Back To Business: What Does It Mean To Be "Paid?"

The Back-To-Business Series: Index


Hey everyone. Me again! Before I get started on today's topic, I want to apologize for my spotty posting schedule of late. Simply put... things are getting busy here in Portland, and it's leaving me less time for sitting in the office and writing. In coming weeks I'll still strive to post a new Back-To-Business entry every Monday... but if I don't make it, you can bet I'm probably on set or prepping for my next project (there are OODLES coming up - I'm going to have a very busy August!) Be sure to put your email address in the box on the right-hand-side of this page, so changedetection.com emails you when a new post is added - or follow me on Twitter or Facebook. That's the best way to assure you're in-the-know when a new post pops up here.

So... as I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm going to be spending the next several entries talking about the resources we actors - and all businesses - need to manage so we can be successful and stay in business. Before we get into the specific areas represented in the "golden triangle," though, I want to speak to something that's important to all of us: getting paid.


Chances are if you're reading this, you consider yourself a professional. Professionals don't work for nothing; they expect compensation for what they do... that's one of the things that makes them "a professional."


Compensation, though, isn't "all about the money." Remember, as I've said so many times before, money is just a resource... and you've got other resources to manage in your acting career. A professional actor is no different than any other professional - s/he should never work for nothing... but that doesn't mean money is an actor's only concern when looking at the compensation offered for his or her work.



Now, I can already feel some of you starting to steam... bear with me. I'm not saying that actors shouldn't be paid money - hell, I like money! I like money a lot! I'm just saying that there are considerations beyond the money. Look, read all the way to the end before you pass judgement on what I'm saying - and then let me know what you think via email or twitter. I can take it (and besides, we have to put SOMETHING up on Wednesday :) )



Take another look at the "golden triangle" above... go ahead, scroll up. I'll wait.

No, really... I'll wait.

Still waiting...



Ok, you're back. The triangle represents the resources we actors use to conduct business, and as I said in my last post we need to find a way to balance those resources. There's more to "the business" than that, though - the real trick of any business is finding a way to build these resources while finding a way to balance them.


You probably understand this concept when it comes to your money... we all want to increase our money without spending too much in the process. That's called profit, right?

Well, the other resources in our triangle work the same way... we all need more time, right? Never enough hours in the day to get everything done... but we don't want to spend so much time trying to "get organized" that we end up late for that next appointment! We also don't want to gain the reputation that we don't have the time to devote to a project, or an important contact who might bring us money. We have to find a way to build more time into our lives, while still being open to those who want to pay us that money we're so worried about!


And speaking of "worrying about the money..." we also don't want to get the reputation that we're always after money... that the paycheck takes precedence over everything else! We want to spend our time working on things that mean something to us, right? That means being comfortable enough with our money that we can negotiate - but not come across as greedy or desperate about our rent!


So, what's all this got to do with the topic of today's article... gettin' paid? Like I said above, actors need a pool of all three resources in the "golden triangle" to do business... and they need to add to that pool with every project - the more you have of one resource, the easier it is to balance the others! How do you get more of these resources, though, to add to the pool?


You get them from being compensated for your work, of course. An actor should never work for nothing... but s/he should keep all three resources in mind when considering how he or she will be paid for that work.


Yes, money is important... will that project you're considering add to your reputation? Will you meet important contacts who will help you gain money down the line? Will and those industry contacts see you work in the finished product, and tell their contacts about you... thus saving you time down the road when you skip the audition and go straight to the producers?


How much time will the project take? Will it save you the time it takes to build solid material for a demo reel that can increase your reputation with those people I just mentioned who are looking to hire you? Is the money you'll be paid worth the time you're putting into the project? If you don't think your reputation will be increased by the project (because it's for a small audience, for instance... or because you're not allowed to use it on your reel) - is the money you're being offered worth it?


Above all else, caveat emptor folks... no one's going to look out for your business. No one's out to be sure you have all your resources covered. When considering what you're going to be paid for a project, remember that YOU'RE the one who runs your business... you're the one who's in charge of building it up to the next level. You're the one in charge of building - and balancing - those resources.


Let's get to work...


-Harold

Back-To-Business: A Question of Balance

The Back-To-Business Series: Index

I introduced you to the "Golden Triangle" in our last "Back-To-Business" article (I would say "last week's article," but as you know... we had a small problem there...) We're going stay focused on managing the resources you - and any business - use to generate profit over the next few weeks, and you'll notice that I'm going to keep coming back to this Golden Triangle as we do so. You see, the Triangle is a tool to remind us of the resources we need to keep track of - and it's a symbol we can use when we think about the way we run our acting business.

There are a couple reasons why the Triangle is... well, a triangle. The most obvious is that there are three basic resources you need to manage in your acting career. A lot of actors get stuck on the money - and it's understandable, since you're trying to make money as an actor without spending too much money in the process (that's how you measure the profit of your business, after all... the amount you've brought in versus the amount you've spent.) Money's just one of the resources you need to to actively manage, though, to have a successful career. Time is just as important, as is your reputation amongst those in "the business" - and amongst your audience.

There's another, more subtle reason for the triangle in the symbol above. I use that shape as a reminder to keep all my resources in balance. As actors, we strive for balance in our daily lives... balance between work and play, between feeding our souls and feeding our bellies, between pursuing work and actually working... it's a long list. Balancing our business resources, however, is just as important as balancing our personal life.

What do I mean? Well, lets think about our personal lives... if we spend too much time working, and not enough time with our families, our personal relationships suffer. If we spend too much money at the bar and and we don't have enough to cover our rent, our finances suffer. Spend too much time at our "survival job" and not enough time acting? Then our hearts suffer. I'm sure you've enountered at least one of these scenarios in your own life... we have to balance the things we need (work, family, friends, fun) to live a happy and fulfilled life. I'm not saying that's an easy thing, mind you... but its something every human strives for.

Businesses strive for the same balance in their "lives" - but they seek to balance the resources they need in order to be successful. HP, for example, needs certain resources to make their products, and to generate a profit. They need raw materials like silicon and plastic and glass... they need workers to assemble their products, sell them, and manage daily operations... they need an image or "brand" to trade on... and of course, they need the money for all these things. If they spend too much on one of these resources (such as personnel), they won't have enough money for another (such as advertising). Similarly, if they run into a shortage of one resources (like raw materials), they'll have to spend more on it... and they won't have enough money to put into other resources. They have to balance the resources they use in order to make their products - and thereby make a profit.

Guess what - your acting business follows the same pattern as your personal life... and HP's business "life" (even if you don't use the same resources they do.) You have to keep your resources balanced to make your product (your performance) and generate a profit. If you devote too much attention to one area (say, money) then another area is going to suffer (the time you could be spending working on your lines - or your reputation in "the business.") And because of the nature of our business, if those areas suffer our personal lives are also going to suffer. Balancing your businesses resources will help you balance your personal life - and will help you stay happy at work and at home!

There's a third reason I use a triangle to help track the resources in our acting business - it's because those resources are interrelated.

As I said above, a lot of actors get stuck on money... but consider - you have to have the time to work in order to get that money. You have to invest your money in building your reputation (headshots and reels aren't free, you know... nor are the drinks at networking events!) If you build a good reputation in your market, directors and producers may start approaching you directly to read for roles (or just hire you outright), thus saving you the time of tracking all over town looking for auditions... but building that reputation takes an investment of time and - in some cases - money!

You see, these resources don't live in a bubble. None of them can be the be-all-and-end-all of your life, or of your business (as I said a couple weeks ago, "business isn't about money!") They all relate to one another, and when you put too much emphasis on one, the others naturally suffer. Keep this idea of balance in mind as we move into a more in-depth look at each resource over the coming weeks.

And for now...

Let's get to work!

-Harold