Judy Kain is an actress in Los Angeles, California.
Happy 2018! For many actors, the the New Year and New Year’s Resolutions go hand in hand. Starry eyed hopefuls will imagine networking more, plan to nail every audition, and decide to look into that commercial class they have heard so much about. Unfortunately, keeping these resolutions is not always as easy as dreaming them up...not without the proper guidance.
The first step to keeping your resolution is to treat acting as a business and yourself as the CEO of said business. With this in mind, I have developed a system that enables actors, like myself, to accomplish small manageable goals in a clear and concise manner. I call this the Actor’s Business Plan. Give it a try and see how it works for you!
How to Write An Actor’s Business Plan:
Trim down your business plan to the absolute minimum. Do your best to omit unnecessary words and communicate your objective and strategy with minimal clutter.
1. Describe The Struggles/Challenges You Are Having Right Now (no agent, not enough bookings, etc) Aim high, but also be realistic.
2. Your Solution Where do you see your career going? What is the best case scenario? (to save money as I make my living acting. Or to get a recurring role on a hit sitcom)
3. Business model Create a plan to accomplish your goals. (I will need to make $10,000 a month to live the way I want to in 5 years)
4. Target Market With whom do you you need to network? Come up with a list of industry professionals (agents casting directors, producers etc) who could help you attain your goals and the ways in which you can meet them.
5. Competitive Advantage What makes you special? Do you speak Spanish? Are you very funny? Find ways to let your target market know you have these skills. (Skill clips, Video, website etc.)
6. Management Team Who is helping you achieve your goals and do you need to gather more people on your team? Teams may include teachers, coaches, publicists, web designers, etc.
7. Financial summary What does it look like now and where you want it to be? This is a cost breakdown of what you need to invest in ( classes, tapes, etc), and how you expect to make it back.
8. Funding Required Establish a way to make the money requisite to fund your plans for the business. (Get a job, find donors, etc.)
Once your resolutions are set and the Actor’s Business Plan is written, start tracking your results. Compare the number of auditions you had before and after your new headshots, write down the casting directors you have met and the amount of times that have called you in, and make a list of interactions you have had with your agent.
Endeavor to be all that you can be in 2018. Create your Actor’s Business Plan and you will be a whole lot closer to making your resolutions a reality!
About the author:
Judy Kain opened Keep It Real Acting Studios in 2012. She teaches The Business Of Acting, Wednesday Workouts, Advanced Callback and A-Z Commercial Technique. Judy currently plays Lauren on The Fosters.