How To Make Yourself Valuable

Chasing The George

How to make yourself valuable on set or in an audition room. When I taught the Professional Development Program class on Monday, April 23rd, I had a great and passionate discussion with my students about where in their lives they could make themselves more valuable in a certain area. Where could they put in a conscious effort to improve an area that will make themselves more valuable in the casting rooms and the sets they work on.

Help us help you by being the best you can be. By making yourself more valuable, we want to work with you over and over again. When you’re valuable, the exchange and collaboration is more fun and easier for both parties involved.

 
Help us help you.

 
I’ve been on set as an actor, director and producer. I have sat on the other side of the casting desk. I have taught hundreds of students at the Richard Lawson Studios since 2010. I have interviewed hundreds of potential students for the Richard Lawson Studios. From the above experiences, I’ve compiled some quick tips that I want to share that have helped me become more valuable to others.
 
Arrive EARLY. Need I say more?
 
Actually, I will. Arrive EARLY. Give yourself the respect and experience of being early so that you can be present and focused and so that you don’t have people waiting on you. Cause what happens when you’re late is that a domino effect occurs. You run late to set, it affects the other people on set as well. They are now behind schedule. The DP is losing light. The producer and director are running out of time in a location. Scenes get pushed. The budget increases as a result. People have gotten fired for being late. So always be early!
 
You run late to an interview with me and a domino effect occurs. I now have to either push other interviews back or, as it has happened many times before, the next person arrives and they now have to wait until I’m done. Which now affects their schedule and their day. And it affects and throws off my day too. Help us help you.
Have a great attitude. Make the room or set better in terms of your attitude and energy. Art is collaborative. It’s a team effort. Let’s have fun! Make them want to work with you again. Make them want to bring you back again.

Follow the instructions to a T. Make their job easier. Don’t have them trying to figure out what you submitted. Don’t have them trying to figure out what you intended. It wastes their time and it will end up in the trash bin. For example, when it comes to self-tape auditions, follow all the instructions provided or they will not view your audition. If you’re submitting your materials to an agency, follow their instructions to a T. Otherwise, they will not view your materials. One agency website states, “If you do NOT use this form, but instead use the casting people’s contact button, you will automatically go straight into the trash…because you’ll be showing me right off the bat that you can’t follow directions! ​Need I say more?!” Help us help you.

Don’t take short cuts. It will eventually catch up with you and set you back. The short cuts will backfire. Do the work.

Make it easy to find you! I can’t tell you how many actor profiles I see on IMDB with multiple contact listings. And I don’t mean the actor who has the contact info for their agent, manager and entertainment lawyer listed on their profile page or the actor who has the contact info for their agent and publicist listed on their profile page. I don’t even mean the actor who has the contact info for their LA agent and NY agent listed on their profile page. I’m talking about the actors who have several LA agencies listed on their page. It’s so confusing because I don’t know who you’re actually repped by! Actors, please know that you can edit your profile pages and keep them current. I don’t have the time, nor do others in the industry, to call several agencies in LA to find out which one you’re with. CLEAN UP YOUR PAGE! Who are you actually repped by? Help us help you.

Don’t disappear on set. Don’t have us looking for you. You’re wasting valuable time when you disappear. Inform your second AD of your whereabouts. Be a professional and be on stand by, ready to go. Help us help you.

 
What other tips can you add to this list? I’d love to read your comments below!
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Published by Chasing The George

Actor, Writer & Executive Producer taking over the world and not mowing your lawns.

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