The Actor's Toolkit
My Three Favorite Hacks to Grow Your Career

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Hey, I'm Martin Bentsen and I want you to ROCK your career!

​Have you ever felt overwhelmed as an actor? Conflicting advice, expensive classes and headshots, plus zillions of actors all competing for the same small number of roles?? 

It can feel like making it is just a pipe dream - especially since it's almost impossible to know who to trust and who just wants to take your hard-earned money. That's exactly why I created these three special hacks. ​I'll lay them out in a moment, but just in case you don't know me, here's a quick bio:

I've had the opportunity to help over 4,000 actors with their headshots, reels, marketing strategies, techniques, and more since I started in 2009, and my number one goal has always been to help my clients take on a leadership role in their acting careers.

​​I've spoken at NYU, Actor's Connection, and The Actor's Green Room, and I've been fortunate enough to have built the #1 Yelp and Google rated headshot studio in New York called City Headshots.

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​The Actor's Toolkit
My Three Favorite Hacks to Grow Your Career

Each of these can be used right now. Try them out and see the results for yourself!

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Hack #1: Natural Networking
​Build Relationships With Casting Directors Easily & Quickly

I’ve used this exact strategy to become friends with major industry players, including Mari Lyn Henry, agent Margaret Emory, casting directors Kim Graham and Alison Franck, and many others.

So what’s the secret? Well, there’s actually no secret at all. It’s not even a technique so to speak, in that there’s nothing sneaky about it. It’s all about being genuine and honest, and that’s why it works so well.

Appreciation and specificity.
​
If you thank someone for something valuable and specific that they helped you with, they will most likely feel compelled to respond. If you show someone how they’ve helped you, they’ll feel good about themselves and want to connect with you.

Casting directors love to hear when they’ve helped someone, especially if that person is extremely specific in their email about how they benefited from the casting director’s advice.

​Here is a very simple, step by step method you can use to connect with almost any casting director in the industry— even if you haven’t met them yet:

Natural Networking

1. Decide on a casting director you’d like to make a connection with. You can use Casting About, Google, or even IMDB Pro to find casting directors' names.
2. Look up their name online to find some content. Select interviews, podcasts, social media posts or YouTube videos related to them.
3. Watch/read/listen to the content and take some notes on things you learn or find interesting.
4. Send the casting director a simple email (or social media direct message) thanking them for helping you learn something. Your message should be short but specific to what they taught you, where you found it, and how you’re going to use what you learned to further your acting career.
   1. ​“Hi Cindi, I just wanted to thank you for the blog post you were featured in at [WEBSITE URL]. You spoke about how actors should always keep their slate extremely natural — as though they’re talking to a friend. I actually didn’t know this! I will definitely be trying it out at my next audition and will let you know how it goes. Thank you!!! – Martin”
5. Chances are the casting director will respond and say something along the lines of, “I’m glad it was helpful to you!”
6. But even if they don’t respond, you’ll want to follow up about 2-3 weeks later telling them how you used their advice and anything that has changed for you.
   1. ​“Hey, Cindi — just a quick update. I tried your technique of saying my slate more naturally, like I’m talking to a friend, and I just got my first callback in a few months! Not sure whether it was specifically the slate that made the difference, but I think slating in a more natural way helped me perform better during the actual audition itself. Thanks again for the advice   – Martin”
7. Then, once every 6-8 weeks, you can continue keeping in touch with them. And if you notice they are casting something you’d like to audition for, you’ll have built enough of a relationship that you can contact them directly and ask if they’re open to you sending in a self-tape. Here are three simple ways to keep in touch:​
   1. Introductions to people in the industry: If you become friends with or meet casting directors, filmmakers, producers, or agents in the industry, ask them if they'd be interested in connecting with other people you know. If they say yes, you can introduce them to other people, and they will often appreciate those introductions. Think about who would benefit from knowing who – for instance, casting directors often want to meet producers because producers are likely to hire them.
      1. Hi NAME! I recently met casting director NAME and she mentioned that she's looking to meet some [filmmakers, directors, actors, etc.], so I immediately thought of you. Would it be helpful if I introduced you to her? Hope you're well.
   2. Tickets to shows: If you're in a show (or showcase) that's convenient for the person of interest to get to, offer them two free tickets for free to see the show. This is appreciated because they can take a friend with them, and since you've bought them two tickets instead of just one (like most actors do), not only will you stand out but you'll also put the person in a better mood while they're seeing your show – since they're bringing a friend. Being in a good mood while watching you can only improve your chances of them liking you, right?
      1. Hi NAME! I hope you're doing well. I recently got cast in ____________________ and it's a really great, fun show. I'd love to buy you two tickets if you're interested so you can have a fun evening. I checked and the location of the theater is pretty close to you, so it should be convenient. Please let me know if you'd like me to order the tickets!
   3. Keeping them apprised of your successes: Keep them up to date with the biggest things you book or get callbacks for. Updating them every couple months on the latest shows you've booked will keep them interested in you and will make them see you as more experienced. This works even better if you show them how something they taught you helped you book the job.
      1. Hi NAME! Just wanted to reach out to say hello and update you on the latest. This past month I got cast in a new show, playing  _________________ in ___________________! I actually wanted to thank you because you taught me ______________________, which played a big role in my booking the job because _______________________. I hope everything is good with you, and that you're staying warm this holiday season!

Want to go deeper on this strategy and learn how to connect with more people in the industry?

Check out The Practical Performer.

Hack #2: Audition Anchors
​Audition Better By Creating an "Anchor"

Here's a cool little technique from an advanced branch of psychology called Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It's perfect for auditions.

Essentially, this technique allows you to instantly feel calm before auditions (even if you're normally extremely nervous) so you feel much more grounded, which results in better performances:

Audition Anchors

1. Sit in a comfortable chair, looking forward. Make sure you're in a place where you won't be disturbed for 5-10 minutes. And be sure to turn off or silence your phone!
2. Close your eyes and deeply think of a time when you felt extremely confident and strong. Really imagine that moment and remember it. FEEL the confidence.
3. Once you're feeling 100% confident and strong, pinch your right hand hard at the skin between the pinky and ring finger. I know that seems weird, but trust me and go with it.
4. Repeat this process at least another 2-3 times, each time making sure you're in a deep state of confidence before you pinch yourself. Be sure to pinch yourself in the same exact place each time.
5. You've just created an anchor, and now need to test it. You can test the anchor by relaxing completely (not feeling confident), and then pinching yourself in that exact place. Suddenly, you'll notice a surge of confidence and your state will completely change – without you even needing to think of the memory!
6. Now, imagine you're just about to go in for an audition. Focus on it very strongly, and feel the fear or nervousness you experience.
7. Now, pinch your hand in that exact place again! Suddenly, that nervousness will evaporate and be replaced by a feeling of total confidence and strength.
8. Now get out there and go to an audition! Any time you're feeling fearful before an audition (or at any point in life), all you have to do is pinch yourself there and suddenly you'll feel confident and calm.

Want to go deeper on this strategy and learn how to better prepare for auditions?

Check out The Practical Performer.

Hack #3: The 5-Word Brand
Find Your Brand in Just Ten Minutes

Most actors either don't know what their brand is or feel too overwhelmed at having received so many different words for their brand, that they have no idea what to do with all the info.

The 5-Word Brand technique is a way to simplify your entire brand down to just five words and it can be done immediately without the need for taking an entire branding workshop. It's a great place to start, and then you can slowly expand on it over time as you learn more about yourself.

The 5-Word Brand

1. Draw a line down a sheet of paper, labeling one side “Negative” and the other side “Positive.”
2. Think of television shows, theater productions, or films you know. Come up with 2-3 specific characters from those shows that you could see yourself playing and write their first names down.
3. With those names on hand, write down 3-5 words that describe the personality traits they have in common. Put the positive words in the “positive” column and the negative words in the “negative” column.
4. Think of someone who you deeply admire and look up to (ideally you should know them personally, though it's not required). Write down the 3 personality traits they have that you admire most about them in the “positive” column.
5. Next, think of someone you really dislike. Think of the 3 personality traits they have that you most dislike. Write them down in the “negative” column.
6. Now, take a look at all the words you wrote in the “negative” column. When thinking about those words, which one describes you accurately when you’re at your worst? Narrow it down to the one word that most represents you - force yourself to just pick ONE word. We'll call this your Dark Word.
7. Now, take a look at all the positive words you wrote down. Narrow them to the top 3 words that accurately describe you as a person - the ones you are most proud of. Force yourself to come up with just 3, even if you want to have 4! We'll call these your Pride Words.
8. Now, thinking about the character types you most typically get called in for, what would they be? Examples are police officer, student, teacher, intern, gang member, grandmother, etc. If you don’t have enough auditions under your belt to have an answer for this, reach out to at least five people you know (ideally acting teachers or other actors) and ask them what types of characters they could see you playing. Whatever words come up most often are what you should start with. We'll call this your Type.
   1. A quick note on Types: If you're struggling to figure out your Type, remember that it does NOT need to be perfect right now. Feel free to Google "actor types" if you want to get ideas, but you should already have an idea of the general types of characters you get called in for most often. Once you know the kinds of characters you’re being called in for mostly, you’ll have a better idea of what roles to submit for and which to avoid.
9. Now, you’ll need to combine the words together into a sentence like this: A Pride Words Type [who can be Dark Word at times]. An example could be "A humble, funny, and daring high school teacher [who can be dishonest at times]."
10. That's your 5-Word Brand! Now post it somewhere you'll see every day, and start looking for roles that fit. Over time you can expand on it, but this is a great starting point.

Want to go deeper on this strategy and learn how to find your brand in more depth?

Check out The Practical Performer.

P.S. ​Want to Start Booking More Work?

Check out my mini course called The Practical Performer. It goes into great depth on the strategy behind the hacks outlined above.

You'll also learn other "outside the industry" techniques to start booking more work and building a name for yourself in the industry.

Click the button to learn more:

The Practical Performer