Maybe you have a hunch that Hollywood is your place. For a while you let the feeling sink in, and it just gets stronger. But how to make it happen? The answer is trying. It will likely take years. Are you ready to make the big leap?
Step
Part 1 of 3: Building a Career
Step 1. Get rid of plan A
If you have a spare, you will use it – to be honest. So that tedious data entry job? Don't like it too much. Don't spend the rest of your life typing, spending 60 hours a week entering numbers and draining all the energy you would otherwise use to go and chase what you really want to pursue. Hollywood should be the only option, otherwise you might back out.
There's a saying for people who want a career in Hollywood: "If you can do something else, do it." Successful people in Hollywood never see themselves doing anything else. This career should be your future. Nothing else is possible
Step 2. Take the course
Whatever you want to do, acting, writing, singing, film, or dancing, take a course. Natural talent is good and great, but you need skill. You need to meet people and work in a similar way. You need to learn from others and have challenges ahead complete with deadlines. You need to find out if this career is something you are truly passionate about and are capable of doing well.
Try courses offered by local community universities or colleges. You could also consider courses at schools for adults, community centers, or online media. And if money is a big deal, maybe you should be your own teacher
Step 3. Present yourself on the internet
Take advantage of today's advanced technology and make yourself visible. Whether it's a film you wrote, directed, and filmed yourself, or a video of your choreographed dance, upload it publicly for the world to see. You never know – maybe you will be found.
Need proof that the internet can be the tool you need? Talk to Kate Upton, Justin Bieber, Bo Burnham, Kim Kardashian, or Carly Rae Jepsen. They are all found on the internet, and only a few names you can count on one hand
Step 4. Get all kinds of experiences you can
Do you have a friend who is studying acting and needs to make an audition tape? Offer to film an audition video for him. Do local schools need choreographers for musical performances? Take that chance. It doesn't matter how small the opportunity – if it relates enough to what you want to do, take it and don't let it go. The opportunity is a step in the right direction.
There's only one thing to consider: don't let small jobs like that hold you back. There is a fine line between building a resume for a job elsewhere and staying at the job. Give yourself a deadline. You're going to be working for the next year or so, and then you're about to head west. This work is only a stopover, not a final destination
Step 5. Keep looking for opportunities
If you fill your day with work, spend your weekends drinking and wearing your pajamas, chances are good luck won't come your way. Those who succeed keep trying and looking for the next opportunity to do what they love. Spend your weekends monitoring ads (like Craigslist), meeting people who might need your services, and selling your name out there. Opportunity will not come twice.
Keep yourself as busy as possible. This will be good on paper and get you to meet as many people as possible. If these people are successful, they already have your number. You can sleep when money is working
Part 2 of 3: Starting a Career in Hollywood
Step 1. Move to Hollywood
So, if you want to be successful in Hollywood, then you have to be in Hollywood. At some point, you have to make the jump. Moving to Hollywood is expensive and not nearly as glamorous as it seems, so make sure you enter it with a healthy level of reality. But this step must be done; when else is the best time to do this difficult step other than now? Moving will also help you feel as if your dream is about to come true.
All right, so "Hollywood" doesn't necessarily mean Hollywood. This means it can be Culver City, Glendale, Los Angeles, Lennox, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and other areas. California is one of the most expensive places in the entire world to live in, and choosing a smaller suburb is likely to cost less than living in Hollywood actually
Step 2. Take any job you can get
If you have the option of delivering mail at a talent agency, shooting location, or production company, take it. If you really have to scrub the scales in the bathroom, do so. For beginners, you need work. Plus, you'll meet people and get a kind of feel for the environment. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the bills won't pay off on their own.
Harrison Ford was a carpenter on the set of Star Wars when George Lucas pulled him in to play Han Solo. It might not be that easy in your case, but it's a step in the right direction
Step 3. If you want to play a role, find an agent
To be taken seriously and not have to take care of a lot of things, find an agent. They will audition for you and make your name known – you just have to do the hardest part of showing up and showing your skills.
- A good agent does not charge a fee. Never pay an agent before you get a job – agents should only get a share of the work they get you for.
- Getting an agent is a somewhat contradictory situation – they have to see you perform or do something. So take any job, even a small one, and record it. You can start making demo recordings to give to the agents you want. In addition, what you need to do is rely on word of mouth and network information.
Step 4. Network, network, network
Is there a party on Friday that looks like it's going to be great, but you only know one or two people going, and that's only through Facebook? Just go. There will be drinking and laughter, and after a while, no one will remember that you are a stranger. You'll meet lots of people, hear about their connections, and possibly get a phone number or two to use to build your network later. The more people you know, the better chance you have of being recommended later.
For the viewer, this method will also help you get an agent. After a few beers, B-grade sitcom star Bobby who knows what, will hand over his agent's business card and say he's going to talk to his agent about you. Every little thing counts, and if you have to make some flirting, go ahead
Step 5. Get used to rejection
You will hear a lot of no. You will practically be swimming in a sea of rejection. Even the most famous celebrities at one point have heard people say they suck. In order to survive and survive in this fierce world of competition, you have to be thick skinned and still believe in yourself. You've made it this far, haven't you?
The life that leads to the life of a star is almost nothing glamorous. Chances are you'll be poor, resent your day job, and think of even the smallest of successes as big things. And rightly so! The work is tough, but you have to believe that one day it will all pay off
Part 3 of 3: Developing a Star
Step 1. Support other people's dreams
How many people can you name who have been successful and successful with their friends? Ben Affleck and Matt Damon? Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau? Actors, writers, and directors often struggle together and inevitably make each other famous. Chances are you'll know dozens of people who share the same goal. Instead of expecting them to fail, it's better to join their profitable venture – they can be your ticket to success.
Always remember the people who helped you when you were older. They support your dreams, so you should support them too, even if you are already successful. Surprisingly Hollywood is a circle of bonding and caring for one another, and getting on well with its people is a wise plan for the future
Step 2. Have a lot of self-confidence
You know all the nos that water you down? You can't really care about it. If taken to heart, you will stop. Logic will take over, feelings of inadequacy will take over, and you will leave the path you have worked so hard for. You have to believe that you are amazing, other people just don't realize it yet. That's the truth.
People who have made it in Hollywood may be seen as a little crazy by those who have never tried. The day and night will be tough until you start to notice that things are starting to happen. You get an agent, you audition, you get a small role in a commercial, and it all keeps you going. Maybe not much, but it's a sign. Let the little things keep your spirits up
Step 3. Be patient
The city of Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was your career. All of this takes years. There are very few people who move to Hollywood and have immediate success. Just like any type of career – you have to work your way up the ladder of success. And if you dedicate yourself, you will.
Hang on. There will be times when you think you are great at accounting or how easy it is to go home and live with your mother. These are only fleeting temptations that will go away. Be patient and stick to your decision. Otherwise, you'll be wondering "what ifs" for the rest of your life
Step 4. Work hard
When you finally start getting a job, work as hard as you can. Spend some time studying your dialogue. Pour six more cups of coffee to complete the script. Always carry the computer by your side like a conjoined twin and practically leave little time for eating and sleeping. Any job you do to the best of your ability may mean an invitation to another job in the future.
Sure, there will be red carpet moments of glamour, but it's also work – especially when you're just starting out. You have to accept the fun side as well as the difficulty. Working hard means making it easier for you to realize how much you've earned
Step 5. Don't listen to anyone
You'll meet people who say you suck, even if you're already at the top. You will meet people who tell you that you have to go a certain way, that you have to curry favor with those people, and that you have to take the path they show you. But the truth? They are all wrong. There is no one way to succeed except to keep trying. Don't listen to anyone, especially negative and pessimistic people. They just want to knock you down or try to make money off of you. They don't deserve any of your time.
There will never come a time when everyone becomes a fan of your work. We all have different tastes, and that's a good thing. Those differences make the world diverse. So even if you're already at the top, ignore this negativity. They really don't matter. You have success and happiness – who needs them?
Tips
- Hold on to your dreams and don't give up. All will be achieved!
- Make sure you love what you do and really want to pursue this career.
