Confessions of a Teen Idol on VH1 is the best career show on TV right now.
The premise: 7 former TV heartthrobs, all of whom have been out of the Hollywood limelight for roughly a decade, are preparing for career comebacks. While living together in a house (naturally), the guys must learn to pitch and position themselves as adult actors.
Like every reality series, Confessions is filled with absurd challenges and edited for drama. However, once you get past the celeb-reality packaging, you’ll find a wealth of career lessons and advice.
On Sunday night, the guys were given the opportunity to pitch themselves to Hollywood “gatekeepers” – casting agents, producers, publicists, etc. The point of the exercise was for the guys to take direct criticism and then use it to sharpen their personal positioning.
The exercise was a success for most of the group. Unfortunately, Jeremy Jackson (“Hobie” from Baywatch) didn’t fare so well. Jeremy entered the room with unrealistic expectations and then refused to take the gatekeepers’ constructive criticism to heart.
Jeremy’s attitude: “I’m sorry if that group of people couldn’t see how dope I am.”
Jeremy Jackson is a great caricature case study for Jake on Jobs because not only is he a twenty-something (27), but he received so much attention as a child (thanks to Baywatch, the most popular show in the world) that he now personifies many of the exaggerated stereotypes which plague Gen Y as professional adults.
In order to learn from Jeremy’s mistakes, I am going to break his ridiculous quote apart into three parts:
1. “I’m sorry “
As I’ve stated on several occasions, I have little patience for the disingenuous apology. See: “I’m sorry is the new LOL” for more details.
2. “That group of people”
The implication here is that the people in the Hollywood conference room were not the “right” audience for Jeremy’s pitch. They weren’t insightful or perceptive enough to grasp his versatility and brilliance.
That shouldn’t matter.
A good personal pitch is so tight, and communicates value so clearly, that cavemen could understand it.
3. “Couldn’t see how dope I am”
Don’t overwhelm potential employers with your “dope-ness”. Instead, show them that you are employable, mature, and focused.
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