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Just Tank One.
Congratulations- you’ve come all this way and you finally have a few auditions. It’s a scary process to have worked so hard to get past one obstacle only to find yourself staring into the jaws of an entirely different beast. This one is bigger, meaner, and more direct. When we set ourselves up with fruitful situations and they finally flower into true opportunity, we have put in the legwork on the business side. Almost forgot about the creative side, eh? How terrifying it is to be judged in a matter of seconds and perhaps roasted over the proverbial fire after much sacrifice.
Sometimes, it is a matter of focus: when all of the conditions aren’t perfect, how can we still dig down and find that concentration to do what we know to be right as it pertains to our craft? To me, if we don’t test ourselves under these circumstances, there will always be some form of doubt which can negatively creep over our subconscious and have quite an adverse effect on our performance. Simple solution: tank one. [click to read full post]
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“Do you have an agent?”
Possibly the most popular question ever posed to an actor, second only to “What have we seen you in?” (Or, my mother’s favorite, “When do I get to see a copy of that student spec commercial for diapers you shot in December in Oxnard so I can send it to all your cousins?!” Oh, Mom…) The representation question is certainly one we devote lots of time and energy to, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Because, in reality, the agent is only one (albeit very important) part of your team. That’s right! You are building a team to help you build, support, and sell your product: YOU.
Think I’ve been watching too much college basketball for my own good? Yeah, well, just think about it for a second. When you read any of those interviews in gossip websites or celebrity tabloids, or listen to who award-winning actors thank at the Oscars or the Golden Globes, they always mention a whole slew of random people you’ve never heard of: publicists, managers, assistants, coaches, teachers, casting directors, and, yes, agents. It’s like one of those commercials for children’s advocacy groups: “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.” And it totally takes a village to raise an actor’s career! Your teammates can offer you everything from advice to auditions to just plain moral support. So let’s talk about the important players you can start gathering for your team. You’ll be surprised how many people you can count among your teammates… [click to read full post]
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For the actor or actress who isn’t in SAG, doesn’t have representation, and is without the industry contacts to get you in to an agent or casting director’s office… paid showcases can be an excellent way to meet and perform for prominent agents and casting directors. Some actors are adamantly against paying to audition. But for many actors, showcases are just about the only way to get that coveted foot in the door.
I want to impart some valuable tips from an agent showcase last night with DEDE BINDER-GOLDSMITH, President of Defining Artists, a prestigious boutique agency in Los Angeles.
Dede said that her presence at the agent showcase was really a “golden opportunity” for actors to meet with her because unless she knows an actor’s work or you’re personally referred, she probably won’t take your calls and won’t respond to actor emails. In fact, Dede said that her email account is set up to keep unsolicited actor emails out. It’s not that Dede Binder-Goldsmith is a rude person. By contrast, she’s very friendly and gracious. But there are so many actors who want agents that Dede doesn’t have the time or inclination to accept unsolicited calls and emails. That is essentially the case with most talent agents across the board. As the saying goes in Hollywood, “It’s who you know.” [click to read full post]
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Welcome to April! Can you believe we’re back again at tax time? As I slogged through my own piles of forms and receipts yesterday, I tried not to get frustrated at the complications of being a working actor during tax season: working several jobs, working in several states, working sporadically, working “under the table.” All highly confusing when you try to fit your eccentric artistic life into countless small numbered boxes. But it’s all part of the actor’s business. Because you are, after all, running your own business (and if you don’t agree, the IRS does soooo…the bad news is you might have to pay taxes on your own actor business, but…it’s worth it!) and you’ve got to organize your life to accomodate that.
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When people talk about Hollywood, they often widen their eyes and say, “Well, it’s all about who you know. You know?” And that is, actually, completely true. The very first day I started my theatrical training, the school’s director, a well-respected and successful actress in her own right, sat all of us first year students down and said, “This is your first big break. The people who will give you your second big break are not us, your teachers, but your new peers who you are sitting next to right now.” We all gave each other sidelong glances, sizing each other up. Could that pimply kid next to me really make me a star? Chances are…yes.
If the entertainment business is all about being in the right place at the right time, who you are with at the time is going to really affect your life. Maybe that pimply kid on Day One decided he wasn’t going to be an actor at all, but a casting director. Wow! Instant in. Maybe that other kid next to you became a producer, or a director, or got a starring role on Broadway last year and knows a thousand other well-situated people. Sound crazy? Well, that’s because it is. But crazy or not, the truth of the matter boils down to a little rule involving the one-and-only Kevin Bacon: everybody knows somebody. (If you’re not getting the Kevin reference, it refers to the 6 Degrees of Separation game.) Which is the heart of networking. [click to read full post]
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Irony. We’ve saved our pennies working our degrading jobs, packed our lives into our cars and set out on a great adventure to Los Angeles to pursue that dream of working in entertainment. We unload all of our belongings into a friend’s cheap apartment and crash on a couch until we get our feet set and move into a dive of our own. We get a quick lay of the land before applying for as many of those same degrading jobs as we can. We are creatures of habit.
Obviously, few to none of us start out towards the top of the heap. Rent is due and you have to eat- you gotta do what you gotta do. But how quickly we forget why we came out here. How quickly this town can eat you up if you let it. It’s a slow grind of frustration; a poison. Luckily, the antidote is simple: do what you came out here to do. [click to read full post]
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So you’ve done it! You’ve decided you want to be a professional actor. Congratulations! Welcome to one of the most exciting, challenging, creative, and crazy industries in existence! Now, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Right, here’s the bad news: it’s not easy to be an actor. You’ve got to juggle auditions, rent jobs, performance schedules, bills, networking events, classes, headshot sessions, headshot reproductions, headshot mailings bla bla bla etc. The list goes on. The good news? Being an actor can be intensely rewarding and immensely fulfilling. It’s one of the only jobs steeped in rich traditions, requiring far-off travel, a healthy body and mind, a fresh imagination, some street smarts to boot, AND the opportunity to dress up like a 18th century courtesan in the morning and an ER doctor in the afternoon.
So…where to begin? Well, first thing to know is the greatest thing about the entertainment business: you can be an actor pretty much anywhere! If you’re not already busy in your community theater, get into it! Find out about your closest regional theater (and don’t say you don’t have one, they’re eeeeeverywhere), research their local hiring policies on their website, or see if you can wrangle yourself an audition for their next show. Or (as I always recommend) produce your own! Get your friends together and put on the kind of theater YOU want to see. Theater not your bag? Or, are you even more than a Triple Threat, and you want to do film and/or television too? Are you even more determined to push your career as a professional actor forward? Keep reading… [click to read full post]
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So you’ve moved to L.A. and now it’s time to implement phase two of the plan: get discovered by some chance occurrence while serving a big time director his or her organic fruit smoothee with all natural granola at your unavoidable “day job.” Simple, right? My advice to you: put down the apron and pick up a walkie talkie. If you’re going to work some BS job it might as well be in the same ballpark of the sport you’d like to play.
The truth is that the stakes are extremely high and the competition is ever present in this business. The long shot discovery is an urban legend. Careers aren’t made overnight; they take years sometimes decades of constant dedication and drive. Talent, sure. But everyone’s talented here- don’t you watch Idol? Yes, if you have a serving job you get tips and your schedule is open for “auditions.” But why let someone else be in control of your own destiny? Not saying agents are a bad thing, but sometimes it’s an excuse for complacency. I have an agent and I still bust my butt to get my own work, and a lot of my acting jobs have come from working in the film industry. I know that must sound completely nuts… [click to read full post]
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Perhaps you’ve already mastered a technique and you get every part you audition for or at least a call back or perhaps you keep wondering why you never get a phone call after the first attempt. There are many ways to approach an audition, but no matter what the role, always be yourself. Never lose yourself within an audition. The casting director or whomever you’re auditioning for wants to see you. Become the character, find yourself in the character, just simply BE the character.
I highly recommend the book Audition by Michael Shurtleff. It is an absolute MUST read for anyone, but especially the actor. He explains in complete detail everything you’ll need to know to get the part and gives you an understanding how an audition is like everyday life.
Before you begin an audition, there are several things you need to do as an actor before hand. I thought I’d share these steps I’ve learned in my first acting class because its helped me a great deal and hope it will you. Rather you’ve already received the sides or you have to cold read, follow the steps below and you will notice a significant difference. [click to read full post]
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In my course of trying to get a good agent or manager I’ve found that professionalism is key. It is almost vital to make sure you are prepared in all aspects. You need to make yourself accessible for anything and everything. I’m still trying to learn how to balance my regular source of income job with my career as an actor.
Finding an agent/manager to represent you isn’t the easiest thing as an actor to find. You’ll notice in industry talk that the agent/manager “finds you”. So, with that in mind, why not just LET them find you by displaying/representing yourself to the best of your availability. [click to read full post]
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Man Overboard - starring Matthew Kaminsky and Mel Fair, produced by Mark Heidelberger and Jesse Felsot, written by Nathan Ives and Ashley Scott Meyers, and directed by Oliver Robins.
Log line: When C.J.'s used boat lot struggles he hires Johnny, an experienced salesman, to try and turn things around - unfortunately Johnny is also a sociopath and his sales tactics are crazy and completely illegal.
Man Overboard is scheduled to be released on DVD in August of 2009 for purchase through the official web site, www.manoverboardmovie.com.