When actors are on the agent hunt, my experience is that they tend to focus on landing the meetings but not so much on what to do when they finally get in the room for the interview!
There is an art to the interview and they need to be prepped.
Interviews are just as much about you interviewing the person you’re meeting. Unfortunately, because most actors and artists tend to give their power away, it’s easy to see how you could get overwhelmed or anxious.
Here’s the secret: You are in the control of the meeting. Reframe the meeting as a chance to share your strengths, to shine as the artist you are, and to vet a potential team member. Remember, they’re on your team as much as you are on theirs… so relax.
Here are my 5 steps for a kick ass meeting!
1. Have Your Press Kit Ready.
A Press Kit is a powerful marketing tool. It allows potential representation to know exactly where you fit in the industry. Agents and managers are salespeople. They need to be given sales tools to pitch you, and that’s exactly what a press kit does. In any other business, you would never go to a pitch meeting empty-handed. You’d show up with brochures, reviews, stats on why your product is the best, etc.
Your headshot/résumé alone is not enough. Go the extra mile, from minute one, so people understand you play the game of business at a higher level than everybody else. Make sure your press kit is brand-centric and ready to rock.
2. Tell Me About Yourself
The first thing that will occur in a meeting after they introduce themselves and shake your hand is to look at your résumé and ask – Tell me About Yourself.
Let’s be real, responding with, “Well, what do you want to know?” is NOT a good answer to the question. Freezing with a deer- in- headlights stare isn’t recommended either. 🙂
Look, you know this is coming! It happens in multiple circumstances. If you know it’s coming, why would you not have a well- thought out response to answer the question that represents YOU?
3. Get Personal
As an actor, your life informs your art. You get asked again and again to “just show me you,” because we work in an industry that values personality and charisma.
Most people want to work with people they like, respect, and get along with. So, turn the tables! Ask them to tell you about who they are, what they believe in, and what they value. Have a couple of standard questions in your back pocket that you can use again and again.
Also, pay attention! Keep your eyes open in the office. Take things in. Notice the pictures of the wedding day, the kids, and the framed diploma. Clearly, it’s special to them— so ask about it! Show that you’re interested.
4. Get Down to Business
You’ll also want to have business questions prepped and ready to fire off when they ask the question, which you know is coming, “Do you have any questions for me?”
First, the answer is always, “Yes. Yes, I do.”
Unfortunately, since this question typically comes at the end, you’re so in your head about how it’s going (and if they like you), a typical response is to eek out a, “No, no. I think I’m good.”
Of course you have questions! You’re vetting this person to come on your team and help you run the acting career of your dreams. You know what your goals are. You know where you are currently, and where you’d like to go. Craft questions that show you are a smart business person.
5. Closing the Interview
How many times have you have walked out of an interview and not had any idea of what to do next?
It’s vital that you close each and every interview.
This will give you an idea of whether the door is open or closed. And you’ll have clarity around what transpired and know what actions you could take so you know best practices for following up.
When you close the interview properly, they could say, ”We’re making calls by the end of the week after we discuss everyone with the whole team.” Or “I’m good right now, thanks for coming in.”
Both these responses require different follow up and now you know how to proceed…so you don’t wait by the phone.
You worked hard to get in the door! Use these five steps to set yourself up for success in each and every interview 🙂
