Faith-Based Talent Showcase “After Eden Talent” is Working to Change the Culture One Artist At A Time

Jaco Booyens is a man trying to change the culture, and he's got the right idea on how to do it... making excellent art. How else to do that but by building up artists?

My guess is, you may be reading this because you are a faith-based or conservative "talent" that needs to get to the next stage. You're in the right place.

Many talented actors and artists get stuck thinking, “Why do I need an agent, since I can just get discovered?” Well, exactly. The truth is that the agent is often the first place you get discovered, in convincing an agent to rep you, and not by going to Hollywood and trying to afford an apartment that doesn't contain the standard resident squatter living in the front entryway. Good luck with that, but by now you need to know that Hollywood has changed a tad in the last few years, and not for the better.

Ok, so that's a big fat "No" on Hollywood, but what's with this Jaco guy? Well, I'll tell you. Jaco Booyens is a guy working to build up artists and help them get discovered. He's not an agent, but he can help you find one, and most importantly, he has a belief that great talent can help change the world. He does this by helping you develop your talent, and showcase it. You can join up on their app and participate in what they call a "Showcase." Sure, you can win prizes, but mostly it's about the "collab." This is the part that I think most people neglect.

Collab? But what does this have to do with getting an agent and performing? Let me explain.

Here's the breakdown... Agents are in the business of discovering talent, but before that you need someone to help you to develop raw talent. But in developing it, one of the first things you learn is what talent agents are looking for. You may also learn what different kinds of agents there are, and what the entertainment marketplace has a need for, and then, the most important stage is to work on filling that need with your particular talents and well-honed skills.

That is just the beginning, but for many actors and talented people this is a lifelong journey which so many wish they had started out right the first time.

It's true, this is a continual development process, but there are some shortcuts. Just as a writer/director will develop their talent of storytelling to refine better and better "content," an actor and agent can work together to develop their talent to create the character or performance that the marketplace is looking for.

This is when you get to showcase it to someone like at After Eden where you may find that agent or team looking to help you take it to the next level. Ideally, the agent knows what the market wants, and the actor works to navigate within that space to give the market what it didn’t even know it needed, a unique talent that was far better than the audience's expectation.

After Eden's Instagram

Booyen's company, After Eden Talent works to participate in this process with their talent, and they’ve even developed an app and a showcase to make this happen in a unique way. Give them a look, here at afteredentalent.com.

Next, to understand better what I mean by the "collab" you can hear about one agent's experience that got them to multiple sales with multiple Hollywood studios. Not that Hollywood is the only game in town now. As conservatives or faith-based creators we may end up working for or working with someone like The Daily Wire, Blaze Media, Angel Studios, Loor.tv, PureFlix, Great American Family, or any number of producers or production companies!

But here, in a recent podcast episode with Ryan Connolly from Film Riot, Agent David Boxenbaum explains and illuminates many of these concepts with an added spin.

Yes, he goes into “What is an agent?” But he begins to make clear that thinking independently is very important today. In my view this is because the industry in LA County-proper has "waned" in the last decade, and has now been relying more upon filmmaking "hubs" around the country, such as Atlanta, Austin, Nashville, etc. This could present some issues for some on how to break in while not being in Hollywood, but it doesn't have to. First issue among them is plugging into a local industry with work, good agents, and ways to explore and present ideas to the larger industry, together (such as at a showcase, festival, or film market).

"Reputation" and "taste" are important for actors and artists to cultivate. We do this by working in dialogue & character (in the acting craft), and in the filmmaking craft it is story, authenticity, and the "filmmaking grind." These things must be built individually, with a healthy dose of passion, and desire to work with others that have passion as well. Gravitate towards those of a like mind to accomplish similar goals.

More specifically, teaming with a talent agency, as well as cultivating relationships with local producers, directors, and writers to create “packages” is becoming a fascinating combination of sweat equity and story developing to participate on the ground floor of your career-building.

In the podcast, one way David did this was by teaming with producers and writers to make short films, and from there sell short stories as well. These shorts can be sold as a package of IP, or as a Proof of Concept which is only a part of a larger feature film or series. Building a talent to do this (developing proof of concept shorts) can be essential to going to the next step of being involved in larger projects that can be very profitable. These are your first teams to build, and these are also easy ways to start developing your assets as a talent to find how to fill a need in the marketplace. But you can also start building that team at a showcase, like After Eden's, because you will find people of similar interests and values there. It may also be where you get noticed by your future agent, and land your first paid gigs. These are elegant solutions we haven't always seen in the past.

Go to After Eden Talent's site, their Instagram, or register for their latest Showcase of talent here at https://app.afteredentalent.com/.

Did you enjoy this article? Did you learn something about growing your talent, and about how to do it? Did you hear of After Eden Talent before this? Let us know if you are un undiscovered talent on our socials or down below (with subscription).