CAREER COACHING

thinking outside the box to fire up your unique journey

My CAREER COACHING grew out of my own efforts as a young character actor ("You're so interesting!!  You have such range!!  Hang in there, you'll start working a lot in your thirties!!") to:

  • Gather information about the projects that were currently (or soon to be) casting

  • Set manageable goals based on that information, looking to use  “outside the box” actions that would help me to stand out 

  • Develop relationships with the people responsible for casting those projects (directors, casting directors, producers, etc)

  • Grow my presence in the New York theatre community (which has led to most all of my film and television work)

  • Represent myself and book jobs without an agent (until I got one, and even after I got one)

THE HISTORY

One of the agents I eventually signed with liked my mindset/approach and started sending me some of her clients for career consultations over 20 years ago.  My passion (compulsive need, really) for seeing people take charge of their own careers has made this work some of the most rewarding work I do.

My career consulting work with people is definitely “New York-centric.”  It includes an emphasis on growing the actor’s presence in the theatre community (including Regional Off-Off, Off and On B'way).  NYC is still arguably, at its heart, a theatre town. Success in the NY theatre community (as an actor and as a community member) can open doors to the film and television casting community and creatives.  Happily, NYC is experiencing many fresh benefits from this new golden age of television in which we find ourselves, and many theatre casting directors here cast projects in television, film and new media as well.  Access to these people (and to others who are essential in the casting process) is not impossible, if you are willing to approach the business side of things authentically and creatively.  I share with actors many of the ways my friends and I have gained that access and grown relationships over time.  Then we look at how we can apply what I’ve learned from those experiences, as well as a “thinking outside the box” approach, to your specific goals as an actor.

I also encourage everyone to look at possibilities for generating their own work, both live (theatre) and digital (film/TV/internet). The easy and inexpensive accessibility of digital video production (smart phone anyone?), along with rapidly expanding opportunities for delivery of digital material has quickly turned short- and long-form film-and-series-making into an increasingly democratic creative opportunity for ALL of us.  That smart phone in your pocket also makes “pre-auditioning” for theatre and TV/film projects (in an attempt to obtain an actual live audition) possible if one is willing to put in the time and effort.  

PLEASE NOTE:  I find that most first time CAREER sessions tend to take several hours as there is a lot to cover (we discuss your history, assess your current situation, clarify goals, action steps, define clear plans of action...).  However, I’m happy to work out session length on a per needs basis.