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You May Only Have One Chance...
February, 2013

When I'm teaching, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" always comes to mind...'You only got one chance do not miss your chance to blow this opportunity comes once in a lifetime...'

I couldn't have said it better myself. You may only get one chance in front of casting directors, agents, producers, etc. How do you not blow it? By doing your homework, being prepared and knowing how to sell yourself.

When you're prepping for an audition, do you know how to deliver the copy in multiple ways? So if you're asked to do it "another way", can you turn it around and give them options - i.e., "Do you want it more conversational, more straight, add more of myself into it...?" When I coach people for auditions, we prep them to be able to give a few different types of reads. Audition instructions can be vague so you may not know what they're looking for exactly. (They may not even know what they're looking for.) If you go in fully prepared then you're not caught off guard and they'll be impressed that you've given them options. To me, that's an example of a skilled host.

The same applies to your hosting reel. You have one chance and that chance lasts about 15 seconds. Is your montage too long? Does your reel say, "hi I'm..., I'm ---, over and over so when 15 seconds is up, we still haven't seen what your skill level is? Because trust me, we won't keep watching. We'll move on to the next reel. This is very precious time so don't blow it with fluff and fillers. It has to have substance.

Ask your friends to look at your reel objectively. Are you coming across friendly and someone who America wants to invite into their homes? Are you being too cynical? Are you being too goofy? (And that's ok if you only want to host shows where you can be goofy or cynical - you may just be limiting yourself.) While your friends might not be entertainment industry insiders, they make up the viewing public. They know you and can tell you if the person they see on your reel is the true person they know.

So make the most of the short time you have. And don't forget the old saying, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression."

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