Posted by
Leslie on January 2, 2010 |
No commentsI was thinking about a friend who recently moved to LA to do some acting and was trying to decide what resources I would refer him to.
There are three off the top of my head that I wish I had discovered earlier.
The first is Suzanne Lyon’s Flash Forward workshops, which I have mentioned here several times.
The second is Jeffrey Gund’s InfoList, which is a regular email that gives you information on the latest events and workshops in town.
And the third is CCI, Center For Cultural Innovation.
They focus a lot on the business of art and I had the pleasure of going to one of their free artists info days which they hold approximately every 6 months.
The topics at that even ranged from legal assistance to doing your own PR to getting yourself organized (called “Getting Your S**t Together”), and while CCI tends to be more geared toward visual artists, I found it to be extremely valuable for other artists, such as actors, filmmakers, musicians, etc…
Great networking, too!
Tags: CCI, Center for Cultural Innovation, Flash Forward, how to become an actor, infolist, Jeffrey Gund, LA Acting, Los Angeles acting, Suzanne Lyons
Posted by
Leslie on December 29, 2009 |
No commentsIt is tremendously helpful to start the new year with a clean slate and I, in some way or another, usually go through my previous year and review all that has happened, all the successes I have achieved, where it has left me at the end of the year, and, most importantly, where I am headed in the next year.
I have done many different systems that all work well, depending on the sort of mind frame I am in and the sort of experience I see myself having in the new year.
Suzanne Lyons runs a workshop in December called Launching the Future, and though the even has already passed, here is a message from Suzanne on how to get “complete” with the previous year, so that you may step into 2010 full steam ahead and with all of your energy moving toward what you want to achieve.
“Ten Steps to Wrapping up 2009…and Giving Yourself the best Holiday Ever!” by Suzanne Lyons
1) Take a thorough serious look at your year. Go through your calendar, day timer, diary, etc. See where you are out of communication, out of touch, and out of integrity with colleagues, family and friends. Make a complete list.
2) Take your list and write up what you would need to do or say to clean things up (to be complete). I am not saying that you have to take the actions. You can take the actions if you want to, but often just the act of acknowledging what is incomplete will have it disappear.
3) Go back through your year and take note of all the projects, areas and anything from your “To Do” list that is incomplete or unfinished.
4) Take this list and write out what actions you could take to be finished or be complete. It is up to you whether or not you take the actions, but once again in order to be complete with 2009 it is important to take note of the above and acknowledge what is left unfinished.
5) Accomplishments: Now it’s time to brag! I love this part. Go through your year again and this time make a list of all of your accomplishments…no matter how small you think some of them might be. All too often we focus on what’s wrong, what we didn’t get done or what we should have done. So now I want you to focus on everything you accomplished. Claim it! Be proud of it! Take joy and pleasure in it!
6) Acknowledgment: There are two sides to this one. Giving and receiving. Both are very important and both are missing in our culture. And it is all part of being complete. In all of 2009, what would you like to be acknowledged for. For example, “I would like to be acknowledged for sticking to my weekly exercise program.” Write out a list of all the things you want to be acknowledged for and share it with a friend. Perhaps you could have a friend or family member do the exercise so you can share your lists with each other. A friend of mine, with her family, does the accomplishment and acknowledgment lists every Christmas. Wow!
7) Acknowledging others: Who do you want to acknowledge? Make a list and include the acknowledgement in your holiday cards, calls and emails. Acknowledge not only what they did, but also who they are for you and the difference they have made in your life.
Expectations: A friend of mine once said that “human beings are walking expectations just waiting to be unfulfilled”. So that said, what about going into the holiday with your friends and family with absolutely no expectations at all! Just allow them to do what they do and be who they be and have no reaction. Just keep falling in love with them over and over again no matter what. Wouldn’t that be a fun adventure to take on for the holidays?
9) Appreciation and Gratitude: There is a great quote by Melody Beattie where she says that “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Create a list of all the wonderful things you appreciate and are grateful for. Come up with at least 50! Look at this list everyday and keep adding to it.
10) Contribution: Since this is the season for giving, the greatest gift you can give is yourself….your time, your love, your kind words, your ongoing commitment to be an example for humanity…bringing excitement, possibility, joy, love and passion to everything you do and everyone you touch!
(BTW, I recommend you sign up for Suzanne Lyon’s newsletter by going to her website!)
Tags: 2009, 2010, Completion, Flash Forward, Launching the Future, newsletter, Suzanne Lyons
Posted by
Leslie on November 17, 2009 |
No comments
Suzanne Lyons
TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS IN HOLLYWOOD
(Or any Business)
1. SET A GOAL – Do a one year goal. For example, “By December 1st, 2010 I will _________________________ _________________________________________. Then break it down into monthly milestones: January 1st, February 1st, March 1st, etc.
2. DESIGN YOUR PITCH – Do a FANTASTIC logline for your project or yourself depending on whether or not you are selling your script or yourself. Then prepare a two minute pitch to expand on the logline. If you are pitching yourself be sure to design your pitch drawing from highlights from your career and your personal life. I usually make a list of 5 to 10 highlights from my career and personal life and then I choose the ones I want to use in my pitch. As producers you should always have a great pitch ready that is about you because you will constantly be enrolling people in YOU, whether they be financiers, agents, directors, etc.
3. CREATE A DISPLAY OF WHO YOU KNOW (MAP OF RELATIONSHIPS) – Categorize the names of everyone you know in the industry, ie. producers, writers, casting directors, directors, entertainment attorneys, etc. Call everyone on your Map and tell them what you’re up to.
4. NETWORK – Continue to expand your Map. Network, Network, Network. Get out there and meet people. Sometimes to push myself a little I will set a goal like “I will meet 10 new people this month”. See my October Newsletter for some great tips on Networking and creating Relationships.
5. MAKE REQUESTS AND OFFERS – Make requests (not favors) of people on your Map. For example, “I’m really committed to meeting 3 new directors for my film project. Do you know any directors you could introduce or refer me to.” Also, end every call and conversation with “Is there anything I can do for you”. We all to often forget to do this and it means a lot to the person on the other end of the phone.
6. CREATE A HITLIST – Target who you need to talk to or meet with. RESEARCH. Read the trades. Make a list of 10 to 20 names and start calling. This could be one of the requests that you make to people on your Map. For example, “I am looking to set up a meeting with John Doe, Casting Director. He is on my Hitlist as someone I really want to meet. I know you have worked with him before and was wondering if I could use you name when I called him.”
7. BRAINSTORMING – Get ideas outside of what you alone can come up with. So often we try to do it alone and it’s crazy. In the Flash Forward workshops over the years we had a built in one-hour exercise called “Brainstorming” where we divided into teams of six or eight people and then divide up the time equally. Then one person would state what they needed and then they would be quiet and just listen and take notes as everyone threw ideas at them. They were not allowed to comment on the ideas at all. They just wrote everything down and then took from the ideas what they wanted. It was extremely successful.
8. KEEP STATS – I know this doesn’t sound like fun and we all get a bit squeamish when we think about statistics. However, it is such a great wake up call to what actions you are really taking as opposed to what you are just talking about. Make a list of 3 to 5 categories you want to track and then add up the actions you have taken on a weekly basic. In the workshops I have led I always include this as part of the program. People are always shocked at how few calls they have made compared to what they thought they had. Categories could include: Number of production companies contacted about my project; number of meetings set; number of auditions; number of scripts sent out; number of new relationship made, etc.
9. GET A MENTOR – No matter what level you are at. Make it easy for them. Request only a little of their time over a very specific period of time. For example, three ten-minute conversations over the next four weeks, or a half-hour coffee meeting, or a lunch together. Also, please be prepared with your questions ready and it is important that you generate the conversation. It is not your mentor’s job to generate it. Remember it is a business relationship so always acknowledge them for their time.
10. CREATE A SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR YOURSELF – It is extremely important to be held accountable for your promises! We’re only human after all and sometimes when the going gets tough the tough get going. Don’t let that happen. Be held accountable for your word and your actions. Every Tuesday morning a group of 6 of us get together to talk about our goals and what actions we are going to take that week. On Friday we email in what we have done so far, and what is still left to do before we meet the next Tuesday. It really helps keep us focused and on target, and the coaching and brainstorming we do with each other is priceless.
A BONUS TIP: HAVE FUN AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOURSELF DAILY! We are here to have fun (no matter what business you’re in) so keep that in mind at all times. The more you take on having every action, every milestone and every goal as FUN, the more people will want to play with you and the more you will attract into your life everything you want. Also, don’t wait for others to acknowledge you. Acknowledge yourself. In the Launching the Future workshop I lead I include a page where people list what they want to be acknowledged for, just to get them in the habit of acknowledgment.
Tags: film industry, General Filmmaking, how to become an actor, LA Acting, Las Vegas Acting, Suzanne Lyons