Not Quite a Star, But Getting There

Okay, so it's really not a big deal, but it came at time when I needed something... anything.  Any signal that I am at least moving in the right direction.


Yesterday I was shocked to have the lowest star meter I've ever had on IMDB.  It really isn't something we should spent too much time following, and it doesn't mean much... but generally speaking, the lower star meter ranking you have, the more exposure you're getting.  You're not going to see a complete unknown ranked under the top 100 unless they were just cast in a major blockbuster feature.  You're not going to see a super A-list celebrity above 150,000.  So I like to keep an eye on it and make note of major milestones and consistency over time.  Like when I started and was at about 2,000,000.  Then when I was averaging around 500,000, then later bouncing between 120,000 and 200,000.  More recently, I've been hanging around 100,000... occasionally below, often just above. 


I have a small post-it note on my computer screen with the date of my lowest ranking ever.  It was 7/12/2011 and I was right around 59,000.  Granted, that was when a lot of non-union gigs were searching me and driving it that low.  Once I joined the union and my auditions dropped, I kicked back up into the 120,000 range.  But this week... and I'm baffled as to why... I rocketed past that previous record by more than 20,000.  It's low enough that my page pops up as a suggestion when you start typing my name in the homepage search (an honor reserved for all us unknowns only in the pro version).  This week marks the closest I've ever been to being ranked number 1.  Right now, I'm well within the top 50,000 entertainers in the history of entertainment.  Even though the ol' starmeter doesn't actually mean much, and it will likely shoot back up again soon... I will enjoy it as a little victory.  A little progress in the direction I want to go.


So sue me.  This business is so devoid of positive feedback and reinforcement, we end up hanging on to everything, even the teeny tiny insignificant victories.  You have to find fuel for that fire somehow.  So for the next seven days, I'm going to secretly enjoy my little star ranking and think... of all the billions of people in the world, I'm in the company of the 30,000 most famous names.

Someday I will be number 1.  (Can't wait to link back to this post when it happens.)