Today, one of the occupations with the highest levels of competition is acting. Few people actually become wealthy through this job. In spite of this, it is clear that some individuals value performing because they think it pays off. If someone wants to succeed as an actor, they should take into account Novak's advice, which is to "always give the money to charity, as it allows you to interact with people well above your pay grade." In addition to making this case, the paper will also discuss why it's critical for a new performer to participate in an unfunded event.
For an actor, becoming renowned is a key component. Fame influences the desire and demand for an actor’s services. It is mainly achieved by presenting one’s services to the consumers. In his book “Make Yourself Famous,” Bentsen notes that an actor needs to present his or her performance to the consumers in all ways possible including media to have a chance at an acting industry which is very competitive (Bentsen 6). The main purpose of providing an audience with oneself performance is for it to evaluate your work and give you feedback. With the feedback, an artist can either adjust based on the reaction of the audience or receive encouragement which is essential for success. Similarly, the people or receivers of a performance are the employers of artists. Without actor-audience touch, an actor cannot succeed in the acting industry. Thus, by convincing the public to like their performance, actors manage to market their services.
The most acceptable fact about success in any field in the employment industry is the importance of practice. In fact, it is presumed that practice makes perfect. How can an actor become a perfect artist without practice? Practice is what an actor requires to fit in the competitive industry. As it was noted before, actors need to present their performance to the audience for evaluation. In doing so, they also practice since they gain confidence in addition to other skills that are essential for acting profession. According to Burns, what artists need is development opportunities which can be self-led or trained. Similarly, Burns notes that artists require environments that can support their professional development (Burns 4). An audience provides a good environment for professional development of an actor. Such environment allows an actor to engage with the people, learn news thins, or simply gain necessary experiences. In support of this claim, Burns also notes that “learning occurs most effectively when it is situated in the practice” (Burns 8). Performing to the public in zero funded events provide emerging artists with opportunities for learning through observation.
Veteran artists succeed in this contemporary world by self-promoting their artwork. One viable way of promoting oneself are to consult with other actors and specifically successful actors. Such actors can be found in live events, including zero funded events. By contacting other artists, an actor manages to learn on how to feed oneself for a lifetime from the industry. Equally, Dodys who succeeded in the artwork industry by self-promoting her artwork argues that art buyers are sometimes influenced by “personal appeal of the aesthetic qualities of the art” (Dodys 11). The relevant concern for such art buyer according to Dodys is whether the spotted piece is pleasing. In other words, the buyer must be confident of the art he or she is about to buy to make a buying decision. Similarly, Dodys (11) argues that consumers like to familiarize themselves with the creators of specific artworks before they buy them. This provokes artist-customer connection. Based on Dodys’ argument, it is apparent that personal connection with the consumers of your services will influence future sales since acting is personal. Equally, developing a relationship with the consumers adds value to the acting work of an individual.
Creation of brand is also considered a good secret to success. According to Jim Griffith, the writer of “The Official eBay Bible,” key to success is marketing (Dodys 11). It is as a result of this reason that establishing a brand is considered important. Your brand is referred to as a unique way of distinguishing oneself and your work. Your consumers need to know you, and thus, is important to present yourself in events including zero funded ones to allow interested clients to know you and your piece of work. Establishing brand recognition involves many approaches. One of the approaches is providing people with your work so that they can market you to other consumers. For consumers to remember the work of an actor, he or she must distinguish his performance from that of others. The phrase brand is employed in the art marketing to refer to an artist’s specific style as well as theme. Will Sasso, for instance, is renowned for his usual work on television on different shows like MadTV in addition to the big role he played in “The Three Stooges” as Curly (Reputation defender 2015). However, his success is attributed to the brand he built lately. He presents himself as a comedian in not only television episodes and movies, but also video clips (Reputation defender 2015). Through this brand, Sasso has managed to draw many fans that have boosted his profession as an actor. Based on Sasso’s experience, it is evident that performing in zero funded events will increase the awareness of an apprentice actor’s brand to the consumers.
A good percentage of successful artists attribute their success to their sharing of crafts. An actor needs to pinpoint their best work to market themselves in the right manner. This involves selecting the kind of work to present to the audience. Sharing of crafts through free performance builds not only recognition but also raises one’s visibility as a novice artist. This is considered a fruitful way of getting free publicity since it lays the actor’s name to the intended people. As it was argued before, engaging the consumers through free performance is very vital considering the fact that many actors die poor as well as become undiscovered because of concealing their talents (Dodys 17). Therefore, performing in zero funded events will provide you with the opportunity to share your art with the people. It will also boost your recognition to the audience.
Artists require a lot of capital for them to advance their profession in this competitive world. For instance, they require money to produce their work for public consumption. Surprisingly, not every artist is in a position to fund their businesses since art is all about generating income from ones work. Similarly, artists, including actors need to visit various places to market their artwork. Novice actors often receive their support from well-wishers as well as some money from immediate consumers of their work. For such actors to advance in the current environment, they need to have substantive capital. This is mostly achieved from funders who must first familiarize themselves with the artists and the kind of works associated with the artists (Dodys 11). As it was noted before, beginner artists can market themselves to the funders through performance. The performance includes active acting in zero funded events. It is in these events that funders can notice the potential of an artist and the limitations that prevent the artist from advancing in the acting industry. Thus, performing for free initiates acquisition of the necessary support for advancement in competitive professions such as acting.
In conclusion, Novak’s argument is applicable in the current acting industry. Acting profession is very competitive that it requires new actors to market themselves for them to succeed. Performing in zero funded events creates awareness in the audience about new artists in the industry. It also assists an artist to establish a relevant brand that distinguishes his work as well as himself from other artists. The free performance also allows the audience to evaluate your work and give you the necessary response for improvement. Equally, performing in such events provides an actor with a platform to practice his acting skills. It also allows other actors to notice your skills and guide you on how to succeed in the industry. Many actors also get funders by offering free artwork to the consumers. Apart from identifying the potential of an artist, the funders provide support to the artists so that they can advance themselves.
Works Cited
Bentsen, Martin. Make Yourself Famous. New York: MJB Entertainment, LLC, 2012. Print.
Burns, Susanne. ‘What Do You Need?’ Learning Approaches for Artists Working in Participatory Settings. Paul Hamlyn Foundation. 2014. Accessed 18 September 2017, http://www.artworksalliance.org.uk/uploads/resources/What-do-you-need-learning- approaches-report.pdf
Dodys, Ann. A Roadmap to Promoting and Marketing Artwork from a Veteran Visual Art Teacher’s Perspective. Art and Design Theses. 2012. Print. Accessed 18 September 2017,
http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&context=art_design_these s
Reputation Defender. 3 Examples of Personal Branding for Actors, 2015. Accessed 18 September 2017, https://www.reputationdefender.com/blog/celebrities/3-examples- personal-branding-actors
