This is the question I am asking myself tonight. Not because I’m pondering my existence or place in the world, but because I need to know how to market myself as an actor. You see today I met with a photographer (Vanie Poyey) and this is the question she asked me. What roles/characters/shows do I see myself fitting in? How am I currently marketing myself?
This question actually isn’t new to me. Tom has brought up this question in class and I have also read a lot about celebrity marketing and branding. But for some reason when faced with the question, I didn’t have a solid answer. I showed Vanie my current photos and said that in the past I have been sent out for a lot of “thug” roles. But I definitely wanted to be able to play more than just a thug. I’ve also been told by one of my acting partners that they could see me on a TV drama like The Practice as a young professional. Vanie thought that I would fit a lot of shows on the WB network and could definitely play a young professional. But I don’t really know.
The studio has given me the roles of strong leading men who are commanding, or passionate, or sensitive, or romantic (a cheating husband, a war-time soldier in love, an egotistical hard-hitting producer, a passionate hedonist and a reformed arrogant bad-boy). This definitely gives me a clue as to how the studio views me and my work and what roles they think I could play. But what does this mean? It’s not as if I will be offered leading roles at this point of my “career”. I need to market myself towards roles I am right for.
So that leads me back to the question, “who am I”? In real life I am funny and quirky around friends and family. But around strangers and at work I can be the “bad-boy”, or formal, or the young professional depending on the situation. So basically, at this point, I have no answer. I’ll have to ask other people who have seen my work and see what their opinions are…
Then again, do I have to decide? During the photoshoot I could go for the bad-boy, the young-professional, and the funny/quirky guy and see how the pictures turn out…
David,
I love your site. It inspires me to chase after my dreams too! Like you I am a young Asian-American male who wants to become an actor badly. I am thinking of moving to Hollywood to pursue a career but my only experience is community playhouse type theater here in Iowa.
I can’t wait to get out of Des Moines where I am one of only a handful of people who speak Korean. I have saved up a decent sum of money, but I have not pulled the trigger yet. What should I do???
Help me!
Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. Don’t let self-doubt or critics deter you from your aspirations. Just know that life is a journey and by pursuing an acting career in Hollywood this journey could be very long and filled with numerous failures and rejection.
I moved out to “Hollywood” from Delaware/Pennsylvania. My only acting experience was high school musicals and plays. My parents didn’t feel comfortable with me moving out to the west coast w/o a job so I got a job doing computer help desk work. I also happened to have relatives out here who helped me get settled. Los Angeles is not necessarily the easiest place to live. Coming from a small town to the big city was somewhat of a shock. Everything is very expensive out here and when you first move here the first concern is how you will exist while pursuing your dream. Most of the actors I know are bartenders, waiters, valets, etc, etc. It’s a hard life. But it will take you on a journey and test to see if this is really what you want to do.
You might want to come visit for a couple of days and do some tourist-type stuff. Then while you’re here, pickup a local newspaper to get an idea of places to live, jobs, etc.
Another idea is to look for local acting jobs on TV or film in your area. Getting some jobs and your SAG card in Iowa will be a whole lot easier than trying to get acting jobs in LA. Go to Google and search for “Iowa film commission”. Then look for casting companies and make some visits/phone calls.
Good luck on your journey! I hope you achieve your dreams!