I received an email asking if I could offer some tips to help someone be “discovered.”
First, I was thinking, you should probably ask someone who was discovered.
But then again, I do know the answer.
So today I will share the secret of:
How to be Discovered.
Everyone has probably heard the story of the actress that was discovered at the soda fountain of a drug store. That was Lana Turner.
She was sipping a drink, the story goes, when Billy Wilkerson from the Hollywood Reporter saw her. He connected her with an agent, who then made her a star.
Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube by a manager and former marketing director who made him a star.
So how do you get discovered?
Well, Lana Turner was discovered in 1937. And apparently that story wasn’t completely true. Hollywood loved to create stories around their stars to market them.
Today, getting discovered is almost a myth.
There are no agents who are going to suddenly get you a ton of work and make you a celebrity. If someone offers you a chance and wants you to pay them upfront – it is a scam.
So many people want to be discovered or to be famous, that scam artists love the income.
There were tons of modeling agencies that used to lure women & kids in with promises of huge modeling contracts.
They would tell the would be models they needed a professional portfolio of pics to land work. Then they set the women up with a photographer which cost the “model” money.
The agency would disappear afterward – or just stop returning calls. Hey, they can’t make photographers work with you.
The truth is, no one cares about your act.
Except you.
So how do you get discovered?
Keep working on your art.
Keep improving.
Never assume you are good enough.
Come up with original ideas. Something that will make people pay attention.
Then put yourself out there.
Just like Justin Bieber did with YouTube.
Just like Katie Perry did at the SXSW concert where she was heard by a record producer.
Sure, there are people who can and will help you with your career. If you have something that catches their attention.
If you are so good people can’t ignore you.
And that only comes with hard work and daily practice. Don’t wait around for someone to discover you. It won’t just happen. You’ve got to make it happen.
One thing I can promise you… If you put yourself out there before you are ready…
You’ll only hurt yourself.
What do you think? Is being discovered still a possibility? Or is it the fantasy people who don’t understand the entertainment industry believe?
Let me know in the comments …
