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 »