Lady Gaga’s product was focused and undeniable. She had an impressive digital footprint and her live show was one you had to tell everyone about. Her performance forced her audience to pay attention, and people couldn’t help but tell everyone about her.
No wonder she’s a mega star now. She did the leg work playing in small NY pubs and perfecting her craft, using word of mouth to get her brand in people’s heads.
If you spend all your time and energy building the following but deliver a forgettable performance you will end up damaging your brand. You must have both the skill in your craft as well as the network and/or following to be successful in the entertainment industry.
In the film industry you have to build a network and do great work consistently to keep people calling you back. Actors need to top their last performance with every shoot, writers need every manuscript or edit to improve, camera operators need better and better shots, costume designers need to create increasingly solid looks.
On social media, film professionals are building followings around their craft, and that can get a lot of people thinking about their work and eager to hire them in the future. Keep in mind that what people post could be edited or have taken a ton of tries to get it right, and if you’re going to an audition or to work in production, you want to nail it the first time; a social media following doesn’t necessarily mean someone is the best at what they do.
There’s no need to stress. One bad showing is not going to completely tank your career. Focus on perfecting your craft as well as maintaining and growing your connections and everything else will fall into place.
Quality = Word of mouth, authentic connections, and great work.
Building your following with authentic connections is easier when your product and performance is solid. Create something people can’t stop talking about– it’ll get you where you want to go faster!
