So You Want To Be an Actor?

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Feel free to use these materials for your personal use only. You cannot use these materials in a class, seminar or other public forum without Mark’s written permission. All materials are copy-written. Contact us HERE if you have any questions.

So, You Want to Be an Actor?

Use this simple checklist to help you achieve your goal of working as an actor.

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 Step 2.

2. Know your types and image. Accept that the entertainment industry, and especially Hollywood, is a “type” driven industry. Type casting is a very real thing. You need to know how the industry sees you, 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, your image and what makes you unique allows you to market yourself and get work in the most efficient way. Once you know your types, image and uniqueness all of the steps below will fall right into place. To find out you types, image and what makes you unique you play we highly recommend getting a consultation from Mark. Then, simply follow the steps below. But, we can’t recommend getting an image consultation enough. It’s where all the work starts. 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 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 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 professional 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. Then, more importantly, put it on your online profiles (listed above in step 4), 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 download templates from that page.

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 specific and top-notch 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.
– A Casting Networks 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.
– An IMDb account.
– 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 strong 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.
– 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 demo reel. Especially if you are looking for a good agent. For more info on demos click HERE.
– 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. Need some thoughts, click HERE.
– 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 classes 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 it’s also a great way to be seen. Plus, if you’re lucky and book equity jobs, 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. But, they’re only needed when you have something to publicize.

PLACES YOU SHOULD TARGET YOUR MARKETING:

– 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 (Work Begets Work!):

– Your own acting groups. Form your own practice groups, make films, do plays, etc.
– Theater companies
– Film festivals. Sundance, Los Angeles Film Festival and many, many more.
– Social Media. X, FaceBook, Instagram, TikTok, 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 roles 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 for union members. You can take a ton of free classes and seminars, including ours!
– 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 and work. I can’t stress enough the value of this one!
– Perform in showcases.
– Produce your own plays.
– Do your own one person 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.

It’s 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. There is a ton of great information available on social media that can help you focus in on the marketing plan that is best for your own path. Never stop learning! 

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.