The Business of Hollywood™

Here’s why it’s not about who you know; it’s about who knows you. That’s networking at it’s finest. If you want to succeed at networking, you need strategies for success. Here’s some tips from Hollywood.     Why Hollywood? Entrepreneurs have a lot to learn from working actors (which make up less than 10% of the actor community). Working actors in Hollywood need to build resilience in the face of rejection, network to grow themselves as a business, market themselves and sell themselves. Entrepreneurs have to do all those things also! I look at how to develop successful networking strategies in this episode with my guest, Jodie Bentley. Jodie is an LA-based actor, audiobook narrator, and branding/career coach for actors. She has over 170 credits as an actor in TV, Film, Theater, Commercials and Audiobooks. She’s worked for Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, ABC, CBS, and many more. We dive into topics including: Jodie’s journey from a fledgling actress to being the CEO of her business as an actor. The power of networking and the right (and wrong) way to go about it. The questions you need to ask yourself and then answer to be successful in the networking world. When to look for support for yourself and when to support other people. How to start getting strategic with networking instead of running around meeting a bunch of random people. Why it’s important to “Know Thy Self” first and foremost before you begin networking. The three things you need to know about yourself before going into a networking room. How to know which rooms you actually need to be in so you can find them. How to go about networking without feeling pushy or “salesy”. Jodie’s (excellent) definition of networking. Why you can’t predict who’s going to help you and when and how to foster relationships anyways. How to strike a balance between giving help and supporting other people and getting help and support for yourself. How to nurture relationships once you start building them. Practical tips for staying top of mind with the key people in your network. How to know when to be full steam ahead with meeting new people and when to step back and nurture your existing relationships. Why you should start networking if you’re on the fence about networking. The one thing, above all else, that you need to do to be successful at networking to grow your business. …and other golden nuggets of advice! Jodie’s Journey into the Networking World In her twenties Jodie went to NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. She thought that she would graduate from college and immediately become famous. Her plan was to be on Broadway by the time she was 21 and thought life would be amazing, her talent alone would take her to the top, and she would soar. That’s not how things turned out…. When she graduated her foray into acting was difficult. It was very difficult. She floundered for about eight years. It took her all that time to realize that acting is not a “go it alone” business. She realized she had to network, reach out to peers, and be of service in a community of her peers and role models. She realized that she had to understand her product (who she was) and how to sell herself to key industry people. That way when she did network, people would “get it”. Meaning they would know who she was and recognize her as an actress. That way they could think of people that might be able to help her career. During those eight years she got to a point where things just weren’t “clicking”. She had to ask herself, “What am I doing?” Something needed to change. She read every business book that she could get her hands on. Books about branding, sales, networking and more. Books like “Never Eat Alone”. Those books made Jody realize that as an actor, she’s a business owner. She’s A CEO. She realized that she’s also the COO, CMO, and CFO. She’s all the ‘Os. That’s when she started taking practical business principles and applying them to herself as an entrepreneur in the acting world. Amongst those skills, networking stood out above the rest. Learning What Networking REALLY Is Originally, Jodie thought simply talking with other actors was networking. But it wasn’t. She didn’t have a strategy or focus. She didn’t think that she was ready for the big time. She didn’t feel like she belonged in the bigger rooms. That mindset got in the way of meaningful and productive networking. Then cut to now where she is producing a feature film. It’s the connections she made 15 years ago that are supporting Jodie now that she’s come into her own. She’s known her director for 13 years. She’s known her other producer for 15 years. She’s known her writing partner for seven years. Those are people that she networked with years ago, and nothing happened immediately. Nothing happened in some of those relationships for over 15 years until now. Sewing the Seeds of Your Networking Endeavors But now’s the time. What’s happening now is why she met them. It took Jodie a long time to realize that relationships are what is going to move the needle. NOT relationships that started with “What can you do for me?”, but the relationships that started with “How can we support each other and what does that look like?” and “How can we be in and build a community together?” And yes, Jodie knows as an actor sometimes there’s a lot of “Me, me, me, I, I, I, what can you do for me?” She also thinks that’s also true for a lot of business owners. Even when she started her business at times it was like, “How can I move forward? How can I get people to cross promote me? How can I get other people to help me?” Jodie believes that meaningful relationships are what it’s all about. It’s about planting seeds and watering them. Sometimes you water your own seeds to sprout later, and sometimes you’re helping someone else water their seeds. It’s all about working together for what’s best for both of you. And that is just the beginning! Listen to or watch the interview to continue this story and get more golden nuggets of advice! You can get my book here: “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea” About My Guest   Since 2008, Jodie Bentley has helped over 2300 actors in 32 countries level up their careers. Jodie is an LA-based actor, audiobook narrator, and branding/career coach for actors. She has over 170 credits as an actor in TV, Film, Theater, Commercials and Audiobooks. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Acting, she’s worked for Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, ABC, CBS, and many more. Alongside her own acting career, she’s been educating actors and artists on how to achieve their goals, implement success strategies, become organizational masters, stop the self-sabotage, and own their brand. She has taught workshops on all of the above at SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, Comic Con, and over 50+ universities and training programs. She’s been an adjunct professor and built the Business of Acting Programs at four universities and colleges. In 2022, she was named one of the Top 20 Coaches in Los Angeles by Influence Digest. Click here to learn more about Jodie’s career! Click here to learn about Jodie’s work coaching actors! Connect with Jodie on social media! Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/actorinsider Twitter/X – https://twitter.com/jodiebentley Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiebentley/ FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theactorsworkspace Want to learn more Hollywood insider advice for entrepreneurs? check out “What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Working Actors in Hollywood with Kevin E. West“

I believe entrepreneurs have a LOT to learn from working actors (which make up less than 10% of the actor community). Working actors in Hollywood need to build resilience in the face of rejection, network to grow themselves as a business, market themselves and sell themselves. Entrepreneurs have to do all those things also! We dive into some advice for today’s entrepreneurs from a working actor in Hollywood in this episode with my guest, Kevin E. West. Kevin has built an amazing acting business for himself. He has been working in Hollywood and television since 1990. He has amassed over 70 credits, including shows like Matlock (the original), Hawaii 5-0, Criminal Minds, Lost, 24, and Desperate Housewives, to name a few and dozens more on IMDB as well. Kevin is the Founder of the award-winning actor business education organization, The Actors’ Network, as well as a 3-time member of the SAG-AFTRA Theatrical contract Negotiating Committee.     We dive into topics including: How Kevin became the CEO of his acting career and the parallels that traditional entrepreneurs can learn from. Why success isn’t based on who you know but on who knows you. How to be seen and stand out from the crowd as an actor and as an entrepreneur. How to network and market yourself at your industry’s events. Why one of the best things an entrepreneur can do is not take their business matters personally. How to get into the right rooms with the right people to further your career. How to build your personal brand and stand out from the crowd. How to hone your craft. How to deal with rejection. How to build momentum and advance your business after you start getting into the right rooms. The importance of not becoming complacent when you have some success. Why “making it big” is a very subjective term. The four layers of success. The one thing, above all else, that you need to do to build a successful business. …and other golden nuggets of advice! It’s Not Location, Location, Location Anymore Kevin believes that one of the biggest challenges for performers in general used to be akin to the real estate analogy that its location, location, location. It used to be all the way up until about ten to fifteen years ago that where you were located in the world was almost everything. Now, because of the internet, you can start a business anywhere and become an actor almost anywhere. It doesn’t mean that that the difficulty of being an actor or an entrepreneur wasn’t always about your physical location and state of mind. But now because of Netflix and because of how actors have evolved, you can be a CEO as an actor anywhere in the world if you have the right mindset. Those are just two of the great things about the industries these days. One of the things Kevin believes is that actors don’t get the proper education about being a CEO as an actor, and that’s the problem. Actors are businesses in and of themselves and they often don’t embrace that. If you were told as a businessman “Just go open the door and wait for people to walk in.” That might be a challenge. Now, if you had a great location, that could help, and that metaphor would be how you look physically and emotionally in the acting profession. But actors are simply not given a business mentality, and that comes from education about what it means to be a CEO. Kevin’s Business of Hollywood Journey Actors tend to only think about two things, getting pictures and having representation. That tends to be the scope, the limitation of what most performers do along with going to acting classes. That’s the difference between acting and business. In business you’re expected to, go figure, run a business. The problem according to Kevin is that actors in general simply don’t have a business mentality. They think of themselves purely as artists. The business mentality of entrepreneurs is that they get training from books and school and from college. There’s all sorts of other courses and classes along the way that they can take to learn about the business world. That’s just not the mentality of most actors. Kevin believes it was easier for him because he was working in his mother’s restaurant when he was eleven years old. He was already an independent-minded and business oriented individual by the time he decided to be an actor. What it Means to be an Actor or Entrepreneur CEO As an actor, Kevin realized that he owned a business and he was still taking out the trash, so to speak, as a CEO, doing all jobs from top to bottom. A lot of CEOs don’t, but as an actor, you are truly the CEO of an important personal, tiny business. Which means everything, every sector that goes along with your business is ultimately your responsibility. But that goes back to the business education, because we know that advertising, marketing, networking, accounting and such are all part of being an entrepreneur. Performers are not told the everyday rules of entrepreneurship. Actors believe that the business aspects of their careers are their representative’s job, and that’s how a lot of people come into the industry. They never start with a mentality of being the CEO of all of the departments that should be their responsibility and that they should make time for in their schedules. The Importance of Consistency You need to do those things on a regular basis. That’s the big key; being consistent just like working out. If you go to the gym three days in a row for three hours but then don’t go back to the gym for two weeks, what good did you do? None. Being a CEO as an actor means you must get up every day and run your business. When you’re starting your career, you need to do pieces of all the things that make up a successful business. Actors are not given that mentality early in their careers. So it’s very difficult for a lot of people to alter their physical routine and modify their behaviors like any businessperson would. That’s one of the reasons show business slaps them in the face.Their small business doesn’t tell them, “Hey, you’re not on the road to success until you’re ready to run a business.” For those actors, it’s not just that the phone’s not ringing. They’re lost in the business of life in general as to what to do day in and day out. That’s the chasm between being the actor and being the CEO at the same time instead of just being a performer. Thankfully Kevin learned that early on… And that is just the beginning! Listen to or watch the interview to continue this story and get more golden nuggets of advice! You can get my book here: “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea” About My Guest Kevin E. West is a veteran television actor in Hollywood with over 70 credits including Guest Starring on The Righteous Gemstones (HBO), Hawaii 5-0, Criminal Minds, Bones, Castle, Touch, CSI: Miami, Justified, Aquarius, Leverage, Lost, 24, Desperate Housewives, NCIS, Alias, CSI, Judging Amy and dozens more  on IMDB as well as the feature, The Healer, starring Lance Henriksen and Natasha Henstridge. Early on in Kevin’s career he performed as both a Stand-up Comic and Improv artist. As the Founder of The Actors’ Network in 1991, Kevin has been recognized as the top expert opinion leader industry-wide on the ‘business of show business.’ The Actors’ Network is the most endorsed actor’s business organization in the U.S., winning consecutive BackStage West “Reader’s Choice” awards (06/07). A few of its alumni include Emmy Nominee Masi Oka (Heroes), Chelsey Crisp (Off The Boat), Chris Gorham (Covert Affairs-Ugly Betty) and Maggie Grace (Taken trilogy). Visit Kevin’s Site! Learn About the Actor MBA! Learn About The Actor’s Network! Learn why The Business of Hollywood Podcast exists! “Your Introduction to The Business of Hollywood Podcast”

Welcome to the introduction episode for The Business of Hollywood Podcast! It’s all about insider advice from Hollywood for today’s entrepreneurs. Rather than read off a script or try and memorize a script, which I don’t like to do, I have got my good podcast hosting buddy Steve Ramona here. He’s going to ask the type of questions to get the type of answers that you want to know what to expect when the business of Hollywood Podcast goes live. Steve, that being said, the floor is yours!     Well, thank you for having me, Mark. I’m excited to talk about this project and this podcast. Tell us what inspires you to get started. I’ve been, I have a background in the improv world and I was on the board of directors for Chicago Improv production, so I got to meet some of the people from TV and movies, and this was a while ago and it’s been stewing in my head ever since. And I realized, wow; the ones that make it. I want to find out how they did it.  Those interactions were a chance to learn from Hollywood genius. People who are successful in Hollywood are branding themselves, they’re marketing themselves, they’re networking, they’re selling themselves. Less than 10% of the actor population in Hollywood are working actors; meaning that’s their primary stream of income. They get health insurance and everything else. I believe the working actors, less than 10% of Hollywood,  they’ve got amazing business tips to give entrepreneurs. I believe if they can make it in Hollywood, you can make it as an entrepreneur. What? What are they going to learn? These actors and people in Hollywood; when they jump on the podcast to hear your wonderful guests, what they’re going to do? The Business of Hollywood podcast, this is a beautiful part, is actually designed for my audience of B2B entrepreneurs, thought leaders, coaches, consultants, speakers, it’s people in Hollywood saying, here’s how I branded myself and here’s how I got into the top 10%. They’re going to be sharing advice from their careers. Working actors can, and aspiring actors can listen to it too. But the angle that I came up with for the business of Hollywood is, and the interviews I’ve already conducted that are yet to be released, it’s working actors, giving advice on things like selling yourself personal branding, dealing with rejection, networking. They’re giving advice, saying, look at this worked in Hollywood. It’s going to work in the B2B entrepreneur space. So that’s the twist that I have on. It’s not technically just for working actors. It’s actually geared for B2B entrepreneurs. So those B2B entrepreneurs, what pain point you think you can solve with your podcast and with having these actors on? I think the biggest one, if you want to consider broad strokes, is inspiration. It takes a lot to be in the top 10% in Hollywood. So that alone is like, “If they can make it, I want to listen to them.” And the other pain points, the big ones that I see, the first episodes I did, personal branding. You’re just another face in Hollywood until you brand yourself the right way and people start to recognize you, even if you’re still doing casting calls, people start to recognize you. Networking is an episode we’re going to be publishing. That’s the second episode with a successful actor who trains actors. She brought up the power of networking and about, you could make a contact in a bar, You can make a valuable contact at an event. The problems this podcast is going to solve are the big pain points such as personal branding, overcoming objections, networking, and sales and marketing. Those are going be the big ones because actors are an entrepreneurs unto themselves. Entrepreneurs know that they’re a business. I found that working actors, they know they’re a business above and beyond just being an actor. So what was the genesis that spurred this on? What did you see before you thought about this business in Hollywood podcast and helping them? Was there an event or something happened that spurred this on? It was the Chicago Improv Festival, definitely from year 10, which was my introduction to the improv world to year 20, which I, I was a president of Chicago Improv Productions. Kept in touch with some of the improvisors I met there and interviewed them because I’m so inquisitive, I love to learn. If I talk to someone, I want to learn something from them above and beyond just talking about the weather or sports. Those conversations percolated in my subconscious and it just kept adding to it and adding to it. I’m like, wow, that sounds like a, you know, a podcast. Wow, that sounds like a podcast! I finally put the pieces together and realized, oh my God, there’s advice for entrepreneurs in here. And that was the launch of it. And is it easy nowadays to be an entrepreneur or to do something in business or podcasting online? Is that another reason? This is going to be a great podcast. I don’t think it’s easy. Yes, it’s easy to technically start a business and get an LLC and get a domain name. That technically is easy as far as being online and starting a business. Then, cutting through the noise, I think that’s the biggest problem with any new or new-ish, maybe even years one through five, business coaching, consulting, speaking other B2B entrepreneurship ones cutting through the noise is the biggest one, and that’s where I see the tie into Hollywood. Talk about cutting through noise. When you got people, three people at a table in a warehouse, they’re just like, oh God, here, here’s the 96th audition. We’ll do 97 to 98. Let’s just do when you can cut through that kind of noise. Oh my God. You have golden nuggets for the business world. Yeah. And that’s powerful. What, what’s the frequency of your shows? When can people expect to see them or hear them? When it launches in the coming months, at first it’s going to be twice a month, so every other week until I have enough guests to go weekly. I might change that, but at least every other week will be the cadence for the beginning of the show. Watch or listen for the rest of the stories and lessons to be learned! You can get my book here: “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea”