From Acting to Blogging – Consistency is the Key
This is a guest post from Michael-John Wolfe, an actor turned blogger who shares with us a very inspiring story about his journey towards legitimate, residual income sources. You can read more about Michael-John Wolfe on his blog at Residuals and Royalties. Enjoy!
The year was 2003 and I was living in my hometown of Wallingford, Connecticut. I was working full time for my cousin’s janitorial company. This job pretty much consisted of cleaning toilets and mopping floors at local medical facilities. Needless to say, I was not where I wanted to be in life at age 31. My one bright spot in life was a girl that I was dating, the only bad thing about dating her was the fact that I rarely had any cash to take her out. In fact, most of the time she was the one who wound up paying for the cost of our dates.
One day I stopped by her apartment and she told me it was over – she simply could not date someone who never had any money. Devastated, I called my friend to meet me for a beer. Over drinks, my best friend gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. You see, for years I had been talking about moving to L.A. to try and become an actor. This always seemed like more of a dream than something that I would actually pursue. My friend said to me “Why don’t you go to L.A. to do acting? You are always talking about it. At this point, what have you got to lose?” He was right. I had a shitty job (literally!), no girl, no money and I was going nowhere fast. It was that night with my friend that I decided to “go for it” and pursue my long time dream of becoming a working actor.
Within two weeks I made the trip to Los Angeles. I had only $1,600 to my name and most of this money was basically a line of credit on a Visa card. I subletted an apartment the size of a large closet and I hit the pavement running. I was going to get acting work. I had to get acting work, because if I didn’t – I would soon be on the street.
Day after day I had the same routine. Get up, submit myself to the Breakdowns (casting calls), mail twenty headshot mailers to agents, register with the background casting agencies, spend two hours on my acting skills, read every acting book I could, go out and knock on doors. My routine was like clockwork. Day in and day out I did everything possible to try and get paid acting work.
At first, I was booking roles as a non-union background actor and I was earning a nominal $54 for 8 hours of work. After a while, I started to get commercial non-union background work that paid $125 for 10 hours of work. One night, while on the set of the Tom Cruise movie Collateral, I caught the break I was looking for. Michael Mann instructed me to say a line and I was literally standing across from Tom Cruise. I mustered up the confidence, said my line and before I knew it I was being whisked away to a production trailer to sign my first SAG day player contract. Although my line did not make the final cut of the movie, I did make the final credits and I earned a good day’s pay and some great residual income.
This was the big break that I needed. From this small role I was able to join the Screen Actor’s Guild, I got signed with a Hollywood agent and the work just started to flow. I went on to work on tons of commercials, films and television shows. I never landed any huge roles, but I became a full time working actor. My goal was never to become a “movie star” – I just wanted to be a working actor and I loved spending my days on set. Even when things were going great, I never stopped my consistent pursuit of acting work. Like always, I spent each day submitting myself to the casting directors and honing my craft. Things started looking up, I began dating a girl who would soon become my wife and I was able to support the two of us from my acting earnings alone.
I caught another break when I booked a principal role on a Barclay’s bank commercial and this was to be my first SAG national commercial. I was on set for only one day and my scene in the commercial is literally about 3 seconds long. The commercial is called “Invisible Building” and you can see it here. (I am one of the businessmen sitting in the boardroom while the lady looks at the helicopter.)
A few months after the Barclay’s Bank shoot, my wife and I were heading out to dinner one night and I stopped at my mailbox to get the mail. I was surprised to find 17 checks awaiting me in the mailbox. I came back out to the car and my wife and I took turns opening up these checks. We were hysterical with laughter as we opened each check for random amounts. One check would be for $2,000 and the next would be for $600 – these were the residuals from my Barclay’s commercial. All in all, we opened about $6,000 worth of checks that day. This commercial ran for two years and every three months I would go to my mailbox and come home with another batch of checks. I was amazed that I was getting paid over and over again for a day of work that I completed months ago. This was when I fell in love with the idea of residual income.
Flash forward to 2010 – my wife and I have since moved to suburban Colorado to provide a better place than L.A. to raise our two sons. I still pursue acting, but it is more of a hobby than a career. During my time in L.A. I was able to earn between $80,000 and $110,000 a year from my acting earnings alone for five years straight. The fact is, my unwavering determination and the continuous pursuit of acting work is what made me a success.
Before we left L.A., I decided to start a blog called Residuals and Royalties. I am still addicted to finding legitimate ways to create residual income, just like the money I made from acting. I wanted to blog about all of the possible ways to create residual income or earn royalties. But my blog started out very different than my acting career. At first, I had good intentions – I was posting almost daily and eager to watch my blog grow. Most of the time I was too busy checking my Google analytics numbers and looking at my measly Adsense earnings to even bother focusing on making my blog better. Needless to say, after a few months my initial eagerness had worn off. I started posting much less often and the blog soon sat stagnant collecting dust. For months I gave my blog very little attention and I even considered taking it offline.
Then one day, I was online looking at all of the successful bloggers – Darren Rowse, John Chow, Shoemoney and of course Pat Flynn – I realized that I too could get to this level of success. I just needed one thing – consistency. Why hadn’t I put the same amount of time and effort into my blog as I did my pursuit of paid acting work? Surely, becoming a successful blogger can’t be as hard as becoming a working actor. I read on Yahoo last week that almost 500,000 bloggers are now making their primary living from their blogs!
Why couldn’t this be me? From that moment forward – it was ON! I have begun posting 5 to 7 times a week, I am researching my blog postings in greater depth, I am responding in a timely manner to every comment I receive, I am writing monthly earnings reports and I am consistently coming up with new ideas to help my blog succeed. In one month my blog’s Alexa ranking climbed from 860,000 to 169,000. I even had 1,012 unique visitors in one day this month. I learned that just like becoming a working actor, becoming a successful blogger is all about consistency, quality and determination. So let it be said – my blog WILL succeed and I will become one of the top bloggers. If it takes me one year or five years, I will be unwavering in my goal.
If you have started a blog, project, business, class or any new endeavor – consider learning from my mistakes. Persistence and commitment almost always payoff no matter what you are pursuing. I wish I had someone to teach me this lesson when I first started my blog – who knows, I may have already reached my goal of having one of the top blogs in my niche. I think deep down, each and everyone knows what it takes to succeed – we just have to apply what we already know to our everyday lives.
I’d like to thank Micheal-John once again for this awesome, inspiring story. For more information about Michael-John Wolfe, I recommend visiting his blog at Residuals and Royalties. Cheers!
Posted on : March 5th, 2010
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74 Comments (Click Here to Leave a Comment Below)
“….I read on Yahoo last week that almost 500,000 bloggers are now making their primary living from their blogs!….”
THIS is impressive….and, this blog post….inspiring.
Thanks alot, Michael-John!…and, thanks to Pat for posting it!
It might not be everyone’s cup-of-tea, but my fiance and I are religious Grey’s Anatomy watchers. Last week, they had an episode where the Veteran surgeons all gave speeches, at a conference, detailing their successes and failures. The purpose was to give other, up-and-coming, surgeons an idea of what to expect….and, to emphasize that some of the greatest lessons they learned were alongside their peers.
I think, just like them, we can all learn from the successes (and failures) of those who have come before (whether it be bloggers, entrepreneurs, and/or surgeons)….to NOT do so, I believe, would be very unwise….
Best of luck on your future endeavors, Michael-John!
Wow I can’t believe that number, that is amazing and very interesting that soo many people are actually living off their blogs and making a killer living. It’s inspiring to hear!
Thanks Howie! You know what’s crazy is that I have never seen one single episode of Grey’s Anatomy! I am more of a “Family Guy” and NFL football watcher – I can’t sit still for TV Dramas.
LOL….I watch it in part because the fiance (wife on March 27th…lol) makes me….I love the medical stuff, but it’s all the sappy love-drama stuff that gets a little annoying (I’m convinced that every member of that cast has slept with just about every other member of the cast…)
….love Football and family guy (and, “the Office”), as well….good quality entertainment all around
Dude – yes! Family guy and NFL! Who do you root for?
Unfortunately, I grew up a Dolphins fan. (I’m from New England – why the heck didn’t I pick the Patriots?) But I have pretty much given up on the Fins after three decades of heartache. I now care more about my fantasy football leagues – I am in 3! I drafted both Drew Brees and DeSean Jackson this year! I came in second in my Connecticut league.
Do you play fantasy? Lemme guess you are a Charger fan? I worked on a Sony Vizio commercial with L.T., we shot it at the Rose Bowl at like 2 am. Even when he was running in the commercial he came up limping a few times, I actually drafted Sproles last year after seeing L.T. on set that night. We should start a “Passive Income Fantasy Football League” – lol.
MJ
I’m a HUGE FF fan. I won my league two years in a row. Chris Johnson was a big gainer for me this year, and Jaamal Charles helped me win the championship with 43 points.
I am a Chargers fan, but a lot of changes coming our way in the next season. I’d be more worried if we didn’t already turn somehow into a passing team.
Good times
I bet you are one of those guys who steals all of the good free agents! I am never a great free agent picker-upper, but I am an excellent drafter. I actually DRAFTED LeSean Mcoy, Rashard Mendenhall, Chester Taylor and Darren Sproles and I was the laughing stock of the draft for drafting “all back-ups”. (I took QB, WRs, TE, Defense all before taking any RB and then I took those 3.) Two of them wound up as starters! (McCoy and Mendenhall) I called it my “back up plan” — lol. If you get an opening in your league – you know how to reach me!
I wish I could be consistent…
…you CAN!
Now that I’ve read this, I’ll be on the lookout for Michael-John Wolfe sightings in commercials and as an extra in spots. I have a friend who is a fledgling actor and wants to pursue the same route – not starring roles, but enough spots to earn him residual income so he can finance his own project he’s written. I’ll be sure to pass your blog address on to him.
It just goes to show you have to hustle and put constructive and productive in to get a return. It’s awesome to see you’re doing that, and in a career that you enjoy and love. There’s too many people that get sucked into 9-5 jobs and hate what they do and how they feel, and are only there for the money.
Thanks for the insights, M-J.
Thanks Drezz! Like I mentioned, Acting is no longer a full time gig for me since moving to Colorado. We wanted to raise our kids in a better environment – it’s funny how your goals change when you have kids! (Pat knows about that!) Plus, we were able to purchase a home here with an actual backyard! I have an agent here in Denver and I still audition. (I actually had 4 auditions in one week a few weeks ago, which is amazing!) I told my LA Agent that I am still willing to fly in for any work in California – it’s only a 2 hour flight. Thanks for passing on my blog!
MJ
That was a pretty entertaining read, Michael! I’ll have to check out Residuals and Royalties. I’m hoping consistency will pay off for me, one day. At the very least, I’m mastering the art of discipline.
I’ll (hopefully) be making a move to San Diego in June.
San Diego is great! My ultimate dream would be to spend April through October in Colorado and November through March in San Diego — or San Juan Capistrano! Best of luck if you decide to make the move – you’ll have to stop by and see Pat’s new whiteboard palace! Bring your Dry Erase markers!
MJ
Definitely one of the most well written, thoughtful, and inspiring guest posts I have read in a long time. Michael-John Wolfe, you have an excellent writing style. it is engaging and informative all at the same time. Ok, sorry for all the compliments, but I really was totally engrossed in your post.
It is really interesting to see how the inner working of Hollywood work. I had no idea how the residual income off of a commercial or acting role worked. I have no aspirations to be an actor, but it is definitely interesting to understand how that world works.
Best of luck in your blogging endeavors and I will definitely be checking out your blog!
Thanks Pat for posting this.
Thank you for the encouraging words DJ! Yes, the residuals earned from acting are amazing – just imagine the checks that the big time actors get! For example, spokespeople like Jared from Subway or Paul from Verizon (Paul happens to be from the town next to Wallingford – North Haven, he is the Verizon guy with the glasses) Those guys must come home everyday to tons of huge commercial residual checks!
MJ
Wow! That was one of the best articles I have read this year. Thanks for sharing that Michael-John. It’s so good to read such positive stories of hard work and determination.
Thanks Karol, I just checked out your “Ridicously Extrordinary” blog — good stuff! I cannot believe that you lost your 5,000 word e-course! This is exactly the reason that I just added the “back up” plug in for WordPress on my Residuals and Royalties blog. I was having nightmares of losing all of my prior posts, so I finally backed all my shiz-nit up!
MJ
hehe, yeah, I have a backup plugin for my blog, but the ecourse was written on my computer. I found out where it is. On my old laptop in the US. (I’m in India haha!)
I’m always a sucker for a good and inspiring story…and this definitely fits the bill. Congratulations for all you have been able to accomplish. On a side note, I’ve never seen that Barclays commercial but it was very, very creative. Good luck to you in all of your future endeavors. I have no doubt you’ll succeed.
Thank you Patrenia! The Barclay’s commercial was primarily airing in the mornings on Fox News. I WISH they would air it again! They called me to renegotiate my contract last year and I was willing to do it at scale and a half. (My original pay plus half.) When the commercial never aired again, I called the Ad Agency to ask what happened with the renegotiation. The Ad Agency rep told me that a few of the actors in the commercial were insisting on “quadruple scale” or 4 TIMES thier initial pay – so Barclay’s said “screw it” and never re-aired it. So because of the greediness of those few actors who wanted so much money, ALL of the actors in the spot got NOTHING! Sorry, I had to vent!
LOL!!! It’s ok to vent! Hopefully, the other actors learned a valuable lesson! It’s one thing to ask for more, but quadruple? 4 times? That’s a bit much.
What a great story! Very inspiring and informative. I look forward to checking out your blog again!
Thanks Julie! How’s it going for you on eHow?
I’m hanging in there with residual earnings of about $200/month.
I loved this article and it re-inforces what we already know, that there’s no such thing as overnight success. It takes a lot of hard work over many years and consistency to be successful. I’m definitely going to check out your site to see what kind of wisdom I can learn about residual income.
Pat, I’m really enjoying your guest-posts with successful bloggers – keep ‘em coming! We all learn so much from each other.
Thanks for sharing your story, Michael-John.
Karen
Hi Karen! My site may provide some wisdom for you, but you should know that my earnings figures are no where near Pat’s earnings. You will notice that I have a ton of different sources and I am still looking for one “major” source of residual income. (besides Acting) I have published and ebook and I am patenting a product tomorrow – nothing has hit yet. There are some residual income sources on my blog that everyone loves like Constant Content, eHow, Shutterstock, etc. and some that not everyone is fond of like CashCrate, TreasureTrooper and SquishyCash. But I try to list legit ways to make money online that don’t cost anything to join. Good luck! MJ
Michael-John,
Do attribute your being so disciplined and consistent in looking for work as an actor because you “would be on the street” whereas you initially failed to be consistent as a blogger because you already had some residual income coming in? My wife and I are also contemplating packing up and moving everything to follow our dreams (no, not as actors) and the idea of not having a support net is terrifying for me. On the other hand, while it would be easy to come back to the same old if we failed, that’s not exactly a comforting thought.
Hi Tyler – yes it is scary just packing up and moving and I can see that you have kids. It would have been much more difficult had I had kids when I started, I might have been less apt to take such a risk. But if you are comfortable in knowing that you have something to come back to, I say “Go For It!” Can I ask what your dream is?
MJ
MJ,
We are going to pack up the family and move to my wife’s native country, Guatemala, at least for a few years. This means I have to move my entire practice online, which will mean some disruption and turnover in clients. I’ll send you a postcard!
Wow! That is a big move! Good luck! If you can get your work done online – that is great.
MJ
Blogging is such an exciting adventure, I know I have been having a blast. My enthusiasms had waned over the last couple of weeks, but your post has sparked a new energy.
I know the feeling, I get that “waning feeling” every few weeks! It can be hard to push through it! Sounds like a love song — “You’ve lost that waning feeling!”
MJ
Great story! Good for you for looking for new avenues to earn cash. Acting is never easy.
Thank you!
Thank you Michael and Pat.
An excellent story and inspirational. I’m just starting out (after lay-off) sound familiar Pat? Looking and LOTs of studying of successful internet marketers. I’m also exploring the challenging word of voice over as part of the multi-faceted future:)
Continued success to you both!
Check out the Voice Over category on the Residuals and Royalties blog! I review Voices.com, Voice123.com and SpeedySpots.com – good luck!
MJ
[...] From Acting to Blogging – Consistency is the Key | The Smart Passive Income Blog [...]
Just so everyone knows the value of guest posting — prior to today, the most visitors ever to my blog was 1,012 on February 2nd, 2010. It is only 4 PM mountain time and I already have had 1,166 visitors to my blog today! I may even break the 2,000 mark today! This goes to show that guest posting is an excellent way to garner some new traffic to your blog. Just make sure that you write a quality post that is original! Thank you Pat, for giving me this opportunity!
MJ
Great story Mike (can I call ya Mike?), really inspiring. It usually appears that people achieve outstanding success when they have nothing else to lose or are faced with a back against the wall scenario. I’m checking out your site…. you’ve got some great resources, keep it up!
Cheers,
Hi Ron! Yes, the one thing I had was a scenario where I had no choice to succeed. Sometimes I wish I had that old motivation back – complacency breeds laziness. You can call me Mike!
MJ
This is just great. Every time I see someone that is just a normal guy like me, I think “you see, you can do this”. I just want to thank Michael, but also Pat because these true stories of real people make you realize that it is possible to make money online still.
Thanks guys great guest post.
You may be a normal guy, but I loved your role in “Castaway” — riveting!
MJ
Hey Pat and Michael
Thanks so much for sharing this Michael, truely inspiring especialy when you are just starting out. I had to laugh when you talked about spending alot of time checking analytics and the little money from adsense, ive been doing the same thing for the past month.
Consistancy is a key factor in any succesful pursuite. I have never been known for my consistancy, lol, however, to change this I decided to challenge myself by writing “30articles in 30days” . Ive been posting them on my facebook page hoping to get family friends to critique them, however the main purpose is to get myself doing something every day. Every time i post a new article on face book the old when then gets transfered to bukisa and squidoo. Its been a challenge for sure, I have never tried writing before so I am learning so much through this process. Once the 30days is over I am going to re-evaluate the articles and rewrite them if i have too. Researching articles has been interesting to say the least, and I am expanding the articles so I can put them on my blog site.
Truely awesum timing for me to read this guest post, its like Pats site has everything I need with regards to relavent timely information, which is why i love coming on here and reading up on him.
Much thanks to you Michael
Pat, ugghh, what can I say, Im indebted to you!
ps: sorry, my spelling sucks withouth spell check, lol
Good luck with the “30 in 30″ challenge! That is a reasonable goal. I made the mistake of trying to write 333 articles in 3 months, I only got to 111 and then some of my articles were removed during the “eHow sweep” – I learned that it is better to make more attainable goals. I think Pat initially had a large eHow goal like I did – I am not sure if he reached it.
MJ
Very timely, Michael, and just what I needed to hear. I’ve started and fizzled on a couple of blogs, but I just started a new one. Fortunately, it’s something I’m passionate about, which might be what makes it a keeper. It’s been a while since I checked R&R, but I’ll definitely be back now that you’re posting more.
Pat, thanks for sharing your site. I know I can always count on you for interesting reads.
Thank you Katherine – that’s funny, I am noticing that many people already knew about R & R, they just kind of gave up when I did! Good luck with your blog!
MJ
What a great story! I usually have a hard time reading an entire post but I was able to do this with your guest post here.
I truly think there is a lot of power in blogs working for us and I’m excited for you and your successes.
Hi Nick – I am glad that my writing style is an easy read. I think that is important for any blogger!
MJ
Hi Michael-John, That was encouraging.
It was like you were reading my mind. (taking the blog off-line) Ha ha..
I’d definitely visit your blog!
Thanks Daniel! Don’t take your blog off-line!
MJ
Consistency is most definitely what I’ve been lacking all along!! Thanks for the inspiring post! Headed over to check out your blog right now!
Thanks “Lisa Marie” — you should have married a Presley!
MJ
Great story man. Really enjoyed reading. I agree with your points and appreciate the inspiration.
Hi Alex – I like your blog – very clean layout! You might want to adjust your Google ads in the top right hand corner, they are coming up in a “column’ and overlapping incorrectly. Unless it is something on my end. Good luck!
MJ
Wow, I loved reading that. As a Southern Cali girl it was very engaging to read what so many people who come here do from day to day to make their dreams come true. It’s also inspiring that you applied that same determination and work ethic to your blog. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Tiffany! I do miss SoCal sometimes, I miss the weather when we have two feet of snow here and I miss being on set so often. (and the Craft Service table!)
MJ
great post and very inspiring! I do have to ask a question…why san juan capistrano? I live here so I know I love it but I have never seen it mentioned on the blogosphere.
I don’t know why – I have just been there and I absolutely loved it! It’s far enough from the LA and San Diego madness while still having the SoCal feel with the great weather and ocean views. You are lucky to live there!
MJ
What a great post. It is nice to hear the truth about how consistent you have to become at your work. I think many people are sold the “2 hour or 4 hour work week” and many people think that you can put in marginal effort and get maximum results.
This true story is inspiring and helps you have drive over a consistent period of time. Congratulations on your success. Colorado is a fabulous state to live in.
Inspired
Vickie
Hi Vickie – yeah, for me it’s more like the 80-hour work week that will hopefully someday lead to the 0 hour work week!
MJ
This is really a great article. Very inspirational! I always love hearing true-to-life stories. And I totally agree it really takes consistency, quality and determination, no matter what field you may be in. There’s no job that’s easy.
“There’s no job that’s easy.” — except for Pat’s job! Haha, just kidding! Thanks Andrew!
MJ
very inspiring article…bottom line,we all must work hard to achieve whatever ever we want to achieve..and anyone CAN..i love your story..may your dreams come true and it surely will.all the best
Thank you and all the best to you as well!
MJ
Michael-John,
Your story is a truly inspiring one for me in more ways than one. I’ve been involved in creative writing, performance, workshop leading and making money online with various levels of success. I’ve never truly taken my foot off the pedal and gone for it fearlessly. And so, I could really relate to what you shared and found it inspiring to learn how it panned out for you.
I’ve had a taste of the residual in the arts before and it’s truly fascinating! I did a poetry reading as part of a program on a radio station, got paid for it and months later got 2 more cheques ‘cos the show got repeated.
I wish you all the best in your future. Keep on (as I’m sure you will!).
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
Thank you Ebele!
MJ
Great post. I spent the whole day looking for ideas for ways to improve my blog and to improve my monetization plan. I got a lot of valuable ideas from your (MJ and Pat’s) Blogs…Thanks for sharing…By the way (MJ) I know the feeling (Huge Dolphins Fan) The only thing that got me through the 80s and 90s was Marino. I do think Hennig could be good…Hopefully, we put together a good season next year. You’ve got to like our backfield with Brown healthy and Williams recent improvement.
Haha – yeah, maybe Karlos Dansby will help us out! Or maybe we will win ten games, make the playoffs and lose in the first round. (In typical Dolphin fashion!) Good luck with your blog!
MJ
I like this article and visited your site too. I like the idea of residue income too and it sure takes a lot of work before we could actually achieve it,
Thanks Andrew! Is that my Titleist 4? I lost one just like that, it was about 150 yards right of the fairway in the deep rough!
MJ
Wow – thats a really motivating story. thanks for sharing it in such great detail. I’d love to hear more about your new found success…I’ve just been to visit your own blog – it looks very impressive – nice job.
Thanks for checking out my blog Abe! Best of luck to you!
MJ
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