3 Super Awesome Free Entertainment Industry Tools That YOU Need Right Now
Ahhh, it’s the first Friday of 2018. Christmas came and went and a brand spanking NEW YEAR has arrived! (Panic slowly starts to seep in) Me: Wait….whaaat!? HOW THE HELL IS IT January of 2018!?!? Inner critic:”Yes, that’s right Burgandi, you don’t have EVERYTHING done that you wanted to do in 2017 yet 2018 has swooped in and dominated us ALL! You haven’t put a plan of action into place for the New Year- like updating your website, making sure your brand is on point, putting ALL of your new headshots up on LA Casting, (now that so many people made the switch from Actors Access… oi vey), and EVERY OTHER CASTING SITE, finish writing the 12 projects that I’ve been putting off all year, updating your reel, land new representation before pilot season, etc, etc, etc AND let me guess, you have no idea where to start?!” Me: Sound of a rapid, echoing heartbeat and then a long beeeeeeeeeep sound….. “I’m dea….” OK, OK, I’ll stop with the exaggerated dramatic effects…but in all seriousness, that’s what it really feels like to me! NOT FUN.
What about all of you? Does this sound familiar? Can you relate or do you know someone who can? Do you feel like every year you are rushing and hustling and doing everything and then some to keep yourself sane and not broke af? You are taking classes and workshops, taking yet another headshot session (or sessions), self-submitting, networking and auditioning like crazy, (or at least would like to be), but it feels like everything you’re doing is never good enough? YOU ARE NOT ALONE. WE ALL GO THROUGH THIS. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. Actors, Writers, Directors- ALL OF US. This state of being was me to a capital T, EVERY YEAR- except for this year, that is.
What changed? Simply put, I did. Well, I wouldn’t say “changed”, I guess I would say re-aligned, shifted, re-adjusted and re-vamped! I decided to be the captain of my own imperfect ship and I freaking took charge! Arg! (Yes that’s the sound a pirate makes, but you get my point!) I decided to look back on the (INSANE) year known as 2017, and reflect on the positive AND the negative, but to hyper-focus on the way the positive made me feel- which turns out to be like kryptonite to that negative critic!
In 2017, I wrote my first short film, I booked 2 awesome spots on Conan, (see them here) I did a bunch of VO work, I auditioned A LOT, I gained across the board representation (and then followed my gut and parted ways with ALL of my representation), I took 3 new head shot sessions, (YES 3!), I lost several people I love to the angel of death, lost some “friends” when I decided to no longer dim my light to make them feel better about themselves. I traveled to new places, tried lots of new things, re-connected with true friends and classmates and celebrated one year of the creation of my favorite loca, Chiquita Bonita. I started yoga again and fell in love with it AND dance all over again. And even with all of the hustle and bustle and constantly putting myself out there, I realized that I actually booked WAY less in 2017, than in any other year. This past year has definitely been one of the toughest years of Mi Vida Loca, here in Los Angeles hands down and I am happy to be moving past it! BUT, it’s also the most I have ever grown- like, E V E R!
This past year reminded me to take care of me, it reminded me of my strength, my courage, my vulnerability, my joy, my pain- you name it, I faced all of me, and as I’ve mentioned before, that ‘ish is NOT pretty. The lessons I learned in 2017 are invaluable and I am grateful for all of the beautiful misery I went through. This thing called life is not for the faint of heart, that’s for damn sure! BUT WE SHALL ALL PERSEVERE!
Alright, well, that’s more than enough about me, now it’s time to talk about the 3 super awesome entertainment industry tools that if you don’t already have, YOU NEED TO GET THEM NOW! (Hence the reason they are called must-haves….duh)
These 3 things are not only fabulous tools that you will absolutely LOVE but they are ALL FREE, yes, that’s right folks, you heard it right, free, free, free- #free99! WOOO-HOO! It’s a win-win-win and you don’t want to head into another New Year without em’!
Drum roll, please…….
1) Talentboom
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, and no judgment if you have, you’ve heard or read, my talking obsessively about this site- not just because I am the face of the company, which I am so honored to be, BUT, because it is SO FREAKING AWESOME!
What is talentboom? Talentboom is THE free digital home for Entertainment professionals. NO MORE COMPLEX, EXPENSIVE, PERSONAL WEBSITES, NIX THE WIX AND GO TALENTBOOM!
You can upload unlimited media, audio and video and have ONE place to showcase YOUR talents, links to ALL of YOUR social media pages and any website links, including casting sites! You can also build connections and give/receive endorsements in seconds, directly from your profile! The free iOS app (an andriod app is coming very soon), allows you to keep your professional identity, in your pocket and at your fingertips, 24/7. You will never miss an opportunity again. AND if you own your own domain and wanted to attach it to your talentboom page, they offer a super inexpensive premium account that has some great additional features. You can view my page here.
Talentboom allows users to finally take control of their careers by building a personal brand that is completely under their control and direction. Say goodbye to chaos and hello to success, join talentboom and showcase YOUR brand and who YOU are! Click here to create your own free page and stand out from the crowd!
Lights, Camera, Action, talentboom!
YOU GUYS! THIS. IS. AWESOME. I wish I had known about them when I moved to L.A.! I would have saved a lot of cash-ola!
Founded by Ajarae Coleman, an LA-based actress, and talentboom member, A.R.G. was created to HELP ACTORS and that’s exactly what they do! A.R.G has lots of invaluable information on workshops and classes in Los Angles and New York, reviews on talent agencies and SO MUCH MORE!
They also have a YouTube channel, which has tips and tricks for anyone from a newbie, who’s just beginning their acting path, to seasoned professionals well on their way! As it says in their welcome video, A.R.G. is the only comprehensive source for casting and agent workshops, so if you’re looking to get new rep’s or meet some new casting folks, this is the tool to have! Now, you can take the guesswork out of which agency is right for you, which class is worth a try and they even offer an online workshop calendar for their Basic members.
Click here to join for free today and learn how they can Save You Money, Save You Time, Empower You, Inform You & Eliminate the BS!
3) Stage 32
I love Stage32. This awesome networking site for anyone in the entertainment industry was created by founder and C.E.O. Richard “RB” Botto. , which to date, is the world’s largest social media/educational hub for film, tv and theater creatives!
Not only do they allow you to connect and network with other people in the entertainment industry, but it also allows you to take workshops with industry pro’s, (via the interwebs), on every subject from film production to distribution, screenplay writing and SO SO SO much more. My favorite thing about this is that I can connect and chat with everyone and meet a ton of people I’ve never met before every weekend, in their Introduce Yourself Lounge! I’ve met some great folks and really applaud them and how far they have come over the last several years!
I personally use the free App but I created my page via the desktop version of their site on my laptop. This is a must-have, in my opinion, because truth be told, as much as I love FB groups, I totally prefer the way that Stage32 encourages everyone to mix, mingle and get to know one another. It’s a very comfortable online environment where creatives are encouraging and nice…imagine that! AND you can even copy/paste your Stage 32 link into your talentboom page! Click here to get started!
So, there you have it ladies and gents- I TOLD they were super awesome! So what are you waiting for? Jump start your New Year by thinking outside of the box and by NOT breaking the bank.
I hope these were helpful to you all! If so, I’d love to hear from YOU! Comment below with a free tool YOU love and use and please share this with everyone you think would benefit from it!
Cheers to YOU and to a feisty, fabulous, 2018! Thanks for reading- YOU are a badass.
