Tools of the Trade: Creating an Action Plan

Everyone does it differently. Some people do it fast. Others take their time and never get satisfaction.

I’m talking about becoming a working actor, of course. From the moment you say to yourself, “I want to be an actor,” there are a million ways to go after that goal. There is no one path to the top – everyone’s view of the top is different anyway. For some, it’s achieving fame and recognition. For others, it’s working with the big names. For me, it was doing what I love and getting paid for it.

How did I go from square one to my current humble state of success? I like to say I did it the MIT way, which means I was smart about it. My entire journey has been guided by one word – focus. I believe becoming a working actor is a marathon, not a sprint. Success comes from planning your route, pacing yourself, and dealing with obstacles, all while headed toward your end goal.

So here’s how I did it. And if I can do it, so can you.

Teresa’s MIT-influenced Method for Creating an Action Plan

1. Make a list of all the things you want from this career. Don’t hold back – put everything you can think of on it. From the general – “I want to act in commercials” or “I want to do radio voiceovers” – to the specific – “I want to work on a Joss Whedon project” or “I want to be invited to an award show gifting suite and get free swag!” Let it all out – this is your dream list – go for the moon!
   
   
2. Choose two of the more general items from this list that you want to work toward first. (You can work on the gifting suite goal after you’ve gotten your first paid job.)
   
   
3. Create a list of short-term goals for each item. Steps that will help you reach that long-term goal. Break it down as much as you can. If you want to act in feature films, your short-term goal list might include taking an on-camera acting class, reading a book about film acting, trying to work in student films to gain experience, doing background on feature films to learn what happens on set, etc.
   
   
4. Look at your two lists and choose one to tackle first. Yep, just one. I know it may be hard to decide, but trust me, it will pay off.
   
   
5. Refine your remaining short-term goals list and give each item a deadline. By the end, your list will look like this – Read a book about film acting every two months. Work on 5 student films by the end of the year. Do at least 1 background acting job a month.
   
   
6. Voila! You have your action plan! Type it up or write it on a nice piece of paper and tape it to your bathroom mirror so you can see it every day. Check your progress against this list regularly. Have you signed up for that on-camera acting class yet? Have you been submitting yourself every day to get those student film auditions? By focusing single-pointedly on this list, you can rack up small successes that keep driving you forward, plus keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed.
   

Like I said, this is only one way to do it, but I think it works. Try it and let me know how it works for you. Better yet, post your action plan below! The more people you share it with, the more people can support you and hold you accountable.
I met a girl once who told me her action plan for becoming an actor was going to the Skybar every night until she met a producer who wanted to put her in a movie. How do you think that turned out for her?

Believing and Flying

I was lying in bed this morning thinking about Hawaii (as it relates to the pilot I’m writing), when all of the sudden R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” came pouring out of a neighbor’s stereo. A bit loud for that time of morning, especially since the alley between my building and the next building acts as an echo chamber. But instead of closing my window, I listened to the lyrics –

If I can see it then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

When I think about this past week, I’ve gotten some work done for sure, but I’ve also been filling my suddenly ample free time with activities – errands around town, cleaning my apartment, etc. Anything to keep myself from facing the blank page.

Photo / Creative Commons / Henry McLin

But I have to face the blank page if I want to turn it into a 55 page pilot script that CBS greenlights for production. I can’t let fear hold me back. I need to believe I can fly.

As the song ended, I declared a new commitment to letting myself fly on the page, despite any self-doubt or fear I might be feeling. I walked out my door and discovered,,,

The loud music was coming from my roommate’s stereo!

I quickly turned it off, puzzled. She rarely uses the stereo in her room and I’ve never heard her listening to R. Kelly. She was on set, so I texted her to see if she’d forgotten she programmed it to turn on for some reason.

She had no idea what I was talking about. She’s never programmed that stereo to do anything and hasn’t used it in months. It just spontaneously turned on and started playing that song!

Photo / Creative Commons / Paul Jacobson.

Talk about a message from the universe! A message we both needed to hear, I discovered. It was reaching out across town to Burbank, where she was feeling blue herself. She needed to hear she could fly, and now I’m sharing it with all of you, across time and space –

You can all fly. Whether you’re an artist or scientist or parent or child – feel into your wildest dreams and believe that they can come true. I’m living proof that with heartfelt dedication and perseverant visioning, anything can be yours.

Fly!

Dreams are Answers to Questions We Haven't Yet Figured Out How to Ask

It’s 10/13! The X-Files fanatics in my audience (like me) will recognize this day as creator Chris Carter’s birthday. Hence his production company name – Ten Thirteen Productions.

In homage (or maybe in self-indulgence – you decide), Chris would often feature the number 1013 in episodes of The X-Files here and there – Scully & Mulder would review file X-1013 or the mutant human monster would be kept in vault 1013. Delicious, nerdy fun.

To this day, whenever I look at a clock that reads 10:13, I think of the X-Files. Ah, fandom...

After my morning writing session, I caught up on new movie trailers to wash the bad movie mojo out of my head. It’s getting close to award season, so all the trailers I saw were dripping with Oscar potential. Best actress performances from Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn), and Michelle Yeoh (The Lady), plus best director bids from Clint Eastwood (J Edgar), Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), and Steven Spielberg (War Horse).

Then there were these:





I love brilliant, thought-provoking masterpieces of cinema, but I also love a fun, entertaining movie. They’re both worthy endeavors in my book. And if Joss Whedon’s name is on it, I’m IN. Can’t wait to see them!

After more afternoon writing, I headed out to the Film Panel at the Bel-Air Film Festival. This All-Access Pass is paying for itself!

Walking into the incredibly swanky Luxe Hotel Sunset and looking around at the people assembled in the courtyard before the panel, Christopher and I got the feeling that we weren’t in the presence of an independent film community, but a crowd full of posers. Way too many old, unattractive men with gorgeous blonde escorts. Hmm...

Our suspicions were confirmed just moments later. When the panel started, the moderator asked for a show of hands – who’s a director, who’s a producer, who’s an actor? When she asked who isn’t directly involved in filmmaking, the majority of the hands went up. Why were they even there?

Left the panel early and came home to watch the latest episode of my favorite new fall TV show – Revenge on ABC. An addictive show full of twists and turns, pitch perfect performances, and pretty pretty scenery. My new guilty pleasure!

What fall TV shows have you been enjoying?

Swanky on the Outside, Painful on the Inside

The best part of not having a day job? Being able to sleep in after a long day like yesterday. I must have stayed in bed until noon. Writing, of course, but still in bed. Heaven.

After another pass at my pilot story arena and a little more sleeping, I got dolled up for the Bel-Air Film Festival opening night red carpet gala at the Skirball Center. Misusing Irony, the short film I produced, will be screening at the festival on Sunday and I want to take advantage of my fancy All Access pass. (Well, it’s cardboard, but it still looks fancy.)

Christopher (the film’s writer and main actor) and I checked in and strolled right onto the red carpet with DJ Shy, who made a cameo appearance in our film. Not my first red carpet, so hopefully these pictures will look okay. I’ll post as soon as I can find them.

Christopher went on to do five or six interviews with the various media outlets covering the event. He was born to do interviews – I could tell the reporters were excited to talk to someone with personality, which he has in scores!

More red carpet photos and then into the main theater for the opening night film, My Father’s Will starring Victor Alfieri and Ione Skye.



Wow. Just...wow. One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. A romantic comedy that was neither romantic nor comedic. A weak premise, zero chemistry between the leads, bad dialogue, and a story that went nowhere fast. Victor & Ione deserved better than this aimless schlock. Plus, if it’s supposed to be a romantic comedy, why does he look pissed off in the poster?

The people behind us seemed to love the movie, but I couldn’t wait for it to stop assaulting my eyes with its mediocrity.

Sigh...bad films really annoy me.

A Day of Meeting Heroes

Yesterday started at 5 am and ended at 2 am – phew!

6 am call for Grey’s Anatomy – another episode as a trusty nurse. My scene was in the OR, so the hair stylist braided and pinned my hair so the shower cap wouldn’t look like a muffin top.

I knew I’d be sharing a scene with the amazing Sandra Oh, but then discovered upon arrival that I was also working with Keong Sim (who just played Mike Chang’s dad on Glee) and Oscar-winning director Jessica Yu. Asian day on Grey’s!

The highlight was telling Sandra what an impact her performance in indie feature Double Happiness had on me. It’s a story about a dutiful Chinese-Canadian daughter who wants to please her parents without sacrificing her two loves – acting and a young Callum Keith Rennie.

I told her I’d seen Double Happiness when I had just decided to become an actress and was facing parental disappointment myself. Seeing the film had given me courage to continue following my dream. She was so excited to hear this and gave me the biggest hug. How often do you get to thank the people who help shape your life experiences? Incredible.

After wrapping, I squeezed in an hour of writing before heading into Century City for more meetings with entertainment lawyers. I felt a bit silly walking in with my tightly braided hair, but I was afraid of how it might look unraveled and there was no time to chance it. More fancy, fancy offices. One even had complimentary lotion in the bathroom with a message – “Have a smooth & relaxing day.” Why thank you, I will!

Finished the last meeting, then flew back across town for a VIP reception before a tribute to Ang Lee at the DGA. A friend saw me and immediately said, “Look at you with your corn rows!” Embarrassing.

People were excited to congratulate me on my news, but I was just as excited to hear their news too. One friend had just wrapped post-production on her first feature film as a writer/director while another told me a few behind-the-scene tidbits about her recurring role on one of my favorite FOX shows. So great! While I don’t define myself solely as an Asian-American artist, there are times that I really love being part of this community.

Ang Lee is hands-down one of my favorite filmmakers. I love how his films span different cultures and worlds, yet remain connected by common themes of breaking out and finding one’s true destiny. I met Ang briefly (eep!) and mentioned I was an actor and a writer and he nodded in approval, saying he told his son who wants to be an actor that he needs to become a writer too so he can write his own parts. We posed for a quick picture – hope to get it soon!

The main event was hopelessly cool – industry pros like Taylor Hackford, James Schamus, & Emma Thompson heaping praise on Ang, followed by a panel discussion in which up and coming director stars like Shawn Ku and Kevin Tancharoen showed their favorite clips from Ang Lee movies and discussed why his work is so impactful. Ang was humble and adorable – so inspiring to hear a true creative who is also Asian. See, we’re not just math and violin…

Ducked out early for my final stop of the night – the launch party for my Web comedy Mixed Blooms. Thanks to all the awesome friends who came out to support! Snacked on tiny mac & cheese bakes while watching the first two episodes. Seeing my face on all the marketing materials was weird, but everyone seemed to find my worried face hilarious. Check out the first episode here!

To Valet, Or Not to Valet?

A big thanks to everyone for your well wishes and cheers! I look forward to taking you all on this journey with me.

Today I met with the first of several entertainment lawyers, hoping to find the perfect legal partner to walk me through the deal-making process. His building was fancy and valet-only. The parking area was swanky and probably created by a prize-winning interior designer.

I always feel a little self-conscious when a sharply dressed, vest-wearing man steps forward to park my dented old Honda Civic, but I get over it. I’m a pragmatist – my trusty car meets all my needs – I leave the glamour cars to the rest of the world. For now.

After a great meeting, I headed over to my favorite place to write – The Writer’s Junction in Santa Monica. It’s a cozy & creative shared workspace for writers that helps me stay focused on my work.



To say The Writer’s Junction has been one of the keys to my success would be an understatement. Without it, I would never get any work done. There’s something about being around other working writers diligently typing into their laptops that keeps you on task instead of surfing Facebook. It’s the same theory I employed by studying at the libraries at MIT instead of in my room. Collective pressure works.

If you’re a writer in the LA area, definitely check it out. Tell them I referred you and you can come by for a free one-day trial!

Tomorrow will be a big day – another nurse role on Grey’s Anatomy, a DGA event featuring the incredible Ang Lee, and the launch party for Mixed Blooms, a Web comedy I recently starred in. Check out our trailer below!

A New World Calls for Me to Follow

So...this happened...

I sold a pilot to CBS. An idea I’ve been developing for months with a producer. While the deal is being made, I need to write a pilot story area, a beat sheet, an outline, and a script – all by Thanksgiving.

Yeah, this Thanksgiving.

Day job? Gone. Fiction & short film projects? Postponed.

Blog? Hmm...

I know I should put up the CLOSED sign and see you all next year, but instead I’m doing the polar opposite.

I’m switching to blogging daily.

It will help keep me accountable and I’m going to need the outlet as I embark on this journey of higher stakes and self-imposed pressure. I’ll also need your support.

I’ll still be acting and exploring life as a nerd turned artist. But my objective will be to stay focused - on the task at hand, on developing my skills, on pushing through my fears, on meeting the higher expectations I’ve invited into my life and my work.

It’s eyes on the prize time – invoke whatever Rocky Balboa imagery you’d like here. This is my time to show them what I’ve got. And show myself.

Here I go...