There’s an article circulating around the internet, and if you’re an actor you’ve probably seen it: “Talent Agents Say Instagram Followers Are More Important than Acting Talent”. It’s a title meant to provoke, and based on the comments, it worked:
“That’s disgusting!”
“What kind of business would hire based on how popular you appear to be?”
“Can you imagine applying for a job as a waiter and having the restaurant tell you to bring in all the customers.”
“I quit!”
I won’t debate the merits of the article. It’s been done. The piece is bait clicky, antagonistic, and apparently the casting director referenced is even misquoted.
But I was surprised by the response. Social media is not the end of the world for actors. On the contrary, it could be considered one of greatest tools we as actors now have to forward our careers. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram can help actors create visibility, grow their network, and build fan bases. And the best part, it’s freeeeee. I’m all about the free.
Tanya Bershadsky, founder of Casting Influence, a casting and talent strategy company which specializes in digital influencers, is not at all surprised by the article’s reception. “Every week I have to talk some 40 year old actor off the YouTube ledge. They’re so upset, and I don’t know why. Everything is a popularity contest. We start out in school with popularity contests. It never stops, so why is everyone upset about it?”
An actor’s ability to work has always been linked to the size of their audience. It’s why stars like Johnny Depp and Jennifer Lawrence get paid the big bucks – they bring large audiences with them. Name recognition is still what counts, but for the first time you don’t have to book a huge TV role or or a film lead to earn it. There are tools out there that give you the same advantages in casting desirability that were previously only available to a small percentage of the acting elite.
Will Keenan, President of Streamup and former President at Endemol Beyond USA, says, “even when I was at Maker Studios, heads of studios would tell me they don’t even look at anyone anymore unless they have this many subscribers on YouTube, this many followers on Twitter. The digital stars are who Paramount is calling in now. Agents are saying ‘we have this incredible digital influencer who can bring in 200k or a million people to preorder the VoDs on a $500,000 movie’.”
Keenan, a former actor himself with several indie film leads to his name, has seen both sides of the issue first hand. “When I was studying acting at NYU it was all about the craft. Become the most talented person in the room and you’ll be discovered. But it’s a lie. You’ve got to fish where the fish are.”
“The new rule is get famous first, and do whatever it takes to make that happen. After I quit (acting), I used to joke around that I was one sex tape away from super stardom. People who get famous through sex tapes and social media, they all get a shot. Now, if they don’t have the talent to back it up, sometimes they disappear.“
Many celebrities have jumped on the social media bandwagon too. Just the other day news broke that Maisie Williams, known for her role on Game of Thrones, has launched her own YouTube channel. “She’s already a success. If the end-all be-all were getting on a hit show, she’s done. But nowadays you have to do it all,” says Keenan.
It’s pretty easy to get started. We all have smartphones with built-in cameras. All you have to do is turn it on and you’re performing on YouTube and Instagram, and in the case of apps like Periscope, it’s in front of a live audience. But growing that audience takes time and effort.
A common misconception is that all you need to do is shoot a video in your bedroom, upload it, and voila, you’ve got millions of followers. Bershadsky laughs, “The YouTubers I know work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s non-stop.”
It’s a lot of work, but crazy as it sounds, social media can be fun.
I recently moved to LA from New York and I was eager to start shooting. So I thought, what can I create in the now and how can I do it primarily by myself? Instagram was my initial answer, I started an account called LA Adventourists where I document my adventures in LA. I don’t have a million subscribers yet, of course, but it’s something I enjoy doing and people have started to follow what I share online. As that audience grows, they will follow me to other projects, including my acting projects.
Self promotion doesn’t come naturally for all of us. As a digital non-native, I was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of broadcasting my life over the interwebs and avoided it for years.
But acting is a difficult profession, and the chances of succeeding are slim. There are many factors which go into becoming a success, and talent is only one of them. Thanks to the internet and social media we have additional tools to further our careers.
As Bershadsky says, “even if it’s not in your DNA, force it. We’re now at a time where you have to just do it. The time and energy you spend being upset about the need to use social media could be used to figure out how to set up you your tweets for the day.”