Get the lowdown from one agent who advises her clients to work in many different jobs.

By Lisa Martland
Photo by Emma Grimwood

"It's important for actors to take ownership of their careers, it's no good sitting by the phone waiting for someone to call and tell you how brilliant you are."

This is tough but wise advice from an individual who has been part of the acting industry for 30 years, as a performer, writer, director and during the last decade, as an agent. It is perhaps no surprise then that Mary Eliott Nelson acknowledges how important it is to 'multi-job' within the entertainment industry, adapting one's vital communication skills to a whole variety of opportunities and environments.

Of course actors have always multi-tasked, in fact it is extremely rare to see an artist make a living purely by working in one area. Even high profiles performers, Griff Rhys Jones and John Cleese for example, have gaps between work which they happily fill with well paid corporate work. In a way, young performers nowadays are even more fortunate because, thanks to the influence of rapidly changing internet technology, there has never been a better time to branch out career-wise.

There is no harm if, as an actor, you have dreams of a lead role in a blockbuster movie, West End musical or top TV drama, but in reality these parts do not pop up overnight. Instead an artist can hone their skills not just in those areas, but through fields such as role play for business training or educational purposes (including legal/medical examinations and recorded work for DVDs), voiceover work and commercials (sometimes purely made to be played online). Says Nelson: "It can only be a good thing if you are acting in whatever context, it's keeping you match fit."

It may sound cliched to say it but the internet literally opens up a whole new world. There are virals or mini-commercials that establishments send out to contacts via their mailing lists as well as short dramas which others use to demonstrate more clearly the function of their company or the details of a specific product. In the long term there is also the prospect of today's online mini-dramas becoming full length productions.

And if actors have the right software on their computers, there may even be the option of recording voiceovers for commercials direct from home, a perfect situation say for a performer who has a young family. Last but not least, getting to know all aspects of the business through employment backstage - in lighting, sound, wardrobe, stage management - is also encouraged.

So how does a young performer with perhaps just a small amount of experience seek out this kind of employment? Well the internet itself is always a good port of call, and then there are also books like Contacts which actually has a section listing role-play companies. Discovering how to adapt to the varied types of work mentioned above - different teams, environments, schedules etc - will result in a steep learning curve but one that is likely to pay off.

One vital piece of advice for young and up and coming actors is to always be efficient about administration, organising your time and keeping an agent updated about scheduling. News of castings can come in as late as 3pm and the call will be the following morning. If you are asked to attend but are not available, your agent is not going to be impressed.

However, Nelson does believe that it is part of her profession's role to give guidance to young artists about these kind of issues and support them in the choices they make. With her kind of experience, she can often tell whether a certain role is right for a performer at the stage they are in their career or, on a more detailed basis, whether the terms and conditions of a job are legitimate or not.

Her best advice to young actors is to: "keep an open mind, don't think you know where your career will be in six months or six years time. Just a couple of years ago I couldn't have imagined how much the industry was going to change. If you keep acting that means meeting people and letting them know you exist, making sure your name is circulating. You don't know that these people won't be directors and producers further down the line."