Looking to Break Into The Biz?

Oh Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood. What a strange and wonderful place you are. I still haven't figured you out yet. Simliar to most of the population of Los Angeles, I am not originally from here. I just had a dream, and moved to San Diego and thought I'd be an actress. .........Little did I know, San Diego WASN'T the place to be. So, I busted my butt and graduated from San Diego State in three years so I could go to where the action actually was in LA. Hey, it was either that or drop out so I'm ok with the fact that I didn't get to enjoy the beach and frat parties while I was there. So everyone who looks at me with a smirk when I say I went to SDSU is wrong. I didn't go there for the parties, I went there cause I thought it was pretty and only two hours from LA... Wrong move. You live and you learn.

So now, I've been graduated for a year. My two main goals were:

----------A) Become SAG Eligible. Because if you aren't SAG, you're not seen as a professional actress (my opinion, obviously Indie films are another story)

----------B) Get an awesome agent who will help me get to the next level in my career.

Over the last year I DID become SAG-Eligible. Now I'm trying to decide whether to fork up the money to be SAG or stay SAG-E. Most people I've talked to have said stay SAG-E as long as you can. But most of those people were actors who are only making money through non-union. Did you know a ton of agencies won't even look at you unless you're SAG?! Also, if I get in a SAG production I'll have to join that day anyway. Wouldn't it be better to show I'm already a professional? I don't know. There lies my dilemna. Hey, if anyone ever reads this, feel free to voice your opinion!

So anywho, if you're bright eyed (literally my type) and new to Hollywood you'll need to know a few things:

1. The Hollywood circle is small. And they all keep each other working. The main mission is to get in that tight knit circle. In order to "break in" you need to either pound the pavement for years, be ridiculously lucky or good looking, self-produce, be mega-talented (but that goes along with luck cause you need that talent to be recognized), or throw yourself out and make tons of great connections.

2. You need a better headshot. And I mean one in Los Angeles... *Cough* Small circle *cough cough*. If you have gained/lost weight, changed your hair, changed your face, changed literally anything about yourself that will make a disconnect from your headshot to when you walk into the casting room, CHANGE YOUR HEADSHOT. Seriously. It like pisses casting directors off. I just went through Deidhra Fahey, so if you like mine look her up! Some REALLY good (expensive) photographers that are well known are Dayna Patrick and Theo & Juliet. 2. Your old training that you spent loads of money on? Yeah. That means nothing here unless it's like NYU status. My dinky B.A. in Theatre arts? The casting directors couldn't care less. They care about experience and how much money you'll be abe to draw in way more than a piece of paper. I knew I should have moved out here right after highschool! Better yet, turn the clock back and become a child actor. Honestly there is no one-way route. Everyone will get there a different way. Brad Pitt had to be in a chicken costume. And he practiced like four hours a day! I bet you didn't know that. Neither did I until I took Mark Atteberry's Type and Image intensive. That's the type of class that matters here. The casting directors want to see training in Los Angeles from people they KNOW and like. Like I said... Small circle that keeps each other working.

I read an article that said some casting directors wouldn't even look at you unless you had Killian McHugh's name on your resume.... Guess what? It's now on mine.

3. Commercial agents and Theatrical agents look for very different things. Killian McHugh, who I just mentioned, is a Commercial teaching Guru. For Commercial you also need Improv! I chose the Groundlings, but there are other notable ones like UCB and Secondcity, etc. They also want an awesome headshot with a nice smile usually. I mention commercial first because supposedly it'd easier to get that agent. Theatrical is harder because they are less likely to take a chance on "new talent".

Even if you aren't a new actor, you are considered new talent if you haven't been WORKING in LA for years.

4. Even if you DON'T have an agent (or even if you do) you should be marketing yourself and meeting casting directors. They are literally a huge part of your career. And please, have a good attitude. No one wants to work with someone who sucks to be around. AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO. Well, unless you're a mega star. But then you wouldn't be reading this.

There is so much more to know... I'll save it for another blog post. My next post will be about my most recent class with Mark Atteberry.

Video for today's post. Russel Brand's audition for Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It's hilarious. Watch it.

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