Sebastian Maclean Actor Athelete Producer

Brand Building And What I Learned In Hollywood – Part 3 of 4

Hollywood

The thing about the film industry is that it can be a lot of fun just hopping around and getting to know people. However, if you are serious about developing a career for yourself as an actor, a writer, or a producer, then you eventually have to get a grip on how to do the business. Building your brand means doing the work necessary to get it out there.

As much as my previous two videos may have looked like fun and games, I was actually talking to people about how they want to see business done. As the pieces of the puzzle came together, this was the first big insight that hit me…

“You have to be willing to bring everything to the table to make your ideas attractive.“

What I mean by the above is that you need to think less about what you want and more about what the movie people you are talking to want. In other words, what would attract you to the idea of helping someone make a movie, if you could pick and choose?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Do you have some amazing recognizable talent interested in your script, be they well known actors, directors, or producers?

2. Are you coming to the table with large portions of the financing in place and looking for help on the marketing end?

3. If you lack money, do you maybe have a distribution deal in waiting and talent attached, but need some financial backing?

If you can say yes to any of these, you are in a better position than a lot of people who still think they can just get a good script in their hand and sail into success. Sure… Lightning can strike, but the odds are not in your favor, so your best bet is to go in prepared to make your entertainment brand look a lot more appealing.

If you haven’t already, check out the video above for my initial thoughts on how Hollywood looks for successful potential projects or people to work with.

Talk to you again soon,

Sebastian MacLean

Brand Research In Hollywood – Part 2 of 4

I have to admit that digging around Hollywood and attending the AFM (American Film Market) sometimes required a lot of hopping around. There were things to learn about how the networking and relationship building process works and believe it or not there was nobody down there announcing, “We want to make Sebastian MacLean one of the popular actors of 2012“. Hey, I’d even just take the film producer kudos. That would be nice, but the real world isn’t so easy.

The Chinese Theater In Hollywood

Since experience tells me that we usually have to work for progress, the best idea seemed to be getting thrown into the mix to learn. I was there to see what kind of entertainment brand elements the industry gets excited about and how they are packaged.

The idea from here is to take the knowledge gained about the film industry and apply it to a project that works to move you forward. Along the way you just may make some friends that will help you get there a little faster.

Although my third and fourth clip will deal more with the details, this short piece gives you a sense of the environment I was dealing with. Below is a short clip. Remember to throw some feedback or questions at me, so I can help you out more: