Hello beautiful people!
Let’s talk numbers.
Because the ability to pull in data, track patterns, and apply what’s chartable to a business that inherently has a ton of mystery woven into it is truly empowering! It’s like having a secret decoder ring… and knowing how to use it.
So…
There are approximately 500,000 actors on the planet.
Name actors, of course, are folks whose “bankability” is unquestionable. Their attachment to projects alone (meaning, script may suck, director may not yet be settled upon, locations not locked, etc.) triggers up-front sales into worldwide distribution. For series, these folks have development deals with networks years in advance. If you were to sit down and try to make a list of every “name actor,” you would get stuck before you got to all 1400, since many are Bollywood stars you’ve probably never heard of.
Small fraternity of folks. Yet most who grow up hoping to get into show business believe they’ll be among them. And we may be! That’s not the point of today’s lesson. But do let those numbers sit with you a wee bit, just the same.
For those of us who have showrunner aspirations, we’re looking at fewer than 500 people stateside encompassing the folks who staff the writers rooms at all networks *and* new media. Showrunners who also act? Very few. (See for yourself.)
By being in this world, lovelies, you’ve chosen a life as a leader.
And this is precisely why your path often feels unchartable.
Leaders create the paths. But when you don’t KNOW you’re a leader — when you don’t KNOW you’re creating the path others will someday follow — you run around looking for someone to draw you a map to your destination. And unless you’re besties with J-Lo, you don’t get a lot of casual tips on how you really *can* build a career in which you have it all… after starting out as a featured dancer on a low-rated fourth-network variety sketch show (back when “fourth-network” was a huge insult).
So today’s lesson is all about getting OKAY with forging your own path a bit.
We’re going to start mastering the show bible soon. And I’m gonna ask you to start identifying leaders — not just targets — who’ve led like you want to lead. For me, that’s from a place of empowered discovery of what’s to learn from every situation, filled with grace in the face of challenges, always sharing my toys as I learn what works, bringing my crew along with me, and having a crapload of fun!
Start thinking about who leads like you want to lead. Make a list. Share it when you’re ready! Move beyond easy-to-include folks like Tina Fey, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Shonda Rhimes and look toward Rachel Bloom, Nick Kocher, and Bernie Su. Consider a move made by Jenny Slate that cascaded to Kristen Bell, Mike Henry, and more. When the least famous name does the hard thing, that’s leadership. We’ll talk more specifically about how to track early emergers soon. With such a small population and with so much changing so quickly in our industry, patterns that still apply even months after they were “the thing that worked” are more challenging to track… but not impossible.
Next — and most importantly for today’s work — I want you to make a list about your past. How have you led the field? What have you done that absolutely demonstrates your leadership abilities? If I’m doing this journaling, I go back to Montessori (age 7) when I wanted to put on a play, so I wrote one, then pitched it. In addition to writing and starring in it, I directed it, stage managed it, produced it, and even sang its soundtrack. (Yes, my play had a soundtrack. Yes, I did it all. I had my eyes on Barbra’s job.) Also on my list, my high school (now a magnet school for the performing arts). When I got there (age 13), it didn’t have a drama club, so I started one!
Where were the signposts along the way demonstrating your leadership in this industry? Make a list. It doesn’t have to be a long list… just any place you didn’t WAIT for things to be mapped out in order to start in on the journey. Any time at which you bravely tried *something* rather than looking to anyone else for advice on how it’s meant to be done.
Because ultimately — even though we’re right here in this environment where I’m helping you along your creative journey like a mo’ fo’ — leadership is lonely. You WILL encounter opportunities for which you have no one else to look to, in making your next move.
You’re gonna have to trust your gut.
So today’s work is all about looking at your past to find points at which you’ve already done so. (And yes, if you need to move beyond showbiz examples to see how you’ve led, start there. Just START.)
Share your feelings about this below! 🙂
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
