In my 25 years in this industry, it’s been my experience that people care. A lot.
PEOPLE Care. THE SYSTEM does not.
🤝 Your agent CARES. Casting CARES. The professionals working in this industry want actors to succeed.
⚙️ But the system itself? IT. DOESN’T. CARE.
It won’t miss you if you quit. It won’t even notice. It no longer needs to learn us. It runs on efficiency, not fairness or guarantees. That’s the reality we have to work within—and it’s why actors need to commit to some rapid evolution.
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Evolution doesn’t always happen gradually.
🌍 There’s a concept called Punctuated Equilibrium—it’s what happens when a species exists in a stable state for a long time, then suddenly experiences a rapid, unexpected shift due to a change in the environment. 💥 A classic example is the Cambrian Explosion—where, after billions of years of slow evolutionary progress, a sudden shift in conditions led to an explosion of new species, reshaping the biological landscape in a fraction of the time expected.
That’s exactly what happened to us actors.
For decades, actors built careers within a (mostly) stable industry system. We trained, we auditioned, and over time, the industry learned who we were—casting directors, agents, and producers developed trust in our work, and opportunities grew from there.
But then everything changed.
🔄 The System Has Changed. Have You?
The system still needs the same thing: quality candidates. 3-5 great options for any casting decision. But the way it finds them has fundamentally changed.
In 'the old days', the time and space constraints would limit how many people could be seen. Relationships ruled. The system benefitted best when it had a real relationship with each actor and knew when to invest that limited time and space in them being a potential solution.
Over time, actors earned their way into a trusted talent pool where the system (and the people within it) had "learned them". If you weren't in it yet, you had a clear path to becoming known and trusted.
Then the system hit its Punctuated Equilibrium moment.
The digital shift—self-tapes, remote casting, AI-assisted submissions—removed all of the old constraints.
📉 No more physical limitations on audition slots.
💬 No more incentive to build deep relationships with actors over time.
📊 No more need to “learn” actors when the system can just process huge volumes of submissions and find what it needs.
Don't get me wrong, being in the "known and trusted" talent pool is still the destination. Relationships are still tremendously valuable for all, but much to the Chagrin of THE PEOPLE (remember - they/we ALL CARE), there has less incentive or opportunity than ever to actively foster their development.
✅ The system still finds its actors. The system still works—for it.
⚠️ But for actors? It now requires exponentially more investment for the same (or fewer) results.
🚨 Displaced Efficiency
The system has become massively more efficient (and it won't give that up), but it's at the expense of the actor's personal efficiency. And what fuels it?
Our Creative Capital.
⏳ You put more time, effort, and resources into auditions.
🔇 You get less response, less clarity, and less control.
💸 You keep feeding the system, hoping to get chosen before you run out of energy, money, or motivation. (Your Creative Capital)
I call it Creative Capital because it's exactly that, my own valuable resource. And as with any resource, it's up to me to invest it wisely, with intention, and for growth.
🦾 And the system? It doesn’t feel that pain. It still gets what it needs. You do the work. It gets the results. This being the case, it has no incentive to 'learn' you as it once vitally needed to.
💡 So What Do We Do? 💡
We Adapt.
We Take Ownership.
We teach the system.
Everyone still benefits tremendously if the system has learned actors, but If the system won’t learn you anymore, you have to teach it.
You do that by taking control of how you train, how you prepare, and where you invest YOUR creative capital.
I'm advocating for a continuous cycle of:
🔭 Scope → 🎯 Target → 🔬 Hone
The Process That Puts You in Control
🔭 SCOPE – Understand the Landscape
Know exactly what shows are hiring actors like you right now AND in the months ahead.
Understand their tone, style, and storytelling approach. JBA Speak for this is "Audience Experience".
Get clear on what is actually worth your time and effort.
🎯 TARGET – Choose Materials That Serve You
Stop picking random scenes and *hoping* they show your range.
Train with scenes and auditions that align with industry expectations and needs.
Focus on what actually makes you castable, not just what feels good to perform.
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