Resources Revealed: Self-Management for Actors by Bonnie Gillespie

One of the first resources I found when I started being intentional about an acting career was Self-Management for Actors by Bonnie Gillespie (https://www.facebook.com/groups/60616358688) Unfortunately, due to some changes made by Facebook, the group is paused indefinitely. However, the private group, Ninja Self-Tape Challenge (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ninjaselftapechallenge/) is very much active. (See below for additional info on this private group)

In this private group I saw a “30 day self-tape challenge”, where you commit to making a self-tape every day for 30 days (in a row preferably 😉). That was a lot to bite off, especially since I was still working about 10 hours per day in my day job. I am certainly glad I picked up the gauntlet!

For 30 days (in a row) I put myself on tape following prompts or suggestions another member was kind enough to post. Suggestions such as “tape a co-star scene”, “a scene with multiple eyelines”, “a scene in less-than-optimal conditions”, etc.

Completely unknown to me at the time I started the challenge, something very rare occurred in Little Rock, Arkansas on day 31. There was an open call for the film God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, starring Academy Award winner Tatum O'Neal, John Corbett, and Ted McGinley. When I went in for this audition, I was more comfortable in front of a camera than I had ever been in my life! Even though I had been by myself when I self-taped, I had been getting feedback and improving my technique every day for a solid month. I booked the role and now had a full-length feature film with a national release! After that I was able to get representation in other markets, and auditions for bigger projects. This was only a small step in the right direction, but a very important one for me.

Your experience may be different, but I’ve come to believe that the “break-out role” I’d always dreamed of is a fallacy. The moderate success I’ve been blessed with has been made gradually over time.

FOOTNOTE:

Here are a few notes about the group Ninja Self-Tape Challenge found on their page.

“In order to create a ninja environment that is safe and supportive, only members of the Self-Management for Actors group https://www.facebook.com/groups/SMFAninjas are admitted here.

If you want to read more about the self-tape challenge, you can visit the following pages:

Self-Tape Challenge written by Bonnie Gillespie

http://bonniegillespie.com/blog/self-tape-challenge

Sarah Demeestere's experience of her Self-Tape Challenge http://bonniegillespie.com/blog/sarah-demeestere-self-tape-challenge

Only members can see who's in the community and what they post.

Anyone can find this community.”

Next week I plan to write about my favorite resource, WeAudition.com!