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The Difference Between Your Brand and Your Looks

[Acting Headshots Los Angeles by Vanie]

There seems to be a lot of confusion around branding vs. looks.

Actors seem to think if they hone in on their brand, they will in turn, narrow their target-market. The biggest complaint being, “but I’m an actor and I can play a large range of characters.”

DJ Rouse: Blue Collar / The Fixer or Mafia

Greg Berg: BBQ Grandfather / Upscale Business CEO

I’d like to clear things up.

Clarifying your brand does not mean you can’t play a large range of characters. It just means, you have more clarity on how to choose the range of characters you can play.

NOT EVERYONE CAN SELL EVERY CHARACTER.

Karleen Griffin: Girls’ Night Out / BBQ Mom / Edgy Heroine

What is believable is based on your look and your essence combined. So knowing your overarching brand makes it easier to choose your headshot looks correctly.

The difference between your brand and your looks is sort of like the difference between your outfit and the hats that match your outfit.

So when you choose your looks, you need to make sure they match your brand.

Lamar Toler: Sports Fan / Grad Student / Army

Lori Hashi: Teacher /Kristin Witt: Period 50’s

FOR EXAMPLE

If your brand is summed up into a tagline (or sometimes called a logline) such as  “The wide-eyed, sweet, small town girl with an appetite for adventure”, then your headshot looks might include the following:

🌟Mid-Western friend

🌟Love Interest

🌟Girls’ Night Out

🌟Heroine in the making

Paul Austad: Professor (Casual Business) / Stock Broker (Upscale Business) / Athletic / BBQ Dad

Christina Catherine Martinez: BBQ Mom / Creative Professional

What wouldn’t match your brand are the following looks:

⛔️Gamer

⛔️Hipster

⛔️Anti-heroine

⛔️Villain

Joe Choi: Best Friend / Edgy Business Mob

Meghan Cantu: Hipster / Student

If you need to learn how to identify your brand,

there are plenty of branding classes being taught by some amazing actors.

One such class is Rock Your Reel’s Defining Your Secret Sauce.

Another is Jodie Bentley’s private coaching which includes Building Your Brand.

AND Career Activate’s private coaching which includes Branding and Typing.

JPamela Tatz: Customer Service / Hipster / Suburban Mom

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I love helping you by putting out this free information (often written on weekends and evenings) so please help me spread the word by commenting and or sharing this post on your social feed!🙏🏻

1 Comment

  1. BOB WALKER

    been looking for work for a few years now but have not found any a few jobs that did not pay and none of them kept there work either all give me copies and giving jobs in furthers

    Reply

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