Seeing Yourself as a Product or Brand

One of the things to consider when entering the acting world is the longevity of your career. Is this something you’re going to be doing “for now” or is this something you’d like to see yourself doing for the next 40 or 50 years?

If your goal is to make a long-term career out of acting then it’s important to start considering the business side of it all. I don’t only mean the financial aspect (although, yes, that is important too), what I mean is to start to see yourself not just as a person, but as a product and work hard to run your career as a business.

What is your product? In the case of an actor or actress, the product is you. You can invest in product development to make yourself more desirable to casting directors by taking classes, keeping healthy and gaining new skills (for example, horse riding, motorcycle riding, weapons training, etc). Don’t confuse healthy with thin. In the diverse and wonderful industry that we see emerging around us, size zero is no longer the yardstick by which we have to beat ourselves to stand a chance of getting cast in great roles. When I say to work on being healthy, I mean that you should eat right and take care of your health so that if you are cast in a role, you are able to put in the long hours needed. If you are an asset to a shoot and don’t cause delays, you will become more popular with crew and directors alike.

The next thing to consider is how you intend to market your product. What is your “brand”? In this example, your brand would be what you want people to think of when they see or hear your name. So, not only things like hardworking, dedicated, well prepared, goes the extra mile, but also for the public to know that you are a animal rights activist, against bullying, supportive of important causes. After all, the public are a part of your career too.

When you start to look at the bigger – and more long-term picture – you will realize that everything you do can have a positive or negative effect on your career. You need to treat your social media as an advertising platform and be careful not to do anything online that will have a negative impact on your brand and therefore your career. You may personally want to comment on a post with a harsh opinion, but it’s best not to. After all, the internet lives forever.

Put your best foot forward, consider your career and brand at all times and always work hard to make the most out of every opportunity. Be real with people and you will soon find that your “product” is succeeding.