What Can An Actor Achieve With Youtube?

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.
 
YehoshuaSofer said:
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!
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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...
 
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.
 
Tom Marshall said:
Who was discovered from youtube?
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  • 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.

.
 
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 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!
 
YehoshuaSofer said:
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!
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HAHA! Very well said.
 
YehoshuaSofer said:
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!
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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.

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