Making Your Own Luck

The entertainment industry is certainly one where you need the right person to see you at the right time. Of course that's easier said than done. For some blessed folks, that might be the day they arrive and for some it might be 10 years into their L.A. journey. The bottom line is that you need to do everything you can do to be prepared so when those moments come, you are at your best. What's the old saying? Luck favors the prepared? Something like that. And out here, I think that's very true. So, you work hard. You take classes. You get involved with as many projects as you can. And then hope to get lucky.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day. I met Chad working on Angels & Demons, and he had a similar experience on that film as I did working as an extra on the new Star Trek movie. That is, he had just moved to town, was non-union, and really wanted to get SAG-Eligible. And after working many, many days on the project and continually following up with the casting director, he managed to get on a small call (where they only have a few extras, often on the studio lot, versus hundreds on some of the locations) where he got his three necessary vouchers and voila! is now eligible to join the union. Sounds simple enough, right? But often overlooked in these situations is all the days that he just showed up, showed up on time, did what he was supposed to do, didn't complain, and made it known to the casting director that he was available and really wanted to work. You'd be surprised how all these little things add up, and are really the catalyst for success -- both big and small -- in this industry. Of course, built upon these base necessities are vitally important things such as Talent, but without the underlying desire and work ethic, you may never get a chance to show your talent to the right person...

I feel very fortunate that I was able to join the union within 6 months of getting to L.A. and I know Chad feels the same way. But, the bottom line is that if you don't 'prepare for success,' if you're not willing to do jobs that might not be ideal, if you're not pleasant, persistent, responsible, thick-skinned, and always training, it will take much more than dumb luck to get ahead in this business.