Marissa Mutascio

Actress. Contagious Smiler. Co-founder of NY Actors Tweetup.

Category: Articles

Articles

2 Tips To Turn Your Industry Acquaintances Into Personal Advocates

You, Amplified…for Free? Personal referrals are the best marketing exposure for any business. But, how do we position ourselves to get that kind of free word-of-mouth publicity that can open the door to new business opportunities? Convincing others to go to bat for us professionally requires a deeper rapport than what we make during initial meetings and interactions within our network. A recent article in Entrepreneur.com made clear that, “a good first impression is wasted unless you take the next step of building a relationship”. Undoubtedly, cementing a professional relationship is the first stop on the path to converting a...

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Articles

Build Online Buzz for your Project: From Static to Dynamic

Anyone who works in the entertainment industry wants to be found. We want Google to know us. And Bing. And Yahoo…and any other indexing service provider that might potentially help connect us with our next job, collaborator or fan. But for those of us who don’t currently have a publicist working tirelessly to get and keep our good names in the press, it’s increasingly hard to stand out. If you are like me, we act as our own publicists – which means we do all the work. In addition to our actual work, we maintain our credentials on our personal...

Articles

How to generate opportunities when you’re an independent artist or freelance professional

The generation of new opportunities requires some face time. “Choose a career you love, give it the best there is in you, seize your opportunities, and be a member of the team.” A straightforward and inspiring message. But, how do you generate opportunities & be a part of the team when you’re an independent artist or freelance professional? One easily actionable answer is: by building your tribe. The whole point of networking is to help position yourself for the kinds of opportunities you’re interested in — by learning who has similar interests and in turn have them learn about you....

Articles

Networking & the Power of YOU

Whether you are a new or veteran actor, knowing your type – meaning how others are most likely to see (and cast) you – is of primary importance, for this is where the bulk of your work will be. In fact, until you’ve successfully established yourself, embracing whatever type you most represent (e.g. the jock, the femme fatale, the hipster, the comedic side-kick, etc.) should be the tent-pole of your marketing efforts and the focus of your job submissions. Ironically, once you know the category of actors you are most aligned with, it then becomes your job to distinguish yourself...

Articles

Q & A: Mark Measures, Abrams Artists Agency

Mark Measures is the head of Commercial & Voice-Over Division for Abrams Artists Agency in Los Angeles.  Recently, Mark shared his thoughts with me on the role of reputation-whether it be an actor’s, agent’s or agency’s, expanding his division’s current roster and his expectations about taking on individual clients. We also spoke briefly about the results of the “Generals in July” experiment.This experiment was conducted exclusively through Twitter, wherein agents from 4 disparate Los Angeles based commercial agencies each gave out 10 general meetings per week to their followers during the month of July. In addition to helping pioneer this...

Articles

Q & A: Mark Measures, Abrams Artists Agency

Mark Measures is the head of Commercial & Voice-Over Division for Abrams Artists Agency in Los Angeles.  Recently, Mark shared his thoughts with me on the role of reputation-whether it be an actor’s, agent’s or agency’s, expanding his division’s current roster and his expectations about taking on individual clients. We also spoke briefly about the results of the “Generals in July” experiment.This experiment was conducted exclusively through Twitter, wherein agents from 4 disparate Los Angeles based commercial agencies each gave out 10 general meetings per week to their followers during the month of July. In addition to helping pioneer this...

Articles

Demo Reels

  Tips From the Pros The following text is excerpted from a Los Angeles-based Theatrical Agent @Agentadvice on Twitter. Please note: the original text has been edited to replace abbreviations, misspellings and where necessary periodic [insertions] and changes to the chronological order in which the tweet originally appeared have been made for clarification purposes. Today we’re going to talk about demo reels. When compiling your demo reel, look at all projects you can pull from. You [will] want to showcase your range effectively. Do you have drama? Comedy? If you have the material, have your reel showcase your range. Show...

Amy Gossels on Producing, Casting & Auditioning

Articles

Amy Gossels on Producing, Casting & Auditioning

Originally published June 10, 2010 Updated Wednesday, May 11, 2016   Recently I had the opportunity to speak to New York Casting Director and Producer Amy Gossels.  Our conversation ranged over the ways she gets involved with new filmmakers and indie projects, to the value of actor workshops, as well as her thoughts on some actor “do’s and don’ts”. Amy Gossels has cast so many well-known commercials, features and television projects. Her feature film casting credits include “Something’s Gotta Give” starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, “Godsend” starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Maggio’s Sundance hit “Milk & Honey” and Duncan Roy’s...

Amy Gossels on Producing, Casting & Auditioning

Articles

Amy Gossels on Producing, Casting & Auditioning

Originally published June 10, 2010 Updated Wednesday, May 11, 2016   Recently I had the opportunity to speak to New York Casting Director and Producer Amy Gossels.  Our conversation ranged over the ways she gets involved with new filmmakers and indie projects, to the value of actor workshops, as well as her thoughts on some actor “do’s and don’ts”. Amy Gossels has cast so many well-known commercials, features and television projects. Her feature film casting credits include “Something’s Gotta Give” starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, “Godsend” starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Maggio’s Sundance hit “Milk & Honey” and Duncan Roy’s...