After Danny Cron graduated from the California Institute of Arts in 2018, he did exactly what his instructors at the Valencia school recommended: he booked showcases in hopes of finding his first big acting gig.
But when the representation didn’t materialize and the roles remained unattainable, he was at a loss over what to do next. “I’m from Santa Fe, New Mexico. My mom was a teacher, my dad was a lawyer. I could not be further removed from this industry,” said the 29-year-old Cron. “You think, why am I not there yet? What’s going on? It’s almost like a scarcity mindset, or at least for me, a sense of panic. Because it’s really scary and intimidating to be out here. It can be very alluring when you find programs that claim they’re going to take care of all of it for you.”
People like Cron is what inspired the rise of marketing experts who treat entry into the business like it were an episode of Shark Tank: actors need to present a complete product of themselves to get casting directors to buy. At least, that’s how Jen Rudolph likes to describe it; she’s one of the industry’s more talked-about entrepreneurs who promise a “customized strategy” to help actors break through the clutter and book those elusive jobs.
