I just returned from giving my The Best Way to Get Work as an Acting and Commercial Model Workshop in Florida, Los Angeles, Sydney, Australia and Des Moines, Iowa.
There were a number of great learning experiences I gained through my travels. At one of the events, the director of the event was very upset. She told me that one of her guest speakers canceled his talk just one day before his scheduled time. He left her a phone message saying that he just got an acting job that he did not want to turn down. Essentially, something “better” came along.
I understand how difficult it can be to turn down work. However, if it were me, I would have called the director and started off our conversation as such: “I want you to know that I will not cancel my talk at your event. I do have a situation to discuss with you in the hopes of making things work for both of us. I just got a booking for the same date as my talk. Is there any way to change that date or time?” If that request was not possible, then I would have said “OK, see you at the event.”
Even though the acting and modeling world is pretty big, in some ways it is very small. You can bet that the event director will talk with her other special guests about this actor. She will describe to some photographers, casting directors, agents, managers, and producers how unprofessional this particular actor was. This negative news will spread fast.
Your word is one of the few things you have complete control over. Be up-front and dependable; it can help you tremendously. People will really appreciate your honesty, and this can help you get even more work in the future.
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