Hello beautiful people!
Let’s talk about trending vs. timeless.
Even though both now have enduring brands that surpass their trendsetting beginnings, those enduring brands were awarded in retrospect. Everyone else’s brand is only cemented after the fact, never defined.
Could you be a Madonna or a Lady Gaga? It’s possible. But it’s far more likely that you’re someone whose brand is already established with a handful of buyers and fans, and your ability to lean into that is what’s going to become money in the bank for you.
When you instead study enough about the why behind the timeless elements in our business to stay up on trends and get just ahead of the ones that will endure, you’re ninja.
Here’s what I mean: Headshots? Timeless. There will always be headshots. In 1999, one of the questions the editor of Backstage required I ask in my interviews with hundreds of casting directors was, “What is your opinion of color headshots?” Overwhelmingly, the opinion was, “Eh. Maybe for redheads. I don’t see them becoming the norm. Black and white’s the standard. No need to change.”
While in 1999 color headshots were labeled a trend (and one we gingers paid a grip for), I knew enough about photography (it was one of my minors in undergrad) to see that the *non-entertainment-industry* trend toward digital was going to hit headshot photography eventually, and the cost to “process” headshots would soon be the same for color as for black and white. I actually was so bold as to say that I believed the casting community I spent years interviewing was going to be wrong about this one.
I also boldly declared they were going to be wrong about how they answered another of the questions I showed up with each week: “Will the internet affect how you do casting?” As you may have guessed, almost always the casting directors said it wouldn’t have an impact at all. Perhaps they’d email a contract over to an agent (always receiving it back signed via fax, of course), but the casting process itself would never be affected by this online place.
You’ll remember I was getting my PhD in Instructional Technology before I dropped out to rejoin the circus over here, right? Maybe it wasn’t so bold of me to suggest these brilliant people who created the job of casting director from scratch could be wrong about where tech was headed. Nor was it shocking that I was happy to take the heat that steamrolled my way when I suggested in 2006 that actors would begin doing self-taped auditions as technology became more consumer-accessible. By now I had a track record of identifying trends that enhanced the timeless elements of the casting process itself, but somehow I was never distracted by the sparkly-object level trends that were popping up seemingly every day.
About that bombardment, here’s what I left out of the above timeline that’s important to note: For every “color headshots will become the norm,” there’s a, “talking headshots” fad. (And in case you think this is me poking fun at Slate Shots, please note that this is the third version of “talking headshots” that have hit the scene… the first version being a GIF-like series of nearly-identical headshots offered up by one of the many online casting services that launched in 2003, stole breakdowns from the official places, sold access to them illegally, and got shut down.)
For every “online casting submissions site” the buyers actually use there’s a “hot new app” trying to take hold in an already oversaturated market. Someone’s rolling out “THE new way casting is done” every few days and no matter how many times I say, “No one on the buying side is looking for MORE ways to find unvetted actors,” the app developers see the cash cow that is the wannabe actor and charge ahead with another “hot new app” only to ultimately close up shop within a year. Taking your money with them.
A starry-eyed actor may decide, “Hey! I’m unrepped! I should spend fifty bucks to be in the running in casting offices that wouldn’t see me otherwise!” without thinking of the huge waste of money (at best) or brand-erosion (at worst) that comes with being associated with such a service.
An actor desperate to “be on trend” may rush out and get talking headshots without ever having checked with target buyers to find out how they use the dang things. When the truth comes out that the majority never click on them and those who do click do so to eliminate, not include, then comes the realization that on-brand footage is far more valuable than this trend that possibly gets you on page 8 of 20 of submissions on a particular role (not “at the top” as you’ve been sold).
For the trends that don’t cost money, you absolutely may say, “So what?!?” about it all. You used a formula. You played a little “monkey see, monkey do” with something that is a key element to your creative career. You took a shot and it didn’t land. Big deal, right?
Welp… in a world in which your brand is your bankability, it actually can be a big deal. Being perceived as low-risk, professional, and consistent is far more valuable than jumping ahead on something that’s gonna be a thing of the past soon enough.
When a private coaching client told me she was considering developing a more narcissistic essence because she was told that co-stars are now all narcissistic and snarky, so her genuine caring brand was just never going to book, I realized this trending vs. timeless thing can actually be pretty damn dangerous. The instant you try to hit an always-moving target by changing up who you are to suit a set of buyers that will always be fickle? That’s the instant you sign up for some crazymaking bullshit that will make you hate this business (and yourself) like never before.
So, I ask you: How good are you at identifying what’s trending and what’s timeless in this business? How much of our industry’s history have you truly studied? I’m not just talking about watching old movies or reading classic biographies; I’m talking about understanding the evolution of casting — how the casting director came to be (because knowing this explains quite effectively why there is no best casting Oscar, but there is a best casting Emmy).
I’m talking about seeing what casting looks like from the buyer’s side so that you can know, firsthand, how it is that different submissions are filtered. I’m talking about holding auditions of your own so that you absolutely understand what it is that makes bitterness or desperation or trying too hard or too-eager-to-please or inconsistency so easy to spot and so completely uncastable.
For now.
What’s timeless? Engagement with fans. When I wrote for Backstage, I included my email address in the footer of every week’s column. This wasn’t required; it was something I wanted to do. When the paper launched an online message board, I was the first one in there answering questions my readers brought me. We’re talking about 20+ years that I’ve been totally accessible by anyone who has had a question about any of the things I’ve covered in this beloved industry of ours.
Why can’t anyone on the planet touch my Google dominance when it comes to a question about show business? Consistency. Lots and lots and lots of it. Unflinching amounts of it.
How many years are you willing to put in on brand YOU to be sure the buyers know they can bank on you every single time?
Today’s work: Identify where you’re tempted to get caught up in trends — hoping they’ll give you an edge — and where you’re totally grounded in practices that are timeless. Are you self-taping regularly because you know it’ll pay off to build a muscle for it? Or are you throwing energy at the latest submission app hoping it will somehow get you farther than being seen through the “usual” sites?
The usual sites are usual for a reason; they’ve been around a long time and they’ve — through consistency — become low-risk commodities for the buyers. That’s what you want to be as well.
For my non-showbiz creatives, look at the sites that are standards in your business. Social media platforms that are the norm (note: We will be going far deeper on social media soon, so this is just a trending vs. timeless test for you to do). Where have you gotten caught up in trends and where are you already timeless? Where can you be more consistent as you continue to build your brand in front of your buyers?
Everyone: Consider where you may be needlessly eroding all the good work you’re doing on building a brand by doing things like mailing a thousand non-specific postcards to everyone on the buying side once in a blue moon or starting up a newsletter that makes you feel like ass both to write and to then spam everyone you know with every month. Identify which of your activities are timeless and consider how you can do more of those things while building your awareness for spotting trends that are actually going to stick vs. darting off after every new shiny object that comes into view.
Because every trend that sticks is rooted in a very healthy WHY that intersects with the timeless component of the same thing. It’s deceptively simple once you know what to look for.
We’re going to have fun doing a little myth-busting around some of this stuff!
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
