fi
-
April 16, 2013
Coming to Chicago
-
April 4, 2013
Traction
It used to be easier. Well, comparatively speaking.
The pattern was to take some classes, put a demo together and send it off to agents. If they were interested, they’d call, you’d go in, read, they’d tell you how they work and a contract would arrive after that.
And, they were patient.
Sometimes, for years.That is so not the case any longer. That level is not as accessible as it once was.
It’s less parental and more of a partnership.And, there’s an interim step in between I call Traction.
Traction is where talent first set themselves up for work and go after whatever they can get, wherever they can and start building a portfolio.
With showcase work and some impressive clients under one’s belt, the chances of getting a major market manager and/or agent to then want to help rev up the engine of the career are greatly enhanced.
Yes, it’s frustrating and time consuming, and not the image of representation we grew up thinking it would be. But wanting it to be the way it was will only slow you down. So will entitlement.
No one is guaranteed this career and anyone who might have trivialized the rigor and mind-blowing odds was being self-serving and did everyone a huge dis-service. And yes, I have been a part of miracles based on dint of will, and have seen lightening strike, but they are rare exceptions.
It’s basically a slog. It takes time, energy, patience and a substantial investment to establish, grow and re-invent as time, technology and the culture change the manner in which we express ourselves.
But, in the last few years, the end game seems to have gotten a bit derailed. The desire and need to be seen as a player, has eclipsed the time, due diligence and seasoning one must have to actually be one and be ready to compete on that level, read after read after read.
Producers did not go to the meeting in your head. They went to the one where reads consistently sound and feel they way they are supposed to sound and feel with them saying and doing as little as possible to get you there.
They went to the one where the traction you’ve gained has gotten you to the place where they see you as a player. That’s the end game because that’s where the career lives and grows.
–
-
March 26, 2013
Atlanta On My Mind
To reserve, contact: Kathy Payne, katherineannpayne@gmail.com
-
March 4, 2013
Name Recognition
The assistant director arrived on set one morning and said “Anyone want a dog? We found one in the shopping center last night, but he’s afraid of kids.”
“What is it?, I asked.
“A gray poodle”.
Done.My mother fell in love with one that belonged to a friend and said that if ever we had another dog, that’s would be what she wanted.
I was going home for the holidays so he stayed with me and my three roommates in our one bedroom apartment for two nights, then on to Florida.
At first I called him “Leapshin” because he was very jumpy. He begrudgingly responded but we both knew that wasn’t his name.
Without tags however, how was I going to find out his name?He told me.
I’m in the kitchen, drying the dishes and talking to my mother. I must have used the word “lucky” because the dog sat up and looked at me with wonder!
I looked at him. “Is your name Lucky?” I asked.
He bounded over to me, jumped into my arms and covered me with kisses!
From that point on, his whole demeanor changed.
He knew who he was and when everyone else also knew…he was at peace.
-
February 23, 2013
A Blooming Story
On my morning walks along the LA River, yes, there is one. Well sort of one. Here and there. Here, it’s half low tide and the other half concrete but the family of ducks that live in it don’t seem to mind. Nor do the egret and the crane. Squirrels abound along the banks. Lofty pines and pines are dense and make it look more like Northern California.
Along the roadway atop the wash, as it is also called, is a guardrail. Inside the guardrail are rows and rows of bushes. Mostly holly with some wild flowers dotting the path. But there is, for all the world, tucked inside the bushes, one lone rose vine. One. The seed must have blown over from a yard across the street or hitched a ride with a bird.
About 10 days ago, I notice a brave little bud in that most unlikely setting.
I thought of clipping it and then thought: “Its too soon. If I cut it now, it will never have a chance to achieve full bloom”. So, I left it and have watched it.
It started to open and then faltered. That’s when I took the first picture and opted to let it alone.
Yesterday I saw that the side where it had started to bloom was dark, dry and closing down the rest of the flower. I decided it had probably gone as far as it could, on its own.
I brought it in and stripped away the old, dead petals, put it in water with a little sugar and lo and behold, its opening again! And, hidden underneath the old petals were moist, supple, pinkish petals that would never have seen the light of day had I not taken it in.
It might not ever pose for ads in magazines and catalogues, but it’s having a longer run than it would have had that outer layer not been peeled away.
Hmm…
-
February 11, 2013
What I Learned From The Super Bowl – Part 2
The Players’ job is to run with the ball.
The Spectators’ job is cheer and jeer.
The Skybox’s job is commentary and controversy.
Spectators fan the Flames.
The Skybox fuels the Flames.
The Players run through the Flames.
If they allow themselves to get blinded by the Smoke,
someone else is now running with the ball.
-
February 4, 2013
What I Learned From The Super Bowl – Part 1
Just for the record, I know less about football than I do quantum physics. I watch The Super Bowl and other major sporting events to see how the athletes do under the extreme pressure of “winner-take-all” challenges.
It’s the kind of pressure talent have when they move to the level where the competition is ferocious and the stakes could not be higher.
When you hit that level, all the noise has to fall away and what matters is simply winning…consistently winning. Everything else is just filler.
Both teams were amazing and it could have gone either way. To my untrained eye, it appeared that the game was not won but lost. The 49ers were favored to win.
The Ravens came in knowing that but not acting like it.
Too often talent will talk about opportunities with mock irony saying they pretty much know who will be chosen. They are mentally giving the job to someone else.
If that’s the case, why bother?
If you want to win, stop calling the game before it’s played and play to win, no matter what the odds say.
-
January 25, 2013
Watch for us on East West Audio Body Shop this Sunday!
Hello All,
Am looking forward to my interview on East West Audio Body Shop this Sunday, January 27, 2013.
Here is all the information for joining in:East West AUDIO Body Shop airs “live” at 6pm pacific; 9pm eastern on http://ustream.tv/channel/EWABS
We will be taking questions from the Chat Room and from EWABShop@gmail.comListeners can also check http://www.EWABS.net They can find the past episodes, etc.
Facebook PAGE is http://facebook.com/EWABShop
Questions for Marice Tobias, Dan Lenard, or George Whittam can be sent to EWABShop@gmail.com
-
December 12, 2012
Stepping Up & Showing Up – January 10th-11th in LA
-
November 5, 2012
New York City Seminar Cancellation
