Edoardo Ballerini

An actor friend of mine told me that one of his goals was to be in a Broadway play. I thought that sounded like a worthy pursuit, and I was impressed that he had a specific ambition. So many people have no idea what they want, outside of “to work,” or “be recognized,” aspirations so vague that they usually lead to unemployed anonymity. 

When I asked when he wanted this to happen, he said, “Now.” Again, the focus and drive were impressive, but alarms went off in my head. He’s a talented guy, and I think he could handle a run on The Great White Way, but it struck me as something better suited to a long-term goal for him. Read more…

We’ve all heard the metaphors about careers being a journey, or a road, or some kind of travel experience. But as important as the journey is the vehicle doing the journeying. If you’ll play along for a second, think of the vehicle as being a single wheel.

There are many aspects to an actor’s career – training, marketing, representation, appearance, industry knowledge, networking – and each one acts as a spoke of the wheel. The spokes need to be equal in length, and equal in strength. If one of them is too short, or too weak, the wheel stumbles, doesn’t turn, or outright falls apart. Read more…