In addition to our upcoming January CPA/actors’ taxes seminar annually, we like to host a variety of casting directors, respected coaches, and seminars about the business of show business throughout the year for variety!
We had a dynamic room of proactive actors interested in forwarding their careers in attendance for career coach Shawn Tolleson’s September 29th Casting Networks free Inside the Industry seminar.
I particularly liked the pragmatic, goal setting timeline & Breakthrough Goal worksheet that Shawn uses in her Strategy Coaching. Our seminar together was very interactive and here is a “taste.”
Shawn’s biography-
Career Coach Shawn Tolleson and her company Strategy Coaching™ have worked with thousands of individuals in the entertainment industry in causing career breakthroughs that take individuals to the next level. She has coached actors from being on the outside of the industry, looking for a “break,” to being working professionals who book TV, film and commercials regularly and make their livings as actors. She has coached writers to securing TV staff writing jobs, directors to attaching star actors to their projects, and producers to securing financing for their projects. She has coached cinematographers and DPs to booking their dreams jobs, and to breaking through to a whole new level of work—quality, consistency and prestige. Recently, her clients have booked jobs working with Julia Roberts, Tarsem, Peter Berg, Ray Liotta, Jay Mohr and on shows for AMC, ABC, FOX, TNT, HBO and more. She regularly speaks to packed auditoriums at Women In Film, AFTRA, SAG, Scriptwriter’s Network, Alameda Writer’s Group, LA Film School, National University, and more.
Shawn began, “Hi everybody! Welcome! I am going to start by acknowledging you as Tracy said for coming out bright and early on a Saturday morning. When I work with clients, one of the things that I like to talk about is the difference between commitment and interest. Interest being sort of a special attention that we have for something and commitment being compelled to action and when you show up for a 10:30 seminar on a Saturday morning, there is a level of commitment you have to your career. Those are the kinds of people that I work with. It’s really great to see you here this morning. Thanks for coming out!”
Shawn continued, “Okay…so I just want to get a little bit of the ‘lay of the land’ of who is in the room this morning. Raise your hand if you’re an actor. Okay good. Raise your hand if you’re also a writer. Good… great. Producers in the house? Directors? Good… we have a multi-hyphenate. That hand is not going down at all! Whatever I say, she does it. [laughter] We’ve got a couple of make-up artists in the room as well. Anything you are that I have not mentioned that you must let me know that you are right now? Shout it out because I want to hear it. A young woman said, ‘How about dancers?’ Dancers, okay good…great! A man said, ‘Stunt Coordinator & stage combat.’ Okay excellent! Then who here is new to the business? Raise your hand if you’re new to the business. Who here has been in the business five years? 10 years or longer? 20 years… do we have veterans? [laughter] More than 20 years… I know we have a few of those in the room too. Excellent okay. I acknowledge you wherever you’re at in the business for coming out today because if you’re new to the business, I will tell you from my observations is that a lot of people sort of ‘flounder around’ trying to understand how this business works. We’re going to talk more about it works and structures for accomplishment and all that kind of stuff in a minute but I find that a lot of people waste time. Getting a structure and team set up around your career is absolutely necessary to keep moving forward in your career.”
Shawn went on to say, “If you’ve been in the business for a long time, even a medium time because even a medium time can be like a long time. I applaud you for being here as well because I find that there’s a tendency in this business and this industry to sort of think you understand it, have some cynicism, the skepticism, maybe even a little bitterness… [laughter]… it’s not quite fast enough for you or it’s not quite the way you think it should and there is an unwillingness to be open to tools that can really have a profound impact on your career. I acknowledge you and be willing to be what I call ‘coachable.’”
Shawn then conducted a very interactive session of career goal setting for two of attendees in front of the group and spoke about career breakthroughs. She then partnered people up to help the other person work on their career goals and one-year vision and vice versa. Two of Shawn’s clients also spoke of their career successes. Although much too complex to address here, Shawn allowed me to include Strategy Coaching’s helpful Breakthrough Goal worksheet. (Please only use it for your personal use as it is copy-written)
Thank you Shawn! To contact Shawn, here is her website-http://entertainmentcareerstrategy.com/
Email Tracy, or find her on IMDB
Seminar Recap