Self Promotion and Re-Inventing Yourself
For Wrestling, Bodybuilding, Acting or Work

By Ric 'The Equalizer' Drasin

In any business, you must have a game plan. You must have a way of exploiting your product and calling attention to it via making it different than any other product around. In this case we are talking about you.

If you walk into a store and a salesperson helps you, that person can either make or break the sale. In this world there are those people who 'know' or those who 'don't know'. In most cases, it's those who don't know. We see them everyday in Malls, Supermarkets, and on the Freeways. They haven't got a clue what they are doing or what life is about but they seem to get by somehow. I haven't figured out how, but they do it.

You want to be in the category of those who 'know'. I have 3 children, two boys Shane 19 , Adam 22 and a daughter Sami ,9. All 3 of them since birth are in the category of those who 'know'. You can see it in their eyes. They can spot a situation and just know if it's right or not. I can see in their eyes whether they understand something or not and in every case, they have always caught on.

I was explaining something the other day to someone about laying out a CD cover design and the steps involved. I could see in his eyes as I was explaining that he just didn't get it. He said he did, but his eyes said something else. I think they said, 'duh'!

So, I told him, you really don't understand do you. He said, 'not exactly'. I knew that right off. I told him about re-inventing and coming up with an entirely different look on his CD. It's like when you listen to a record, if the song doesn't catch you in the first 5 sec. you move on. Same thing with a look or a visual. It has to catch your eye.

So, when you are promoting yourself, you want people to look at you as the person who 'knows'. It'll emit from you if you have it.

Self-promotion in Acting or Wrestling for example means creating a persona that everyone will notice and set you apart from the others. You can see a crowd of people and maybe one person in that crowd will catch your eye. Could be their looks, usually is, but it goes beyond that and it comes from something within them. It's body language and a feeling that they know who they are and what they are portraying. That's considered 'Star quality'.

I go on film and commercial auditions with a lot of different types of people. I have several categories that I fit in and let's take one for example. Bikers. Lots of people show up dressed like bikers and some are pretty authentic looking. But on camera, if they don't have it inside of them, it won't come across as real or as what they are trying to be. The just don't 'know'.

You have to have charisma. That is something that you usually have or not have. It's very hard to develop but can be developed to a small degree if you work on your persona and attitude.

Every see a really pretty girl and when you finally talk to her, she's dead as far as personality? Well, that is persona and at that point, the beauty really means nothing.

When I was younger and going out on commercials, the look I had was with hair and mustache. I looked very similar to Tom Selleck. Many of the actors that I went to auditions had taken on the same look. However I was able to come across on camera better as my personality came through at the right moment and I booked 5 National Cigarette Ads and 4 National Beer commercials. I was bodybuilding and in really good shape but didn't show it off blatantly as it would have been too much. But a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jeans did the job and showed a little muscle. This was something that a lot of the others didn't have. It made me look more like the outdoor type that did hard labor.

So, I was on to something. Just keep re-inventing my look from time to time and stay ahead of the pack.

In music and advertising, you always have to come up with something new and fresh that hasn't been seen. This is what sells. Well, the same thing goes for you. If you want to be an actor, then you need to find a slot that isn't filled and make yourself be seen.

Same thing with wrestling. Years ago in the 50's and 60's, wrestlers had entirely different looks. Each one was really unique. Not all were muscular but different sizes and shapes, but they DID look like wrestlers. Gorgeous George bleached his hair blonde before all the others and made a huge name for himself. Pretty soon others followed, Ray Stevens, Pat Patterson, Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, etc. But it started somewhere. Today, pretty much all the wrestlers look the same and all are bodybuilders. It was the same way with bodybuilding. Arnold, Draper, Zane, Katz, Colombu all looked different. Entirely different body shapes and size and it made a contest interesting. Look at today's bodybuilder. I can't tell one from the other. The all look exactly the same. There is nothing different or unique about them.

When I designed the Gold's Gym logo with the little 'bald headed' weightlifter, I said, one day, that will be my look~! It was about 15 years later that I decided to finally shave my head. I kept telling my wife that I was going to do it and it would create a whole new avenue for acting and wrestling. Ten years ago, I shaved it and grew my goatee. Very few people, if any had that look. I loved the look and wish I would had have done it years before. Before I knew it, I was booking more films and commercials than ever. The look worked and created a whole new persona for me. Little by little I saw others showing up on auditions with shaved heads and beards. Hmm, I thought, this is catching on and catching up with me. It's time to re-invent again. So, two years ago, I bleached my beard and mustache white with two brown side stripes. It was unusual and no one else at this point will copy me, causes I have established it as MY LOOK and people know me by that. As my motto goes, ' Often Imitated, but Never Duplicated'.

Well, I got more work and more compliments on the look. Sure it stands out, but that's what I want. It sets me aside from the others. I have offered to color it for TV jobs with a roux stick which is temporary simply because some sponsors may want it dark or all white, but in every case, they wanted to leave it as it is.

I used to get asked on auditions if I would shave it off for a commercial. In my younger years, I would have agreed reluctantly, but now I say a definite NO. I tell them, it's my look, you called me in because you obviously like it, so why would you want me to shave it off and then maybe you won't like me without it? There are plenty of guys in the waiting room without beards, take one of them. Plus, if I shave it off and have another audition tomorrow, it'll knock me out of a job.

I love standing up for myself. The production companies respect that and I get the job. IT just lets them know that they can't walk all over you. Also, what you have created works for you.

Now, with wrestling, it's the perfect look. I go out on a lot of auditions calling for a Wrestler. I see bodybuilders there, fat guys, skinny guys, etc. mostly actors and not many wrestlers. But, not many have the look. I make sure that I show up in tights, boots, etc. and I take my championship belt. That's a big plus and has cinched many jobs. It's just an added feature and prop that the production companies don't have to think about.

I was called out on a FLOOZ commercial that aired this year and they brought me in with some bodybuilders. I came in my wrestling wear and suggested that why not change the character to a wrestler instead of a bodybuilder. It's much more popular and more alive. They took my suggestion and I landed the national spot.

So, there again, I created a character that works. Plus in this case it helps to know how to wrestle, even if you don't use it, as they may want a few holds, etc.

I have tried one more thing recently. I made my beard all white for some pictures and put on some wire frame glasses and a judge's robe. I took a few shots behind a courtroom desk with a gavel. It was a perfect picture to play a judge and I had noticed that there are many roles on TV for judges. I gave these pictures to my agent and he has begun submitting me on those roles.

I always have set me own style in clothes and I had my own clothing line for years in Muscle & Fitness Magazine, called Big Boy Wear. I like to dress different, but with taste and many people come up to me and compliment me on what I'm wearing. Well, it suits me and I make it work, but it's because I feel secure with myself and I like to be creative. It works for me.

A lot of the independent wrestlers today copy each other with what they wear in the ring. I can't tell them apart. Every once in awhile someone will enter the ring with a unique outfit. Well, it stands out and gets attention.

Take a good look at yourself and write down ideas that you see for yourself in the future. If it's acting, bodybuilding, wrestling or even outside sales, you need a persona. Find what works for you and develop it. When it gets to the point that it goes stale and/or doesn't work any longer, re-invent again.

One person comes to mind as he had 50 different album covers and never looked the same in any one of them. David Bowie. I saw a documentary on him and how he kept going through the re-invention process and it started me on my way. It works, try it. Remember, you want to be one of those, who 'know.'