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A well-dressed tourist walks up to a street vendor on 52^nd and Seventh in NYC and asks him “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The vendor looks up and says “Practice.”

It’s an old joke, to be sure, but the concept is timeless. The more you practice your craft, the better you’ll be at it. Auditioning is no exception. When most actors come to Los Angeles they have taken Acting classes, Dance classes, singing classes, and a host of other workshops trying to hone their craft. What they don’t realize is that in order to get a job to actually use that craft, they first have to audition – a separate craft unto itself. The only way to figure out that craft is to experience the audition process and figure out how best you can negotiate those waters. What specific skills, what tools, what exercises an actor needs to book the job. Read the rest of this entry »

I have already written about my friend Mary Pat’s concept of “Powerful Partnerships”.  Briefly, they are the friends you meet at the beginning of your career that will help and nurture you through your entire life.  It is so important to start class as soon as possible when you arrive in Hollywood.  Not because you need to learn acting, but because you need to network and meet people who will help you find your career.
Powerful Partnerships develop over time and you begin to care about someone else’s career as you do your own.   If you can’t get there, to that place that you care about someone else’s success, the power and generosity of this concept will pass you by.   If you see someone that is talented and you back them up, you help them out – the same thing will happen to you.  You show up for them.  You walk the dog if they have auditions or work, you help them with lines or running a scene for class and they will do the same for you.  You create a family, a support system that every actor needs.  It’s not an easy career path and actors need as much ‘family’ and support around them as possible.  You will have some very wonderful times and some very difficult times and during those difficult times your faith in yourself will fall away, your faith in your talent will fall away – you will need those friends, those “Powerful Partnerships” to help you find your way back.

My personal experience as a new actor in the Los Angeles area, trying to break in to show business is similar to many I’ve heard from other actors.  I came here on a shoestring, was willing to work hard, attend class, get into plays, sing in nightclubs, and get “seen” in every appropriate way I could.  I realized my weak points…my experience was mostly theater, so I needed to get into a film school right away.

I met many other actors just starting out and found a way to survive.  I sewed for voice lessons, catered a party to have my headshots taken, painted the inside of an apartment in trade for repairs on my beat up old car.  I waited tables, ran camera and sound for acting classes, did secretarial work, temp work, and eventually got a job in a casting office to learn about things behind the scenes. Read the rest of this entry »

My personal experience as a new actor in the Los Angeles area, trying to break in to show business is a typical story at first.  Joel Brooks and I teach lots of young actors just starting out, and I can’t stress enough the idea that every situation is different, and there is no right way to get your chance in Los Angeles.

I moved to Los Angeles during college to “try it out a bit” as a member of a four week summer workshop for pop singers on Catalina Island.  After my workshop was over, I just stayed.   I got a job as a waitress, found a cheap, shabby apartment, and signed up for film school.  It began an association that lasted for nearly 25 years, and from which most of my film craft was learned.  I eventually became a teacher there, then a vice president.  I got my SAG card doing a commercial for people from that school, and met so many friends who were also aspiring actors and built a support system that sustained me in free meals and friendship for years to come. Read the rest of this entry »

When you are new to Los Angeles it will seem a daunting, huge city with no center.  It is important to establish a life and normalcy and find a way to get information about the business.  One of the greatest information sources you will have will the acting/scene study class you take.  Get into one as quickly as possible and through those contacts you will discover a lot about what you need to know about Los Angeles and your niche in the business.  There will be people who have gone through what you are and will be happy to help you in your career.  A lot of the time they will be your friends and career-support the rest of your life.  It is important to know that you are NOT in competition with anyone.  Share your leads and knowledge with your friends – help them get a career, and they will help you. Read the rest of this entry »

Most actors coming to Los Angeles do not have Union affiliation.  The unions that hold jurisdiction over all of Television and Film production are Screen Actors Guild (SAG) or The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).  If you want a job on a show that is signed with one of those Unions you MUST be a member to work on it.  Almost all films and scripted television falls under union jurisdiction (reality programs do not).  Some low budget independent and most student films are non-union and if you do not have a union card, those are the easiest projects to attach yourself to.  
Some links for more information:
Aftra: http://www.aftra.org/benefits/join.htm
SAG: http://www.sag.org/content/guild-information
Those sites will give you the exact requirements for membership but the bottom line is this: If you get an audition for a Union job and book it – you can join the union.  They encourage it – they want to initiation fee and dues.  

Most actors coming to Hollywood do not work as actors in their first year.  I’ll repeat that so you can absorb this.  Most new actors coming to Hollywood do not work as actors in the first year they arrive.
Again, there are always exceptions to any rule, but if you are a new actor, or bring no Broadway, Chicago or Regional Theatre experience with you, chances are you will spend your first year getting situated, finding classes and agents and managers and trying to figure out how to fit in. Read the rest of this entry »

Most actors who are just starting in the business need to supplement their income (or HAVE an income) from a job that is other than acting.  It is important for the actor to be available during the day to go to auditions so a 9-5 job doesn’t really work.  A lot of actors are waiters/waitresses because the hours are so flexible and they can get away at a moments notice if it’s important.  Part time work is ideal, or night-time work if it allows you to have the time and energy to get to any appointments you may have during the day.
My friend Mary Pat had two jobs when she came to Los Angeles.  She demonstrated and sold Salad Dressing in local supermarkets and also worked for a Market Research company doing focus groups and product testing.  It put her in front of the public and gave her some cash to take class and rent a car and have a place to live.  She told me it took her three years to get to a point where acting was supporting her, and even then there were stretches of time when she had to go back to a “day” job.   It’s important to be able to sustain a life in Los Angeles as you pursue a career, as you never know how long it will take to get noticed.

Joel Brooks has written several great articles on the experience a new actor will have in Los Angeles trying to break in to television and film.  He has even told his amazing and unusual story about his first day in Los Angeles and his first acting job here.

I have been asked to write about my early time here.  It is also a strange story.  We tell new actors about these experiences to illustrate the point that no way is the right way to break in to show business.  YOUR way will be the only and best way for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Once you come to Los Angeles to try your luck in the business, it’s important to have a car, a phone, a place to live, and money to live on.  There is no guarantee that you will find work here right away (as an actor or otherwise) and so you must be prepared to live on savings for a few months.  You’ll need a car and money for gas.  The studios are scattered all over Los Angeles and you’ll find yourself in the car an awful lot…. That is, if you are lucky enough to go on auditions.  If you are looking for an agent, you’ll need that car to go meetings, or workshops, or class, etc.  It should be in working order and, hopefully, fuel efficient.  You will be driving a great deal in Los Angeles and your car will be your office, your dressing room, your closet – basically your place of business. Read the rest of this entry »