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Dear John

How do I use my TV appearance to further my career?

First published 2nd November 2006

Question:
I was knocked out of a TV talent show after being on screen for a few weeks - how can I take advantage of the exposure to build a longer career?

Answer:
There do seem to be many people who believe that those 15 minutes of fame are in themselves enough to launch a glittering career but in fairness most of the queries of this nature are not from people who see a TV break as a painless way to the top. For many of those who don't make it to the finals, the main pain seems to be that they are prepared to work hard to turn their break into something more lasting but aren't quite sure how to go about it and are afraid of making the wrong decision. The nature of TV reality/talent shows is that they tend to give the impression that success or failure is instant and it is very easy to be caught up in that spirit and start making snap decisions, or alternatively get paralysed because you can't make a snap decision. The truth is that not only does not making it to the finals not guarantee failure but making it all the way is no promise of lasting success. Raw talent often needs time to ripen and too much of the spotlight too early usually leads to that talent burning out rather than developing as it should. How you use your brief taste of TV exposure depends on what your long-term plan is - if you don't have one, you are in danger of the TV using you rather than the other way around. Sometimes our Dear John experts have been in the business for years but this week here are two people who are experts in that they have had TV exposure at an early stage of their careers and have done something productive with it, not necessarily rushing back on to television.

What the experts say:

Dan Nolloth

Dan, from Luton, started singing, dancing and acting on a sixth form course and via local church groups, progressing to taking part in many Bedfordshire Youth Opera productions over a three-year period and several amateur dramatics shows such as West Side Story and Cabaret. Last December he found himself playing the lead role of Joseph in Help! It's Christmas, ITV's Nativity Play which was performed live on London's South Bank and televised on Christmas morning.

"Although I have been involved in lots of different areas of performance for as long as I can remember, probably the work I most enjoyed has been in youth opera as it gave me a chance to bring all my abilities in singing, dancing and acting into play at the same time.

"The TV nativity play had a lot of those elements to it as well. As the show was a reality-style look at the putting together of a stage production it condensed what was actually hours and weeks of work into just an hour of broadcasting. Also, as none of the cast were full-time professionals we were all fitting in rehearsals around our day to day work.

"Having said that, I had a great time working on the show, particularly when we had a chance to learn from the various professionals and celebrities the TV company brought in to pass on tips for getting it right on opening night.

"Being on TV on Christmas morning was a great experience but what was much more valuable for me was that doing the show helped me decide that the direction I really wanted to take my career in was musical theatre. I could have started approaching agents directly after the broadcast but since I had built up my skills through experience over several years, I thought it made sense to invest some more time in polishing them up in order to have something substantial to show to agents and casting people when the time was right. I did a lot of research into what classes and courses were available in my local area and started to take advantage of every chance I could to do more performing, whether that was working with youth or leading worship at church. My current day job - behind the bar at the Brixton Academy - is a great way to learn too. Being right across from the stage means I get to watch experienced performers of all kinds work their audiences.

"I'm ready to start looking for an agent in earnest this year, so hopefully the next musical theatre production I'm in may not be on prime time TV but will be a positive step to getting back there in a few years as a working performer."

Leanne Lawson

Leanne made her TV debut as Brenda Lee on ITV's Stars in Their Eyes but has been on stage as a singer and dancer from childhood. Over the last two years she has been working to develop a singing career, recording her own songs and appearing in musical theatre.

"Although I really enjoyed my Stars in Their Eyes appearance - not least because I received some lovely words of encouragement and support from the real Brenda Lee as a result - I have always wanted to take my own career direction. In fact, since Brenda wasn't much older than me when she started her own career and has very much been her own woman at a time when rock'n'roll was even more male dominated than it is now, the fact that she is still working and performing today shows that being an individual is very important.

"I know I could have done a lot more work as Brenda here and abroad - there were several very tempting offers and I'll always enjoy singing her songs in my own show - but since my Stars appearance I've been busy developing my own songs and image. I've also been developing my acting and dancing in shows like the recent tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

"My first CD of original songs was very well received and attracted a lot of music industry interest but again, I wanted to further develop my material and style till I was 100% happy with it, before I made any decisions. The new set of tracks I have completed is getting an even better response than the first and I'm now ready to seriously consider the offers I've been getting, particularly because this time I know they are for Leanne Lawson as herself.''

John sums up

I am sure I am not alone in the coaching/act doctoring business in that for every thank you I receive for some piece of advice someone may have picked up from this column or some other ramblings of mine which might have helped someone move forward with a project, there are often just as many thank yous from people who needed to be gently encouraged not to leap into something they weren't ready for just because they were 'big right now' or their friends and fans were demanding it.

And no, I don't get it right all the time but when a coach or an act does make a wrong suggestion it is usually on the second or third gig rather than the first one, since the tweaking process usually involves pushing too far one way or the other before we come back to just right. It is therefore all the more important, having done one good TV gig, to get all the tweaking necessary out of the way before that difficult second TV shot.

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk

Also see: Using TV appearance to build career

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