THE PRESSURE IS KILLING ME!!!

Pilot Season.

Oooooooooh my, what those two words can evoke in people in the Entertainment Industry!

Actors get inspired and get themselves into Classes to prep for those incoming auditions.  Agents and Managers throw on their seat belts and keep their eyes glued to the breakdowns, submitting and pitching their clients to get them in the audition room.  Casting Directors are rockin' out the breakdowns and seeing thousands of Actors every week to help Production fulfill their need for every role they're looking for in their project.  Acting Coaches are at their peak of "busy-ness" to help accommodate the Actors who seek a little guidance before going in for their auditions.

Actors move to L.A. from all over the world for this season, sometimes to only stay from January until March or April.

The air is electric, the traffic is hectic and everyone is feeling the same thing:  PRESSURE.

Pressure to get the breakdowns out accurately and in a timely manner, pressure to submit and pitch clients right for the roles and pressure to audition and book the roles.

There are so many Actors who feel like THIS is THE only time to have success in any given year.

It is not so!  Yes, this is ultimately the busiest time of the year for us.  And it's wonderful!

But don't forget:  New shows are springing up practically year 'round with the different cable channels out there.  Even Netflix just launched an original series.  Feature Films are going on throughout the year.  Theatre is always casting.

When Actors don't get the auditions or bookings they're hoping for during this one part of the year, they often get so frustrated that they feel like quitting or moving home or changing their vocation to something else they don't love.

I've heard of some people who've tested for over 30 Pilots before they land "the one."  I've heard of people getting Series Leads while having very few credits on their resume.

There are no rules in Hollywood.  So don't break any of them.  (Yes, you read that correctly!)

If we're in it to win it, then the key is to STAY IN IT TO WIN IT.  Victors aren't the one who give up.  Victors are the ones who lick their wounds for a second then throw themselves back in the game and keep going.  The point is, to keep going.  This is an insane industry!  Los Angeles can be a very difficult town to live in and navigate through.  But when victories come... They are so sweet.  When we get the chance to "do our thing," this delicious glee takes over our whole being and we fall back in love.

So........  Instead of falling OUT of love or giving into the PRESSURE of "make it or break it" during Pilot Season, stay in it to win it.  The journey will be so much sweeter!

Peace

Michelle Tomlinson
http://www.michelletomlinson.net

A Phoenix rises from the ashes, strong and ready to go another round!
(This image is not my intellectual property!)