Breaking Into Hollywood – What Materials Do I Need To Market Myself In Entertainment?

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by tj.blackwell

Breaking Into Hollywood – What Materials Do I Need To Market Myself In Entertainment?

A short while ago, I was invited to speak at a casting event. I replied with an enthusiastic yes (I love a good workshop, panel, parking lot…anywhere I can talk passionately about the biz)! I immediately sent the organizer my current bio, with links to more information and pictures online. The organizer was very surprised by my speed/efficiency and sent a nice thank you.

That SAME DAY, I was helping a friend of mine put together materials for an upcoming production. We requested a bio from one of the participants three times, and it finally arrived a few days later, with typos. At that moment I thought, “Sometimes Hollywood hopefuls are so focused on what they hope employers are going to give them, they aren’t prepared with what they’re supposed to give US.” So here are the five marketing materials, at minimum, you need to always have on hand

to advance as a professional in show business.

AN UPDATED RESUME

Nothing is more important than a résumé that accurately reflects, at least:

*Your job titles;

*The project name;

*Your employer;

*Any production partners (e.g., choreographer, production company, director, etc.);

*Your dates of employment.

For example (all fake!):

– Principal Dancer | THE NUTCRACKER | Lompoc Ballet | Chor: Justin | 12/2006

– Background Dancer | LOVE MY BABY (Baby Tee) | Paramount Music | Chor: Jayn J | 10/2006

This really is just a credit list, so employers can instantly see not just what you have done, but FOR WHOM. Those names are the ones that will get you hired more often than your titles! If I know someone on that list, and I call them, and

they rave about you, my job hunt is over.

Also include degrees, professional affiliations and awards.

Let’s talk about the format for your credit list:

*It must be ONE PAGE ONLY;

*It must include, at least, your legal name, professional name (if different), mailing address (not home! City, ST only if you don’t have a separate address), contact number, e-mail address and Web site (if any);

*All names must, must, must be spelled correctly (check online – these could be established shows or friends of your potential employer);

*Create your list in a table (in Word, that’s Table/Create Table) with columns (skip tabs and spaces!) so you can easily line up columns, update and move things around;

*Stick to one format for each credit and make it uniform throughout the rez (e.g., if project names are

in caps once, they should be in caps always);

*Include your name, professional title and year in the title of the document. That way, when you e-mail it to a potential employer, they can save the file and always know what and whose it is. So you might call it: “Rez_LeeBryant_Producer_2007.doc”

Organize one credit list by job title and another by date (most current down).

You might end up needing a more extensive rez that includes job descriptions for some submissions. But your current credit list is an absolute must for all job submissions – update it on the last day of every job.

A CURRENT BIO

A bio is not a two- or three-page brag sheet. It is a one- to five-paragraph summary of what you have done and why it makes you stand out from your peers (check out –~~~~~~~~~~~~–