what you can do right now for your acting career + why i hate ‘survive till 2025’

Summary

One Broke Actress Podcast: Detailed Summary

Episode Title: What You Can Do Right Now for Your Acting Career + Why I Hate ‘Survive Till 2025’
Host: Sam Valentine
Release Date: August 29, 2024

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Introduction: Addressing a Resurfacing Phrase

In this solo episode, host and actress Sam Valentine dives into the pervasive phrase "survive till 2025," which has been making waves across the acting community and social media platforms. After a brief hiatus, Valentine returns with a critical perspective on this mantra that has been widely adopted among actors.

Notable Quote:

"If you are not chronically online like me and you've missed this, congrats. Good job." [00:00]

Why "Survive Till 2025" is Problematic

Valentine expresses her discomfort with the phrase, emphasizing that it implicitly suggests a stagnant period where actors must merely endure without taking proactive steps. She clarifies that her critique isn't of the individuals using the phrase but of the underlying sentiment it conveys.

Key Points:

• The phrase implies inaction and hopelessness.
• It suggests that the industry is dead or that actors hold no value until 2025.
• Valentine advocates for a more positive and proactive approach.

Notable Quote:

"It brings a vibe that there's literally nothing that you can be doing right now in your actor career until next year… that the business is dead and it's hopeless until next year." [00:40]

Emphasizing the Importance of Being Informed and Active

Valentine underscores the necessity for actors to stay informed about the ever-evolving Hollywood business landscape. Understanding industry changes can influence how actors communicate with agents, interact with peers, and self-submit for projects.

Key Points:

• Staying informed is crucial for effective communication and strategy.
• Actors need to recognize that being continuously auditioning is unsustainable and counterproductive.
• Engaging with actor-focused content, such as this podcast, signifies active participation in the industry.

Notable Quote:

"If you're listening to this podcast, you are choosing to ingest actor content, and that means you are in the business." [02:10]

Shifting Perspective: From Survival to Proactive Growth

Instead of fixating on surviving until a future date, Valentine encourages actors to focus on actionable steps they can take in the immediate future—specifically the next six months. She emphasizes adaptability and continuous learning as key to thriving in a dynamic industry.

Key Points:

• The only constant in the industry is change; adaptability is essential.
• Procrastinating until a set date can lead to missed opportunities.
• Embracing a mindset similar to the "back to school" excitement can rejuvenate an actor's career trajectory.

Notable Quote:

"We are going to take all these ideas and we're going to funnel them to figure out what it is you need to focus on and how you can do it over the next few months instead of waiting for some random undisclosed time in the future." [05:15]

Introducing the Five-Day Back to School Challenge

To facilitate this shift in mindset, Valentine introduces the "Back to School Challenge," a five-day email-based program designed to help actors identify and focus on specific actions that can advance their careers immediately.

Details of the Challenge:

• Format: Five daily emails, each containing a video and homework assignments.
• Purpose: To provide structured guidance on various aspects of an acting career, such as taking classes, creating reels, hiring PR, and managing finances.
• Participation: Free to join via a link in the show notes; encouraged to undertake with a friend for mutual support.
• Start Date: September 9th.

Key Points:

• The challenge aims to replace passive survival strategies with active career development.
• Valentine has pre-recorded all content to streamline the process for participants.
• Emphasis on enjoying one's life while pursuing an acting career.

Notable Quote:

"There is no need to wait for New Year's or a holiday or some random date that somebody else gives you permission." [07:45]

Encouragement and Final Thoughts

Valentine wraps up the episode by reiterating her belief in the potential of every actor to create a fulfilling life, independent of Hollywood's fluctuating dynamics. She encourages listeners to seize the moment and engage actively in their career growth rather than waiting passively for future milestones.

Closing Remarks:

• Embrace a proactive approach to career development.
• Utilize available resources, such as the Back to School Challenge, to foster growth.
• Maintain a balance between personal enjoyment and professional endeavors.

Notable Quote:

"I cannot wait to help you figure out what you can be doing so you don't just have to survive till 2025. I strongly believe that you much, much more." [09:30]

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Conclusion

In this insightful episode, Sam Valentine dismantles the limiting mindset encapsulated by the phrase "survive till 2025" and offers a compelling alternative focused on immediate, actionable steps. By introducing the Back to School Challenge, she provides a tangible pathway for actors to engage actively with their careers, adapt to industry changes, and foster personal growth. This episode serves as a motivational call to action, empowering actors to take control of their professional journeys with enthusiasm and purpose.

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Join the Five-Day Back to School Challenge:
Sign Up: [Link in the show notes below]
Contact: Reach out to Sam Valentine on Instagram for any questions or support.

Transcript

[Sam Valentine]

Fast Forward Productions. The women are speaking. What's up guys? Welcome back to another episode of the One Broke Actress podcast. An honest account of actor life, plus a few lessons I learn in the process. I am your host, Sam Valentine and we are coming back from a much needed short podcast hiatus and we're getting back in the groove and we are going to start today with a very short solo episode because we got to talk about a phrase. It's being tossed around everywhere and what we are going to do about it. If you have not heard the phrase survive till 2025, it is making a huge resurgence in actor world and on social media and if you are not chronically online like me and you've missed this, congrats. Good job. I live in this world so much and I have heard this phrase thrown out by so many people that I love and respect. What I want to talk about today is why I am trying to avoid this phrase and what I'm doing about it in the process because I just don't like it and I don't think anyone has bad intentions. I don't think anybody said that phrase because they were like, I'm gonna put my feet up and couch rod until 2025. No, I don't think that's what it is. But to me it brings a vibe that there's literally nothing that you can be doing right now in your actor career until next year or that the business is dead and it's hopeless until next year or you are useless and you have no value to your own life until next year. And all of these things I think are just trash. To be quite frank. And I, number one, advocate for being realistic and knowledgeable about the Hollywood business system. I think it's really important that you stay informed and understand what is going on in this business because it changes how you send emails to your agents, it changes how you interact with actors on a day to day basis or self submit for projects. Being informed and knowledgeable and understanding the business you're in is a huge part of being in the business. And I know sometimes it feels like you're not in the business because you're not auditioning. 24 7, 365. Let me tell you something. You don't want to be auditioning. That is a lot of energy and you will have nothing, nothing left and you will probably do a very bad job on your audition. I understand that sometimes it feels like we're not truly in the business, but you are. If you're listening to this podcast, you are choosing to ingest actor content, and that means you are in the business. So there are some things I think you can be doing right now. I think so many of them are particular to who you are as a person and where you are at in your level as an actor. Because the things I'm doing might not be the same thing that somebody who just moved here two weeks ago needs to be doing, or an actor who's been doing this for 25 years needs to be doing. If you're an actor who's been doing this for 25 years, shoot me an email because you should probably be talking to me. So I want to take this phrase of survive till 2025 and I want to revamp it. I want us instead to think about what we can be doing in the next six plus months. Because here's the thing, this is not going to be the last time that the industry changes throughout your career. The only thing we're guaranteed is change. If you would have me when I first moved to LA 13 years ago that I would make good money and put on a SAG contract for having a podcast and doing videos on social media, I would think that you were making shit up. I was busy watching vine. So what are you even talking about? So much changes so often and we need to be on top of it and understanding it and we need to be accepting of it and being able to flow with it. So instead of surviving till 2025, I want you to feel excited and focused in a almost like school vibe. If you have kids, you are probably right now prepping for back to school. Or if you're in one of those school districts where school starts earlier and earlier. Now I just. School is starting so early now. I talk to parents of kids and they're like, yeah, yeah, we went back the first week of August. I'm like, what? That is still summer vacation. Poor kids are maybe good for the parents. I don't know your life. I don't have children, but I can tell you that going back to school in elementary school was the shit. You felt so excited you got a new notebook and some sharpened pencils. Or if you were me, your mom pulled out your backpack from last year and was like, you can totally use this again. And then you would be like, no, I can't. I'm gonna be the only school kid who uses the same backpack from last year. And then maybe she'd find you one at a different sale. And then eventually you'd reuse last year's lunchbox instead. We were absolutely a Non consumption core family as they're calling it these days. So I want you to get specific on what it is you can be doing right now. And I can't do that for you on this podcast. But what I can do is lead you through how I'm figuring this out and helping other actors figure this out. So I created a Back to School challenge. It is a five day challenge that is going out via email only. So that way I don't inundate your social medias. For those of you who aren't going to take it seriously, you can just skip it. It's okay. No, no shame. It's okay. You're not ready to go back to school. I understand. It is a five day challenge where I'm going to send you a video every single day. That is what you can start working on and focusing on from where you are at now. We're going to take all the ideas of like, oh, I guess I should be an acting class. Maybe I should be doing a reel. Should I hire pr? What about my day job? Do I have enough money? Blah blah, blah. We're going to take all these ideas and we're going to funnel them to figure out what it is you need to focus on and how you can do it over the next few months instead of waiting for some some random undisclosed time in the future. Because I strongly believe you can be living a good life that you enjoy whether or not Hollywood has anything to say about it. You guys know I'm the biggest advocate for you to continue to enjoy your life while also being involved in this business. At the link in the show notes for this podcast episode, there is a place where you can join the five day Back to School Challenge. Guys, it's free. I already recorded all of the videos. They're going to be sent to you one day at a time. You're going to get homework each day and I highly recommend doing it with a friend. So if you have a friend, you listen to this podcast with what's up? You're my favorite people. I want you to get a hold of them and be like, hey, do you want to do the five day challenge together? And we are trying to muster and find that energy of like, back to school, fresh notebook, clean slate. There is no need to wait for New Year's or a holiday or some random date that somebody else gives you permission. And by right Now, I mean September 9th is when it starts. I think that you can start working on things for your acting career career and for your life in general. And we're gonna figure out what those are together. Five Day Back to School Challenge Completely free. Sign up at the link in the show notes below. If you have any questions, drop me a line on Instagram. I am so excited about this. I thought of the idea, wrote the scripts and filmed it in a 48 hour period. So as you can tell, I needed this as well. So get excited. Get signed up for the five day back to School Challenge and I cannot wait to help you figure out what you can be doing so you don't just have to survive till 2025. I strongly believe that you much, much more. Okay guys, I will talk to you next week. Stop me this time.