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So, you want to
be an actor!
Use this simple checklist to help you achieve your goal.
HOW DO I GET INTO ACTING?
Here are the 12 basic steps to consider as you make your way into an acting career. These are things to do BEFORE you reach out to a manager or agent for representation.
1. Learn How To Act. Get GREAT at it. Attend as many acting classes (scene study, on-camera acting, and improv) as you can (check out the classes we offer HERE). Get into theater. Act as much as you can and get as good a possible before you do anything else. Please, I beg you, watch THIS before you move on to the next steps.
2. Accept that the entertainment industry, and especially Hollywood, is a "type" driven industry. Type casting is a very real thing. You need to know what types you play and how you're going to be cast in order to make the best use of your time and efforts. Knowing your types allows you to market yourself in and to get work in the most efficient way. Once you know your types all of the steps below will fall right into place. To find out what types you play (and what makes you unique from others in your category) follow the steps on this website. We highly recommend getting an image consultation with Mark for this exact reason. For more information on that click HERE.
3. Get professional headshots from an established, top notch headshot photographer. See our list of photographers HERE.
4. Create your acting profiles on these three legitimate online casting sites:: Actors Access, Casting Networks (LA Casting) and Backstage. Then, set up a page on IMDb (I highly recommend you subscribe to IMDbPro).
5. Get your work on camera. If you don't already have existing footage of your work (professionally shot) then record one, two or three short HD clips of your acting. Please make sure your skills are at a professional level (see step 1 above!). If necessary, you can "self-tape" a scene with another actor or a monologue. Make sure you use good lighting and good sound. You can shoot it in front of a blank wall, if you want to. For example check out HERE and HERE. Need someone to shoot a scene for you? Check out our list HERE.
6. Upload your footage to YouTube, your IMDbPro page and your casting website profiles. This will allow agents, casting directors and others to see your work. This will later be replaced by your acting demo reel (see below) but for the time being this will get you up and running.
7. Create a professional actor’s resume. List your credits, training and special skills in industry standard format (an actor's resume is very different than a regular business resume) in a Word or word processing document. Print it out and put it on your online profiles, if you haven't already. For more more info on putting together a professional actor's resume check out our helpful resume page HERE. You can also go HERE to download some templates.
8. Submit yourself everyday on those 3 casting sites.
9. Book 5-10 short films, student films, and webseries. Extra work doesn’t count and it DOES NOT go on a resume!
10. Update your resume as you go. Add your bookings and acting classes to your hard copy and online resumes each time you do something new.
11. Put together a rocking 1-2 minute acting demo reel from the scenes and clips that you received from all your hard work in Step 8. Edit together two, three or at most four 20-40 second scenes featuring you with your name up front and at the end. Need help editing your reel? Want more information on how to do it? Check out our helpful demo reel page HERE. Finally, put your professionally edited demo reel on YouTube, IMDbPro and the casting websites mentioned above.
12. Get representation. Present all the above to an Agent and/or Manage and try to get representation. For a list of legitimate Los Angeles agencies click HERE.
*If you need more specific advice on how to get started working as a professional actor, to find out your types, niche and how to brand yourself or if you have questions not covered above, we can help. We offer affordable Private Consultations, conducted both in-person or via Zoom. For more information about our consultations click HERE.
Tips to help you make it as an actor
Here's a list of things that will help you along in your journey as a working actor
WHAT YOU MUST HAVE IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN LA:
- An agent and/or a manager. Sadly, only agents and managers get to see the best roles being cast in the big films and TV shows, the general public does not.
- An Actors Access account. This is the primary source for most of the theatrical casting notices.
- An LA Casting account. This is the primary source for most of the commercial casting notices.
- A great headshot. One that captures “You!” For more on headshots click HERE.
- A great demo reel. Especially if you are looking for a good agent. For more info on demos click HERE.
- Confidence. A belief in the phrase, “You are enough as you are!”
- A strong knowledge of the Entertainment Industry. A working knowledge of how it all works.
- A place to practice your skills. Acting class, theater company, etc. For more on our acting classes click HERE.
- Cold reading/audition skills. A good cold reading class helps.
- A decent source of income. That and a flexible schedule (or a trust fund) is a must!
- A dependable car. It’s rough trying to make it in this business without a car.
- A network of industry friends. We need others on so many levels!
- A deep love of the art! You will never survive all the rejection and painfully hard work if you don’t have a love for acting.
- A good plan of attack and solid goal setting system. Actors are spontaneous people by nature but without a plan of attack you’re just shooting in the dark.
- A fan base. It’s all about fan bases and how many people will pay to see you in a show, film, etc.
- A GPS. Or, at least a reliable and available map.
WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN LA:
- SAG-AFTRA card. It's true, Hollywood is primarily a union driven town.
- A Casting Frontier account. This is the secondary source for commercial casting notices as a few of the commercial casting offices prefer this service over LA Casting.
- An IMDbPro account. It's your secret weapon for researching the industry and figuring out who is worth knowing and who is not.
- A CastingAbout account. This is the most reliable list of casting directors, their contact info, what they are currently casting and if they are active at any given moment of not.
- A great resume. Feature and TV credits matter most. Theater credits matter second. And, training matters third. If acting matters to you your resume will show it. For more info on resumes click HERE.
- Several specific character headshots. One for each of the types you will most likely play.
- Postcards, fliers and other marketing materials. To remind the town you are out there and working.
- A proper wardrobe. Appropriate to the types and roles you play.
- A personal website. Easily readable, with your photos, demos and your resume.
- Social media accounts. It’s all about fan bases. Many actors have booked roles based on their social media numbers alone.
- Stand up comedy and/or improv experience. Especially if you’re funny.
- A knowledge of what to do technically in an audition, on a set, etc. A good audition and/or on-camera class can help. For more info on our Audition Class click HERE.
- Self-productions. Put your own videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Funny or Die, etc. This alone has made many a career in Hollywood. Remember, it’s all about fan bases! For more info regarding our Self-Production class click HERE.
WHAT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN LA:
- AEA (Actors' Equity Association) card. Not only is theater the best place for actors to hone their craft is also a great way to be seen. Plus, if you’re lucky, it can also be a nice source of income.
- An audition and work tracking system. A way to keep track of your auditions and your work, who you met, what you wore, etc. You’d be amazed at how much you miss without one. A well known one is Performer Track.
- A good publicist. They're only needed when you have something to publicize.
PLACES YOU SHOULD TARGET MARKET (Post Cards, etc.):
- Casting Directors. Especially for the shows you are right for.
- Assistant or Associate Casting Directors. They will be the casting directors of tomorrow.
- Agents. See IMDbPro for ones that fit you best.
- Directors. Ones you’ve worked with or who direct the shows you’re right for.
- Writers. Especially the show-runners on the shows you would be cast in.
- Ad Agencies. For commercials.
- Producers. For indies, TV shows and features.
PLACES YOU CAN NETWORK (Because Work Begets Work):
- Your own acting groups. Form your own practice groups, make films, do plays, etc.
- Theater companies
- Film festivals. Sundance, Hollywood Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival and many, many more.
- Social Media. Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
- Film Independent. A renown film making and networking group.
- Greenhouse Arts & Media. A non-profit networking and skill building group of filmmakers.
- Acting classes.
- Improv groups.
- Stand up comedy clubs.
- Showcases.
- Cold reading workshops.
- Writers groups. Especially where you act the parts for the writers.
- Sports leagues. Softball teams, hockey teams, etc.
- Happy hours.
- AFI and other Universities. Especially for student films.
- AA, charities or church. Only if appropriate and your heart is in volunteering! I hesitate in even mentioning it but...
- SAG-AFTRA and SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Plus, you can take a ton of free classes and seminars)
- There are many more networking groups and events out there!
MARKETING IDEAS TO CONSIDER:
It's up to you to shop around and find out how best to spend your money. Every actor gets something different out of each of these activities. Figure out which ones work best for you. Do things that will best keep you on the radar of the industry.
- Produce your own short films. I can’t stress enough the value of this one!
- Perform in showcases.
- Produce your own plays.
- Do your own one man/woman play or YouTube show.
- Send out post cards regularly. When you work or have something to announce.
- Do casting director and agent drop-offs.
- Attend casting director workshops. Especially the free ones at SAG Foundation, if you're in the union.
- Do mass mailings of headshots.
And it's very important that you shop around for a good marketing plan. Meet people who have done whatever it is you're considering doing for marketing. Ask them about their experiences.
Everyone is a unique individual, therefor everyone gets something different out of doing the same thing. And, no two people ever do all of the same things the same way. There's no single recipe for success. What works for one actor doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for every actor. Design a marketing program that works best for you and your style. Keep trying new approaches until you find a list of things that works best for you. That’s the best way to find your own recipe for success.