While I do not do it often, from time to time, I’ll get an email from a terrific member and I am just compelled to use the circumstances for a blog.  Mind you, the identity of any member never matters…as it is the principle…that matters.

The member wrote:

I did not use the vast resources of the network much at all this past year and I think deep down, I don’t believe I will this year.  I don’t know why I don’t.  Maybe I think I should be farther along than I am and so to come in for the discussions, Power Groups or guests feels like I’m stepping backwards.  Crazy, silly and self-defeating probably.

My reply directly to him:

I cannot render an opinion on the “why” of your statement question, and certainly my friend I’m not going to discuss whether this would be crazy or anything else…

What I know brother…is that this is simply a business that has no “clear path” and often times our desire to “work” is borne from many elements.  TAN stands, not only in its Topics/Guests/Resources but as much as anything a “constant” that this profession needs.  We can email, and click on websites, but often what we most need is the “true value” of purpose.

I cannot give you purpose brother, I can only offer the refuge of what this place stands on…and that is “thru line” a place to “remain and continue.”  Yes, this is a profession we can come/go from, without perceived  consequence.  But we both know, to be successful in anything in life, it requires continued focus.  An actor’s life tis not a straight set of stairs, and I totally understand where you feel you “might be” but at times, we think we’re at the bottom when the floor opens and we’re on top.

I’ve taken time to reply …because you’re a good man…but I can only offer thoughts.
Nothing I can say, can alter or change your feelings. These kind of days or literal months that we can slip into as an actor are common.  I’ve said many times that we can be performers anywhere in the world…it does not have to be here in Hollywood.  But if you are going to be here, then why not work hard, and see what happens.

Kind regards,

Kevin E.

From time to time I just like to stop, and take a look at the State of the Industry. When I look around these days I see chaos, but it is a chaos I expected and talked about in 2000. We see it in this country, with our leaders, and we certainly see it with this industry. However, I encourage you to realize that with every decade, and every generation thinks…oh everything is “going to Hell in a hand basket” and in the end…it is just change.

It is imperative, be us actors or not, that we exercise common logic and a certain amount of humility…no matter how successful or confident we may be. At the end of the day, nothing that is going on now…is any different than what has come before…except that now we all have the Internet and cell phones. We live in a 24-hour news cycle, and we seem to take everything so tragically and in extremes…and then totally forget it happened…24-hours later. It is sort of sad.

In watching Bill Maher on HBO he made a great point, as he usually does, when he mildly blasted “us” (the American public) for constantly barking about how long this whole terrible Democratic process is taking between Obama and Clinton. (NO this is not a political email…trust me it is about being an actor.) He barked about how “we want it over” it’s so long and laborious. Excuse me? This is the process many in other countries would almost kill for…a democratic process. Americans like to fancy themselves as “tough, strong, blah blah” when really that is for those who have died standing or believing in something…and NOT “John Q citizen” for he/she I see these days barely has the stomach to get up and go do anything besides order on Netflix.

This point is…that Hollywood is in a HUGE state of change. It started in 2000, before many of you were even here, and it continues. It will likely continue for another 2 years or so before settling a bit. All of the barking and bitching about SAG versus AFTRA and “who sold who out” and the WGA strike and why…and maybe the SAG strike and why…and OMG there really wasn’t a pilot season this past year and what does that mean…OMG OMG OMG.

Folks, relax, it is just time…our time…to rearrange the sock drawer. SAG was founded on a principal, and the movies came into existence, NOT out of a necessity, for the desire to watch The Jester had LONG since existed. It was just that now, The Jester, could be seen in Silent Movies…and then the Talkie. That terrible change then, is now a multi-billion dollar industry and it ain’t going anywhere but up. Yes, there are growing pains, and new definitions for certain aspects of it. But just breath.

Who cares if there is no longer a pilot season? What difference does it make if instead of casting/shooting 120 pilots, in 90 days, is replaced by casting/shooting 10 per month throughout the year? SAME NUMBER. We get so emotional and caught up in “holy shit” what next Batman…that we MISS the value of change…that is right in front of us.

Remember this you guys. Now that technology has made “on demand” a way of life, and the varied delivery platforms more accessible to us all, we will have a lot more people…around the world who can pay…for our product. Many families cannot afford to take their family to the movies because it will cost $90 nowadays, and before they had to wait years or months to see it released in the video store, on VHS and now DVD.

The 24-hour news cycle mentality and the timeline content is now released beyond the movie theatre means what folks? They gotta MAKE MORE of it NOW. So if they spend 200 million making two movies or 200 million making 6 movies…who cares, it is 200 million, and in the end you now have four more chances to be cast in something. Additionally, back in the day, Pilot season was “make it or break it” and now were moving into a world and time when the word “Pilot” is simply more applicable…it is a “Test Balloon.” If the show flies…great, if it doesn’t, no biggie. We didn’t commit millions, and we’ll try something else.

Do know what this REALLY means to the unknown actor? It means that all of the Studio Execs and Network peeps are not COUNTING on YOU or that “name actor” to make sure that a few Pilots “make their year or break it.” And what does that mean you guys? It means that they will be MORE LIKELY…by my crafty sense of LOGIC…to be willing to cast lesser known actors in their Pilots because they have not “bet the house” on this one show or that one show…and if it doesn’t gain an audience in 3-6 episodes…they’ll move on. This is NOT a bad thing.

In the last 8 years the number of Host jobs quadrupled because of reality/magazine programming popularity. This is not a bad thing. Yes commercials have changed and will continue to do so, but everyday manufacturers still have to create “new and improved” products and every time they do they need a V/O spokesperson or an entertainment format to deliver the message. Folks, the second the Internet and TV become one in the same, is the second that MORE programming and more advertising will be needed. This is not a bad thing.

Stop worrying about how AFTRA and SAG will be without being inextricably tied to one another. I’ve been here 21 years and the talk of Merger had existed 15 years before I even became an actor. The marriage was NEVER going to happen, we just finally are in a place as an industry where the official divorce from a marriage that never existed, had to be made public. Big deal, move on. Trust me, this is not a bad thing, as what the two “unions” are about…can easily stand on their own.

Not only in our Democratic candidates, but also within the entertainment industry, you are currently in the middle of HISTORY. What is going on right now is historical, for all of the lousy shit happening around the world. The treatment of one-another, to me, is at an all-time low in my lifetime. I have never seen a 5-year stretch in which I’m almost ashamed sometimes to be here because so few people live their lives by “The Golden Rule.” Yet at the same time, we live in an era and age, where storytelling and entertainment can affect so many, so quickly for very little money. In the end, why do writers write, and why do we perform? Answer: to entertain, move and affect others via the escape route of their mind.

You couldn’t pick a more important time in our 5000+ years to pick up a pen, buy a camera, or stand on stage “at curtains rise” and share something with the rest of the world. Stop panicking about “what was” as it is gone. Look to what it can be, and what you can be …in it. As Bill Maher said, don’t be “upset” how about “growing a set.” You have never had a better time in the MOVING PICTURES era (no not an Album from Rush) to be in this profession. You have so much at your disposal.

We have just become a very lazy nation of babies who want everything now, and want to be considered good at everything, just because we’re breathing. The one thing that technology will never change is the omnipotent value of proficiency and talent that is borne from a long term dedication. You don’t get that by simply having a computer or buying a camera…but WOW…how easy it is these days to begin and how easy it is to “test” the Pilot of your dreams. And this…is not a bad thing.

Yes, I am a bit edgy at times (insert laughter from many who’ve know me for years), and yes, I am a bit cocky at times, and yes, I am a bit firm in my demeanor at times but it has always been from the perspective that this profession may be about artistry and performance…but that is us talking…when in truth it is about money, for those who risk thousands and millions on YOU…when they hire you. So have some reverence for what they risk, have some respect for those who have come before you, and although someone being “bad or good” is often in the eye of the beholder…but certain levels of proficiency can be seen by all. Remember that what will always win, in a subjective scenario, is the surrounding awareness that you care about “the quality of your time” on this plane…at least seriously enough…that we want to go WITH you…on the journey. Actors who treat this art/profession with indifference, very often will treat their life with indifference and that is not either attractive, nor interesting.

We are on the precipice of our 17 year Anniversary here at The Actors’ Network. I did not think nor know what I was starting when I started it, as there was no path, and there certainly weren’t any others to mirror or learn from when it came to what I wanted this place to be…to you. And with the passion of Paulo, and many of the members who have come, gone…and still remain, we therefore…remain.

We still stand, and function in a way, that most acting services do not, and for that I will never apologize, as what we stand for, is not…a bad thing…even if, sometimes, it ruffles your artistic feathers.

I stand, as always, on your side.
Kevin E. West – President/Founder
The Actors’ Network

As a veteran working actor it frustrates me that we even have to discuss the concept of weighted voting and marginalizing our fellow members…but unless we change our union jurisdictional philosophy it may become necessary. It goes against every ounce of philosophical fairness by which I’ve lived my life, however, our Guild is unique and its unionized value is different. My personal alternative would be to begin finally discussing jurisdictional re-alignment within our two Unions, but for now that is a subject for another day.

The world’s economy and technology have forever changed our industry, how we are employed, and our product is created/distributed. We are unlike any other unionized group in the U.S., and it has its pros and cons.

We simply have too many members of SAG, who for many reasons, are not very involved with their union and its issues. This isn’t a judgment, simply a fact. Too many members who booked one job by happenstance or special circumstance now have no active interest in being a paid professional. And sadly too many members, by virtue of the voucher system, have gotten their SAG card…but in all honesty are not actively focused on getting consistent principal work.

The time may be upon us, for the betterment of all SAG members, that the voting be weighted and allow those members who have the most to lose, as well as the most regular experience engaging in and working with our agreements, to have the most strength when it comes to voting. Remember our strength for 70 years, until recently, came from the percentage of the top name performers who could go on strike and truly shut Hollywood down. We’ve lost that and the Studios and Networks know it. To continually move us all forward we need Cruise, Hanks, Penn, Robbins, Streep, Nicholson, Carey, Smith and all other A-Listers to want to cast a vote and be involved in the leverage negotiation of our work contract and residual payments.
A union divided by apathy, and inactivity, is nothing more than a social group.
My best always,
Kevin E. West – President/Founder

Way back in the day, when I had moved to Hollywood, I packed a small recorder. As I drove across the country from Atlanta…I spent a lot of time talking to myself. This is pretty common, on such a journey, for us all. Four years after arriving in L.A., I founded The Actors’ Network and many of the thoughts and feelings I recalled on my trip here…found their way into my Founder’s Note and then our 10 Commandments.

Founder’s Note
First of all, welcome. Welcome to my home, now your home. May you find the experience positive, fulfilling, and helpful. I conceived of The Actors’ Network out of a dream, literally. I sat straight up in bed at four o’ clock in the morning and could not sleep for the rest of the night. I quickly grabbed a tablet and started scribbling down ideas. Of course, as the old expression goes, “Hell is paved with good intentions.” In my four years then and many more now, I’ve seen a lot of talented people with a lot of good intentions. I’ve seen a lot of excited people with a lot of good ideas. The reality is, it takes more than good ideas, talent, energy, hard work, persistence and luck to be successful. It takes them all. As with my career, your career or The Actors’ Network, success cannot be achieved without consistent attention and focus.

Whether you’re sacrificing a tough relationship, a weekend trip or being popular amongst your pals, sacrifice is necessary to succeed in this business. You will not find one successful person in this world who hasn’t left at least a short trail of disappointed people in their wake. Your dream is only your dream, most others cannot conceive it or believe in it, it is yours. If it burns strong enough inside of you, you’ll have to follow it, no matter where it leads.

I have a dream.

In 1987 I drove across the state line full of vigor, spunk, fire and gumption in a beat up Chevy Citation. There wasn’t a place called, The Actors’ Network, to help me out. There were, and still are, a lot of books on the shelf that supposedly tell you what to do, but they really don’t. I learned about Hollywood through effort, mistakes and other actor experiences. One of the main reasons I have been driven to build The Actors’ Network is because of one very old cliché: “Learn from the mistakes of others, you don’t have time to make them all yourself.” If any of the mistakes I’ve made can help you, then I have succeeded in my dream. If the experience of a fellow actor can save you time and money, then The Actors’ Network has succeeded. Hollywood can be a terribly painful place. The product is a human being. It is you, me, your best friend, your spouse or even your parent. We constantly fight the insensitivity of those on the other side of the camera. For those who choose to pursue the dream we are here for you. It’s not about judging what someone else does or doesn’t do for a living. It is about loving who we are and what we strive to become. I hope The Actors’ Network helps each member steer clear of at least one bad experience, helps another member find the courage to take charge of their life, or yet another to realize that maybe this isn’t what they really want. We can assist in lifting each other above the Hollywood sign and proclaim, “Yes, yes I made it, I beat the odds!,” and still climb down from that sign as humble as we were before.

Patience, humility, mutual respect, a friendly ear and a sincere purpose will go far no matter what your life’s pursuit. I’ve come to realize the real challenge in Hollywood is to know that being a good person on the planet really does matter. Trust me, it does. After all, we’re human and no one gets out of here alive. It is the art that keeps most of us going. It’s that rare opportunity to go deep inside ourselves and touch a place so special that it touches others …and changes their lives. Remember successful people do all the things that unsuccessful people don’t want to do.

Cheers to You,
Kevin E. West - President/Founder

Composed by Kevin E. West, in 1991.
The Actors’ Network 10 Commandments
1. Be proud of who you are, and what you do.
2. Persistence, motivated by passion is omnipotent.
3. Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves.
4. Knowledge is POWER…period!
5. Concern yourself with the effort and the result will take care of itself.
6. You are responsible to YOU. Do not rely on others, for no one will ever care more about your career than YOU!
7. An organized and educated actor will create more opportunities and be more prepared for them.
8. You have the right to apply for any job directly to the potential employer.
9. The daily pursuit of your career is not a chore, but a chosen love. If it is not, please do something else.
10. Only one person gets hired, if it’s not you, it may as well be someone you know and respect.

Happy Thanksgiving and welcome back to the TAN blog, and our on-going educational conversation about the exciting world of professional commercial, film and television acting from the business side of the industry. In the near future we will be posting our on-going podcast series. You will have the chance to listen to both Kevin and Paulo Andrés discuss many of the topics and issues facing today’s performer in Hollywood and beyond.

We cannot stress expertise enough in our quest to assist you with your career. The actor/performer aspect of the entertainment industry is hands down the least accurately educated profession of any in our country. If you think it really doesn’t matter because well it is just “luck” or it is a “lottery ticket” industry or whatever your reason we need to be sure and remind you…yes it does. The old cliché holds true: Knowledge is power!

The leadership of The Actors’ Network between Kevin E. West and Paulo Andrés, are cumulatively more than 40+ years of active Hollywood expertise. The more you know, and in acting, the more you know from trusted sources…it is an absolute advantage. In addition to that you will get a nice mix of blog posts by our trusted Power Group facilitators. These are individuals who have spent years of intelligent and pro-active time in Los Angeles and are all Lifetime members of The Actors’ Network, after being hand-picked by Kevin and Paulo for their service to TAN.

Have a great remainder of the Holiday season.
Kevin

Welcome to The Actors’ Network blog. You have just stepped into a whole new world. Since 1991 TAN, as we will refer to ourselves throughout this blog, has been a unique pioneer, leader, and beacon for the professional performer within and beyond Los Angeles. While we certainly applaud the performer, performances, and the art of our profession, the reality is: a huge percentage of this profession is a business.

The TAN blog is dedicated to assisting your understanding of common acting obstacles as well as to increase your knowledge, awareness and understanding of the professional acting world as it is in Hollywood. However, do know that a large percentage of the information and perspective you will receive from our blog is applicable in your city too.

Our professional best,
Kevin E. West (President/Founder)