The Jobbing Actor E-Book

Letty Butler

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

'The book all actors need – a vital manual to help you stay balanced in an increasingly demanding industry' Miranda Hart The Jobbing Actor is an innovative six-week coaching programme designed by accredited coaches to help you achieve your acting ambitions. It's not just another 'how to' guide telling you what you already know; it's a professional self-development programme that's high on impact and low on bullshit. Week by week, it will guide you through a structured series of industry-focused and holistic exercises and challenges. Full of uplifting advice and practical hints and tips, it covers every aspect of building and sustaining a career – from auditions and self-taping, through dealing with rejection and other trip-ups, to networking, branding and diversifying. Also included are daily journal pages in which you'll set your targets and goals, and track your progress. Inspiring, empowering – and fun! – The Jobbing Actor is your own personal coach in handy paperback form. It'll empower you to take stock of where you are personally and professionally, instigate long-term, positive change, and reclaim ownership of your career. Anita Gilbert and Letty Butler (aka Bert & Butler) have between them over forty years' experience in the business. Anita has worked as a professional actor, as well as a theatrical agent, and is now a full-time voice and accent coach. Letty is a jobbing actor and comedienne, with extensive credits for stage and screen. She's also an award-winning writer and professional life coach. 'Brilliant. A godsend to actors!' Eleanor Tomlinson 'No-nonsense, practical advice delivered with humour, warmth and a real desire to help actors succeed' Peter Hunt (Head of Casting, Lime Pictures)

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Sample Journal Pages

The Preparation and Inspiration Stations

The Programme

Week 1: Toolkit

Week 2: Branding

Week 3: Networking

Week 4: Rejection

Week 5: Resting

Week 6: Going Rogue

What Now?

Resources

About the Authors

Copyright Information

WARNING

CONTAINS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE AS A JOBBING ACTOR!

FOREWORD

Hello and Welcome!

We are Bert & Butler, the co-founders of The Jobbing Actor. Before we crack on, we thought we’d better explain who we are, why we’re doing this and what ‘it’ is exactly.

What Is It Then?

The Jobbing Actor is an innovative six-week coaching programme designed specifically for actors, by actors and accredited coaches. It’s not just another ‘how to’ guide, telling you what you already know, but a professional self-development programme that’s high on impact, low on bullshit.

Over the course of six weeks, we will guide you through a combination of industry-focused and holistic exercises and challenges. This will enable you to take an objective view of where you’re at personally and professionally. By offering structure and support to hit self-defined targets and reach overarching goals across a specified timeline, The Jobbing Actor aims to empower every actor to reclaim ownership of their career. You included.

Each week homes in on a key element of the business – skills; networking; branding; resting; rejection and diversifying. You are held accountable to your own targets through guided reflexive practice, which is more fun than it sounds. By the end of the six-week programme you will have a fully fledged journalling habit in addition to a wealth of tools and techniques designed to maintain the resilience and motivation you need to pursue your career ambitions in a positive, mental-health-friendly way. These toolkits are sustainable. We’re equipping you for life.

We know that actors are creative beings, which is why we’ve designed the programme to be as inspiring and uplifting as it is empowering and effective. The Jobbing Actor is designed to be a powerful, creative and energising experience that will enable you to carry on doing what you love.

This isn’t just a book. It’s a mindset. Because resting doesn’t have to be dull. It can actually be a powerful creative catalyst to propel you towards success.

Who Needs a Coach?

Here at Bert & Butler HQ, we believe that everyone should have a coach, especially if they’re interested in being better at what they do.

But Why?

When you go it alone, both personally and professionally, you often fail to recognise the issues that stand in your way, or if you do, you don’t necessarily know how to fix them. The result is that somewhere along the line, you stop improving. Humans are happiest when they’re learning, growing and striving for meaningful goals. So when we plateau, even subconsciously, it impacts our happiness.

Coaches are your external eyes and ears, providing a more accurate picture of your reality. They enable you to recognise the fundamentals, break your actions down and then help you build them back up again. We tend to think that coaches are just for those in the world of sport, but why? If top athletes have room for improvement and yield results from external support, imagine how much impact a coach could have on you in your field of expertise.

‘It’s not just how good you are now, it’s how good you’re going to be that matters.’

Atul Gawande – American surgeon, writer and public health researcher

We know that coaching can be an expensive business, and that not everyone’s in a position to fork out for one-to-one sessions, so here we are – ready to help you reveal the rust, whip out the polish and make you shine.

Who Are We?

Between us we have over forty years’ worth of experience in the business. We’ve hit it from pretty much every angle imaginable. Bert trained as an actress (ALRA) and spent ten years working, before jumping ship to become an agent. She then hot-footed it to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where she got an MA Distinction in Professional Voice Practice. Bert is currently a Senior Voice Lecturer at Leeds Conservatoire, coaches actors on a one-to-one basis and offers voice and accent production support across the UK theatre and film industry.*

Butler trained at LAMDA in 2009 and has directed, produced, written and acted for stage and screen ever since. She also has a BA Hons in English Literature and Theatre Studies from Leeds University and an MA Distinction in Creative Writing from SHU because she bloody loves education. Butler is a qualified coach with a Distinction from Kingstown College and currently coaches creatives across a range of genres, but primarily actors and writers.** She’s still very much a jobbing actress, and therefore with you on the frontline and fully aware of just how challenging it is.

Why Are We Doing This?

We’re big fans of not beating around the bush, so here are some nice bullet points for you:

•  The point of all the above is that we know what it means to be an actor – how utterly exhilarating and rewarding it is, but also how hard, lonely and demoralising it can be. When we realised we had the combined knowledge and skillsets to help with the latter, we decided to do something about it.

•  The current stats regarding actors’ mental health and wellbeing are shocking. Suicide rates are soaring. You only need to spend a second on Twitter to witness it first-hand with the multiple cries for help from struggling actors. In writing this book, we’re aiming to contribute to the wider conversation in the hope that it will have a positive impact on these frightening figures.

•  One-off masterclasses or Q&As are a great way to connect with industry professionals, practise networking and find inspiration, but can sometimes exacerbate feelings of despondency and failure if nothing comes of it; for instance, if the casting director doesn’t immediately bring you in or the agent doesn’t sign you. We want to offer something that isn’t dependent on anyone else, something that is truly yours, and that no one can take away from you. Which ties in rather nicely with…

•  Sustainability! We want to offer you something that lasts longer than one or two hours, something with longevity, something for life – which is why our programme is sustainable. You can use these tools and techniques to support your career forever.

•  This is the book we wanted when we left drama school, when we had our first massive rejection, when we couldn’t find an agent and when we were in a seemingly interminable period of rest. This is the book that didn’t exist when we needed it most. Now it does.

Who Is It For?

As the title suggests, this book is aimed primarily at actors (at any stage of their career) but that’s not to say it’s exclusively for actors. And let’s be honest, it’s very rare to find an actor whose sole job is acting anyway. You may be a writer, filmmaker, artist, photographer, designer, etc., as well as an actor. You may not be an actor at all! That’s completely fine. We believe that this book will enable any creative being to implement positive and long-lasting change, whatever their craft.

So without further ado, we give you, The Jobbing Actor!

* For more info on Bert’s voice and accent coaching, head to her website: www.speakeasyvoice.co.uk

** For coaching enquiries with Butler, head to her website: www.lettybutler.com

How Does It Work?

As we’ve established, The Jobbing Actor is a six-week coaching programme designed specifically for actors. It’s based on the leading research around behavioural change, which indicates that self-awareness and reflection plus minor habit change can lead to major results. Each week builds on the last and we recommend you do it in order to fully harness the benefits of the programme and instigate long-term behavioural change.

If you’re the kind of person who hates reading instructions, we get it. We hate them too. So we’ve tried to make this section as short and painless as possible. If you’re still tempted to bypass it, ask yourself this question:

‘Do I want this to work?’

If the answer if ‘yes’ – excellent! Read on. If you aren’t sure – well, you’re here now, so you might as well give it a whirl.

Let’s crack on, shall we?

The Preparation Station

Before we hit you (gently) with Week One, we’re going to take you through The Preparation Station. Think of it as a sort of mental MOT to ensure your engine’s up to the journey ahead. We recommend spending a couple of hours in this section, preferably when you’re feeling particularly fired up about the prospect of the career-enhancing adventure ahead. First up, we’re going to introduce you to some key terms you’ll come across as you motor through the programme.

Vroom.

Your Notebook

Since you’re reading this electronically, you may be wondering how on earth you’re going to do all the written exercises and journalling. Fret not! We’ve worked it out so you don’t have to. The best idea thing to do is have a dedicated notebook on hand whenever you’re reading this book, so you can keep your notes, ideas and journal pages in one place.

Templates

We’ve made all our key templates, exercises and blank journal pages available for downloading and printing. All you need to do is head to www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/ jobbing-actor-templates where you’ll find everything you need to compile your own dedicated notebook:

•  My Epic Reward

•  Map My Week

•  Blank Journal Pages (Monday to Sunday)

•  Personal Rejection Plan of Action

•  HitList

•  Audition Log

Without wishing to appear bossy, it’s an extremely good idea to print everything out right here, right now. And find a nice notebook while you’re at it.

Go on. Your future self will thank you.

Weekly Themes

At the beginning of every week, we introduce an overall theme with an accompanying practical exercise. The theme is directly related to the industry – for example, personal branding or networking.

Midweek Motivation

You’ll find a Midweek Motivation halfway through each week to give you a little boost. These are quick, practical exercises that support the weekly theme and offer a timely shove in the right direction when motivation is prone to waning. Some exercises are industry-centric but others are more holistic – such as The Wellness Toolkit or The Relationship Inventory. Why? Because this process is designed to help you explore the relationship with yourself as well as your career.

‘I think one of the most important lessons I’ve learnt is to def ine my own success and set achievable goals under my control.’

Orion Lee – Oscar-nominated actor

Targets and Goals

What’s the difference? Stunning question!

A goal is an overarching ambition. Something meaty. Something big. Probably something vaguely overwhelming.

A target is a stepping stone towards that goal.

We’ll get you setting goals in The Preparation Station and targets on a daily basis. It’s basically that whole ‘take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’ mentality. If you consistently complete targets, they soon add up to goals.

We encourage you to create goals and targets in two key areas: Career, and Health and Wellness. YOU are your tool, which is why we put equal emphasis on both areas. In the words of Mr Chekhov ‘If you want to work on your art, you must first work on yourself ’.

Treats

When instigating change, it’s important to reward ourselves when we do hit targets, otherwise we run the risk of feeling like life is all schlep and no sizzle. Be playful with your treats. Take some time to make a list of all the things you genuinely enjoy, or perhaps used to enjoy but now deny yourself – either through lack of time, money or energy. You’ll find some ideas to get you going here.

Treats don’t have to be bank-breaking. We’re big fans of sticker charts, despite the fact we’re not four years old. Simple rewards create simple pleasure. Think small but mighty.

Trip-ups

In the goal-setting section, there’s a space called ‘Trip-ups’. This gives you a chance to think about and record potential obstacles that could get in the way of you hitting your targets. They may be people, situations, habits or thought patterns. It’s useful to keep reviewing these throughout the process, so you can learn from your trip-ups and be better equipped to handle them in the future. It all comes back to generating awareness; one of the core factors of creating lasting behavioural change.

Daily Reflections

At the end of each day, we encourage you to reflect in your journal pages. But why?

Reflective practice reduces stress and enhances self-awareness, self-esteem and sleep, as well as boosting emotional intelligence, positivity and problem-solving abilities. Through journalling, we learn to develop a greater understanding of ourselves and others. It can also boost our creative thinking and supports active engagement in our work – what’s not to like?

The writing! We hear you cry. Look, the action of writing down a specific event or thought makes it tangible. You can see it. It’s making a pact with yourself to deal with it and not push thoughts/plans/ideas/feelings to the back of your mind. In return, you’ll get calm and clarity, instead of a 2 a.m., insomnia-inducing thought-party.

‘We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.’

John Dewey – American philosopher

How Do I Do It?

You begin by filling out your overarching goals for the week in the following categories: Career, Health and Wellness, and Treats. The second stage is to…

Map Your Week

Once you’ve completed the initial practical exercise at the start of each week, it’s time to set your targets for the next six days – a process we refer to as Mapping Your Week. At the risk of being repetitive, you will find this template online at www.nickhernbooks. co.uk/jobbing-actor-templates. Completing this is best done on a Sunday night or Monday morning, so you’re all set for the week ahead. It’s crucial to have access to your diary so you can be realistic about what you can actually achieve that week. Work out exactly when you can do what and diarise it – then fully commit to it. If we carve out a chunk of time to complete a specific task and/or write it on a to-do list, we are far more likely to actually do it. Plus it relieves stress and offers structure amidst the chaos.

As you’re setting your targets, make sure you channel the weekly theme so that you’re incorporating and cementing new knowledge regularly throughout the process.

We appreciate that it won’t always go to plan because life’s not like that. Especially if you’re an actor. But setting intentions is crucial to bringing meaning and purpose, so it’s better to have a plan and deviate from it, than float about hoping something marvellous will happen.

‘In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.’

Dwight D. Eisenhower – 34th President of the United States of America

Day to Day Journal Pages

You start each day by writing down your daily target, so it’s in the forefront of your mind. Remember, a target can be tiny!

At the end of every day, it’s time to reflect. We invite you to let it all out and describe the day in all its gory or glorious detail, then pinpoint one positive thing that happened. By harnessing the habit of looking for the positives, you are actually rewiring your brain into a happier, more productive mind-set. And it’s not some happy-clappy nonsense, it’s all backed up by scientific research in the realms of neuroplasticity. Every single time you focus on something you are grateful for, you give yourself a shot of serotonin and dopamine. The more we activate these gratitude circuits in our brain, the stronger our capacity for productivity and positivity. Hoopla!

Once the daily reflection is out of the way, you focus specifically on your goal progress. Are you on track? Do you want to add any more targets to the week? Can you identify anything that curbed your progress? Do you need to give yourself a pat on the back or a kick up the arse?

Things to consider when reflecting:

•  Are there signs that show you when, where and how best you achieve your targets?

•  Are there patterns that shed light on when/why you don’t complete a task?

These sections are really useful to look back on when you’re setting targets for the following week. You’ll be able to analyse your behaviours more effectively and make plans to accommodate or combat them as you move forward.

A Note About Being Mean

If you don’t hit your targets, don’t beat yourself up – learn from it. Analyse where, when and how you went wrong so you can overcome those obstacles next time. If you skip a day here and there – so what? It doesn’t matter. This is your programme, your process and you’re the one calling the shots. Make it work for you. However, we do wish to emphasise that it is the regular engagement that will embed the behavioural change we keep banging on about.

Any Other Business?

Yes, actually, but only a tiny bit.

The Inspiration Station

We’ve invented this section to plant seeds in your creative brain. You’ll find a few suggestions to help you start planning targets and treats, and encourage your brain to start focusing on these areas. It’s basically a catalyst for the subconscious – once you trigger new ideas, your brain starts finding more and has a secret party on its own when you’re asleep or thinking about something completely different, like ferrets or who’s going to win Bake Off.

Sample Journal Pages

Over the following pages, you’ll find a sample week which will give you an insight into how the programme is set out and what your journalling might look like. Use it as inspiration for your own musings, but remember, it’s not a fixed blueprint. Take what works for you and kick the rest to the curb.

AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY WEEK YOU’LL DOWNLOAD PAGES THAT LOOK LIKE THIS…

THIS WEEK’S GOALS

Career

Health and Wellness

Treats

Why are the above goals important to me?