From Overlooked to Booked
This ONE Tool Made All the Difference
What if you had a surefire way to showcase yourself to agents, casting directors, and other industry people in the absolute best light possible? Imagine the impact on your career if industry pros could actually see all of the potential that you bring and not just the past projects you’ve done. Today I'm going to introduce you to a very much overlooked tool that is going to give you an unfair advantage.
Be Warned
So, let me ask you, does your IMDb page or your actor's access or your backstage really do you justice? What I mean is, does it showcase all of your potential where you want to go and not where you’ve been? Today, I'm going to show you how to use a little known tool that highlights all of the best things about you. And I'm not talking about lying. I am not talking about that. So, if you’ve ever felt like your online presence just doesn’t capture the full scope of your talent and your achievements, you are going to love this.
The Problem with Websites
A lot of actors think they can fix this problem by creating a website for themselves. But I'm going to explain to you why that is one of the worst things you can do for your career. And if you're interested in learning about other common mistakes that actors make, you should definitely download my free guide, "Eight Major Mistakes That Most Actors Make That Derail Their Success and What To Do About It." It's in the show notes below. That way, you’ll be able to recognize these pitfalls before you fall into them and course correct. So, back to actors' websites. The problem with an actor’s website is that you've probably got everything under the sun on there. And most actors are multi-talented, which you would think is a good thing, but it can be very distracting when industry people are looking at you for something specific. Like trying to decide if they’re going to take you into their roster or trying to decide if you’re a good fit for a particular role.
The Wandering Eye
Say you’re responding to a specific casting notice about a particular role in an upcoming series. You want to direct the casting director to your website so they can see that you are perfect for this role. Seems reasonable, right? But here’s the thing. You want them to look at your headshots and your showreels and not pay attention to all the other stuff on the website, but human beings, we are curious creatures. So that casting director is going to start poking around. When you send them to your website and they see that you’re also a singer and a dancer and a voiceover artist, they might wander over to those sections—not because they’re looking for someone with those skills—but just because they’re curious. They might even start to ask themselves, “Hey, wait a minute, is she even really an actor, or is she more of a singer and a dancer?” And there, my friend, you have planted a very dangerous seed in those little brains of theirs. You never want them wondering if you can act. If they don’t click off right there and then and get back to the 499 other actors that are waiting to get this role, well, you’re in luck. Whew, that was a close one. They’re still sticking around. But now, what are they doing? They just noticed that you've got your social links up there, so they're going to go check out your Insta. And before you can direct their attention back to your showreel where it belongs, they’re gone.
The Social Media Trap
Well, what’s wrong with that? You want to show them how great your Insta profile looks, and hey, maybe they'll even follow you. Win-win, right? Nope, that's not how it works. The problem is, they’re in their Instagram account. So when they go over there to check out your page, they’re going to notice that five people commented on their last post, and they got two new followers. So, they’re going to naturally want to go check out those things first because people are mostly interested in their own stuff, not in you. So, guess what? You just lost them again. They just bounced to go check out who’s checking them out, and they forgot about you. You starting to get the picture? *
Distractions, Distractions, Distractions
Okay, let’s try this again. Back to your website. Great, the casting director is on your acting page. That’s a great start. And they just clicked on your showreel, which is hosted by YouTube. So off they go to see how well you can act. Perfect, right? Guess what? They just clicked off your website and now are over on YouTube. So when they finish watching your showreel, YouTube is going to use its extremely powerful algorithms to keep them on their site. So, if that casting director happens to be a sucker for cute cat videos, watch out. They are going to be shown a whole plethora of adorable thumbnails of cats, one cuter than the other. And guess what? We lost them again.
But what can you do about it? Well, enter the EPK, which in my program stands for Electronic Pitch Kit, because that’s exactly how we use it. It’s a streamlined, distraction-free presentation of your absolute best work and best self. You can use it to grab the attention of industry bigwigs—like casting directors, agents, producers, directors, et cetera—and make a memorable impression because you’re only showcasing what you want them to see for that particular use. So they’re going to stay on your EPK and get the information that you want them to get. Because your EPK is streamlined to keep them focused with no distractions.
The Art of Creating an EPK
So, let me break this down for you. The whole point of the EPK is to show the industry where you want to go and not where you’ve been. There is definitely an art to creating an EPK that gets you booked, and that’s why it’s an integral part of my signature program, “Get Better Roles.” Frankly, it gives my clients an unfair advantage, and that’s just how we like it.
Quick Tips to Get You Started on Your EPK:
Curate All the Materials You Want to Include in Your EPK - What are the must-haves? Well, you should have some head shots. They should obviously be professionally shot and on brand. - You will also need some sort of demonstration of your acting, duh, right? So that’s either your showreel. Sometimes actors' showreels are not actually doing them justice. They’re showing more of where they’ve been instead of where they want to go. If that’s the case for you, then having a couple of really well-acted, technically perfect self-tapes are the answer. - Just make sure they’re on brand. - You could also include a pitch statement. Think of it like your actor’s logline. It’s really a succinct way of telling people in the industry what they can expect from you as an actor. - For extra bonus points, you could also include some project stills or photos of you on the red carpet. - You could also include a section that’s sort of like an "About Me" section, which is a fun way to tell people who you are, what you do, and why you do it. - And definitely do not forget a contact section. You want people to call you, right?
Make Sure Everything is Professionally Presented - You want to make sure that the colors, fonts, and all of that are reflective of who you are as a human being and what your brand as an actor is. - For instance, if you normally play sweet little old ladies, you’re not going to want to use a grungy type font, right? Or if you normally play very conservative, domineering male roles, you’re not going to want to use bright pink and bright yellow, right? That just doesn’t go with it. - So, you want to make sure that your font and your colors are on brand with who you are as a human being but more importantly, who you are and what your brand is as an actor. - A lot of people do not like to open attachments from strangers. In fact, many times the email servers will just throw those emails straight into the spam box, so people won’t even see them. Instead, use a shareable online format.
Tailor Each EPK to the Career Facet That You’re Actively Promoting: For instance, keep your voice over work separate from your on-camera work. This targeted approach ensures that your EPK aligns perfectly with whatever you’re trying to apply to, which will make you stand out as the perfect fit, and that’s what we want.
If you’re a trained actor, serious about your career but struggling to get to the next level, then book an appointment with me. It’s free, and together we can figure out if you’re a good fit for my program, and if you’re not, we’ll figure out the next best steps for your journey together.
