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There are no set rules for finding an agent in Los Angeles.  In addition, there is no real way to know what agent will be right for you.  It is important to remember that they work for YOU.  As you might expect, there are lots of egos and power structure in every aspect of show business, and the hierarchy of agencies is no exception.  A good small or medium sized agency is a good place to start.

The agent may require seeing you perform before setting a meeting, so it’s good to be in a play or showcase where you can invite people to come and watch you perform.  Remember though, that these agents have put in long hours and may not always show up.  Don’t be disappointed, be persistent. 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 »

What do you Love about Acting?

Every once in awhile, I get so frustrated with the hiring process and with the callous nature of many of the people I meet with for jobs.  I get disillusioned, disappointed, and I start to take things personally.  Acting…show business…is a really brutal field.  And actors are generally more sensitive than, say a bank teller, in keeping our emotions near the surface.  It is necessary for what we do to be able to have expression nearby.

When I feel too discouraged, I try to take a minute and remember why I love acting, and why I decided to do this in the first place.  I try to review for myself (in the form of a sort of mental pep talk) what I get from the actual experience that feeds me.

When I was growing up, it was an enormous treat to go to the movies.  We a were middle class family who had fought our way up from very modest beginnings, both my parents worked, and great sacrifices had been made moving across the country away from our close core family to get better jobs for my parents.  So movies were a real splurge.

I could sit in a dark theater…with air conditioning or heat…where no one could see you laugh or cry, and where it was perfectly acceptable to do both of those things and not be judged inappropriate.  I remember thinking how powerful that experience was, and how amazing it would be if I could grow up to make people FEEL like that.  What a gift to be able to help people forget their worries for two hours at a time (or an hour on tv, ha!) make them laugh, make them cry…THAT’S what I wanted to do!!

So when I get a little too disenchanted or beaten down, I go to the movies.  I sit in a dark theater and “experience” all the things I have put over 30 years into as a career.  I always leave feeling better.

Find your encouragement where you can…you’ll need it from time to time, but if you really want to be an actor, you can make it happen.

Best,
Beth

When I moved to Los Angeles from Arizona almost 30 years ago, I was not connected in show business, I had very little money, I had no job and no relatives here, and it was pretty much on a wing and a prayer.  I would not recommend it.  I waited tables, worked as a receptionist, did plays at night, sang in nightclubs, and wore my feet to a nub chasing my dreams.

The best thing I ever did was take a temporary job in a casting office.  I learned quickly what matters.  I learned the basics of contracts, what people (casting people) expect from an actor at a casting call, how things unfold with the wardrobe and production departments once you are hired.  I learned the technical things, but that is not what matters. Read the rest of this entry »

To create a good quality resume for the professional audition, it is most important to be honest.  This is not like padding a resume someone will never check out.  It is not the same as putting together a resume just out of college to get your first job.

People in show business regularly call each other for referrals and to check on actors they are considering working with.  If you put fake credits on your resume, it is only a matter of time before you will be caught.  Either you will be asked questions you can’t answer in an interview, or the casting person will call a director or producer or other casting director to ask about you.  Big mistake. Read the rest of this entry »

It is always interesting to me why people go into acting in the first place.  Why do you want to be an actor?  To live a balanced life as an actor, in a very competitive and rejection based career, it is good to ask yourself some hard questions about your motives. Read the rest of this entry »