When I first got to Atlanta in January, the plan for the first 3 months was to take acting classes (to see if I liked it) and to network. I went to every networking event I could find and talked to as many people as I could. You can find my blog post on networking here.
As soon as I figured out that this was what I wanted to do, I adjusted my goal; finding, researching and booking a headshot photographer. I ended up choosing Joe Funk and am incredibly happy with the results. My headshots get me a lot of auditions; almost 100 at this post.
As soon as I got my headshots, I focused on finding an agent. After submitting to 19 agencies, I got interest from 4 and signed to an agency about a week later. How I submitted to agencies is here.
In March I started booking. Building a resume and getting a reel became my focus. I had enough footage for a decent reel after 6 short films and my resume had 10 credits.
After booking enough work to accomplish that, my next goal was to stop doing unpaid work and only work on projects that I found worth doing. I still do unpaid work but it’s mostly for friends or projects that I really believe in.
At the very core, my plan was to act and only act. At this point, I have no interest in writing, directing, producing, etc. I know myself and I don’t like splitting my focus. I find that if I focus on one thing, I am able to accomplish more instead of trying to dabble in multiple areas. If I ever “make it” as an actor, then I can always branch out.
Also, my plan is to only act in TV and movies, so anything that comes my way outside that, gets ignored. Anything that doesn’t help me achieve my goal is ignored. I will not do documentaries, reality TV, UGC, plays, game shows, background or stand in work because none of that adds to my resume in a positive way or helps me achieve what I want.
I see a lot of actors who are all over the place. Trying to get into anything and everything they can. They have no focus and no clear goal in hopes that something they do results in getting into the film industry.
If you have a clear goal in mind, you have the ability to plan out the steps towards your goal. If you treat each step as a mini goal, you can slowly work your way to your final goal.
Simon Shih 