv, Cabaret, Comedy, Variety etc. Put yourself out there, make a couple bucks at the door. From 2005-2011 I did 4-8 shows/week in Times Square where I hustled in a crowd and made $50-200/show. It allowed me to quit my day jobs and focus on career. By 2006 I made my TV debut on MTV and shortly after 9 episodes of Letterman. I was networking with artists, club owners, agents, managers and the world. Many of our early gigs came from thiae audiences, or folks we met in Times Square while promoting. I’m far to old and tired to do this now, but if you are in your 20s/30s sweat equity can be converted to cash.
• Corporate Entertainement: singers, comics, clowns, magicians etc etc etc make more money in 2 hours than most theater folks make in a week. These days I most do Improv Comedy and Murder Mystery, but I have played Elvis, Blues Brothers, Abbott & Costello, Meatloaf, and twice, dressed as John Belushi in a Toga at an Animal House themed party. For a little less (but still as much or more than an 8 hour shift waiting tables) I have played costume characters in a troop of actors as hippies, Roman gladiators, disco etc etc etc.
• Industrials – live and video character work for corporate training
• Start your own Princess party business. Grab a $50-100 costume off Amazon and promote yourself on social media for kids parties.
• Promotional Work – working for other companies you might make $20-50/hour, but running teams to do street promotions is huge.
• VO work – harder to get into, avoid the scam schools asking me for $5k, but you can teach yourself how to find work.

Takeaways?

• If you want to have a career as an actor, do the work!
• Develop your talents, network, audition, and most of all CREATE YOUR OWN WORK!!!
• Develop other talents – swimming, driving, scuba diving, horseback riding, fencing, dance etc you never know what special skills will lead to your next job.
• HAVE FUN! Ignore ego and insecurity.
• FOCUS! So many talented folks just don’t focus on stage or off. They can talk the talk but they do not deliver on stage consistently. MOST IMPORTANTLY, what are yiu doing when NOT talking. (That’s when the real acting happens)
• If the hustle is not your thing, no worries. Create and perform for yourself and your community. It’s amazing just getting to play for the sake of play. Learn real estate, accounting, office management, teach etc (get out of restaurants ASAP unless you live that grind).

PS this is just ONE way to make it. Everyday folks find THEIR path. But very few get off the bus and start working on Broadway or star in movies. Most of us working stiffs do the grind every day.

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