Lights, Camera, Actionable Insights: An Actor's Unexpected Lessons for Business Success
- Laura Doman
- 1 day ago
- 11 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
Discover how on-set improvisation, adaptability under pressure, and strategic humor offer powerful takeaways for professionals in any industry.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an actor for a film or TV show? Believe it or not, there are a number of useful mindset and professional skills that the business world could borrow from this creative industry. I've lived in the business world and now thrive in the entertainment space, and there's quite a bit of useful crossover.
The Reality of an Actor's Life: Creativity meets Unpredictability
On the surface, business professionals and actors seem a world apart. They require and award different skill sets. On average, one certainly pays far better than the other and is considered far more stable, measurable, and less risky in comparison.
In truth, for good and perhaps not-so-great, the entertainment industry is...
Fun and quite creative. You’re hired to bring your unique self to a role, give it life, and enthrall the audience through your performance to live the story right alongside you.
Often unpredictable. You have to be flexible, because you never know when an audition comes in (sometimes only 24-36 hours notice before it’s due), when you’ll be booked (commercials especially can have quick turnarounds of a few days) or called to set (the “call sheet” for the next day’s schedule is often emailed the night before). It helps to enjoy spontaneity – and be OK that your time is subject to the director or producer’s schedule.
Not as glamorous as you may believe. It’s work…
Finding the auditions, either through agents or on your own.
Studying your character and scenes and memorizing lines. Taping them, too, because auditioning in person for the casting director ended with Covid and it’s become the new norm. Very efficient for casting; a new way of auditioning (100% self-direction) for the actor.
Sitting around on set, waiting to be called to set. Hello, repetition! Most scenes or cutaway actions are shot multiple times to capture different camera angles that will be edited in post-production to tell the final story.
Learning to go with the flow. Like it or not, delays are brought on by weather or technical problems, or unexpected issues with cast or crew.
The business and entertainment worlds aren't as far apart as you might think.
They have much to offer each other.
Just think how you might expand the envelope in your own business. A little fun can spark big ideas.
Bridging Worlds: The Benefits of a Business Background
You know what’s also unexpected? Seeing how old business skills come into play again, especially for commercials and industrials (like training videos). Clients who hire me to tout software or explain the ins and outs of using a particular product often appreciate that I have a tech background. It’s the intangible that comes through: familiarity with the industry and customer pain points, real world experience, and the credibility of someone who truly understands the meaning behind the scripted words.
Coming from the business world brings something else, too: organizational skills and a logical mindset. Before the pandemic, I helped run a charitable Meals for Monologues event, a food drive in which actors brought non-perishable items for local shelters in exchange for performing a one-minute monologue in front of an audience of casting directors and talent agents. Running it efficiently was a no-brainer for me, so I was very much surprised when so many people mentioned how impressed they were that it ran so smoothly.
Experience as an Actor Brings Much to the Business World
There’s a flip side, too! The mindset and values that actors cultivate can contribute so much to the business world. Namely, the ability to quickly and easily accommodate change, to improvise solutions, and to apply humor to diffuse tense situations or showcase a problem (or solution!) in a non-threatening manner. Here are a few examples.
Adaptability on the set of "Fatal Attraction"
I’m glad that I can finally talk about this booking! You see, just like with many product launches, it’s inappropriate and potentially damaging to a show’s success to talk about or share photos of an unreleased project. You have to wait until a show airs, so that you don’t inadvertently ruin plot points or give hints that the producers aren’t ready to share. More than one actor’s career has been damaged by an overzealous desire to self-promote before it’s safe to do so.
"Fatal Attraction" is a long-running series on the TV One channel with true stories of relationships that end up in murder. As the lead character (the murder victim) in Season 15, episode 46, I worked with a stunt coordinator and makeup artist in multiple scenes as the violence in the story escalated. I especially got a kick (no pun intended) that my martial arts training, from back in my 20s, was useful in knowing how to roll and fall safely. There was a lot of learning on the spot, because so much action was unscripted.
The shoot took place in early January, and the original two-day schedule was condensed last minute to one longer day when a winter storm bringing snow and ice threatened to shut down the city (Knoxville, TN) and endanger highway traffic. Since I live farther south in Atlanta, where we’re rarely prepared for the rare snowstorm, this meant that those of us from out of town had to be on the road the night before or settle in for a longer haul. As it turned out, I wrapped too late to get on the road, so I ended up enjoying my hotel room for an extra day. Better to stay off the highways until the capsized tractor-trailers were moved out of the way and the overnight ice had thawed sufficiently.
The lessons for business?
Lesson 1: Prepare Diligently, Adapt Instantly
Stuff happens, clients come up with new demands, so adjust plans as necessary. Just be sure that you walk in to exceed expectations, with all prior materials studied and ready to be applied to however the situation may shift.
Lesson 2: Focus on the Final Frame (The End Result)
On set, it’s what the camera – and the viewer – sees that matters. Getting punched in the face? Depending on the camera angle, receiving the blow can have the actor reacting by throwing back the head six inches away from the oncoming fist. (And a good thing, too, to avoiding a broken nose!) Timing is everything, so that the reaction fits the action. The final product has to be believable or the spell the story casts is broken.
Lesson 3: Prioritize Safety Amidst Production Chaos
This extends beyond having a stunt coordinator on set or a competent firearms specialist to ensure that no weapons are “live” (think Alec Baldwin). With actors and some crew members driving in from all over the South, production worked hard to get ahead of the storm and provided for those of us unable to return home in time.
The Power of Improv: Thinking on Your Feet from Film Sets to Commercial Shoots
The magic of improv comes to mind when I think about the sets of a couple projects I did within the last few weeks. Since they’re both in post-production and not yet released, I can’t talk about them, but I will say one was a short film (the kind that ends up in film festivals) and the other was a big-brand commercial that will run on the internet.
Embracing Collaboration and On-the-Spot Creativity
The short film was especially fun to do because the director welcomed input from the actors. We had a chance to elaborate on how we saw our characters and how they would react in various situations. The script invited both humor and improvisation, especially in a fight scene in which my character was the aggressor with a couple of weapons at her disposal. A nice change for little ol’ me! Playing the villian in a physical fight scene is rare for a petite 5’1” woman, so I relished every moment of it.
We played with different movements and different angles, to see what worked best on camera. One scene called for special effects, so we had to imagine what the final image would look like and react as one would in a serious emergency. We were even called back for some revision shots, when the director/producer decided to approach the scene in a different way.
The commercial itself was very much tongue-in-cheek to show that the big brand has a very human side. Yes, everything runs efficiently as far as its clients can see, but … well … people are people and sometimes the behind-the-scenes antics are really what makes it special.
The crew was very laid-back and the director was great about allowing the actors to try different approaches to the lines and movements. What made it fun for me was the open attitude (“Why not? Let’s try it!”) and the appreciation when something I did unexpectedly fit exactly what he had in mind.
Navigating Client Changes with Flexibility
There’s another commercial running right now on the internet that I shot last summer. It’s been well-received, because although it’s political (bi-partisan), it uses unexpected humor and sarcasm to get its point across. I play a flower shop owner sarcastically supporting the Durbin-Marshall bill that would end up harming small business owners like myself.
Originally, the audition asked for “wink of the eye” sarcasm, but on set, I was asked to play it straight per client change requests. After it was shot, the client decided to go back to the original concept, but the facial expressions and the tonality of the words didn’t match this redirection. Rather than reshoot, production swapped out different shots and asked me re-record the dialogue in what’s known as an ADR session, or automated dialogue replacement. Usually that’s done to improve the sound quality of an actor’s dialogue after filming wraps, but in this case, I just used a different tone. Best of all, as a voice actor, I was able to record and deliver it to production directly from my own studio, saving them the time and expense of finding a studio and engineer to create the new audio files.
And the lessons for business?
Lesson 4: Master the Art of On-the-Spot Adjustment
The client is always right. Even when they frustrate the heck out of you.
Lesson 5: Embrace Creative Problem-Solving (Even When Clients Change Their Minds)
There are usually ways to fix things without having to start over. A little creativity, a bit of an adjustment, and the client can be satisfied. Usually.
Lesson 6: Find Solutions Without Starting from Scratch
Need a creative solution? Clear your head. Don’t get so stressed from not getting it right the first time. Take a little walk. Often enough, a workable solution will stroll into the room if you just leave the door open to some imagination and inspiration.
Finding the Funny: Injecting Humor Like a Pro
You think you know funny? A lot of writers do, but sometimes it doesn’t translate as well onto screen. What seems hilarious on paper doesn’t always have the same punch on film. And sometimes the actors themselves naturally react in a way that works best.
Collaborating with Writers for Comedic Gold
I’m cast in a lot of funny or light-hearted commercials. Humor sells well, especially when a brand doesn’t take itself so seriously or when it highlights the small absurdities in everyday life.
That’s what happened in that commercial for the big-brand that I mentioned earlier. But sometimes, it works when it goes totally out to sea, such as in the above 15 second commercial for Bobo’s gluten-free oat bars.
The shoot was totally wild, too. I don’t think I genuinely laughed as much on set as I did the two days I was in Chattanooga shooting it.
The day before filming, the other actors in my scene and I had a table read with the writers. Very unusual for a commercial; usually table reads are only held for TV, film, and theater. With commercials, you just show up on set, ready to go. These writers, however, were comedians or at least comedic writers, and they wanted to hear variations on dozens of possible one-liners that my zany mom character would deliver to my set daughter and her boyfriend.
It was physically taxing, too. Once we were shooting, the writers would feed me two different lines to shout out while I was simultaneously popping up from behind the couch. (I was supposed to be a hallucination, not really there, except in my daughter’s imagination.) A hundred times, I think I did so – it was quite the workout! – calling out different lines as the writers fed them to me, all while balancing my tray of Bobo’s oat bars. They wanted my version of mom to be big and bold and totally over-the-top. Which is what they got!
Here’s the full 30 second spot with the two other types of moms, too:
Embracing the Absurd: When Over-the-Top Works
And then there’s the Doritos spec commercial I shot in the fall that included me jumping into the lake wearing a complete business suit and heels and carrying a laptop:
Ridiculous, but Doritos pushes into the absurd, the unexpected, the total package of funny. Never a dull moment for the actors, either!
Yes, there are lessons for business here, too!
Lesson 7: Leverage Humor to Connect and Humanize Your Brand
Don’t take yourself – or your business – so seriously all the time. People relate to humor. They crave it. And it will get them talking (usually in a very positive way!) about your product.
Lesson 8: Embrace Imperfection – The Power of Relatability
In this age of AI, perfection seems robotic. Be human – mess it up a bit, show personality and quirkiness, and push the boundaries once in a while. People see themselves in the imperfect and will be more emotionally invested in someone or something that appears relatable and human.
Lesson 9: Cultivate Fun for Employee Engagement and Creativity
Employees who have fun once in a while on the job are more likely to be employees you’ll retain in the long run. People want to be appreciated. Gen Z and younger Millennials value self-expression. Give them opportunities and you’ll likely be rewarded with loyalty and creative ideas.
Bring Performance Skills to Your Business Strategy
Mark Schaefer is a globally-acclaimed author, keynote speaker, and marketing consultant. In his recently published book “Audacious,” he posits that successful marketing is all about surprising your audience with the unexpected, the experiential, and the little bit “did they really do that?!” crazy. As a marketing futurist, he has a pretty good batting average, so yes! Put a little entertainment for your customers into how you present your business. You may find that it pays off in huge dividends.
Does this mean that you have to start training you and/or your staff in the latest and greatest marketing strategies? Or take an acting class, especially if that's not something you ever wanted to do?
Of course not! Just think how you might expand the envelope in your own business. Maybe try something a little different, reveal a more personal or quirky side in your next promotion, or even bring in someone to run an improv workshop, just to give your staff a little fun, freedom to play, and ideas for playing outside the familiar box.
Let's Collaborate: Add Personality to Your Next Project
Want a fresh spin on your messaging? Maybe some good-natured humor or a fun, full-blown personality for your next video or commercial? Reach out to say hi! I’d love to learn about your newest project.
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I'm Laura Doman, a voice & TV/film actor and video communications coach. As an actor, I create memorable characters that tell my client's stories well, from the friendly CEO to your sassy best gal pal dispensing real-world advice. As a coach, I help you become more comfortable and charismatic on camera in videos, presentations, and online appearances.
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