YOU ARE THE BUSINESS

When we set out to build Hollywood South Self Tapes, we knew the undertaking would be an incredible amount of work, culminating in hours, days, and weeks of time and energy. We knew this because we were building a business. Building a business gives your brain new energy and focus.

It's almost always easier to wrap your head around the work when you know it's for business and that you're working toward a common goal such as building a kick ass selftape audition studio.

So, why then is it so hard for us as actors to wrap our brains around the fact that this industry is a business? It's because we still see it for the art.

Now, we're not saying to lose the art, that's far from the solution, but we are saying that to be successful in this industry you have to look at it from a simpler point of view. You're in the entertainment business. There's a big reason the word business is there. In reality, almost all art forms are made up of some type of business. That's not to say you can't create art for the sake of creating art, but the movies were made with paying audiences in mind.

You are the product in this scenario. You're also the CEO, CFO, COO of "You Inc". It's in your best interest to view your relationships, your marketing resources, your self improvement all as part of the necessary tools needed to build the best damn business you can. Companies spend so much time, energy, resources, and money developing and perfecting their products so that they can attract and retain as many customers as possible.

It's no different as an actor. The classes you take, gym you go to, haircuts you get are all part of developing and improving the product; you. The same goes for your relationships with agents, casting directors, producers, and directors.

In any other business, relationships are key to building lasting brands, forming mutually beneficial alliances, discovering new ideas and helping to cultivate lasting friendships that may not pay off immediately, but will often grow into opportunities down the road. It's no different as an actor. When you audition, you're forming relationships with casting and production. You may not be right for that role at that time, but it's those lasting, long-term relationships that will pay off in your auditions further into the future. It really only takes one great project to change your life and trajectory, so don't take any audition for granted.

Remember that this is the entertainment business. Just as we at Hollywood South Self Tapes invested so much into starting the hottest new Atlanta self taping studio, providing actors with unmatched quality and experience, so too should you invest in yourself, in your own product and continue cultivating business relationships that will further your career and art.