Do you think it’s luck?

Listen to the episode here.

Tod Fennell is a Canadian film, voice and television actor. His career started back when he was just seven years old, starring in his motion picture. Since then, Tod has been working as a voice actor in video game productions, screenwriting and production.

What are some misconceptions of acting as a career choice?

There is a tendency for people to think that it is the end all or be all. In reality, you do not need to dive head first into the field. There are plenty of opportunities to build yourself up whilst doing other things that might be seen as traditionally more stable. It is also important to recognize that not everybody becomes an award winning actor, however, there are so many more opportunities to work in the field and immerse yourself in the acting career path.

Acting and drama as school subjects hold a lot of value.

Tod started off by mentioning emotional intelligence and the importance of that specifically in the business and entrepreneur field. It is important for building confidence in the workplace and unlocking new potential. Gaining emotional intelligence through acting allows individuals to get better at listening to their coworkers, sympathizing with their experiences and knowing how to set new boundaries to make the workplace a safer and more enjoyable place for all.

Entrepreneurs and actors share a lot of qualities. Both take a lot of caution and pride when starting new projects, almost protecting this new idea like a baby. Both of these careers can work with one another to help build new achievements and ideas. Emotional intelligence helps face negativity and scrutiny from other people who perhaps did not have the power or drive to achieve your goals or take that leap of faith.

COVID and the acting scene.

Touching on a subject that is very relevant to everyone viewing this episode today, Tod talked a bit about how the pandemic has shifted the way acting, theater and movies operate. There has been a rapid decline in interest for visiting movie and live theater. With the growth of on demand entertainment, studies have suggested that the entertainment space will move to being much more casual and mostly from the comfort of the viewers homes. Tod mentioned that on demand entertainment outlets are bad for movie actors and production teams as most of their income come from box office sales. Many of the new on demand outlets do not cover that income.

How does luck play into your success?

Tod started off by saying that “the luck pendulum swings in both ways”. He has been through very bad luck streaks, however, he has also had some amazing experience. The longer you are in this career, the more swings you experience. Luck also comes when you might not expect it. A job that you took on that looked small, could actually take off with the audience. It is an unpredictable job sometimes and can change in a second.

Be patient and you will succeed, however, not in the way you thought you would!