Ten simple strategies to succeed as an actor in 2024 be it in Hollywood, Nollywood or any other film industry – Part Two

Ten simple but effective strategies for building your acting career in 2024 whether you are beginner or veteran – Part 2

In Part 1 of this post, we looked at three important strategies that can help you achieve success in Nollywood and the world of filmmaking at large. Success in Nollywood and the world of filmmaking at large is not a game of luck. If you have dreams of success in acting, there is a pathway.

Read Part 1.

In Part 2, we will examine the remaining points.

4. Work Ethics

This may sound trivial, but it is a factor that can make or mar the best talent.

Indiscipline and lack of integrity can impede your growth.

Filmmaking at the commercial level is a business.  Producers want to recoup their investment with a profit. Hence everyone (i.e. talent and producers) have to play their part accordingly to ensure that the investment does not go to waste.

An actor who does not turn up on time for recording, is directly or indirectly sabotaging the project, and by extension the financial investment in the movie.

“Punctuality is the soul of business.” This idiom may be a cliché, but it is true. So please treat your acting job with the seriousness it deserves.

Besides having a good work ethic, your attitude can determine how people treat you.

An arrogant, disrespectful superstar will turn off everyone. No one wants to collaborate with a jerk. Be humble and helpful on set and outside of it. Furthermore, be nice to folks, because the production assistant you know today may be the producer tomorrow.

The points above relate to both males and females. But there is even more to consider for women.

The question of sexual harassment is an unfortunate reality in society.

Some ignorant folks assume that a woman must sleep around to break through in films. False. No serious producer will trade the success of a project for such a shameful reason.

Nonetheless, a female talent must define her values and stand by them. That way, she protects her reputation and retains her integrity at all times.

In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders,” Steven Covey says, “Seek beneficial win-win solutions or agreements in your relationships.”

“Thinking win-win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique; it is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration.”

5. Networking

Networking is an important part of doing business and advancing your career. Even after learning how critical networking is to ensuring success, many professionals remain dubious or hesitant to network.

According to Hubspot, 85 percent of jobs are filled through networking. In a similar vein, CNBC posits that 70% of positions are never advertised.

These positions are either internally advertised or developed expressly for candidates whom recruiters meet through networking.

According to LinkedIn, 70% of professionals employed in 2016 have a connection at their firm, and 80% of professionals believe networking is critical to their professional success.

While these statistics focus on the wider corporate world, we can relate them to the entertainment sector.

Though it is possible to get jobs by randomly attending open auditions, these statistics suggest that networking is the most effective strategy to build a successful career and establish good contacts.

Be seen and heard

But you can’t make new contacts while ensconced in your personal space.

Hence, it is your primary responsibility to get yourself out and about. Get to know your fellow actors, producers, and directors in the space you operate in.

The Nigerian film industry is huge and fast-evolving. It is not monolithic. There are sub-industries within the larger film and TV sector.

You have the Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo films, plus other indigenous language sub-sectors.

There are faith-based filmmaking niches, like the Christian movie sector.

The online arena is another ball game. Television, radio, and multimedia are strong pillars in the sector.

This huge slice of society continues to expand. It is not possible to know everyone, but try to build your connections.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of networking in the entertainment business.

While before, networking meant physical activity, technology has given us other channels. But, of course, meeting in person will always be important.

Join relevant professional associations or guilds. So how do you network as an upcoming actor or veteran? Begin by joining the relevant professional association or guild.

The Actors Guild

For actors, “The Actors Guild of Nigeria” is the professional umbrella. It says its mission is to:

“Engage, educate, and unify members through collective impact to become a platform with endless opportunities for members and artists that seeks to advance the interests of actors in the country.”

The AGN has chapters in different states of the country and encourages practitioners to register where they live.

Aside from joining a guild, many industry events will put you in touch with other actors. By attending, you give yourself the chance to meet new people and widen your network.

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Use of social media

Yet another strategy for networking is to connect online through social media.

Connecting with an actor or producer online can lead to opportunities down the line. But stalking someone to get a job will do you no good. It will backfire. Please don’t do it.

6. Marketing Yourself

One important concept in traditional product marketing is the “rule of seven”

This principle suggests that it takes about seven impressions before a prospect considers buying a product.

Let us look at this from a personal level.

When you see an ad for something new, you skip it.

Then you run into an article about its launch on the web. Yet you ignore it.

But soon, a colleague will draw your attention to the new product.

Then you see another advertisement or even come across the physical product in a store. Or you get a cold promotional email.

According to the Rule of Seven, the steps above may not even convert you into a buyer. because you still have a couple of impressions left before you’re ready to buy.

It works for producers or content creators looking to hire actors as well.

As an actor, you cannot exit an audition assuming that the director will always remember you.

Or that because you have appeared in a couple of shows, the onus is on the producer or director to get to know you and give you a role.

It takes time for a casting director to get to know you. But after they feel familiar enough with you—with your brand—they will take a chance on you.

If directors tend to bring in actors that they know, it’s because they’ve had many points of contact with them and they feel like they know the actors well.

So, your marketing requires many impressions. You’re going to have to repeat yourself. and you’re going to have to repeat yourself. And also, you’re going to repeat yourself.

Furthermore, you can leverage social media to market yourself. A ton of talented people have used social media to launch their careers.

The Ikorodu Bois, for instance, has drawn international attention through the recreation of big-budget Hollywood film trailers.

Their grit and creativity paid off in August 2020, when Netflix gifted the siblings production gadgets. marking a turning point in their acting careers.

7. Specialization

I am thinking about brand building through specialization. That is carving a niche and becoming the leader in that space.

Some actors are famous for their comic roles. Others became famous for their roles as the evil protagonists in many genre features.

Carving a niche for yourself

In Yoruba films, certain actors are famous for their knowledge of the culture. Some play only the role of an “Ifa” priest. That is the local traditional religion.

Or that of a “Babalawo,” a diviner and mystic who consults with the gods. A screen character deep in African traditional worship with a steep knowledge of incantations.

Some actors play these types of parts in Yoruba films to the exclusion of other roles.

They lend their knowledge of culture and traditional religion to give credence to the role.

There are pros and cons to this subject of carving a niche through specialization.

Some argue that this is stereotyping the actor and not giving the talent room to explore other roles or develop their full potential.

Others insist that it plays to their strengths.

So long as you deliver, there is nothing wrong with playing the same character type in different films. And when producers consider you an expert in a field, you stand a better chance of getting a relevant role. As against someone who is not known for anything in particular,

What is your unique strength? Comedy, action, etc.? Look within and, I dare say, play to your strength.

It gets easier to pick and choose jobs once you rise to the top.

It is better to be a star in Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa films than to remain an active but unknown actor in the broad Nollywood sector.

8. Be Multilingual

In northern Nigeria, Kannywood is the film industry moniker. The general language of production is Hausa. However, the audience is not limited to Nigeria.

There are native Hausa speakers in Ghana, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and Togo. There is a sizable population of third-generation Hausa-speaking Nigerians in Sudan. Also, there are communities of Hausas (of Nigerian descent) in the Ivory Coast and Mali.

So, like Yoruba films, the market for Hausa films goes beyond Nigeria.

Hence, for any actor in Nigeria, being multilingual is an advantage. Today, there are non-Yoruba stars in the Yoruba film industry.

Fathia Balogun, Clarion Chukwurah, Liz Da Silva, Mercy Aigbe, and Toyin Aimakhu are a few names that come to mind. Some of them also act in Igbo and English movies.

The ability to speak Hausa can expose you to a new audience in the North and across West Africa.

So this year, consider featuring in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, or any other indigenous language film auditions.

You do not need to be an expert speaker of the language. Having conversational knowledge is a great start. The director and crew will always help you out on set.

9. Persistence and Consistency

No matter how talented you are or how well you network, if you are not consistent, success may not come.

Like in any other endeavor, the results may not be immediate. The capacity to persevere and could be the difference between success and failure.

Some actors give up after attending a few auditions. Others pull back when they get a role and discover that the filming process could be time-consuming,

They conclude that the business is stressful and not the walk in the park they thought it was.

10. Stay Healthy

Health is wealth, it trumps all else. But many actors slide into a lifestyle that impacts their health in the long term.

Take care of yourself from day to day. Your body will be glad you did. You cannot build a career in acting or anything else if you do not have good health.

Bonus Point! Mind your politics!

It may sound like an odd piece of advice in an article about acting. But you will do well to pay attention.

Nigeria is a developing country with great potential. But our party politics are still evolving. Many are reluctant to play by the rules.

Some politicians hold deep animosities towards those in opposing camps and will flaunt their disdain for opponents.

Filmmakers, we are not exempt from the weaknesses of the larger society. No one is.

Supporting one group or joining the never-ending political feuds online or offline can backfire. It may pit you against people who could be your collaborators on the professional front.

Play politics with wisdom. So you can work with anyone, regardless of their political creed or leanings.

Conclusion

So, these are ten tips to consider in 2024.

Which one do you consider the most important for you? Please share your thoughts with us. Let us learn from one another.

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