Self Tapes, Self Tapes, Self Tapes

If you don't know, I am a recent graduate from college. I went to a Conservatory for 4 years and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. It's an exciting time to be a professional actor. There's more jobs than ever before, the landscape of film and theatre has expanded outside of LA and New York, and Self-Tapes are the new norm, making submissions more accessible than ever. Still, with all of this in mind, it can be hard to motivate myself to film... and film... and film... and film and film and FILM! It seems like a never ending cycle of submitting myself into a void of not knowing what comes next. 80% of the time I won't hear anything. 15% of the time I'll get a rejection letter. 5% of the time I'll score a callback. But I find myself to be someone who's good at keeping my head held high no matter what. It's honestly a lot easier to let go of projects when I'm not seen for them in person. I recently had my first New York callback and I felt REALLY good about it. I got two callbacks and felt like I made good connections in the room; while all that is true, that didn't secure me the job. And that's just how this career is. You can knock it out of the park and never hear from these people again. You can show up on your worst day and book a life changing project. There's no rhyme or reason to this career, and that's what makes it so exciting to me! I'm moving to New York on Sunday and I have my second NY Callback on Tuesday. It's not a role I'd think would fit me, but a callback is a callback and I'm going to go in there and do my best!

Today I had 5 self tapes to film & submit. 3 projects, 5 self tapes, 15+ different videos, songs, sides, improvisation, slats, etc. Whew! Like anyone else, I felt better about some and not so good about others, but that does not mean I should give up on the tapes I'm not as confident on. To me, it just gives me an opportunity to learn where I can improve. Everything is a learning experience. I'm someone who wants to make a career out of this. I'm not willing to just give up on this dream when faced with adversity. I'm going to push and fight to get to where I want to be. That's the only way to do it in this business. While I'm scared to move to a city full of actors, I'm ready to take on the challenge of achieving my goals and chasing my dreams. You can do the same for whatever field you're in. Don't give up. Don't let up. Don't be held down. You are the only person who brings YOU! No one else can do it but YOU! YOU!!! Go out and  chase your dreams! You got this!!

Thanks for Sitting on the Sidelines with me!

- Zeke H. Bennett