Ready to get back to work? Been offered an acting gig? What you need to know before you say "yes" in a new business of acting COVID landscape ...

It's been a long eight months and we're all eager to get back to work in the new business of acting. But a lot has changed during those six months, setting the stage (or the set) for everything that now follows in a COVID work landscape.

In many regions, production has returned. Content creators are creating. Actors are acting, directors are directing, producers are producing and all kinds of platforms are preparing to and presenting new content across the board. This is all great news, but it comes with a "however."

The new COVID compliance rules and regulations are supposed to ensure -- or better ensure -- everyone's safety back at work. But is that enough?

My new column in Backstage, out today, talks about what you need to know before you say "yes" to any job or opportunity in this new landscape.

Indeed we are all eager to get back to it. But primary among those desires also needs to the requirement and the protocol to keep you safe ... and the primary decision maker on that front should always be you.

Stay safe, keep positive ...

BL

New "Inside the Business of Acting" YouTube series episodes explore how actors can get back to business and stay COVID-safe ...

In support of my COVID Update book supplement to The Business of Acting: The Next Edition (that was published earlier this month), we have released a new collection of episodes of our Inside the Business of Acting YouTube series that features conversations with industry leaders talking about the new COVID landscape and how both actors and the content creators they work for can get back to business and stay COVID-safe and be COVID-compliant. 

There is a lot to talk about. So I hope you will check out these new episodes as you begin to step back into the "new normal" and adjust to the new rhythm in the new business of acting.

New episodes are being released each week. Here is a guide to the segments released in the last few weeks:

Episode #3.1

Amanda Richards, Director, Talent and Casting, Sony Pictures Television.

Episode #3.2:

Adam Ginivisian, Agent and Partner, ICM Partners.

Episode #3.3:

A Panel of Working Actors: Pamela Roylance, Eric Rollins, Ron Weisberg and Chris Ranney.

Episode #3.4

Gary Marsh, Breakdown Services and Actors Access founder, President and CEO.

Episode #3.5:

Brianna Ancel, Vice President, Adult Theatrical Department, Clear Talent Group.

Stay informed, be safe, keep positive ...

BL

"COVID Update" book supplement designed to guide your career journey back on track in the new landscape ...

The COVID pandemic stopped all of us in our tracks. But as the industry slowly begins a gradual ramp up, it’s time to get a handle on how the pandemic has change the business of acting. It’s also time to carve out and create a smart, strategic, COVID-proof action plan to get back to work and to thrive in this new landscape. 

 

I hope I can help with that. I have written a “COVID Update” supplement to “The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition,” which will be released on August 12^th.

The supplement offers a perspective on the new landscape and guides readers through the creation of a COVID-proof action plan that will get you refocused, motivated anew and back on track with the journey of your career.

Three take-away pieces of advice from "COVID Update:"

1. If you are not yet represented, do not seek representation at this time. Until agents and managers have a clear understanding of what the casting needs of the new landscape with be, we're not yet able to assess our rosters against those needs.

2. If you are represented, get reacquainted with your agent and/or manager. Check in with him or her or them to see what they might need from you -- and what you can do for them -- as we all slowly begin to get back to work.

3. Be 100 percent certain that any set, stage, performance venue or any location where you are hired to work is 100 percent COVID-compliant. The supplement offer up details ... but no job is worth accepting if there are any safety risks of any kind for you while at work.

Keep safe, stay positive ...

BL

We want you to work, but that doesn't always mean booking the job ...

Agents get jobs; managers focus on the global view and progression of a client's career ... and, of course, we want you to work as an actor. But getting to work doesn't always mean booking the job. You have to book the room first.

It's part of a bigger conversation in this new landscape that I was thrilled to have with Benjamin Lindsay, Managing Editor at Backstage. His article about our chat is out today.

There are a lot of professional-level classes, schools, teachers and coaches who offer up critical lessons in the development of one's art and craft. But more focus needs to be put on how to audition ... and a special focus on how to audition to book a room, not necessarily a job.

There is an entire chapter about this in my book (The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition). Want a career and not just a job? Do as much audition prep work for your time on the way to, at and out of your audition and you will score potentially much more than just an acting job. You will have an opportunity to create, build and nurture an important business relationship.

My thanks to Benjamin for the opportunity to chat with him about an important "How to" in the business of acting.

BL

Back to work also means "pack a lunch" ...

No mask, no work. Want a snack? Bring your own!

Getting ready to for your close-up comes with a whole new set of rules and regulations to keep you and your fellow artists safe in this COVID-19 landscape. That's the topic of my newest article for Backstage, out today ...

I predict that there will quickly be more opportunities to work than ever before for actors (and other craftspeople in the business of acting) as the tremendous need for content meets the lifting of restrictions and important protections that are now in place. But it's a return that is going require preparation that far exceeds just memorizing your lines.

There has been a shift, too, in how we who represent actors are now involved with their actual audition process in ways we have never been able to before.

It's all good news! Time to read up, get ready and be a part of the great return to work!

As always, stay safe ...

BL

Self-tape auditions can allow more actors in. But opportunity needs to be matched with preparedness ...

There is an entire chapter in my booked devoted to the topic of self-tape auditions ... and, in this coronavirus and eventually post-coronavirus landscape, we will see more, not less, of this movement -- and it's here to stay. That is both great and potentially not-so-great news, unless you are prepared for the unique challenges that come with the proliferation of this opportunity.

When self-taping, just because you can record as many takes of an audition as you want, you shouldn't. Aim to get it right the first time. It is as important to be as prepped and camera-ready for your self-tape as you should expect yourself to be in a casting director's office, where you're not guaranteed a second shot at it.

I love how wide the doors are opening for actors because of self-tape auditions. This potentially creates more opportunity for more actors to be seen for each role. But beyond the technical challenges of getting it right, the performance challenges require a level of focus, commitment and readiness that can take some time to get comfortable with and thrive at. But it is essential work that needs to be done -- and the end results are always more than worth effort.

BL

The Career Spring Cleaning You Should Do While Stuck at Home ...

My latest Backstage column is out today with a few suggestions about spring cleaning in preparation for the back-to-work, post-"hiatus" landscape that we all can't wait for.

We can and should use this unexpected time out to get prepped and ready fo both the opportunities and the work that will be in abundance when the industry gets up-and-running again -- and that includes sprucing up all of the support materials you use and every piece of evidence of your career potential that you rely on for audition submissions.

The future looks bright -- and it will soon be here. So let's get ready for it!

BL

Financial assistance now available for actors, artists and others in the business of acting from Coronavirus outbreak ...

There is an important article in today's Los Angeles Times about financial resources that are available for artists and others in the entertainment industry who have been hard-hit as a result as the coronavirus epidemic. Also, be sure to explore financial assistance from unemployment departments in states around the country that is now available for self-employed people and those of you who work as independent contractors.

Usually these categories of workers are exempt from this kind of assistance. But it's a whole new world now, so don't overlook some relief that might be available to you now that may not have been accessible to you before this outbreak.

I hope you are safe and well and getting ready for both your figurative and literal close-ups when all of this is behind us.

BL

New Mexico actors begin to make their mark in a big way as opportunity flourishes in the Land of Enchantment ...

New Mexico has become a  thriving and growing market for film and television production ... and that means work for both "above the line" and "below the line" artists there.

That point was brought home in a news report by Grace Reader, of KOB-TV, the NBC-TV affiliate in Albuquerque, who covered our sold-out Business of Acting Career Clinic this past week at Sol Acting Studios.

Thank you, Grace for your coverage and thank you Sol mates for work well done this weekend in class!

BL