Make a Living Acting Anywhere the Ultimate Guide 6 Ways to Make a Living Acting Without Leaving Home with Workbook

Make a Living Acting Anywhere The Ultimate Guide 6 Ways to Make a Living Acting Without Leaving Home With Workbook

Chrissy Hogue Bartels

ISBN: 9798642749791

DEDICATION

You know who you are…the family, friends, colleagues, and collaborators whom I dare not name for fear of leaving someone out but who have been with me throughout it all!

To those of you who I could not possibly get through a day without.

And, to those of you who have purchased this book. To you I dedicate this version of my life’s work in the hopes that you will be able to use it as a tool while crafting your life as an actor making your living anywhere you feel happiest. CONTENTS

1 Introduction 1

2 Solo Show: Booked and Paid to Perform Pg #3

3 Launching a Celebrity-Studded Film Festival Pg #8

4 Theatre for Charity Producer Pg #12

5 Freelance Voice Over & Actor Pg #14

6 Narration for Audiobooks Pg #17

7 Self-Producing & Distribution Pg #19

8 Resources Pg #22

9 About the Author Pg #23

1 INTRODUCTION Welcome to Make a Living Acting Anywhere

Hello there and welcome to Make a Living Acting Anywhere: The Ultimate Guide Digital Book and Workbook!

You’re an Actor, right? You’ve always been an actor. I hear people say all the time that they want to be an actor. I believe you either are one or you’re not. What I think people mean when they say they want to be an actor is that they want to be a rich and famous star. There’s no shame in that. But, for the purposes of our work here, I want you to start thinking of yourself as an Actor right now no matter where you are along your journey. Can you agree to that? If so, stop right now, get up and go look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I am an Actor”.

You back? Or, did you have more questions? Did you, for example, think to yourself, “I identify as a woman…can I say, ‘I am an Actress?’ If you did, that’s fine! The simple fact of the matter is that an Actor is a person who Acts. So, it’s gender neutral and it is your choice. Now, go ahead and run to the mirror and say it, whichever way you want to, but please just do this for yourself. It is the Ground Zero for setting your mindset straight and will be the foundation for everything we do throughout this book.

Here’s why, if you are waiting tables right now to earn the money you need to pay your bills and invest in your acting business (by buying this book, for example) and you got out and meet someone new and they ask you what you do, if you answer “I’m a waitress, but, I want to be an actor”, you have told the person and the entire Universe that you are a Waitress. So, the Universe will aspire to help you be a Waitress and the people you meet will call you a Waitress when they speak of you and we all know that the more you say something the stronger you believe it, so, you will effectively be thinking of yourself as a Waitress and the misery will commence and grow deeper. But…If you answer instead, “I’m an Actor”, you tell the Universe that’s what you are and you plant that seed in the minds of the people who know you and are getting to know you. And, most importantly, you tell yourself this and THAT is the seed you want to take root in your mind. This can have extraordinarily positive results on your self-esteem, how you treat your acting business, and is very likely to result in more acting work for you!

If you’re reading this book it is likely because you are either interested in making a living acting but you may live somewhere that opportunity is very low or you are just beginning your journey and understand that by laying the foundation for your career as an Actor starting at home, you will greatly benefit where ever your path takes you.

Where I live, there was no way to make a living as an actor and it was crushing my soul every single day. I couldn’t let it go. I felt awful about it, too, because I had a husband, two incredibly healthy and wonderful children, a beautiful house, great friends and I just loved the small-town life. I couldn’t shake the idea that I was going to grow old and regret never having pursued my acting career.

I was raised by a playwright and comedian in New York City and spent my entire life around people in The Business. That all changed after 9/11 and I found myself living in Iowa. There were few, if any, opportunities to make any semblance of an acting career. And, I was broke. I had to become innovative to fulfill my dream. That is how this book and my obsession with teaching actors how to be actors anywhere came to be. I hope that you can use this book and

1 BOOK TITLE all of the other resources I put together for you to live a joy-filled life Making a Living Acting right where you are.

EACH SECTION IS TREATED AS A STANDALONE SECTION. IF YOU ARE READING THE ENTIRE BOOK OR PLANNING TO DO EACH OF THE THINGS AS PART OF YOUR JOURNEY (AS I HAVE DONE) YOU WILL FIND THERE ARE SECTIONS THAT ARE REPEATED OR REFER TO OTHER SECTIONS AND CHAPTERS. THIS IS INTENTIONAL.

EACH SECTION HAS A *WORKBOOK ACTIVITY DIRECTED TO THE FILLABLE WORKBOOK. IT HAS THE INSTRUCTIONS AND RESOURCES WITHIN. I RECOMMEND YOU STOP AND DO EACH ACTIVITY IN FULL WHERE INDICATED BEFORE MOVING ON, AFTER ALL, THIS IS GUIDE IS INTENDED TO GET YOU PRODUCTIVE IMMEDIATELY!

*WORKBOOK ACTIVITY

*Denotes an action item “Workbook Activity” where you will go to the link and, find the right section and activity # and fill out your workbook.

2 SOLO SHOW BOOKED AND PAID TO PERFORM

Producing a one-person show was the best thing I did for my acting career. The incredible things that I learned throughout the entire process have been invaluable to me. From learning over eleven thousand lines to cold calling and getting the show booked, there wasn’t a single thing that I learned that couldn’t cross over to other careers and make me wildly successful if I ever decided to leave an acting career behind and just simply be an Actor who did community theatre while earning the big bucks at a regular ole job. Concept Creation If you already have a concept in mind, great! You may need to move on to the next section or further. For the rest of you, here are a few questions to get the gears turning. Do you have any stories you’d like to tell? Something that you just have to share with everyone you meet? Was there a pivotal moment in your childhood that defined the rest of your life? For example, I have a friend who I dated for one day in Junior High School. He did a comedy series around that much later in his adult life and got great feedback on it. One thing like that, which can inform the rest of the outcomes of your life, can serve as great fodder for a solo show. Did something extraordinary happen to you or your family? I met a woman named Brenda Adelman who still performs her One-Woman Show “My Brooklyn Hamlet” about how her father killed her mother and the effects this has had on her life. The show is incredibly interesting and spawns long conversations after. Is there a topic or current event that you have a unique twist on that can work as a solo show? My One-Woman Show is about the economy and continues to be relevant. Is there a song that inspires you and strikes your imagination? Does that song spawn the same vision in your mind? Maybe it needs to be developed into a full show!

Workbook Exercise #1

Writing/Co-Writing/Commissioning a Playwright Although my father was a playwright and my sister is a writer, I did not feel that I had been blessed with this talent. I had tons of ideas that I thought would be excellent material for the stage and I knew what I could do in terms of character work. Because I did not have the discipline or the desire to write a one-woman show, I knew I’d need to commission someone to do that with me. With luck, I figured, perhaps someone will just write the whole thing! And, that’s exactly what happened.

The Stupid Economy was written for me by award-winning playwright Robert Lynn. Before you start worrying that you don’t even begin to know how to reach out to a playwright, read this first.

I had seen Robert in a community theater production and was impressed with his acting skills. I thought he had excellent comedic timing. Many years later, I had seen a show he had written at a semi-professional theatre company in my town. It was very funny. When I finally decided to get it together and commission a playwright, I researched that guy until I found out his name. And, then, I contacted the theatre and asked them for his number. They gave it to me and when I contacted him I was pleased to discover that he was very receptive to putting a one-person show together for me. He asked what I wanted it to be about, and, I remember telling him that I knew a show had to be funny and heart-wrenching and take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions

3 BOOK TITLE to be good.

I still think this.

I had a running title for a show in my mind for years called, “In the Wake of my Father”. It was a double entendre for the aftermath of my father’s death. It was to take place on the day of the Wake with a coffin upstage center. I’m still writing this so don’t steal it, eh? Robert tentatively said, “okay…” Then I trudged forward. I said, something current is always good, too, like the economy or …he jumped on that! He, it turned out, was specifically designed to be thinking about that topic at just the same moment I was thinking that I could play any role- young, old, accents, races-name it! It was kismet!

A one-woman show called The Stupid Economy was born and I got to play 7 characters on tour for 3 years. Our show was booked and paid to perform and is now in re-writes for a completely updated and current reprisal.

Workbook Exercise #2

The workbook has a two-part exercise. One section is for those of you who are going to write or co-write and the other is for those of you who are going to commission a playwright. Don’t worry, in either case, there are keys to help you do either. I recommend you stop here and complete either task, whichever is appropriate, before moving on. However, if you feel like you need to start getting some of the other tasks in order while you write or wait for the written work, I recommend heading over to the chapter Research Venues, Colleges, Theatres and start compiling your list.

Invitation -Only Staged Reading A staged reading is only step number three but, it means you have arrived at the time when you can finally get up and perform in front of an audience! It’s time for some congratulations!

When determining who you want to attend the first staged reading of your show, you must consider the result you are trying to achieve. We wanted to bring in theatre-people for sure, but we also wanted people who had no idea of the ins and outs of theatre. This was important because we knew our target audience would have some theatre-people in them but, the majority would be regular folks who wanted to see the theatre as part of their extra-curricular life. And so, it was important that we got feedback from those folks. We made sure to invite people on both sides of the political spectrum and everywhere in between, as well. We learned that the show was one that everyone could come together on and agree about.

It isn’t recommended that you memorize the script before this event. Better to be very familiar

4 BOOK TITLE with it, define the character or characters so that you can truly perform and delight the audience, and read it as though it is a full production than not. If you have someone to read it to a few times before a staged reading, that would be very helpful. Whatever the case, do not let anything keep you from doing the staged reading. It is important to check off each box as you go along because progress feeds progress!

Workbook Exercise #3

The exercise in #3 will help you to put together a list of venues to start reaching out to for touring the facility and discussing the potential for a staged reading.

Rewrites from the Feedback This is a pretty standard practice for playwrights and it goes without saying that if you received feedback that can improve your solo show then you should consider it. You do not, obviously, have to take into consideration every piece of feedback you get. It is not obligatory. Will someone see the show after you have it fully produced who saw the staged reading and note that their feedback wasn’t included? That’s very possible! And, it doesn’t matter…not at all. It could give you something very interesting to talk about, at the least. And, if you really are concerned about this, I recommend you reach out and let each person know whether or not you accepted their feedback in the final show.

Workbook Exercise #4

Memorize and Rehearse If you are already a trained actor this section may seem silly! However, the difference between memorizing lines by repetition with other actors to hear your cues from and speaking each and every line yourself is drastically different! I had 7 characters, and to be honest, I believe the break-up in characters made all 11,000 plus words easier to memorize because there were natural breaks! If you are playing one character throughout the entire show, you will have to find the natural places to jog your memory into the next lines. Or, whatever that may look like to you.

Workbook Exercise #5

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Pricing Here is a piece of theatre nary an actor concerns themselves with. Well, now is the time to stop that practice. Theatre, Colleges, and Venues across the United States and abroad have budgets dedicated to paying performers to bring in their show, bands, and comedy acts. Not all venues are waiting around to pay $50,000 for one hour. This is a great opportunity for you to figure out what your show costs to produce, how much you need to cover expenses, and how much you need to take home free and clear to make this make sense for you.

Workbook Exercise #6

Research Venues, Colleges, Theatres Are you planning to tour or stay as local as possible? Is there a venue you have dreamed about performing in your vicinity or did you always want the life of an actor on the road. These are major considerations when you are putting together your list.

There are many organizations out there you can join to buy lists and get access in a single shot. Or, you can hire a team to put together a list for you. Google is an excellent resource for the bootstrap budget! I also have a full “Done for You” Course that guides you through this and delivers a spreadsheet with contact information.

Workbook Exercise #7

Create Press Kit, Cover Letters You’re going to need to put together a snazzy looking press kit and these days you can do that with the multitude of free resources online! If you have used your staged reading to do fundraising, perhaps using that money would be a good spend to hire a pro to put one together for you. Otherwise, the workbook will help you build out your press kit.

Workbook Exercise #8

Sales & Marketing Plan/Strategy Welcome to the wonderful world of how people make money. You simply cannot book your show if you do not go the process of promoting and selling it. This includes but is not limited to being

6 BOOK TITLE able to provide customer service to those who respond, knowing how to “sell” the show and its benefits to the audience of the person who is the decision maker, negotiating your rates and influencing the desired outcome – booked and paid to perform at the price you have decided on while also being open to the possibility of producing for less. There is no workbook exercise on this but I do recommend reading some books or articles on how to cold call, make an irresistible offer, negotiate, and close the deal.

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3 LAUNCHING A CELEBRITY-STUDDED FILM FESTIVAL

One of the most fun ways to make a living acting anywhere is to launch a film festival! You immediately position yourself in your community as the go-to actor. This can have incredibly impactful future implications and create loads of opportunities for you as an actor. You meet filmmakers from all over either your community or the world at large depending on whether you decide to go international or not. I co-founded a film festival called JDIFF or Julien Dubuque International Film Festival which was named “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by moviemaker magazine several times and Top 50 Film Festivals worth the money. I then launched another film festival in cooperation with Film Festival Flix because of the notoriety and connections made with the first one. We attracted celebrities from everywhere! The first two years our Honorary Chair was Kate Mulgrew (you might know her as Red in Orange is the New Black or if you’re a Trekki, she was Captain Janeway) and Michael Boatman of The Good Wife, The Good Fight and more came to our town. These connections lead to even more opportunities. The major breadth of your job when launching a film festival is to make key introductions to appropriate people. I was approached by the masterminds behind the film festival because I could introduce them to two significant players. This turned out to have extraordinary beneficial results. The impact of bringing the right people together will likely inform the success of your film festival throughout time.

Build Your Team

Wherever you are, you have people around you somewhere with like-minds and they will hold the same desire you do to bring about an event that positions your town or community in an elevated status. You may already know these people. The first step in this process is to find these folks because the more hands on deck, the broader the net you can cast to achieve things like finding funding, getting sponsors, securing venues, getting government involvement, securing a known actor as your Chairperson and more.

Workbook Activity #1

Create Your Business Plan/Pitch

Whether seeking funding from a bank, sponsor, or creating a crowdfunding campaign, the Pitch is the key to acquiring as much as you can. Afterall, the more money you can spend on an event, the

8 BOOK TITLE more upscale it can be, the more draw to people who can and will invest in the future of the film festival. A fully detailed business plan is the best way to put together the pitch for several reasons. A. it shows you mean business B. it gets you crazy clear on your mission C. when you are given the opportunity to talk about the plan in casual settings, you will naturally be able to explain it to folks who may then wish to volunteer and help in any way they can D. providing a potential sponsor the Business Plan instantly secures your position as a professional.

Workbook Activity #2

Production Company Sponsor

Whether you are aware of the existence of a local production company or not, I can assure you there is one around you. Bringing one of these on board can help you with the following: A. Production B. Marketing Creative C. Event Planning and Production.

Workbook Activity #3

Plan the Year Out

In all things you must consider the end. When will the actual week of events take place? Where will they be located? Who will be there? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can start working backwards from there to put together the events leading up to the big week and ensure you have an audience with tickets in hand.

Workbook Activity #4

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Bring a Pre-Launch Film for Fundraising

Filmmakers travel with their films and often come along with an actor or two to help them get more attention. A film with a known actor in it can have huge draw for the community and will benefit both your film festival launch and the filmmaker’s film. Believe it or not, you likely know someone who knows someone who knows someone who is friends with someone who is related to a known actor or director.

Workbook Activity #5

Film Submission Site/Process in Place

There are a few places where film festivals access the submission of films. You will want to decide how much the filmmaker will pay to upload, how they will be considered, application process and more. I have provided a checklist of 10 platforms for online submissions in your workbook but don’t stop there! Research up front will save you time later. And the longer you’re at this, the more valuable your time becomes.

Workbook Activity #6

Film Curation At first, you might be tempted to bring on any film that comes your way. Your friends will want to make films and submit them and expect to see them on the screens. This is entirely up to you and really depends on the mission of your film festival (refer to your business plan). Consider this, when filmmakers are going through the submission process, they will be looking at your event, past submissions and awards winners and determining whether they feel their film is a good fit for your festival or not. The big question is: who do you want to come to your film festival?

Find Local Brick & Mortar Will you want to have the entire film festival in one central location? Do you envision people walking around in a downtown area, heading into local bars and restaurants, shopping in the mom & pop gift stores? Or, do you image trolleys taking filmmakers, actors, and attendees to and from locations? Regardless of the vision, you’ll need to get the owners of those locations on board as soon as

10 BOOK TITLE possible so that you can start putting together the list of items they will need. You’ll need to plan which films at what times are necessary to go in there and more.

Workbook Activity #7

Create a Package Deal with the Best Hotel in Town The Hotel where you put up your filmmakers and their people is of ultimate consideration. When they arrive, this is their second impression. Their first impression will be how they get to the hotel from the airport. Will they arrive in taxi, limo, driven by a volunteer, or the hotel’s shuttle? The hotel you pick will need to understand how they will benefit from giving you incredible rates (maybe even a free week!) You will need to negotiate a block of rooms, a conference room for convening with filmmakers and attendees. The beverages available all day, food, music, etc…

Workbook Activity #8

Get a Big Sponsor & Many Smaller Sponsors It is ideal that this has been completed up front. However, you may need to show proof of viability and benefit to those with checkbooks. This will be a continuous conversation and show grow and develop overtime. Getting a generous benefactor who understands the value to the community and the exposure to the thing they love most, whether it be their own business, the community or a charity they have passion for, is of high consideration.

Workbook Activity #9

Host a Stellar Week of Films The more high-quality films you have with engaging filmmakers, directors, and actors the higher level of ticket sales, memberships, season ticket holders, event attendees throughout the year, you will get. Access to filmmakers, directors, and actors throughout the festival and at the hotel venue will increase desire in attendees. People LOVE to talk to artists, creatives, and filmmakers/stars.

Workbook Activity #10

4 THEATRE FOR CHARITY PRODUCER

Theatre for Charity is not only a wonderful way to give back to your community or an organization you are committed to, it also can make your dream of making a living acting anywhere (and right in your own home town) come true. My theatre for Charity company is called HogueMade Productions which I co-founded with my sister. It is an homage to our dearly departed father who was a playwright, comedian, and actor. Yes, I was a theatre brat :-) This chapter is all about the way we organize our events and the process we took in the order we produce. You can take this plan and re-arrange the details, choosing to select plays first then find an organization that will benefit, for example, and so on.

Select a Nonprofit/Charitable Organization Although this is a first step, you might wish to consider creating a business plan first. See Chapter 2 Workbook Activity #1.

Selecting a nonprofit or charitable organization is the launching activity because you will be able to create your first production or entire first season around its mission. For example, if you select a local rape crisis shelter, you will be able to select a play or a season of plays that focus on or have a like- theme. You can then take your plan to the organization and pitch the idea to them showing them the benefits to their organization such as raising awareness and much needed funding.

Workbook Activity #1

Pitch Fundraiser/Awareness Campaign Now that you have selected your nonprofit, you will want to organize a meeting with them to pitch your idea. Your first show or season launch depends on this partnership and will lead to future partnerships for a long-lasting career as a Theatre for Charity Producer.

Collaborate: Their Mailing Lists/Advertisers/501©3 To get started right away, you will need a nonprofit status of your own or be sheltered by the nonprofit itself. In addition to that, you will want to collaborate with the organization to send postcards and mailings to their mailing and emailing lists, hijack some of their advertising channels locally on radio, paper, and tv as well as their social media outlets. Afterall, their audience is the most likely to want to attend a fundraising event that gives back in the form of entertainment.

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Select Venue Do you have a local theatre? Do they rent out space? Is there a nonprofit or local pricing setup that is different to travelling/touring companies? Can you negotiate for reduced rates? In some cases, you may have little in terms of choices when it comes to where you will be able to produce your season. No matter what, you will need to know the expenses associated with the venue so that you can include it in the fundraising.

Workbook Activity #2

Choose Dates/Season After you work with the nonprofit and the venue, you will have a better idea of what this looks like for the calendar season. I recommend picking the dates in collaboration with your venue and working the season backwards in terms of marketing, purchasing of necessary items, and mailings.

Workbook Activity #3

Purchase Swag There is a lot of opportunity to raise more money by buying co-logo’d swag! I recommend having items for sale in the lobby of the theatre as well as throughout the season on a hosted website or Facebook group. The nonprofit may also wish to have a table at each show and you may also wish to have a separate table with information and swag available to grow your own mailing and emailing list for future seasons.

Select Guest Speakers In some cases, the nonprofit director will want to speak and/or they may have someone who they like to have do so. You might wish to ask beneficiaries of the nonprofit to speak or sit on the talkback after the show with the actors and yourself. Giving the audience the opportunity to learn more about the importance of the organization before the show will focus their attention throughout the production and enhance the goal!

Do Talk Backs Giving the audience the space to ask questions of everyone after will keep your audience coming back for more and opening up their checkbooks more often.

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5 FREELANCE VOICE OVER ARTIST AND ACTOR

Online is a continuously growing marketplace where people, businesses, producers, and entrepreneurs are going to find the services they need. That includes actors! I am a top-rated actor and video spokesperson online with a 100% job success rate and thousands of dollars in profit. In addition to working on several freelance websites, I work locally with producers, small and large business owners, and marketing companies. This chapter is my guide to getting work on online as an Actor and Voice Over Freelancer.

Local Production Companies, Producers, Small Business Owners Watch the television and listen to radio ads and you will find loads of opportunity. Often, you have either the radio DJ or the Business Owners themselves voicing their copy on their ad campaigns and being the person on screen. You’ll notice it just doesn’t look or sound professional and, frankly, you may be sick of hearing the local DJ on every commercial. There is opportunity here and it is significant.

Workbook Activity #1

Online Opportunities and Marketplaces From pay to play to pay per submission, there are several marketplaces online that give voice actors and actors the freedom to audition and secure jobs all around the world! The explosion of the internet created more opportunities than ever for actors and voice artists to make a living with their acting skills without having to leave home.

Workbook Activity #2

Subscriptions and Connects You must invest in a business to run a business and a voice over and acting career is no different. If you already have a source of income or a savings ready for investment in YOU, this is where a portion of those funds will be wisely spent. If you start immediately making money, you will want to consider using that money to reinvest in more submissions, updating your materials, and increasing exposure.

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Workbook Activity #3

Send emails and Headshots/Resumes to Local List of Producers Remember when we reviewed the local ads on the television and radio to see the opportunity there? Well, here is where you uncover the people who can hire you. Your local production companies are trying to have their creative look amazing! It helps them pitch to other clients. When their entire portfolio has only business owners on it who don’t necessarily make their company look it’s best, they are doing themselves a disservice and they know it. They would prefer to have a professional on screen and behind the mic to make their creative look and sound great!

Workbook Activity #4

Create a Power Profile First impressions are key in a world where competition is high. Online is a growing marketplace and it has a lot of competition in each level. You will want to continually enhance your profile to make it look super slick, professional, and attractive to the clients of your dreams. This takes consideration and commitment. But, remember, you have to start somewhere and it is important to go in with everything you’ve got as you grow and develop!

Refer to Workbook Activity #4

Proposals Although I use a template with my basic accolades, details of what I offer and the services I provide with equipment listed, I have a section and places throughout the proposal where I custom detail how I will work for that potential client specifically whom I am approaching for a gig. This takes some research and will be worth the investment of time. Making sure to applaud the efforts of your potential client without sounding brown-nosey is an art, but once mastered, can result in high paying gigs, more gigs, and long-term contracts with desirable clients.

Workbook Activity #5

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Produce and Create! In most cases in the online market, you will be required to produce your audio or on-camera gig with the equipment you have. Don’t worry if you don’t yet have high quality professional equipment, yet! You will be putting the equipment you do have in your proposal and booking gigs that match the budget and professional level of the prospective client. In many cases, your online clients are looking for natural settings shot with a phone! If you don’t have a higher quality Samsung or iPhone, reach out to your cell phone provider and find out if they’re having any specials on new phones and what their financing terms are. Most providers will give you a high quality phone at 0% interest and a low monthly payment right on your plan!

6 AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR

ACX is the marketplace for Amazon’s Audible. Setting up an account as a Narrator/Producer is FREE and allows you to immediately start submitting auditions for gigs. As a Narrator, you can submit auditions for every genre, audiobook length, language, accents and more. You may also narrow it down to pay requirements such as Royalty Share or a dollar amount per finished hour.

Sign up at ACX Similar to the online marketplaces for voice over and acting work, you have access to free profiles at ACX. ACX is the audiobook platform for Audible of Amazon. Audiobook narration is hard work, but, it is fulfilling work for actors who want to use their skills to create characters and invest fully in long form narration.

Create a Powerful Profile with Demos and Samples Although at the beginning you will be hunting and gathering audition opportunities, when someone is interested in you, one of the first things they will do is check out your profile. Having high quality samples and demos there will increase your chances of being selected along with all the other services you have offered.

Refer to Workbook Activity #4 in Freelancing WB on PG 27

Titles Accepting Auditions Now that you have got all of your ducks in a row and you have a place to send would-be author clients, you want to head over to the section where you can start sifting through the many audition opportunities. Keep in mind, there will be thousands at the broadest level and that can be narrowed down.

Proposal Although I use a template with my basic accolades, details of what I offer and the services I provide with equipment listed, I have a section and places throughout the proposal where I custom detail how I will work for that potential client specifically whom I am approaching for a gig. This takes some research and will be worth the investment of time. Making sure to applaud the efforts of your potential client without sounding brown-nosey is an art, but once mastered, can result in high paying gigs, more gigs, and long-term contracts with desirable clients.

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Refer to Workbook Activity #5 in Freelancing WB on PG 28

Submit Custom Audition After you have selected a title you wish to audition for, you will have the opportunity to read more in the section “About this Title”. On this page you will find the full title of the book, the book cover, the name of the author, estimated length of the fully produced audio, the project budget, word count, language, distribution and territories where the audiobook will be available.

In the next tab over, you will find the “Audition” tab. Here is where you will learn notes from the Rights Holder or Author and be able to download the script. Scripts for auditions are generally around 3- 5 minutes and sometimes longer. There are many videos and resources in ACX and on their YouTube Channel dedicated to teaching you how to perform at your greatest level. They also teach how to submit high quality sound.

The other two tabs are for producing the audiobook and tracking your sales. By the time you arrive at this point, you will have transitioned from this guide to the ACX trainings and videos!

Workbook Activity #1

Create and Produce Using ACX Guidelines In the “Audio Submission Requirements” section on ACX, you will have access to a very detailed submission process and step-by-step guides to production and mastering. Don’t worry, if you don’t get it right the first round, the team will get back to you with things you must do to get the quality they’re looking for. Be ready for some revisions!

A note on self-producing: if you feel this is too big of a job for you and all you want to do is voice act, there are many people out there who edit audiobooks to ACX standards. You may also wish to contact local friends and producers/editors to see if you can negotiate a deal with them.

Workbook Activity #2

7 SELF-PRODUCING & DISTRIBUTION

Create your own films and series for Amazon! These days, with access to the entire world through companies like Amazon and YouTube, there is no reason to wait around hoping some else will give you a job acting. Find your tribe and start producing your own work! In addition to being able to distribute on Amazon, you can submit for inclusion to film festivals…maybe even the one you launched yourself!

Find a Tribe

This is not a mandatory step but it does warrant some attention. How you find a production crew will vary depending on where you are in the process. You can certainly use social media and networking people you’ve already known along the way to put together a full production.

Otherwise, you may just wish to create your own work all by yourself. This is totally feasible and people do it successfully every single day.

Workbook Activity #1

Script Writing

Perhaps you are a writer in addition to your talent of acting, or you know you can’t be the one to script but have an idea and need a writer to come on board. In either case, you’ll want to get a script together so that you can plan out the film and produce it.

Storyboarding/Planning /Filming

This truly is up to you and how you like to do the planning. Some filmmakers have to have a

19 BOOK TITLE storyboard, which is a visual representation on how the film ultimately looks from one frame to the next, often laid out in a comic book format. Some like to use a similar format to storyboarding but with words instead of drawings. It’s really your choice! But, you will save yourself time and effort if you properly prepare your shoot ahead of time.

Prime Video Direct /YouTube/Vimeo OTT, etc… Prime Video Direct You will want to consider deciding which platform you wish to have your film available. With Prime Video Direct, there are very rigorous requirements but you will get paid per sale and the platform is free to use.

If you already have an Amazon Account, you will be able to set up your account by going to videodirect.amazon.com and signing in.

You will then create a company profile which can just be your first and last name. If you have a production company already or are planning to organize one, great! Use that.

You will be needing to setup your payment and banking information for direct deposits to your account. Of special consideration: payments are made 90 days after the last day of the month you made a sale with your film/video.

And, like all of the other online places where you will be expecting to get paid, you must give your tax information.

Once you have all of this put together, you can start publishing and promoting your titles. Like I mentioned above, there are vigorous requirements and you’ll want to check these out before you start filming to make sure you are shooting with the right quality of equipment. That you have dialogue is another big consideration. Prime Video Direct does not allow Silent Films as of this publishing.

YouTube With YouTube you can upload and launch for free with little requirements but you will have to organically grow an audience to see any income and even then you won’t have direct sales unless you make it private and sell access to it with restrictions such as passwords or membership.

Something to keep in mind with using YouTube is that you cannot monetize your channel without 4000 views in the last year and at least 1000 subscribers.

Vimeo OTT Vimeo OTT is a video subscription channel which charges $1 per subscriber as you grow and

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then offers a Growth Plan at $500 per month billed annually and then the Enterprise package which requires a phone call to acquire a custom plan. This platform may work great if you are planning to do a subscription-based Web Series or TV Show!

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8 RESOURCES

1. National Tour Association. ntaonline.com. 2. US Association of Fringe Festivals. asaff.org. 3. Association for Performing Arts Professionals. apap365.com 4. Filmfreeway.com 5. Withoutabox.com 6. Reelport.com 7. Shortfilmdepot.com 8. Clickforfestivals.com 9. Festhome.com 10. Movibeta.com 11. Uptofest.com 12. Filmfestivallife.com 13. Filmfestplatform.com 14. Small Business Administration. sba.gov 15. 501c3.org 16. Voices.com 17. Voice123.com 18. Freelancer.com 19. Upwork.com 20. Fiverr.com 21. Mandy.com 22. Bodalgo.com 23. Voquent.com 24. Acx.com 25. Videodirect.amazon.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chrissy's mission is to help returning actors & aspiring actors stay put and make a living acting anywhere and online. She made her stage debut at the age of six. Her one-woman show The Stupid Economy was written for her by Robert Lynn and sold out Off Broadway after touring for 3 years, it is in rewrites for a reprisal as of this publication. She has also co-founded a film festival, raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity using theatre, produces and narrates audiobooks, has produced 3 films and distributes them, and continues to work as a voice over & on-camera actor while raising her children and fur babies in a small town in the Midwest. Chrissy is also opening up a local Children’s Theatre & Academy for All Ages with classes available online coming in 2021.

23 with Workbook Concept Creation

Read the section on Concept Creation in your book and brainstorm in the section provided here:

Chrissy Bartels Ins & Fin LLC, copyright 2020 Writing/Co-Writing/ Commissioning a Playwright Read the section on Writing/Co-Writing/Commissioning a Playwright in your book and take a moment to determine who will write your solo show. If it isn't you, write a list here of possible playwrights. When thinking about them, consider narrowing it down to playwrights who align with your brand, sense of humor, and way of speaking.

Read the section on Invitation-Only Staged Reading in your book and take a moment to determine who will write down a list of people from a variety of backgrounds you would like to invite to your staged reading. While thinking, consider using the many places you go or have been to put together this list, such as, school, work, church, arts events and more.

Now that you have performed your solo show for the first time, you'll want to take the feedback and decide what stays and what doesn't. Use the space below to vet the winners and losers!

Losers Maybes Winners

Take a moment to write down your plan for memorization in the sample planner below For example, Day 1 first 3 pages..

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Use the space below to figure out how much money it will cost you to produce your show each time, what you plan to pay crew (if any) and how much you need to pay yourself.

Production Cost

$______

Director Fee

$______Technical Director Fee

$______Gas, Food, Lodging

$______Memberships

$______Printing Costs for Marketing and Advertising

$______

Website Hosting

$______

Pay Yourself

$______

Will there be money left in the production company?

If you don't plan to buy this type of list and prefer to bootstrap it on Google, use the space below to start putting together your lists!

Venues Colleges Theatres

Chrissy Bartels Ins & Fin LLC, copyright 2020 Press Kit It is important that you have the following pieces. How you get those pieces depends on your level of skill and creativity in these areas. Can you design? Are you good with Sales Copy? If not, find the right people to help you with this. In the space provided, keep notes on each and check them off!

Cover Art

Show Description

Actor Bio

Crew Bio

Fan Accolades and Reviews

Press Review

Production History

Technical Specs

Information such as websites, contact info, how to book

Notes:

Start searching the local news for likeminds, talking with people at nonprofit organizations, searching facebook for keywords in the arts and film industry and write a list here of possible Team Members.

Below you will find a checklist of the sections in a fully developed business plan. Be sure to check out the resources at the back of the book for links to business plan templates.

Business Plan Sections

Executive Summary Company Legal Description Products and Services Marketing Plan Operations Plan Organization and Management Bios of Key Management Personnel Plan Financial Plan Projections

Put together a list of potential producing sponsors.

Below is a Calendar for Year 2020, you may use it in this year to start from today or find a free printable version online. Of course, you can use whatever planning calendars and software you prefer! This is just a guide.

We are going to use the concept of 6 degrees of separation here to get you brainstorming films for this section. Think about who you know. Now, think about who they know. Have you ever heard of someone you know who is good friends with or related to someone with ties to a known actor? After you put those down here, search for films they are in using IMDB or Google and determine if any of them are low budget and need exposure.

List Below

FilmFreeway WithoutaBox Reelport Shortfilmdepot Filmfestplatform Filmfestivallife Uptofest Movibeta Clickforfestivals Festhome

Use the space below to come up with a list of potential locations and add necessary details Keep in mind what the overall feel and vision for your festival looks like!

Use the space below to come up with a list of potential locations and add necessary details Keep in mind what the overall feel and vision for your festival looks like when you go looking at the hotels and make sure they have conference room space!

Use the space below to come up with a list of potential sponsors and add necessary details Keep in mind how the potential sponsor will benefit or how their sponsorship will fill a need they have.

Use the space below to brainstorm the biggest most exciting ideas you have for creating a unique, fun, and craveable film festival and work backwards to include this information in places that may need a little love!

Use the space below to put together a list of organizations you'd like to approach. Notes about each can be very helpful later when you are contacting them and selecting a play or season.

Use the space below if there are many venues in your area to choose from. You may also want to consider local colleges, churches, and schools with theatres.

Venues Pricing Notes

Create a list of local production companies, keeping in mind to go ahead and stretch the distance of your reach to how far you feel comfortable. Resources: Google, LinkedIn

Create a list of local small and large business owners, keeping in mind to go ahead and stretch the distance of your reach to how far you feel comfortable. Resources: Google, LinkedIn

Create a list of online freelancing websites, keeping in mind to go ahead and stretch the distance of your reach to how far you feel comfortable. Resources: Google, LinkedIn. I've listed a few to get you started.

UpWork.com Voices.com 123voice.com Freelancer.com Fiverr.com mandy.com bodalgo.com voquent.com

Here , you can list out the pricing and subscription requirements to help you start budgeting. I've left space below the list for the other marketplaces you've found.

UpWork.com $______Voices.com $______123voice.com $______Freelancer.com $______Fiverr.com $______mandy.com $______bodalgo.com $______voquent.com $______------$______------$______------$______------$______------$______

Here is a checklist of things you will need to do if you are just getting started or are still building your package. This list will be used for Creating a Powerful Profile in Chapters 5 and 6 as well.

Headshots Resume Client List Demo Reel Samples Video Introduction Pricing Lists Rate Cards Offerings

Use this section to write down all of your talents big and small. List out your training, characters, wardrobe, capabilities, equipment and more. Don't be shy here and don't hold back. When you create your proposal template, refer to this worksheet brainstorm!

As you start submiitting auditions, you will notice that you have a natural ability to do some things and just shouldn't be doing others. Start listing out your strengths and weaknesses here to help you continue to narrow down your narration niche.

Create a list of people who you might strike up a partnership with to edit and master your Audiobook projects.

Create a list of people you want to work with. Resources: Google, LinkedIn, Stage32, FaceBook Groups.

Here is some open space to place more notes as you go along ! Make a Living Acting Anywhere and fulfill your dreams! Many blessings on your journey.