Creative Actor-Marketing : My Wish Lists for 2009

Ah, flying.  My wanderlust is never as satisfied as it is when I'm cuddled up in the aisle seat of an airplane [in this case, seat 15C], en route to somewhere new and exotic.  Or plopped in the car of a train heading from Penn Station to Whoknowswhere, with one bag to my name, a massive cup of coffee in hand, and a pocketful of chocolate.

Tonight I'm not exactly going anywhere exotic, persay, but I am heading home to sunny and seventy-two degreed St. Petersburg, Florida where I grew up.  Turkey day, as it has for the past three years I've lived in New York [three?!  already?!] has called me home to visit the family.  This year, I'm flying down with my Mother, who came up to visit for a few days prior to the Delta pilgrimage home.  It was a trip full of wine, cheese, and one hilarious 36 hour stint in Atlantic City.  Hey.  I won a whopping eighty five dollars from a slot machine.  That could almost pay for almost a third of Peter Hurley's makeup artist. 

Speaking of Peter Hurley, his makeup artist, and other things Actor-Marketing, I've had a long month of contemplating the "business side" of things.  I did go to school [extremely grudgingly so] for marketing... and international business... and a freakin minor in Psychology... thank-god-its-over-or-I-would-have-self-imposed-brain-damage-with-a-Yam... erhem . I've been mulling over all this crap as I attempt to gear up for Next Year.  The next 12 months of auditioning, prospective jobs, attempting to obtain proof of hard-smashed-Mesiner work, etcetera.  Which includes my "15 Things to Do before 2009 Or I'll Eat an Eggplant" list.

So much of this business -- and success in it -- seems to rely on everything besides the acting.  Not like all of us serious-kind-of-working-actor-folk don't know this already.  However, I get the sense that quite a few of us eschew it completely [some  amazing-actor theater friends] or do a peeled-onion eye squint at the prospect of thinking business-business-business all of the time.   As artists, why should we think about business?  About marketing?  We're too busy being creative!

Oie vey.  One could only wish.  

So for the past two months or so, I've been extremely conscious of the marketing and personal "branding" portion of things, so that that crap can be over and done with for a successful acting run in 2009.  Re-doing the headshots, and not going the cheap way out this time.  Splurging for the right makeup artist.  Getting the vanity-stuff in line, such as taking note of what oneself looks like on camera -- and if the hair color ain't workin', change it!  I've decided to hook up with a highly-recommended colorist to figure out what to do with my now drably-hued brunette mane.  Get the skin all HD-ready and glowy, so that even if we are working fifteen jobs at two hours of sleep a night pre-network audition, we don't look it.  Figuring out a good audition-ready, don't-break-into-Macy's-the-night-before, properly compiled wardrobe.  Yen, zen, or ying-yanging out one's apartment so it induces thoughts of peace and creativity and waterfalls -- versus retention ponds or level five out-of-Africa hurricanes.  

So my Actor-Vanity list, thus far:

1)  Re-do head color at Shilah Salon; also cut we're-so-dead-we're-angry split ends.

2)  Headshots with Peter Hurley.  

3)  Headshots with Peter Hurley only if I don't have to take out another credit card.

4)  Obagi Skin Care.  Rid pores of New York Smog Hates Skin multiplied by no-sleep-ever effect.

5)  Hire a troop of Medieval Knights and take over Bloomingdales.

My Actor-Craft-Lust list, thus far:

1)  Take another advanced session with Bob Krackower at One on One.  I'm registered for his next go-'round, but not sure if I can swing the cost.

2)  Get into the Meisner wonderland class that is Robert Modica at Carnegie Hall.

3)  Nail a scene in my Monday Master Class.

4)  Somehow bribe a William Morris agent to come see me perform in an Off-Broadway play, like Sam Shepard's Fool for Love, even though it's overdone.

5)  Self produce Sam Shepard's Fool for Love, even though it's overdone.

6)  Go to SUNDANCE 2009, baby!  

Not too much to ask for, right?  With my calculations, completing the entire Vanity list will cost approximately 22,300 -- or 2,300 if I don't splurge for the Medieval Knights.... and the Actor-Craft list will cost 12,240 -- or 2,240 if I decide to be sane [prefix with in?] and defer on the whole self-producing of my own version of Fool for Love.  

My oh my.  And neither of these lists includes a theoretically ridiculous demand, with the exception of the Bloomgindales knights... and it's really all stuff I would like to do, or need to be properly pursuing The Business Side of the Career at full force.  Perhaps I'm being silly.  Or perhaps I just need to stop drinking coffee at nine o'clock at night so that I don't stay up thinking about this stuff.  Or perhaps I just need to be frugal for a few months, save up a lump of dollars, shut up and get it done.  

And now I'm going to sit back, close my eyes, and enjoy a nice pack of about twelve Depression-style Delta peanuts.  

Lovely are the thoughts of the nutter, Ashley Avis

Comments

[Justine]

You're so right about the business side of things. I can't tell you how many times I have put something off (that could help me) because of not having enough money to do it. Yet, spending that money is often a good investment, so if you don't have it, and can't make the investment == not so good.

"Get the skin all HD-ready and glowy..." Hee, I really wanted to get a facial a few weeks before my headshots so my skin would be perfect. :) Luckily my photographer thought my skin looked good anyway,and the 'little things' (a llittle blotchiness on the chin, a pimple near my nose) got fixed in the retouching.

Your marketing plan sounds great. Even if you can't do 'all' of it, it's great that you're brainstorming. I love how savvy you are. You always inspire me to want to do more.