Let me tell you about the auditions I did NOT get!

After i saw a direct message sent to The OAP 101 on instagram from someone who was a bit frustrated about having gone for auditions but not getting the gig, i reached out to them and we chatted further.

I had a whatsapp chat with them and laughed when i found out the 'auditions' were TWO previous auditions. Only.
I say this because we hear of only success stories usually, and because of that, we do not realise how many times that person got told NO before a life changing 'yes'.

Pull a chair! Let ME tell you about going for auditions; waking up early, queuing for hours, praying and giving it my best. And then getting rejected. Not once, not twice, not even three times. I have heard it all. From, the 'thank yous' that mean you won't be called back, to the, 'we really like you' buts, to the 'don't stop doing this' to the one i love the most- 'you are a bit short'.
Lmao.
I have had callbacks, try-agains, and 'we will call you' that never called.

And i am not alone. Think of every successful person you admire. They have gone through this too before.

So why do we not get selected for auditions?
Sometimes it is because we still need to work on our talent, skill or craft some more. No one knows it all and there is always something new to learn so if you ever get told no, don't get bitter. Get better.
You can check out some tips on acing your audition in my podcast at the end of the post below.

Other times, it has nothing to do with you. Some the 'no' may be because of the internal policies, politics or specific needs.
You do not know what the potential client is looking for. They might be looking for someone who is tall, someone who is blonde (i know), someone who is well-known, someone who is 'fresh', someone who is 'different'...
It is like going for an audition to play a role in a movie. The casting director has their guidelines. They do not have to s.h.a.r.e this with you. You may be too tall, or not tall enough. Too young, or too old.

Instead of spending precious time worrying about what went wrong, spend more time on being better like i said, and going on to the next one.
Remember that not all jobs or opportunities come from auditions. But you need to lay that ground work so that by the time these opportunities arise, you are selected.

This means while you wait to get on radio or television, prepare!
Get yourself out there. Create. Think. Plan.
Be ready.

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Find out why 1 post a day brings followers your way!

Whether you like social media or not, chances are, as an on air personality, you will have to use it. Whenever i train or consult for on air personalities and it comes to social media, the one tip i s.h.a.r.e is- POST AT LEAST ONE THING DAILY. This is the simplest must-do if you want your social media popping because one of the reasons people follow or like posts is because of consistency. We want to know that when we come to your page, we see something new so give us something new daily. When you first start with that one post a day, you can then increase your number of posts. I like to do 3 on facebook, instagram and google plus with a little more on twitter. Don't forget to follow OAP 101 on instagram and twitter for more tips!

Want to get on radio? Start a podcast today!

Hi all. I do hope your week is off to a great start. Mine sure is. I feel very productive today and i have been able to do a few of my to-dos before 12pm which means i can count this as a productive day for sure. Today i wanted to touch on a question i get asked a lot in varying ways. The summary is- how do i get on radio? You can listen to the OAP 101 podcast here where i go in depth with different tips. While the podcast gives different tips, i am tackling one tip- starting a podcast. When people ask me about how to get on radio, i advise them to get a podcast first. Why? - Podcasts are relatively free and easy to begin. With your phone and a host platform like Soundcloud for example, you can start broadcasting to the world. - Starting a podcast and working on it regularly will train you for when you do get on radio. And thirdly - You can start gaining a following which means you become more attractive to potential employers. If you do want to start your podcast

Branding yourself as a media personality; part 1

Hi all I am back with the OAP 101 podcasts and here is this week's podcast. Listen- To summarise, I spoke about branding yourself and why you need to, plus three things to remember. - Be yourself As an individual, you have a combination of nature and nurture that makes you different. This is what draws us to you. - Decide what you want When your name is mentioned, what do you want people to see? Much as if i were to mention Beyonce, Kaylah, even Gala (lol). What comes to your mind when these names are mentioned? In the same way you have a clear audio-visual identity for these names, you want the same for yourself. A little exercise- write down the top 5 words you want people to think of when they hear your name. - Consistently communicate this identity Now that you have your five words, it is time to communicate this to us. From your show, to your social media, to your presence, etc, let us see who you are. EXERCISE: Can you think

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