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A TESTAMENT TO ACTION
By David Frank
October 2000I have known Penelope for years, since before she started coaching. Six years ago, when I became aware of Penelope's coaching work, I organized a time for her to meet and speak with the actor's of a theatre company I was then running. I thought her work sounded practical and valuable, and I always liked the fact that it addressed the essence of who we are as people and artists and not just the results we desire for our careers. Many of the actors I was working with then began working with Penelope, and I heard nothing but positive feedback from their experiences with her. But when faced with deciding whether or not I myself would do the work with Penelope, I always felt that a) I was too busy to commit the time and finances required for coaching, and b) that I was smart enough and resourceful enough to manifest my career aspirations on my own.
Then came a time, earlier this year, when I began to feel overwhelmed by my various career aspirations. Between trying to get a film I had written produced, continuing with other writing projects and wanting desperately to take my acting career to the next level, I was hard pressed to know what to do with myself from day to day. Too many unprioritized choices can create either paralysis, anxiety or both and I seemed to be in the throes of this got-so-many-ideas-don't-know-what-to-do-first syndrome. I decided it was time to put my money where my mouth was, admit I might not be able to do everything in my life all alone, and enlist the help of a respected professional whom I trusted. The decision has so far proved to be a wise and rewarding one.
I spent my first two months with Penelope focused mainly on getting the film I have written and signed into a producing partnership to the next stage of development. Together we have organized my contacts and pursuits and developed a strategy to reach out to any and everyone who may be able to help me get my film made. And we have devised and revised the plan to follow up with these contacts and help people to help me move forward. Right now I have a nice list of potential investors, as well as interested production companies, and I have a technique for managing my regular contact with all of them.
At the end of the two months, I felt like I was pretty well up to speed with my film and it's progress, and I decided it was time to turn my attention to the business of moving my acting career forward. Penelope's theories and techniques have been essential to the breakthrough progress I feel I've made in just two short months. Having recently finished my acting demo reel, I used Penelope's suggested method of doing weekly drop offs of my pictures and resumes and reels to my targeted list of casting directors and agents and then practicing a diligent schedule of phone follow ups. (Fifteen years in New York and I've never really committed to "making the rounds." I'm rapidly becoming a believer…) This has allowed me to get feedback on my presentation materials, develop personal relationships with key people that I intend to continue to build over time, and get myself meetings and auditions without the help of an agent. Just last week, in the space of six days, I was called in by a network casting director to audition for a juicy guest spot on a prime time network television series, a very prominent casting office to audition for a good supporting role in new film and by another casting director for a general meeting. Meanwhile, in the last month I have been seen by another casting director of an HBO series twice, and have several potential casting director meetings pending. All in all, there are now twelve casting offices that have some contact with me and my work that I didn't know two months ago. I can't tell you how good it feels to actually be getting meetings and auditions, even though I am not signed with an agent. I have been working a smaller select list of agents as well, and guess what? The progress I'm making with casting directors on my own is starting to make the agents stand up and take notice. It feels good to be proactive, to have some sense of control over my career and actually be having fun (that's right "fun"!) getting good at meeting people and giving relaxed auditions. My hat's off to what I fondly call Penelope's "Squeaky Wheel Theory"!
Part of my point is that I can be charming and I can take responsibility and action and I can organize and execute a career strategy, Penelope didn't give me those abilities. But she has been instrumental in teaching me a philosophy that could bring these positive attributes to the fore, instrumental in instilling me with the idea that I can take action, that it will make a difference and that I can help other people to help me. And she has helped me create a career strategy that suits my time and specific aspirations. But perhaps most importantly, Penelope has taught me that I can contact important people on my own and "invite them to the party" of my endeavors and then actually start to enjoy the party myself! And that has made all the difference…
Ps. Update: While I was in Florence, Italy having a very nice vacation, I got a call telling me I did get that role in the film. It was pretty exciting hearing the news there, although I then had to shift a gear and make plans to end my trip five days early. It was a very positive affirmation of the way I've been working with Penelope and how I've been opening new vistas of opportunity in just a few short months. This was my first audition for this casting director, one who didn't know me just eight weeks ago. And now I'm in the processing of shooting a nice supporting role in a feature called, At the End of the Day. Meanwhile, I didn't get the guest spot on the prime time television show, but I did get positive feedback from the casting director and while I was on vacation, they called me in to audition for another episode. (which I couldn't attend) When I got home and contacted them, they said not to worry, that there are still 15 episodes to go!
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