Tag: actor journey

Maintaining Healthy Agent Relationships

Chasing The George

I wanted to share some cool advice on what I do to maintain a healthy relationship with my agent. I hope this advice will be helpful to you!

Maintain consistent communication with your agent. You and your agent can determine the frequency with which you both communicate because each agency is different. Also, find out what their preferred method of communication is (email, text, phone call, in person) In my case, it’s through email.

Please know that agents are incredibly busy people, so make sure that your communications are clear, to the point and not filled with filler and bullshit. Don’t waste your time, don’t waste their time. Make the communication effective and business-focused. This is your agent, not your best friend from college. The communication should be about something that can move your career forward (e.g., you signed up for a new improv class; you are taking new headshots; you updated your reel and are providing a link for them to watch it; you are taking a casting director workshop; you took a casting director workshop and you are providing your agent with quotes that the casting director said about you; you are reaching out to see what materials they need from you, etc.)

Use communication to work together towards the realization of your dreams. Is there a series you’re passionate about and can see yourself on? Let your agent know and have them keep their eye out on the casting breakdowns for that series and possible characters on it that they can submit you for. If your agent knows you’re passionate about a series, then their attention will be on it. They may even encourage you to target the series as well!

Return their communications in a timely manner. Don’t have them chase after you. If they ask you to do something that could benefit your career, consider it and do it. The relationship between you and agent is a dance partnership. Present your viewpoints and listen to their viewpoints. Fight for the stuff you believe in and consider their ideas as well. Be open and “yes, and…” The cool thing about this dance partnership is that when you first interview with an agent, be clear about what you want for your career and how this partnership can support that. Be clear about what you want from jump street so that all communications and actions can be in support of your dream.

Update your materials on a consistent basis and send to them. Headshots, reels, etc. In addition, email them auditions you’ve done in your on-camera audition class. Email them links to projects you’re in. In this way, you’re giving your agent tools that they can work with and pitch you with. In addition, they’ll also see that you’re active about your career. Keep them excited and invested in you by involving them in your journey. Make the effort to stay in their minds.

Be in a good acting class to continue training and growing as an actor. Scene study, improv, on-camera audition class, etc. I don’t care what it is. Be in class and stay sharp.

Be prepared for the auditions you are sent on. Prepared from confirming the audition with your agent to knowing what the project is about to being off book to getting there on time to sending thank you cards to the casting directors afterwards, etc.

Be enthusiastic about your career and be committed to it! If they see that you are enthusiastic and committed to your career, then they will be more inclined to go to bat for you and prolong the business relationship longer.

Thank them for the work they do for you! Whether it’s in the form of words or gifts, appreciation goes a very long way! Agents do a lot of work and don’t get paid until their clients book work. Show them that you appreciate them. Thank them every time they secure an audition for you. Thank them for going through the casting breakdowns every day for you. Appreciation goes a very long way!

Understand that we have to do the majority of the work in this business relationship. It’s your career and so it’s your responsibility to put in the hours and work. Don’t rely on your agent to do it all for you. That’s not how this works.

Leave me a comment and share what you do to maintain healthy relationships with your agents! I’d love to read them and possibly implement them as well!

Let’s Recap

Chasing The George

Hey everyone! I thought this would be a great moment to recap the blog entries I’ve done so far in 2017. Enjoy!

Follow Your Genius: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-19

Taking Headshots Part 1: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-18

Taking Headshots Part 2: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-12

Taking Headshots Part 3: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-Y

Bad-Ass Women In A Trump Era: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-17

I’m The Artist Of The Month!: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-13

Why Training Is Important: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-11

Taking Headshots Part 3

Chasing The George

Taking Headshots Part 3

Happy Oscars day! Congrats to all the nominees! I’ll be at a fabulous Oscars party to celebrate my fellow artists.

Here’s a picture of the fabulous photographer Marisa Leigh and I after we wrapped our amazing headshot shoot. It was an incredible and fun experience. Everything flowed so beautifully and I can’t wait to see the pictures online on Monday, February 27th! And I love that I took new headshots the day before the Oscars. Talk about a powerful, mother fucking postulate!

The shoot was such a success because I spent over a month preparing for it. Pre-production is everything! Everything ran smoothly because of all the prep work I did beforehand and I had so much fun during the shoot. It also helped to have a photographer who was open to collaboration and play and who makes you feel at ease (which was part of my pre-production process of researching photographers) And it helped to have someone on set with me from my artistic community to be such a vital support system (Reed Iacarella) And a special shout out to my partner Chris Beber for the support you flowed and for making this a reality.

To catch you up on my headshot process and journey, here are parts 1 & 2 below:

Part 1: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-18

Part 2: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-12

And here are the final steps of my headshot preparation…Part 3:

I got a good night’s sleep.

I ate a good breakfast.

I arrived early. This is something many people take for granted. ARRIVE EARLY GOD DAMMIT! I always arrive early so that I can get settled and get present.

In the week leading up to my headshot session, I created a music play list for each character (Thank you Reed for reminding me to do that!) I created music playlists that put me in the zip code and vibe for each character. Some musical choices were literal. Other musical choices were not, but still put me in the zip code and vibe of each character. Here are my playlists below:

Fashionista/Interior Designer (I wanted fabulous, cunty music)

RuPaul feat. Ab Soto “Cha Cha Bitch” (Ralph Rosario edit)

Erika Jayne “How Many Fucks?”

RuPaul “Cover Girl”

RuPaul “Sissy That Walk”

RuPaul “Supermodel (You Better Work)”

RuPaul feat. Dave Aude “Step It Up”

RuPaul “Glamazon” (Gomi Tribalistic Remix)

**Okay, okay, I’m obsessed with RuPaul and his empire!

Public School Teacher (I wanted music that was positive, inspirational and a little unconventional)

Andy Grammer “Keep Your Head Up”

Sara Bareilles “Brave”

Us3 “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)”

Len “Steal My Sunshine”

Office Worker (I wanted music that gave me this feeling of What The Fuck?)

Madness “House of Fun”

The Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”

Stealers Wheel “Stuck In The Middle With You”

Capital Cities “Safe And Sound”

 

Hacker/Hacktivist (I wanted music that was industrial, dangerous, hard, subversive)

The Prodigy “The Day Is My Enemy”

Rob Zombie “Reload”

The Prodigy “Smack My Bitch Up”

White Zombie “More Human Than Human”

 

Nurse (I wanted music that had a certain sexuality to it. A secret. A mischievousness to it)

Miguel “Adorn”

Alex Clare “Too Close”

 

Last, but not least, the minute I got to set, I let it all go. I trusted that all the work I did was in me and now it was time to play. I was focused and made sure to follow my headshot template, but I was also open and present to impulses and ideas that Marisa and Reed gave to me on set. I sent Marisa my headshot template on February 2nd and Reed my headshot template the night before. Marisa was on the same page! Reed was able to build upon it and feed me other lines of subtext for my characters. I was prepared and able to let it go. I was able to get what I want and more. I was like, “Yes, and…” “Yes, and…” “That’s great, I love that idea…” “Great, let’s also try that…” I wasn’t locked and rigid in things going my way. I wasn’t unmalleable. I got what I wanted and more! Marisa would show me various takes with each character to make sure we were getting the product I wanted. I was incredibly happy with the work that was being created!

After the headshot session was over, I celebrated! Celebration is vital because it cements the win. It locks in the achievement.

I’m truly happy with the work I put into getting my headshots and the support I received. I can’t wait to look over the headshots online on Monday!

Happy Oscars day!

I’m The Artist Of The Month!

Chasing The George

Happy Sunday! Hope you’re all well and having a great weekend.

Just wanted to let you know that I have been selected as the artist of the month. Honored and pleased to be part of a wonderful community of artists at my school, the Richard Lawson Studios. Read my interview to find out how and why I received this distinction:

http://studio.richardlawson.net/featured-rls-student-jorge-ortiz/

Week 2 Status Report!

Chasing The George

For a second week in a row, I stepped up my awareness in certain areas of my personal and professional lives so that I can be in alignment with my career postulates. With this increased awareness, and by taking a set of actions, I am stepping into the light and power of my postulates. If I see and want these things for my career, then I need to behave and act in accordance with the things that I see and want. For example, one of my postulates is:

I am a household name infiltrating and conquering mainstream Hollywood through my film acting work and by creating TV and Film content that is just beyond the margin of comfortability (Daring and artistically free content that falls within the wheelhouse of HBO, Showtime, Netflix, The Weinstein Company and other powerful indie studio houses)

I see this postulate. I just have to fill in the blanks to get there. Take the actions to get there. So that when I do become a household name, it’s déjà vu because I already saw it X amount of time ago. But in order for me to get closer and closer to achieving this postulate (and other postulates), I need to have an increased awareness of how to live and operate my life in certain areas. For example, I have to be a leader. I have to be in the front. I have to speak my mind. My viewpoint must be unyielding with good-humored inflexibility. I have to ask for what I want from the people on my team, etc. I have to take actions and vibrate at the same frequency level of my postulates.

So I tackled the same list of actions again from my October 16th blog entry. Again, some of these actions are already a part of my everyday routine. A few other actions are a little more challenging and I need to lean into them more. That being said, I had a little more ease with tackling the challenging actions in the second week than I did in the first week. Moving forward, I have to continue tackling these challenging actions until they become a way of life for me, a part of my routine.

So without further delay, here are the list of actions I took again. This is not a final, comprehensive list of all the actions I take for my life and career. This is just a small sampling of my career administration, with a focus on challenging actions I need to step it up in. The asterisk (*) indicates a challenging action.

To sit in the front row. (Yes. In both of my acting classes)

**To speak my mind immediately. (Yes. Better. Improved.)

**To follow my impulses and instincts. (Yes. Better. Improved)

To lead. (Yes. Taught my ass off in the PDP 1.0 and PDP 2.0 classes.)

To dance while in the passenger seat of a car when a good song comes on or when the driver dances. (I did not ride shotgun this time.)

To spice things up. (Yes. Sunday night.)

To dance in the streets. (Yes.)

To make extra money. (Yes. Two times.)

To be myself without apology. (Yes. In terms of the way I laugh, the things I say, the jokes I say, the way I dance.)

**To hold my own space. (Yes. Much better. Improved)

To dance without consideration at the top of acting classes. (Yes.)

To continue administering my acting and writing careers. (Yes! Yes! Yes!)

To engage in conversation with a new person (Yes. I engaged with a customer at the smog check station, with the tech assistant at the smog check station and with two people at a Halloween party.)

To ask various industry people for something I want. (Yes. I reached out to two TV showrunners to be their assistant.)

To excite my agent again with a new piece of administrative evidence that will push my career forward. (Yes. I sent them my commercial headshot template.)

To be submitted on 3-5 TV series and 3-5 feature films. See below:

TV Series: The Fosters, Silicon Valley, Counterpart, Grey’s Anatomy.

Feature Films: Happy Anniversary, Willie and Me.

To impinge! (Yes. I stood by my Halloween costume concept and didn’t yield from it at the Halloween party. Also posted my concept on Facebook. I also impinged when I taught PDP 1.0 and PDP 2.0. I impinged with an audition I did. Etc. Etc. Etc.)