You are a woman in entertainment, pursuing a career in (INSERT Acting, Directing, Producing, Writing, etc. HERE). You are participating in one of the most competitive industries in the world where your gender is still a disadvantage, making your own road map and working as hard as you can to break through and make your living doing what you love. There are lots of ways you are working towards your goals. You are building relationships and rising through the ranks with your creative community at your side. You are opening new doorways and you are upping your creative output. You…
Author: Madeline Merritt
Madeline Merritt
Actress, Freelance Writer - Madeline grew up on stage and has loved telling stories her whole life. From the Bay Area, California, Madeline received her degree in Theatre and Political Science from Northwestern University and moved to Los Angeles in 2008. She recently spent a year in Paris, France but missed the city of Angels and the entertainment industry here. She cares deeply about social issues, including women’s rights, indigenous rights, poverty and the environment. She feels the role of storyteller through entertainment is very important in opening dialogue and creating change in the world. You can see her in The Guest House (available on Netflix, Itunes, Amazon and Time Warner on Demand) and the soon to be released American Idiots, coming to a Redbox near you in June 2013. She is thrilled to continue her journey of collaborating with women in film and television through Ms. In the Biz.
As an actor in Hollywood you may receive many messages about what or who YOU are supposed to be. You try on many characters like changes of clothes, and some fit more comfortably than others. You are told about your LOOK, your TYPE and your ENERGY by many different sources and are often given conflicting advice about how to be a better, more cast-able YOU. You are in a scene-study class, an improv troupe; you take casting director workshops and have even gone to those specialty consultants that pinpoint how you come across to others based on that first impression…
So if you are anything like me, a woman pursuing a career in Hollywood, it can be pretty easy to get discouraged. You look at the statistics and they are daunting: women creators and leaders are hard to find in the top ranks of Hollywood elite. For instance, I was riled up and motivated by a fantastic blog this month, called O Woman, Where Art Thou? which presented the dismal statistics for female directors in television today. In a pool of 3,300 episodes of television produced each year, only 35 women directors work steadily. Yes, only 35! If you read…
THE PLEDGE My year long process of BE-ING the change I wish to see in the world. Starting TODAY. Month One: Acceptance, the tool to liberation! (Or how to get out of your own way and start kicking ASS) One of the hardest things to do in life is to get out of your own way. You: a) Have big dreams, but don’t have a manageable check list. b) Want to accomplish big things, but don’t know where to start. c) Want to expand creatively by developing a new skill, but are afraid of being a beginner. d) Sit…