Time For "The Fifth Season" In Hollywood

There's a buzz in the air in Hollywood.  

Traffic has gone from "Holiday Mode" to "Los Angeles Normal" (which means I spent 50 minutes on the 405 today to go 5 miles).

Fed Ex/Kinko's is busy with actors printing out their headshots.

No one talks about "The Interview" anymore.

The main focus of actors, directors, producers, studios and networks?

Pilot Season.

I like to to refer to it as "The Fifth Season" in Los Angeles.  Some people love summer while others prefer spring.  Everyone in Hollywood agrees on the importance of pilot season.

Even with the year round TV production schedule (thanks to FOX and the hundreds of cable channels), pilot season is the traditional time of year the major networks order pilots based on pitches for new shows they received the previous summer/fall.  The networks then decide which pilots to pick up and present to advertisers in May at the network upfronts.

The city of Los Angeles loves pilot season because of the amount of people that travel here looking for their big break.  The increase in temporary residents means more people attending casting workshops and acting classes, more people spending money on food and drink and more people looking to rent places for months at a time.

Is it realistic to think you'll hit it big during pilot season?

Yes and No.

Nothing is impossible when it comes to finding fame and fortune on a successful show.  There's always that one person who "hits the lottery".

It's also a fact of life that many people come to town without an agent.  The odds of getting into the room to see a casting director without a decent agent, or even a good set of casting contacts, is not very good for actors without a solid team in place.

It's also important to be able to promote yourself as a viable brand/product.  (Shameless Plug: Need some help promoting yourself?  It's what I do for a living.  Leave me a note in the comments section if you want to discuss it further.)  (End of plug.)

Is it the end of the world if you don't book a pilot?

No.

Pilot Season is only a small part (time wise) of the year in Los Angeles.  The contacts you make, the lessons you learn and the patience you exhibit waiting to hear about your auditions all serve to make you a better actor in the long run.

The holidays are over and Hollywood begins to come to life again this week.  The start of Pilot Season is just a few weeks away so sit back and get ready for the ride.

Here's An Actor Ready To Have A Good Pilot Season