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When an actor first comes to Los Angeles, in search of an acting career, an agent, a manager, a good acting class…there are so many options, and it’s hard to know where to begin.

After you get your headshot, and perhaps an agent, a new actor will face meeting casting directors for the first time in the form of a general audition.  This is a meeting that is usually arranged by an agent or manager, or is a result of being seen in a play or at a workshop.  It is not for any specific role, but to let the casting director get to know the new performer and sort of get a feel for whether he or she will be someone the casting person will choose to champion for future roles. 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.

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 »

It is very important to look at your career as a marathon race and not a sprint.  It is something you invest in and nurture, something that takes patience and hard work.
Beth Maitland and I have written a great deal about having yourself set up to weather your first year in Hollywood.  Good planning will take care of most problems. 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.

Most new actors will go to an audition and think the ultimate goal is to book that job.
It is and it isn’t.
We always hope and wish the outcome of any audition is for the actor to get the part, but that can’t be.  There are far too many actors going up for the same role.  How can you audition and not get the part and still have it be a success? Read the rest of this entry »

Beth Maitland and I have written a great deal about the importance of the first year of your career looking for acting jobs in TV and Film. You have to be prepared to pay your bills for at least a year to give yourself a chance at a career.
Now, you may walk into a casting office and be just what they are looking for, or impress someone at a restaurant that knows the head of casting at Warner Brothers Television. It’s not only possible, these things happen all the time in Hollywood. One chance encounter can lead to an entire career.
It’s possible. But not probable. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people live in areas of the country where the entertainment industry does not have a hub…areas outside Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and several cities in Canada…and these people often have questions about how to get prepared to start an acting career.  The Internet has opened many opportunities for remote learning, but to get started in show business, the actor must relocate to one of the industry hub cities.  Joel has written extensively on how to be prepared.  Don’t move until you have enough money saved to live on for six months, a car to get around to auditions and meetings, a place to live that is central, affordable, and safe.  Beyond that, there are some other basic things to prepare. Read the rest of this entry »