A Few Ideas to Get the Ball Rolling...

Here are a few ideas to help get you started on sharing your voice:

• Write a short film
• Write a feature length film
• Write a monologue
• Write a short play
• Write a full length play
• Write a pilot for a series
• Write a Webisode for a Webseries
• Host get-togethers where you can hear your work read aloud.

Remember not to let those stories collect dust on your desk. The world needs them! Implement the Steve Jobs rule of “failing fast.” Don’t wait to write, Lawrence of Arabia. Instead, get it out into the world for feedback as soon as possible. Implement what you've learned and take the next step.

Do it Because You Want to

Yesterday afternoon I caught up with a close friend of mine over the phone. Hard to believe we met nearly 10 years ago during a summer training program at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.

Over the summer he played the lead role in a feature film that received a reasonable amount of press. The movie even screened at Village Cinema on 2nd Avenue in front of a supportive group of friends and family. I was sure the film would be a major turning point in my friend's career. 

"Has the film led to newer and bigger opportunities?" I finally asked. He paused before admitting, "Not really." I could feel his frustration through the phone. 

It was a stark reminder that we can hope a project will bring us more opportunities but the foundation must be a belief and love in doing it.

Making a feature length film for instance is so difficult that if one's primary objective in making it is to build contacts or advance a career it's more likely to fail. 

If however, you are deeply committed to telling a story, or seeing a project through because you believe in its importance and the BYPRODUCT happens to be greater connections and broader possibilities that's something completely different.

First, do it because it matters to you. Whatever happens after that should come a distant second.

Follow-Up

Asking someone to read a screenplay you just finished can feel like asking for a kidney. And I get it completely. People are busy, distracted, and often have to prioritize tasks that will get them paid.

Still, if something is important to you like getting feedback on a monologue, short film, or a passage from a book you've recently completed don't stop trying.

The same goes for any endeavor, particularly when it comes to the arts. Trying to get funding for a feature film for instance, may feel like moving mountains. But you'd be surprised by the number of people who simply quit because an email wasn't answered.

Send a follow-up. Look for other avenues. Rinse and Repeat.

Start by Starting

Admittedly, it took me several years to figure out something that now seems profoundly simple about my acting career: I didn't need to wait for permission to create.

For years, I'd followed the perceived blueprint of many New York actors. I trained at a rigorous conservatory. I graduated and was signed by a great agent. And before I knew it, I was off to the races, auditioning for feature films, television, and commercials. I was living the dream. It was a truly exhilarating time in my young life.

Eventually, the auditions slowly tapered off, the realities of how challenging a career in the arts would be set in, and I began to question my purpose as an actor. I judged my credibility and success as an artist on the number of auditions I received and the length of my IMDB page.

Thankfully, close friends grew weary of my griping and rightly so. At first they nudged, then practically screamed, "Create your own work!" It took a few years, but I finally got the message.

Today, there are countless resources at our disposal to get you on your way. There are free screenwriting tools like Storywriter on Amazon and the feature film, Tangerine, shot entirely on an iPhone was nominated for an Academy Award. So don't wait for your friends to scream at you. You don't need permission to create. The world needs to hear your point of view now. Start by starting.