About 6 months ago, I had an actor comment on one of my posts that I should not be giving other actors advice and that I haven’t been in the industry long enough to teach anyone anything. He has been in the industry for 15 years and has about 20 acting credits on his IMDb.
Last week, an actress I worked with on my second short film called me for advice on moving her career from theater to film. She has done well in theater with a career spanning 20 years and teaches acting at some of her local colleges.
These two scenarios got me thinking about longevity in the film industry and how it doesn’t equate with experience. There are actors who have been in this industry for decades and have booked very little, have no representation and don’t understand how the film industry works. There are actors who have been in the industry for only a few years and book consistently, have representation and understand how the industry works.
Yes, you should be careful who you take advice from. And you should always check out the person you’re considering taking advice from. Check out their IMDb pro. Do they have credits? How many credits do they have each year? Are the things they book their own projects? Are they represented? Are their credits only background?
Maybe I have been in this industry only 16 months, but from what people tell me, I am doing well. So to the guy who commented 6 month ago, maybe you’d be further along in your career if you took advice from other people in the industry instead of equating longevity with experience.
Simon Shih 