How to diversify your career in the film industry

Acting is probably one of the most popular childhood dreams all over the world. Children aim at becoming actors in order to get famous and rich. While the dreams do sound marvellous, in reality, many actors don’t reach the Olimp of the film industry in Hollywood and end up right where they started - at the very bottom of this success mountain. So instead of knocking on the closed doors and living as poor as a church mouse, there is a great way to earn a living in the film industry.

You know that film industry is not just about acting, it’s about production, casting, writing and creating, investing and promoting. The film industry is a huge machine that provides working possibilities for millions of people (just think about the fact that Iron Man 3 created 3,310 positions back in 2013). So what are the options for you if acting hasn’t come its way yet? Read below success stories of famous actors who tried something new came up trumps.

Directors

Directing is probably one of the most common professions that actors transfer to. And this fact is absolutely natural. After being on the set for many years, actors learn about the filmmaking kitchen everything possible: they understand the whole process from in and out. As a result, directing their own film becomes not a problem, but just some kind of a new experience for them.

However, the transition to directing doesn’t always go smoothly and in most cases, this first try doesn’t work for them at all. However, such success stories as Barbra Streisand’s with her famous The Mirror Has Two Faces or Ben Affleck’s 2012 Oscar winner Argo prove that a talented person can be talented in everything! Besides these two, there were Sarah Polley with Away From Her, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart (he won Best Director for this film), and Angelina Jolie's biopic Unbroken that won three Oscar nominations.

Screenwriters

Screenwriting is another common transition for actors. Very often these are poor actors who dig into screenwriting, and however weird it may sound, they frequently become very successful screenwriters. For instance, Danny Strong played many small and not very roles in loud TV-series (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's or the Gilmore Girls), yet Hollywood knows him as a successful screenwriter who scripted Recount or The Crusaders.

Sarah Polley is another talented actress who while playing in various great films, got her a nomination for the Best Adapted Screenplay nomination in 2008  Oscar for Away from Her. This particular success 10 years ago made her noticeable for film producers and film industry in general and showed her to a new path of filmmaking.

Producers

Many-many actors have at least once tried their luck in film production. Again, after many years in this business, it becomes easy to control, handle, and direct the whole filming process. Of course, this role in a film is among the top ones and so requires a lot of natural abilities to be a successful one.

It is great that not only actors but actresses step on the path of film production. For example, Drew Barrymore has always known that woman’s career in Hollywood is limited and so she took the role of Executive Producer for Never Been Kissed in 1999. Since that time she has consistently produced may money-making films that received critical acclaim, such as the Charlie’s Angels films and the TV show as well as Donnie Darko or Whip It. Another successful actress, who is currently promoting the screening of female-written novels, is Reese Witherspoon. She not only tried her luck but actually started a successful film production company that has already screened Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Wild by Cheryl Strayed. The list of successful actors-producers can be also updated with Elizabeth Banks, Sandra Bullock, and Margot Robbie.

Investors

No secret that film investment is a tough call even if you are good with finances. However, according to Gary Collins, the founder of Red Rock Entertainment film investment company, there are bright examples of actors who turned out to be great investors. The classy example is Sofia Vergara, who saw the lack of representation for Latino talents in Hollywood and today is one of the most powerful investors in this sectors. She not only acts as a representative for young Latino actors but also the takes the active part in direct film investment processes. Reese Witherspoon’s name again surfaces in our article. She is not only a producer but a frequent investor in the film industry for “green” yet promising projects and films. Both of these actresses earned the fame of successful business women besides their main profession.