THE MYTH OF OVERNIGHT SUCCESS
In the glitz & glam of Hollywood, success stories often seem like they’re ripped straight from the script of a fairytale. The guy gets the girl. That one dude wins the Oscar… again. And nobodies become somebodies overnight. Post-Award Season depression doesn’t help.
SUSTAINING MOMENTUM WHEN THE INDUSTRY SHUTS DOWN
I bet you thought we’d never hear that word again: unprecedented.
How To Make The Connections You Need To Get What You Want
I see it all the time. Talented, hard-working people struggle to navigate the entertainment industry because they don’t understand how to generate opportunities for themselves and build the relationships they need to get the things they want.
THE PURSUIT OF MOMENTS
When we have those big conversations or reflections on life, we often talk about milestones. We throw parties for graduations, engagements, bookings, and other accomplishments, and these often become powerful memories.
We Say We Want Authenticity, But…
No one is for everyone. I’m what you might call a “loud” personality. I own this. I’m probably not for everyone.
Why You Should See Rejection as Opportunity
Rejection is one of those things we’re supposed to learn how to cope with as children. Some of us learn to do it better than others. Some of us never learn how to do it. There’s a notorious line that’s on just about every entertainment job posting: “Must have thick skin.” Well, that goes double for actors.
Sometimes you Have a Hunch and you Write About It #Preacher
Dominic Cooper asked me a simple question prior to the show being shot: Should he pursue The Preacher?
How to Build Industry Relationships
It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. This is an age-old adage that means more in Hollywood than most industries on the planet.
Success Is Measured By What You Do For Others
The end of the year comes with certain rituals. Recounting the ups and downs of the previous year, thinking about how to improve in the next one. For me, it also includes looking over my blogs for the past year. While I scanned through the year’s blogs, I had something else on my mind: An exchange I’ve been having with an up-and-coming actor named Zachary Poole.
Did you see these?
2020 has been a strange year, but one thing that’s remained consistent year over year is the gratitude I’ve felt for all the likes, shares, support, and interest you’ve given my blog. This project has been quite cathartic for me and knowing that it’s been at least a little helpful to many of you makes it all the more meaningful.
You're the Gun and I'm the Bullets
People who most inspire me. All of them aren’t afraid of hard work. They weren’t born on third base; they hustled their asses off to get there on a blooper down the right field line. They know what it means to do The Work.
The Long Haul
As he notes in his first line, I’ve been trying to get my partner Erwin More to contribute to this blog forever. He’s one of the most important characters in my life and has one of the most unique perspectives on the entertainment business and life of anyone I’ve ever known.
How to Focus Your Attention
Focus is a skill and it’s a more complicated one than you might think. I have a wandering mind that never quits, so learning how to focus has been crucial for me. As such, I wanted to share some of the strategies I’ve used to optimize my focus, in case they might help you, too.
Lessons on Creating a Fulfilling Career from Sarah Wayne Callies
Please refrain from rolling your eyes when you read this because I know what you’re thinking.
The Habit That Shapes My Life
Whenever I meet a new potential client, I ask, “What’s your story?” Everyone’s life is impacted or guided by the stories they love; be it characters in movies, lyrics in songs, passages in books or poetry.
How a Great Collaboration Comes Together
I talk a lot about the compounding nature of things. About transforming individual moments into a cascading momentum that turns into more good things. Of course, the path to getting there is still a long and winding road, so when it succeeds, it’s truly a beautiful thing.
Hollywood Quarantine: A long, deep breath
The world is facing challenging times. The coronavirus pandemic has affected our global society in a way not seen since perhaps as far back as World War II.
What The Oscars Taught Me About Jealousy And Admiration
The Oscars are a state of the union for our industry. The show itself is a conduit for analyzing the past year while the media fervor around it helps to paint a complete picture of the movie business and its place in culture. I always watch with interest.
Golden Globes
Last night’s awards show, like most awards shows, gave me a moment of reflection on the state of our industry and on the direction in which we are heading
How To Make Connections In Hollywood
Talented, hard-working people struggle to navigate the entertainment industry because they don’t understand how to generate opportunities for themselves and build the relationships they need to get the things they want.