Blog Post #127: What can I get out of Hack Hollywood? From an actual secret agent man

This is from one of our actual Hack Hollywood members who has another life of sorts. He is involved in counter terrorist operations in another country. He came to us looking to transition into acting but did not have a real idea how, so we had a talk and suddenly the entertainment business is listening.

Many of us don’t see the connection between what we have done and what we want to do but in many cases our past experiences are invaluable to a business that is constantly trying to look authentic when in fact everything they do is smoke and mirrors. If you have actual real life experience in another profession, you can better believe it is useful to the entertainment industry.

When this new member realized that his past life could be an entree into his new career of choice, he quickly started to mention it in his communications and people started to pay attention. A beginner actor is a beginner actor but someone who tracks down terrorists all day is pretty darned interesting and probably pretty useful too. If you are a doctor, lawyer, accountant, astronaut or any other skilled and respected professional, don’t hide the fact. Shout it from the rooftops. There’s a good chance your first acting jobs might reflect that experience and once you get your first professional bona fides, the sky’s the limit!

“…I spent a lot of time in module one as I believe a new actor needs a good grasp of the industry and related mindset. I found that David’s mentoring has been the main factor for my success to date and I must again thank David for his wonderful effort and support.

From my own experiences, I can see a clear distinction between actors who treat their acting career as a legitimate business, and those who who expect the industry to come to them. Professionalism, initiative and dedication are a must. If I’m feel that not moving forward, I go back to module one and revise the material and think about improvements to my process.

I had a lengthy skype chat with David a few months back and his industry experience and passion is obvious. I have a lot of work to do from here however I feel that I’m heading in the right direction thanks to David.

I particularly like how David promotes industry research to put you in touch with the right people. I followed this example and identified an agent who I wanted to represent me. I noticed that I had several friends in common on Facebook so I sent her a friend request which she accepted. I interacted loosely with her and a month later I sent her a message and apologized for chatting with her on facebook. I then asked if she had room on her books for new talent. She replied that we should catch up on skype in a few weeks when she was back in Australia (from LA). I followed this up and arranged a skype interview that went really well. I signed up and we booked me my first paid speaking role that same day.

For me I’m loving where I am at the moment and acting is part of my life now. Apart from my beautiful little family, it’s the reason why I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and see what else I can achieve.

Thanks again Hack Hollywood for your valuable guidance!!”

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