By: Brian Gilleece
Hope everyone enjoyed the EMMYs! (Although I could have gone without that painfully unfunny sidebar commentary on low volume every time someone was walking to the stage. WTF was that)? So enjoyable to see all the winners, and Fleabag creator PWB Just tear it up. If that stuff does not make you want to be up on that stage, then IDK what to say... So let's talk about...
STAYING THE COURSE
IT'S HARD. I KNOW.
We are in a tough business folks. I hope I'm not just breaking this to you now, but it is a hard road full of up's and downs, and close calls, and yes's you think are no's, and no's you think are yes's. OH and also feed and clothe yourself in one of the most expensive cities in the country while keeping your head together enough to put together great performances to beat out the best people in the world? Phhhheewwwwwww... Well, the good news is, we're not the first people to do it, and we won't be the last. The single thing that all the Emmy winners had is that they stayed their course.
You want to talk about staying the course and believing in yourself, what about Billy Porter who has literally toiled in obscurity and in the theatre for 30 years only to FINALLY meet Ryan Murphy and help craft a role that was truly made for him to shine?
How about Phoebe Waller-Bridge who has been working on her character for Fleabag since 2014, when literally nobody knew what she was trying to do (and ps she has been around working here and there since 2009 for 99% of people to just hear about her this year).
WHAT'S YOUR FINISH LINE?
Years ago, I happened to be in a meeting with with Jess Canty one time with a former client of her's and Jess asked....
"If in 5 years, if you were in roughly the same place but with a few more credits, would you still be doing this?"
This former client, said "NO." I was BLOWNNNN awayyyyy and incredibly offended, I mean you're gonna have to pull me off the field man. NFL players train for litterally almost 20 years to get a shot at the big show, Most hockey players skate since they are 2 or 3 years old, gymnasts the same thing, professional golfers play over 150 holes a week for years! It takes Seth Rogan 8 years to get a movie made, SETH F*CKIN ROGAN!
And you're gonna pack it in cus you're not a movie star in 5 years?...wow....
Naturally this person did not work out for a variety of reasons, but it did make me think, this individual does not even know where they want to go, they have no vision for what success in their career looks like looks like, or a timeline on how it works. And their expectations are vastly exceeding their resume. I didn't want that to be me, so I sat down and made sure I was dialed in.
Are you thinking often enough about: "What is your finish line?
"Where are you running to?
"How will you know if you are almost there or far off?"
"Who am I running with?"
Have you written these things down, shared them with your manager to help them help you stay accountable, shared them with your Agent?
Is you goal specific?
Do you make it a priority?
Is your perspective framed correctly?
Are you tracking your progress?
Do you live inspired?
Do your expectations out-run your resume?
I GOT NEWS FOR YOU
Everything is hard and takes time.
This business is literally the epicenter of that, so if you are not focused, and staying the course, poof.... 5-10 years can go by like that, and nothing will have changed.
BUT, that stage is a pretty good look on people right? Goals don't have days off.
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