What Can An Actor Achieve With Youtube?

[seunosewa]

There's a comic actress on a web series I used to follow whose mannerisms I really like. I'm a fan. But she's not yet broken into Hollywood and the web series she acts in seems to have gone downhill, so I don't watch it anymore.

Could such an actress have gained a large following and maybe attracted more eyes in Hollywood by creating her own one woman show or standup routines, acting them out herself and then posting the videos on Youtube?

Might producers be happy to be able to discover great actors through youtube?

[tasialabastro]

Sure.

http://www.youtube.com/user/watchtheguild?ob=4

http://www.drhorrible.com/

Watch both of them.

That's the short answer. Long answer...well, it's my birthday weekend, so I choose to be lazy. Web content is a great way to expose talent. Although these days there's just so much content on YouTube it's tough to filter through.

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Definitely. If someone can put quality content up on the web and break through the barrier and become well known, that can definitely lead to big things. Just like what bands are doing with MySpace, etc...

[Tom Marshall]

I, personally, wouldn't waste my time with youtube. It's just not how a very professional approach. If you want to put a reel together and put it online, then use something like vimeo.com. Putting a reel or anything on youtube reminds me of business people who use yahoo accounts for email, like "email: super_duper_films@yahoo.com"

[GageFX]

I dont think he was talking about reels, I think he was talking about just getting discovered from random YouTube vids.


While there have been a couple people "discovered" from YouTube videos, it is SO not the norm. I literally mean a couple people have. Out of 78.3+ million videos on the site. You have slightly better odds of being discovered doing cartwheels in you basement with no cameras present. (That's how I was "discovered" by my creepy neighbor.)

As a general rule, Hollywood projects are cast through agencies and open calls. I'd surprised if even one casting director has perused the vast poo of YouTube to find their next star.

[Tom Marshall]

Who was discovered from youtube?

[GageFX]

There were talk of giving that "Leave Britney alone" kid a show of some sort, and then some fat kid that used to do stuff with Jimmy Kimmel - I dont remember his name. That may have been pre-YouTube, though, and just random internet vids in general.

Also, Tay Zonday got the Dr. Pepper commercial, however that was just an internet commercial and not a TV commercial.

[Tom Marshall]

The "leave Britney alone" moron is a freak show. He doesn't count.

I don't consider some kid doing Jimmy Kimmel bits to be a success either...

And Tay Zonday... ummm... yeah...


I'm saying if you want a serious career, then doing youtube shenanigans will most likely discredit your attempts for a serious acting career.

[GageFX]

I never said they were "successes", I think this illustrates my point very well. Done expect to be "discovered" on YouTube, and if you are, people will still have no idea who you are.

[GageFX]

Regarding the OP's mention of a webseries, I think that is a decent way to build a quality reel - IF DONE WELL - and I think it wouldnt hurt to put it on YouTube for people to see. BUT... I dont think you'll get DISCOVERED that way. It'll just add to your reel.

[Tom Marshall]

And I think that's all the youtube stuff would be good for, building a reel.

There's been a few people who have tried to build a following and move on to bigger things, but it hasn't worked. The one girl that comes to mind is the one that did the 300 parody with the dolls or whatever it was. Also, that "lonelygirl 15". I've never seen any of it, but I've heard of it. I ran across an actor's resume the other day and saw "lonelygirl 15" as one of the roles and just thought to myself... "Hmm... yeah, ok... next..."

[Tom Shortridge]

some fat kid that used to do stuff with Jimmy Kimmel - I dont remember his name.

That'd be this guy - http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtieTSMITW - who also ended up getting a role in "Bart Got a Room," a flick with William H. Macy. Not a bad gig to get from a few YouTube videos.

[astigmatic]

I think it's a good place for musicians to get followings, even make it big... but acting, highly unlikey.

[GageFX]

Not a bad gig to get from a few YouTube videos.

Very true. I just want to keep things in perspective.

[CRProductions]

Only person I know that got youtube fame was Soulja Boy, but he does music lol. As far as actors, I dunno, if I was to host a web series, I'd open a website with decent bandwidth and put it on there. A domain specifically for the series, with actor profiles, things about the series, the producers...a message board all kind of things, with good production value as well.

See the bad thing about youtube is the video compressing makes everything look like shit...EVERYTHING..so it looks amateurish, even professional movie trailers. So if you're doing a series on there, you probably have little to no budget...now, if you can find talent on there, then it's there, point blank, you can find it in Mcdonalds if the person is good enough, it's just that most people don't even LOOK there for talent period.

[AJ Brooks]

Well, if you count a weezer music video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muP9eH2p2PI

Those peeps got exposure.

[ToTheBack]

Some fame can be achieved on youtube if you're good at acting and show you got skill. It's all about getting your name out there but it's definitely not the norm. Though directing wise, there have been successes, namely David Lehre with the Myspace movie. He's gotten commercial work and a deal with Fox

[Judgement]

Just make a SEX video tape and u be on TOP!

[smashedburrito]

Brandon Hardesty was the kimmel kid. His spots on Kimmel landed him an agent at endevour and got him cast in "Bart Got a Room" with William H Macy and "Cannabis Kid" with Aaron Yoo and Christopher Marquette. Also it got him an audition for Transformers 2.

He has done tons and tons of youtube videos where he does movie reenactments. But even then it was just a foot in the door. He still had to audition for the parts in the movies he got. Also he got in at the beginning of the youtube machine. He was right there with lonely girl. And he is the exception, not the rule.

Just sharing.

[YehoshuaSofer]

It always amazes me when actors think they are going to get DISCOVERED. Would any other profession act this way. No one gets discovered. You train, train hard, train often. Then you network, take evey independent film without pay you can find, work in black box theatres of some note, build a ligitament resume and demo reel, train more, voluteer to work as a PA or tech for film projects, network, train, build a business plan that should include obtaining an agent, train, see the agents as often as you can. When all else fails, start over. Getting discovered is for new species of fish not actors!

[Zak Forsman]

people aren't simply discovered on youtube. they build an audience of fans on youtube, sustain that audience by interacting with them everyday, resulting in something that can be monetized.

that is when the phone starts ringing with offers, etc.

[Ted Spencer]

It always amazes me when actors think they are going to get DISCOVERED. Would any other profession act this way. No one gets discovered. You train, train hard, train often. Then you network, take evey independent film without pay you can find, work in black box theatres of some note, build a ligitament resume and demo reel, train more, voluteer to work as a PA or tech for film projects, network, train, build a business plan that should include obtaining an agent, train, see the agents as often as you can. When all else fails, start over. Getting discovered is for new species of fish not actors!

All good advice, but from the casting side they're very much interested in "discovering" talent. First-time actor "naturals" do crop up from time to time, and everyone on the casting/producing side loves it when they do.

From the actor's side though, you're 100% correct...

[capitalP]

I look at being discovered on youtube as the same as being on a reality show. Eventually it fades out, and your peers never take you serious... no matter what, in turn directors/producers will never take you serious.

So, for a kid just fooling around, I'd say yeah go get discovered, but for an actor who is serious about their craft, stay away... specially if you want more than a 15minute of fame career.

[Chris Santucci]

Who was discovered from youtube?




Lisa Nova, after being rejected by Mad TV, built up a huge following on YouTube and eventually got a shot at joining the Mad TV cast.
Actress Stevie Ryan has been bouncing around quite a bit thanks to her YouTube cult following.
Keyboardist/composer Ronald Jenkees has a massive fan-base thanks to YouTube and I'm convinced will break at some point.
I hear Yes is touring with a singer they discovered on YouTube.
Boston found a replacement for lead singer Brad Delp on Myspace.
Marina from Hot For Words built up a huge following on YouTube and has been all over mainstream television.
Tay Zonday became somewhat of a celebrity after his Chocolate Rain clip blew up on YouTube.
Mia Rose was just a chick sitting on her bed with her guitar singing songs on YouTube and eventually built a huge fan-base.

These are just the few that I'm aware of. Here's a more comprehensive list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_YouTube_celebrities

I think actors, with a LOT of work, can promote themselves and build a fan-base using YouTube. You cannot just upload some clips and expect them to be discovered by viewers however. There's just WAY too much content on YouTube for that to happen.

Many, if not all of those who made a name for themselves on YouTube had been labeled as "cheaters" by other Youtubers based on the fact that they either hacked the view counters or used other means to get the view counts up for their clips, thereby getting on the "most viewed" page for maximum exposure.

At any rate, YouTube CAN be used by actors to gain noteriety and self-promote, but you gotta have an edge and you have to promote your content like crazy to get anywhere and even then it might noty be worth the effort.

.

[RobinFrank]

Honestly, online auditioning started with Youtube, but has branched to so many different places and networking sites.

i find Youtube to be 'going downhill' these days. It's a great launching pad and a perfect place to display demo-reels or shorts, but there are so many other places where actors can network and show their skills. Personally, my favorite is the british site, www.bethemoviestar.com (http://www.bethemoviestar.com) I have been a member for almost two years and have met dosens of great acotrs, directors and just fun people. Check it out, I should be (If all goes as planned) featured in the Update video next week

Currently, there are no auditions scheduled, but there has been over a dosen conducted on the site over the years which have cast and paid for their talent. There is much more to come with this site, including a Major Feature being filmed in America, in 2009.

I suggest getting aboard now, because you will find that keeping with these guys pays off.

Cheers!

[tykrusch]

It always amazes me when actors think they are going to get DISCOVERED. Would any other profession act this way. No one gets discovered. You train, train hard, train often. Then you network, take evey independent film without pay you can find, work in black box theatres of some note, build a ligitament resume and demo reel, train more, voluteer to work as a PA or tech for film projects, network, train, build a business plan that should include obtaining an agent, train, see the agents as often as you can. When all else fails, start over. Getting discovered is for new species of fish not actors!
HAHA! Very well said.

[Chris Santucci]

It always amazes me when actors think they are going to get DISCOVERED. Would any other profession act this way. No one gets discovered. You train, train hard, train often. Then you network, take evey independent film without pay you can find, work in black box theatres of some note, build a ligitament resume and demo reel, train more, voluteer to work as a PA or tech for film projects, network, train, build a business plan that should include obtaining an agent, train, see the agents as often as you can. When all else fails, start over. Getting discovered is for new species of fish not actors!



Many A-list actors were in fact "discovered." That is, some were not even actors and were spotted by scouts or agents with the rest as they say being history. In regard to the entertainment business, being "discovered" is in fact very much a reality for those who train and perfect their craft over years as well as those who have no experience.

.

[cool_splash1]

Tony Coburn or timelordfromhell. He got a part in the new Harry Potter movie.

[thesammyshow]

You cant forget to mention, Bo Burnham.

http://www.youtube.com/user/boburnham

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/10/youtuber-bo-bur.html

He is writing for a new Apatow Production, there's a couple other youtube fame folk in the article above

[Nathyn]

I'm saying if you want a serious career, then doing youtube shenanigans will most likely discredit your attempts for a serious acting career.

Hm. Have you heard of a guy called Soulja Boy? No? Where you been for the past eight months. In the summer of 2008 Soulja Boy released a track and a dance on Youtube. Today it's got 39,416,616 views. One of the highest viewed videos ever on Youtube. Various artist like Travis Barker even did covers of the song. He made a lot of money this summer.

Lisa Nova was on MadTV for a season. Chris Crocker (the leave Britney alone guy) has a record label (because of the Youtube bit) and a few others. If you can get a bunch of teens to like you, you're marketable, case closed. As far as "acting" goes it all depends on what one considers success.

Few people will be Brad Pitt. Hell, few people will be anyone special in Hollywood. It's a tiny percent of the population. If you have something that you think you can do that's so funny other will tell people about then maybe you should. A lot of people do. Some are very successful. Why does it hurt to try. And are you telling me someone will see you on Youtube and decide not to hire you for a role? Doesn't sound reasonable to me. I'm considering a guy from my film because of - Youtube.

-Nate

[adamr316]

I'm not an actor but an editor from Fortune Small Business/CNNMoney.com saw my YouTube video. He sent me a message on YouTube, I verified that he was legit and we did a phone interview. He talked about it in paragraph one of a huge article. He just "discovered" it...I did no promotion...just uploaded and used the right tags.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/05/smbusiness/customer_service.fsb/index.htm