Grad school Diary #6: Post-mortem

So i've gone through now what might be the whole of my grad school auditions. I MAY be called back, I may not. Basically I'm back to my normal routine. Or whatever my normal routine is now.

I should definitely take full advantage of my time here in NYC, my remaining time, assuming my move to LA still happens. And still try to get a bicostal agent. So I've been perusing the February schedule at one on one and the network(my two networking studios of choice). Only problem is, I've met ALL these people before. Seriously. All of them. When someone does come up that I don't know, which is rare, I make every effort to meet them. But not much has really come of this. I know acting is a tough profession. But I will again say that I think the last few years in New York have been especially tough. A lot of talented, smart actors that I know are still not repped, or are under-repped, it seems that to be any sort of commodity in NYC film & tav you really have to be a very specific type. The bitchy girl, the statuesque blonde guy, the 25-year old who can pass for 14.

But I do have a plan of sorts. I've got this burgeoning webshow. LoveReception(click the link to watch it!). Which people generally like - even people that I don't know, so, that means something. And I have a plan on how it can pitched as a TV show, and also how we can start to gain more momentum and more viewers in the coming months. I also have a screenplay that's 30 pages deep now, and while it needs some serious re-writing, it does have promise. I've also got my little Broshow(special secret link just for you!) side project which I'm going to try and pitch to CollegeHumor in the next few weeks, in a slightly different form, but still funny, and smart and sticky.

And these are all the reasons that I don't think grad school is quite right for me. If any of these things go at all according to plan, the next 3 years of my life will be much better spent hustling here in New York or out in the wilds of LA.

I know my blogs have been remarkable self-focused lately. Mucho apologio. That's spanish, for "I know."

What was your toughest and most rewarding decision you've made in regards to your career? How did it turn out?

--  Shawn Dempewolff

Comments

[Cole Matson]

The toughest decision I ever made was to leave acting and do something else (completely non-arts related) for a while. I thought the "something else" would take several years. I moved out of NYC and into a very small regional market.

Instead, I left the "something else" after a few months, and took an internship in arts administration, which led to a part-time staff position, which led eventually to me earning all my income from theatre and film. I never would have thought to move to that market otherwise, and I ended up working a lot more than most of the friends I left back in NYC.

[Jen]

Your post was a welcome read, and totally aligned with my own observations about getting/keeping representation -- that it seems like a game where the rules are arbitrary at best! So much is luck, so much is chance, and so much is just "convenient casting" and going for the actors who can easily "sell" a TV show, etc. Thus so many of us get lost in the herd.

I am just beginning what I hope to be will be the most rewarding decision in my career: to proactively start producing my own work. Much like you are doing. It's too easy to get trapped into the insecure actor mindset otherwise, where all you have on your plate are worries about agents, auditions, etc. Much better to keep the creative juices flowing by taking charge of your own projects. At least it helps!

[Justine]

Hey Shawn-

Your post about talented actors who are not yet repped is part of the reason why I remain skeptical about the seminars and workshops in NY. I feel wary about the fact that when you google certain agents, they are going to *all* the different workshop companies. And collecting a lot of stipends. And supposedly meeting a lot of actors that they like...and yet, not taking them on.

I have gone to one workshop so far and I am on a mailing list for a company that does them that seems good, as far as the whole thing goes. But, at the moment I am not going to them.

I'm not in a place right now where I can watch your web links but will check them out later...

I didn't really get the sense that grad school was the best move for you, just based on your past posts here. You are primarily interested in film and television, yes? IMO grad school is the best option for actors who are strictly on a theater path. JMO and obviously it is *your* decision, and I probably wouldn't have mentioned it if you hadn't indicated you are feeling uncertainty about the whole thing.

[Justine]

Toughest and most rewarding decision: well it's still a "wait and see" thing for me right now, but I'd say choosing to live (for now) in a place where I feel at home & that makes me feel happy to be there. And for me right now, that is New York. I have lived in other cities/markets before.

[pia]

i am in the same boat, my friend. i have a final callback at usc next month and i found their faculty to be incredibly impressive. but i'm old and i don't know if i can afford to spend 3 years out of the market. i know i could use the training and would probably really really enjoy focusing on the work full time for 3 years. what's your prior training?