Lenka Šilhánová, social media expert and content coach for actors jams with author and Emmy-honored casting director Bonnie Gillespie about your online presence as an extension of your WHY as a storyteller, how to approach engagement online, and the mindset for enduring a creative career.
What are your key takeaways from Lenka’s interview from the SMFA Summit? Share below in the comments! 🙂
Lenka is a former actor turned social media strategist for actors, whom she helps find content creation ideas that bring them closer to their dream roles and career goals. She started out blogging about her acting journey and soon realized the potential of content creation for all actors. Her online activities brought her acting roles and thrival job offers at advertising agencies. Thanks to Bonnie Gillespie’s SMFA-U program she started teaching actors and later launched her project Social Media for Actors.
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Lenka is the shizzle!
😀 thanks, Marla!
This is TRUE!
Hey ninjas, if you want to book the Mini-Coaching session with me to get your bonus, please write SMFASUMMIT promo code in the application form so I know you are coming from here. ❤️
A question for Lenka- when targeting people on social media that you want to connect with but find their profiles are private, what’s your opinion/suggestion on how to proceed? Do you request anyway, do you look for another way in, do you circle back at a later date with more ninja research…?
Stephanie, ninja research is always a great idea. I’d find out whether they prefer using a certain platform to connect with actors/industry pros and connect there if it’s public. Usually when someone chooses to have private profile, it means it’s more personal for them and they don’t want anyone to see the content. So they’ll be careful about approving people. 🙂
Thank you, Lenka!
Lenka has great energy! I’ve managed social media for companies in my survival job but I always have great resistance when it comes to using it for my brand. I focus a lot on the message I am feeling and I pay zero attention to the aesthetics of my feeds and all that. I definitely need to be more organized.
Anamaria, why do you think that you are resisting it? Would it feel too much like marketing for you? The question is, whether having an aesthetically-pleasing profile is on brand for you. If your brand is polished or creative, then it might be a way to approach it. For example, my brand is creative/artistic and in real life, I dedicate my time to different creative disciplines. That’s why I’m playing with my feed a lot, it’s fun for me and it represents my brand well. I also have a lot of mystery in my brand, which is why I’m carefully choosing what to share and why. But for example Bonnie’s profile is all about authenticity and letting you peek behind the curtain, so if she played with the aesthetics, that wouldn’t be very on brand for her. So consider what is on brand for you, perhaps the resistance is your instinct telling you what is on brand for you. And remember, there is no one right way to do social media, so no stress! 🙂
Thank you so much for this insightful reply. You’ve given a lot to think about, Lenka.
I love thinking of Social Media as a blessing and chance to have an online stage — so great, Lenka! Thank you!
Yay, glad it has helped shift your mindset, Sarah! Thank you for watching. 🙂
I LOVE the idea that social media is another ‘stage’ a place to tell stories rather than a place to promote – what a profound shift. THANK YOU!! So many great insights. There is no ‘right’ way to do social media! Pefect. Social media is a converstation. Lenka! I love the idea of connecting with the pleasure our work gives to US and not worrying about how it lands. Approaching everything as an experience and for learning and internalize the validation. I also love the idea of building habits with social media – I LOVE the idea of office hours for social media with intention and then clocking back out. Woot, woot! I can’t wait to work with you.
Yay, Laura, I’m so glad you took away so much from the talk! I’d love to see nothing more than ninjas having the time of their life with creating stories and telling them on social media so they can attract the roles they really want to play, perhaps in traditional media. You guys all work so hard, I want to see you all succeed. ❤️ And if I can help it somehow, by showing you another way of looking at social media and online storytelling or give you ideas on what to do, I’m in my happy place.
Looking forward to our session, Laura!
Yay, Laura, I’m so glad you took away so much from the talk! I’d love to see nothing more than ninjas having the time of their life with creating stories and telling them on social media so they can attract the roles they really want to play, perhaps in traditional media. You guys all work so hard, I want to see you all succeed. ❤️ And if I can help it somehow, by showing you another way of looking at social media and online storytelling or give you ideas on what to do, I’m in my happy place.
Looking forward to our session, Laura!
Hi, Lenka! I really enjoyed your interview 🙂 Would your 15-minute mini session be helpful for an actor who is just starting out? I’m currently training at two acting schools, but I only have amateur theatre and background acting experience.
Thanks,
Erin
Hi Erin, how about we do a free discovery call first and talk a little more about your current situation? You don’t have to be a working actor to work with me, we could come up with strategy and ideas to help you build a momentum while you still study. Let’s talk some more in the discovery call and we can follow up with the mini-coaching. I’ll keep you in my with the bonus since you asked now during the summit. 🙂 Just book the discovery call here – https://lenkasilhanova.com/coaching-mentoring/
Great talk guys thank you so much! Take always:
Creating micro stories on this “stage” I’ve been gifted
Don’t be part of the notification population (office hours)
Get specific and do it for you. Have internal goals with each check and each post
“Here’s what it’s like to be on the journey with me”
❤️ ❤️
Lenk, This has got to be one of my favorite interviews of the Summit because I learned something new and felt so much pressure to be a part of without knowing the WHY?.
LOVE…Post content you want to be booked for and target on the right platform. There are always naysayers post for you…remember your WHY?
Office hours to check your social media and thank goodness it doesn’t have to be right away to respond!
She opened my eyes! You are truly gifted.
Thank you, Lenka.