How the Hollywood Narrative is Ruining Your Chances of Succeeding

Is it just me, or does it feel like Hollywood is set up to make you fail? Obstacle, after obstacle... Rejection, after rejection... It's *almost* not even worth trying. and I can say 'almost' because those of us who still believe in the magic of our dreams, have a passion so strong that we are going to go for it, despite all of the hardships we hear about. If you are one of those people, like me, I want you to really listen to what I'm about to tell you. Because you could be doing everything 'right' and still not see success. And it actually has NOTHING to do with luck.   See, here's the thing. Hollywood has created a narrative, a 'story', that you've been hearing since the moment you decided to pursue this dream. It's a story oozing with negativity and it's confirmed again and again. The Hollywood Story is based on LACK. It says there is NOT ENOUGH opportunities, roles, jobs, etc. It says ONLY ONE IN A MILLION will make it. It says you need a LUCKY BREAK to be successful. It says competition is so intense that it's not worth pursuing. You've been fed these lines forever. They are based on someone else's experiences...someone else's truth. But it does NOT have to be YOUR truth. And here's why you need to ditch this Hollywood Story ASAP: When you hear these statements of lack and you choose to believe them, they get stored in your subconscious. Your subconscious mind ONLY believes what is stored in it.   So, if you stored, 'there are not enough opportunities for me to be successful in Hollywood', then your subconscious says this is the CONCLUSION, meaning, there is no other possible outcome or experience. Then, your conscious mind goes out into Hollywood and makes decisions based on that conclusion. Your subconscious mind essentially says, "Hey, Conscious! Go out into the world and prove that I'm right!" So you begin to attract experiences into your career that do just that, prove the belief true. This means, that as long as you BELIEVE the Hollywood Story and take it on as your own, you're actually blocking yourself from having any other possible outcome. But there is good news to all of this: your subconscious performs this way whether you have negative OR positive beliefs stored there. YAY! This means, if you can change your beliefs to, 'My success is inevitable and I'm going to make this happen', your conscious mind goes out into the Hollywood world seeking experiences that prove THAT to be true. BUT ERICA... I know. You really, really, really, believe the Hollywood Story. People tell you all the time how hard it is to make it in Hollywood. You even hear celebrities explaining in interviews, "I just got lucky!" But let's take a sec to remember what I mentioned above: your subconscious mind believes this to be the CONCLUSION, meaning, there is no other possible outcome. So when I tell you to change those beliefs, that your success CAN be inevitable, you're not going to believe me, because your subconscious mind doesn't understand a possibility that isn't stored in there.   We cling REALLY TIGHTLY to these negative stories. We never want to give them up. But if you want to succeed at your dream, you HAVE to give them up. Otherwise, you'll continue to hit walls and get stuck. You can ease your way into changing these beliefs by looking for proof. And there IS proof all around you, of people succeeding in Hollywood, if you choose to see it. Most people choose to see the failures. Most people choose to see people moving back home and giving up. But if you open your eyes (and your mind) to other experiences, you will be able to make that shift. And when you do, you'll start to see changes in your results almost immediately. All of my clients have had at least one amazing opportunity 'fall in their lap' after changing their beliefs: anything from landing auditions, booking roles, being personally requested to write for a new network, recording music in a professional studio for free and being organically introduced to a major connection. So, it's time. Time to shed the negative Hollywood Story that is ruining your chances to succeed. You can fight me on it and continue to hit walls. Or, you can finally believe that your success is inevitable, and watch the amazing opportunities fall in your lap. Your choice.   About Erica Wernick I'm Erica Wernick, Hollywood's Leading Success Coach. I've worked in television as a Graphic Designer for the past 9 years (you may have seen my work on hit shows like "Glee", "Entourage" and most recently, NBC's "Superstore") and started my coaching business a few years ago. How on earth can a Graphic Designer coach Actors, Writers, Directors, etc.?! (I imagine you just said...) I don't teach craft. I teach a combination of mindset and strategy to help you get rid of all the blocks in your way and follow through with a strategic plan to make your BIG goals happen.My clients have gone from having just 1 audition in an entire year to booking auditions every week; to directing corporate videos to being selected to create stories for a brand new network; to having no agent or manager to booking both within a few weeks, and more!  I'm here to encourage you to shoot for the stars and make your success inevitable. No matter how many people disagree with me. I've seen incredible things happen. When you believe your success is inevitable, those incredible things will start happening for you, too. If you're feeling stuck, like you're not making any progress, or it's just taking too damn long to get to where you want to be, send her a message. P.S. YES even your biggest dreams are 100% possible.   Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media buttons at the top of the blog. Or post to your personal blog and anywhere else you feel appropriate. Thank you. As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...  Read More

Coffee & Content: Podcasts & Webcasts

To all celebrating, a very happy Easter to you. (And a very happy Sunday to everyone else!) I always believe the holidays are for sharing, so I wanted to take a minute to post some podcats, webcasts and interviews that I hope will provide some inspiration today and as you move along in your creative pursuits. There's something here for creatives of all disciplines and all those multi-hyphenates out there!   National Screenwriters Day with Spencer Robinson, Caytha Jentis, Richard Botto and Hal Croasman Literary Manager Spencer Robinson, Amazon Writer/Director Caytha Jentis, Screenwriter Richard Botto and Screenwriting U's Hal Croasman talk about the current state of the industry - from craft to business and everything in between.       Actors Anonymous Podcast with Weesam Keesh & Jordan Burbank Rich "RB" Botto, was a guest on the extremely popular Actor's Anonymous podcast hosted by Jordan Burbank and Weesam Keesh of MTV's Awkward, The Mentalist and NCIS: Los Angeles. In a lively and spirited hour or so (filmed at the Stage 32 offices), the trio discussed a life in the arts including RB's early days of acting and his pursuits in screenwriting and producing. They also discussed the importance of support in a creative's life, as well as the need to embrace a collaborative and selfless spirit in an effort to win every day.       Industry Spotlight: Jason Roberts (DGA AD for Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Doug Liman, Angelina Jolie) The hardest working man in show business, Jason Roberts, hosted an exclusive FREE Stage 32 Webcast. Jason spent over an hour answering questions and speaking to how he's maintained such a long career while working with such prolific and prominent directors as Doug Liman, Michael Bay, Angelina Jolie and more.        Crowdsourcing and Using Social Media as a Filmmaker  RB sat down with Cineuropa, founded by industry veteran Domenico La Porta. In this video, RB goes over: More about Stage 32 Do's and don'ts for your online presence as a creative What is crowdfunding? What is crowdsourcing? Where the future of film will go in a digital world        The Dave Bullis Podcast - Indie Filmmaking: Festivals, Marketing & More! On the podcast, RB and Dave discuss a wide variety of topics including the Sundance Film Festival, how to market yourself, the state of the film industry and were they think it's headed. If you're a filmmaker this is a must-listen to podcast!       Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media buttons at the top of the blog. Or post to your personal blog and anywhere else you feel appropriate. Thank you. As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...  Read More