by Tiffany Hunter

Created on: April 30, 2009   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

Having a successful acting career is a goal that can seem quite distant after a few months of treading the pavement. However, the meaning of the term "success" can vary depending on the person. Some might be unsatisfied until they are leading the box office, others are ecstatic with their one-liner on an obscure television show. Whatever success means to you, if you want success of any kind you must remember one thing: acting is a business.

Know What You're Selling

Acting is a business and you are your own product. You're goal is to sell yourself to an agent, casting director and the studio suits. Knowing your "type" and how others immediately categorize you will give you a starting point. This doesn't mean that you should only accept jobs that fit this type, if someone is willing to cast you take it! What it means is make sure you are aware how you will most likely be cast. For example, if you are 18 or older but can play a high school student, don't have a headshot that makes you look 25 and sexy. Playing a high school student but being over 18 will be a better selling point than the blonde bombshell- Hollywood has enough of those already.

Keep Your Product Competitive

There are thousands of actors out there who look just like you. You need to make sure that you can hold your own against the pack. You should always be updating your resume. Make sure you are involved in a great acting class. Do community theatre on the side to keep your "acting mind" in shape. Stay in shape physically. Leave the hard partying to everyone else in Hollywood, if you want to be in this business ten years from now it's best to get rest and focus your energy on getting hired. Alcoholism and drug abuse is extremely common among actors, so be aware of this and distance yourself from any negative behavior. This isn't to say that going out for celebratory drinks isn't banned, just remember everything in moderation.

Advertise

Just like any other business, make sure your product is known and recognizable. Have a good headshot that looks just like you. Your headshot will remind casting directors who you are, and if you look nothing like it they won't remember you. Put your headshot, resume and reel up on casting sites such as Actor's Access, Casting Workbook or LA Casting. Think about investing in a website. Get creative, self producing short videos and then posting them on sites such as YouTube can also help you get your name out!

Research the Industry

Make sure you are reading the trades. Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and Backstage are all excellent resources. Go and see plays, watch movies and television. Know what roles you would be perfect for and work on the characters on your own to help you learn. Some even suggest keeping a media log. By journaling about the different shows, directors, actors and their characters you will be prepared if you ever do get a chance to audition for it. Read blogs from industry professionals. The Actor's Voice, Casting Corner and The Show Biz Blog are some good ones to start with. Also, an excellent blog is Jenna Fisher's MySpace page. I recommend every aspiring actor and actress to read it.

The most important thing to remember when pursuing an acting career is to never give up. This is a career where your job is to basically go on job interview after job interview. When you do get hired, it is often only for a day or two of work. What is important is how rewarding that one day is, and how much it is worth all the work it took to get there.

Learn more about this author, Tiffany Hunter.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.