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"I ams what I ams"   Popeye · Nautical Icon | Poet | Nutrition Advocate

Your "Type" is Your Niche

Embracing the Superpower of Being You

Most people want to be "Special Snowflakes" ...

... except actors ...

... especially stage actors!

They want to be shape-shifters.

But what if this desire to be someone else is actually hurting your chances at success?

Authentic

Authenticity has become sort of a buzz word. Everyone from major corporate brands, to CEOs, to politicians, to Social Media Influencers are all striving to be "authentic."

But why oh why do actors want to be anything but themselves?

Type is Not a "Four Letter Word"

You is what you is ... and that is unique.

If you have a squeaky voice. Great! Start practicing being a cartoon character on a microphone.

You're 6'10"??? Amazing. Get a ball, learn to dribble, and get ready to make a boat-load of money in the next basketball blockbuster.

New actors are so quick to want to play something they are not, and it makes your road harder in many ways.

By being more you, you will be more marketable.

I promise you, there is a casting director who is looking for YOU for their next film project.

But if you hide yourself with "false advertising" they won't know where you are!

Mixed Message

You just purchased your favorite cereal!

You get it home!

You pull out your mom's extra large mixing bowl and a half gallon of milk (plant-based if you don't do dairy of course).

You mouth waters in anticipation of the ensuing sugar rush!

You rip open the box and pour out a large heaping pile of ...

... sardines!?!

What the ...

Unfortunately, I see actors send mixed messages like this all the time.

Your headshot says one thing - polished glamour girl.

You show up as - rugged granola biker with a tattoo sleeve.

Huh???

To make it worse ...

Your Instagram shows the meek book worm.

It confuses people who use short-hand snap judgments to make decisions.

It ain't right, I know. But it's how our brains work!

Our brain can also do some devious things sometimes as well.

Enter the Stereotype!!!

Stereotype vs. Typecast

Let me make something abundantly clear stereotyping is NOT typecasting.

Stereotyping is when someone tries to make you something you are not!

On paper:

Black male

5'7"

Detroit, MI

Stereotype:

Gangster

In reality:

Goofy skinny kid

big teeth

bad posture

excellent diction

Typecast:

Nerd

The descriptions above are referring to the same person.

See the difference?

FOCUS

Bajillion-aire Dan Martell has an amazing acronym for the word FOCUS.

Follow One Course Until Successful.

Look up your favorite YouTuber's first video. I'm willing to bet that what they began talking about and what they are known for now are totally different.

In the beginning they were specific. They did one thing well until they were successful.

They did the one thing they do really well.

They talked almost exclusively about one topic until they reached what Malcolm Gladwell calls the "Tipping Point" where they became so successful that they could talk about anything and people would listen.

That same thing can happen for you too.

Kerry Washington, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, even Dwayne Johnson and many more were "one trick ponies" for most of their early careers.

Now they get to do whatever they want for the most part.

Just look at McDonald's ... they got so good a slinging burgers that now they sell breakfast burritos and McRibs.

One day you too can be the McRib!

But until you've reached that critical mass success, get really good at what you do naturally.

You Are A Niche

Dan Koe introduced me to the idea of being your own niche. In business, companies are always trying to find their "perfect customer." Mr. Koe argues that if you build stuff for a past version of yourself you will be successful because there are people like you who want to know what you know (hence why I writing this article right now, we are one, grasshopper).

What I am proposing to you is that you get really good at being ...

... wait for it...

... you.

Get really good at packaging what you are with a headshot that looks like you on a Tuesday when you go to the store.

Highlight your quirks, don't squash them.

A 110 pound cheerleader doing a toe-touch. Yawn. Seen it!

A 310 pound 40 year old man doing the same thing. Sign me up!

It's the combination of things that you can do that are interesting.

Be weird, and show it off.

(Caveat: if you have a speech impediment or inflexible hamstrings *points at self* then you will need to work on those things so you can be understood and move well).

Be You in Public. Stretch Yourself in Private.

As you are sharing the best version of you to the world, keep working on your game in the shadows.

It's what you do when no one is watching that will really allow to one day show how versatile you can be.

In the mean time ...

Be off-book

Be courteous

Be yourself fully

REPEAT

One day you'll look up and people will ask:

I wonder what else they can do?

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