Self-Management for Actors: Getting Down to (Show) Business

Praise God! I'm a talent agent and I'm not supposed to suggest anything to actors. I can't suggest where to get your head shots, where to take a class, or where to get anything but by gosh, I can suggest this book!! I love it! I must confess, I read what I want when I want so I haven't actually read it straight through but I have every other page dog eared so I can remember the good stuff on it. This book sits on my desk. When I interview actors, I ask if they have read this book. If they haven't, I always suggest it to them because it is the most comprehensive guide they can use to be the type of actor an agent and casting director would want to work with. Yes, you can find out info on the street but wouldn't you rather hear it from someone who is actually in the game every day and who is making a living as a casting director? Bonnie Gillespie has a much kinder soul and uses her verbiage far gentler than I ever would and that's why I suggest her book. I would probably break an actors will to go on if I told them what they really needed to do to make it happen but Bonnie has such a lovely way of telling an actor what to do that it downright makes me feel like the bitter agent that I didn't set out to be because actors just don't listen to me:) Every single chapter I found myself saying "yes!", "you tell 'em!", "thank you for explaining this!", and the list goes on. She was like on my team and reading it I felt like her cheerleader:) Yes, get really great head shots, yes, meet casting directors and give agents something to pitch and work with, and yes, be a well rounded person who people like and want to work with. I appreciated her positivity, her point of view, and candor. Please actors, read this book and follow the advice in it so you can have the best shot at being successful actors. Thank you, Bonnie for helping to make my job easier!

Bonnie is a genius. Her book is jam-packed with a thoughtful, intelligent approach to pursuing a career that otherwise seems to depend entirely on luck. She will show you how it can be done, if you're willing to work for it. The book can be a little overwhelming at times, but it is so thorough, that any time you're wondering "What should I do today to move closer to my dream of being an actor?", she will have an answer, no matter where you are in your acting career. She presents a sharing-based world of acting, where we help each other out, and encourages you to do research on your work so you can move through the ranks faster. I am just starting out as a serious actress, but I feel like I have a detailed roadmap of where I'm going after reading this book, and I expect to refer to it frequently in the years to come. Bonus: she has many additional and excellent resources on her website, and through her facebook group. So reading the book is just the tip of the iceberg. You are actually walking into a passionate, friendly, determined acting community with this book. 100% recommend for anyone who wants to be an actor (or whose child wants to be an actor)

This book is nothing less than a master class in the business of acting. Definitely not a "10-steps to success" volume you'll breeze through and just put on the shelf, this is one you'll return to over and over as you first start building your career and the tools to build it with, and then again at each stage thereafter. Honestly, there is just too much information, expertise, and insight in this wonderful book to absorb quickly. What's especially valuable about SMFA is that it doesn't pull punches about the realities of the business - how difficult and how time, money, and work intensive it is to pursue a professional acting career. There's no smoke blowing or coddling here, just ALL of the facts and tools and inspiration to carry you over the long haul...written in Bonnie's fantastically conversational and personal voice that you'll hear cheering you on as you do the work she teaches you how to do. This book gives you all the "business" tools you need to build the career you want...if you're willing to do the work and you want it bad enough.But the really amazing, unheard of, benefit of SMFA is what comes after you read it...entry into one of the most supportive, welcoming and generous communities I've ever encountered, and that's because of the example that Bonnie, herself, set with her book and continues to set with her countless online contributions. She tells the truth, guides, inspires, teaches. SMFA is quite possibly one of the best investments you can make in your career.

So here's the long and short of it: if you're a career-minded actor, this is the most valuable book you will ever read that does not involve some kind of religion. In SMFA, author Bonnie Gillespie goes through in near-granular but relatable detail what it's going to take to manage the business side of acting. You can't just be a great talent on the screen or stage if you want a career. There are ways of doing things. Ways to present yourself. Ways to tell a casting director how to cast you that don't involve jumping in the room and proclaiming, "I am your lead." Which may elicit the response, "No, you're not."What Bonnie's providing here is a road map/instruction guide. It covers everything in an acting career from deciding whether and why you want such a career to how to begin to deciding what type you are which leads to how to brand (market/present) yourself (you are the product) to relationship developing to picking a headshot photographer to all the way to deciding whether and why and when to hang it up.This is an invaluable resource, along with the attendant web resources Bonnie invites you to use, that I am so happy to have read here, in the beginning stages of my acting career. It's helped provide direction, an authoritative voice/guide, a way through. The value of that cannot be overestimated.

A great deal of outstanding information for the Professional actor. Written in clear, concise, somewhat informal and comfortable language. It reads more like a huge blog; but don't let that confuse you. I found myself whispering to myself quite a few time while reading: "This is Frigging GOLD!"The author easily gives outstanding advice gleaned from experience as both an actor and CD. The book also points you to the author's dedicated website for important updated information, enhanced tools for the professional, and social interaction within the professional ninja actor's dogo.If I were to criticize anything it would be that the focus is a bit too L.A. I would like to see more emphasis on the other big western markets like N.Y., Canada, and the U.K. A chapter on other international markets would be helpful too: India is a HUGE market and Turkey's television and film industry is growing despite current political challenges.

Could be way more to the point. The book is 400 pages and it can be very rambly at times making you lose some interest.It lacks examples, summaries and some of the advice/topic points can be a bit mundane and unnecessary.However, I do appreciate the effort she has put in to include every single thing, but sometimes the core actually helpful advice can get lost in the chunks of text, making it forgetful. I see how she's designed this book though, in the sense of that you read it through and refer to the in-depth chapters found on the contents page when needed.Encouraging and motivating, I especially like her start at 85% or you never will approach & staying on-brand, as acting is your craft but you need to market it and be business minded otherwise you're just a good product that is never put out there. Bonnie Gillespie is also real in the sense of her views on actors setting themselves up for failure.I look forward to putting her advice into action when I finish my performing arts course. I also recommend Wendy Allane Wright's YouTube videos, Bonnie Gillespie's YouTube and Science of On-Camera Acting by Andrea Morris was very insightful.GL all in your careers (:

Must read for any Actor wanting to take control of the uncontrollable path of pursuing into this great unknown. It’s all in there and covers everything.

It's one of the best acting books I've red. You will learn everything about how to make a business of yourself and covince every casting director that you're the perfect fit for the role. I could not stop reading it. Great work, very helpful ! :)

Eine unterhaltende Reise durch den Lebensraum Schauspieler.Die Möglichkeit am Tag 36 Stunden tätig zu sein erscheint greifbar nahe.Es sind rund 125000 Kollegen aktiv mit tätig, wobei man rund 2000 Stunden mit einem1 Minuten Gespräch verbringt.Zu wünschen wäre:- Anzahl der Arbeitsplätze mit Verdienstspanne- Branchenbewertung zwecks Neueinstieg- Alternative Geldquellen zum Beispiel -> Model in der Modebranche, Taxifahrer