Your Very First Day in Hollywood

So you have said good bye to your family and friends. Packed up everything you owned and moved to Hollywood to be the next superstar. What should you do your first day?

I hope you have been preparing for your big move for months maybe years because making it in Hollywood is not going to be easy. But fortune favors the prepared. So I hope you have prepared by building your experience and resume, by doing as much career work as possible where you lived. I don’t care how small the town is that you come from. There is always something you can do to build your experience. If you’re an actor, you can do local theater. You can attend acting classes. If you’re a model you can do photo shoots with local photographers. You can apply for modeling jobs in your area. I know these are not the glamorous opportunities that you are best suited for. What you want to do is learn as much about the business as possible and to start building your resume so you can hit the ground running when it comes time for your big move.

If you’re from a larger city, there are even more opportunities to beef up that resume and to gain more experience. I’m the first one to believe that if you’re trying to succeed in the entertainment business you need to be where the entertainment business is. You can’t be a deep sea diver in Oregon, because Oregon doesn’t have any deep seas. But you do need to do as much preparing as possible with the tools and locations you have available before jumping into a profession that is lined with broken dreams.

The next thing you want to do before you step on that plane, train or bus is to make sure you have headshots or a portfolio, along with your resume. Getting this done before you make the big move, will save you time and money and when you arrive in Hollywood, will put you right in the center of the action with the correct tools.

Next you want to join an acting class or two or if you’re a model you may want to start with contact professional photographers to see if they are interested in shooting you. By doing either or both of these things, you will start to make the connections you need to ultimate succeed in the business.

Ok, so now you’re done all that, ready to go and become the next Brad Pitt or Trya Banks? Not so fast. Before you make the big move, start sending out small post cards with your head shots on the front and a small note on the back as to why they should consider calling you in for an audition. If you’re a model, you should send in a comp card or a photographer with your measurements on the back. This is something you should get use to doing and you never know you may land that big opportunity before you even get there.

Now you’re all set, you have arrived in Hollywood, what’s next? It’s time to get to work. Your days should be filled with attending casting calls and open calls. Hopefully part of your preparation consisted of saving money. If not then you will have to mix looking for that big break with doing actual work and trying to balance the two. Your nights should be filled with attending cocktail parties, nightclubs events, anything to connect with anyone working in the industry. The name of game in Hollywood is who you know and who knows you. So start networking. Be sure to keep your headshots or comp card handy you never know who you may bump into, so always be prepared to sell yourself.

By preparing before you relocate, you’ll find that you’re not beginning an entertainment career but you’re just continuing your entertainment in another local. And this may be all the edge you need to succeed.

For more entertainment career advice and information read my blog at Terrence Pharos.com