Many of my friends have asked me what the first steps are to starting a professional career
as an actor in Philadelphia. Goodness knows, I don't have all the answers, so don't expect
any oracular pronouncements. I can only give a few rough words of advice, and share things
I've learned so far. In this business, sometimes finding out even the basic building blocks is
DAMN tough, because it seems nobody wants to tell you what they know—information
is power, and I guess it keeps the competition down if people have to waste weeks and months
trying to find out what they need. I don't subscribe to that philosophy. The more the merrier.
I believe in being generous, in heart, spirit, and in the dissemination of knowledge, and in
sharing freely the few tidbits I have garnered on the way. I have been very fortunate in making
friends with lovely people in this industry, and I hope you will become a friend, too!
That said, I guess I have to put some legal disclaimer here. All this info here is just what
I have discovered through my own plodding attempts, from books, from pros, from friends,
and from teachers whom I have had the pleasure of meeting. This is a rough guide, and
may not work for you, and as such, I will accept no responsibility, express or implied,
in what you do with this information, and no responsibility in the outcome. I have received
no consideration, monetary or otherwise, to plug the people, places, classes, books, etc.
which I mention here, nor do I accept any legal or financial responsibility for your career
successes or failures as a result for sharing this information. I hope it helps you, so please
receive it in the spirit with which it is given: with love.
I. The Product
That is you. The only thing you have to sell in this business.
It may seem callous, but you really have to think of yourself
this way, because that is how you will be judged. We may
be in it for the love of the art, and the magic that happens in
the process and as an end result, but the cruel truth of it is
that it is a business, and the people hiring and casting actors
are doing it as a business, with the goal of making a living.
Similarly, you need to think of yourself as your own small
business, one that you run as diligently as any entrepreneur.
Thus, make sure your product is competitive. This includes,
but may not be limited to:
1) Attitude. First and foremost. This may seem a given,
but I cannot stress the importance of it enough. Always be polite
and nice to everyone. Everyone. Not just to people whom you
are trying to impress at a given time. In this business even more
than in others, people select the people they want to work with
based on personality. Nobody wants to work with someone who
is not pleasant to be around, who thinks themselves superior, or
who treats people disrespectfully. Never underestimate how small
the circles really are. If you behave less than admirably, people
will know, and word will get around.
Professionalism. Under attitude also falls the
concept of professionalism. This means always being prepared.
Being on time in this business means not just not being late, but
being early. Trust me, early. So always give yourself enough
of a cushion so that should anything happen, from flat tires to
traffic jams, to flying pigs, you will still be where you are expected
at least 15 minutes early—if you have an appointment at 2pm, tell
yourself to be there at 1:15. Then, if you get there freakily early, you
can always sit in your car, go get a cup of coffee, or something.
Also, if you have sides (that is lines of dialogue you were given
ahead of time) know them cold. Not only your own lines, but
everyone else's lines too. Know them so well, that if you were
woken up at 3am, you could recite them like the Pledge of Allegiance.
Okay, enough on this—I'm only mentioning all this, because
you would be surprised at how many people disregard all this
in daily practise. Don't be one of them.
2) Your skills. Talent is a must, of course, and we shall assume
that you possess some, or you wouldn't be reading this in the first place.
But talent will only take you so far. Just as if you were starting a career
in sports, or as a professional dancer, you need to study to get skills.
I'm assuming you have some background already, but an actor will
need to keep his tools honed, and polish ones he already has. Also,
in film and television, there are some skills needed which one may
not have garnered from traditional acting study, or theatre experience.
So, you will need to take classes to get these skills. The what and
where depend on the individual. Classes are very expensive and time-
consuming, but an investment necessary for you to start your business.
The bare minimum of your new skills curriculum are:
A) Film Acting classes. These will show you how to act for the camera.
Sign up for a class where you will be videotaped every time, so that you
can see and critique yourself at home. This way, you will see things like,
"Oh, I blink too much", "I scrunch my forehead there", "That seemed
insincere", "That seemed overacted", etc.—from basic technical
matters and mannerisms to actual acting technique. These classes
are vital especially to theatre actors, because we have learned over the
years to project our voices and emotions, to emphasize them, and we
soon learn that the camera will see everything and multiply it tenfold.
On camera, we need only to think it, and it will be in our eyes and faces,
and "doing" anything extra will read as patently false.
I like what Mike Lemon says he teaches in his Film Acting classes (I, II, & III):
"Nothing." Learning this nothing can be difficult, but it is vital, and can
be fun in the process. Also, never underestimate the networking
benefits of befriending other actors who are in the same stages of
their career as you. It can also be a friendly, supportive environment
in which you can find new lifelong friends with similar interests.
There are several places where you can take film acting classes, but
watch out for scams which you can run into on the Internet, in trade
papers, newspapers, and especially watch out for useless classes
suggested or even required by some talent agencies (for fear of law
suits, I will not name names). Most of the classes offered by the
casting agencies in Philadelphia are useful, and aboveboard.
I would recommend without any hesitation that you take these
classes at Mike Lemon Casting.
http://www.mikelemoncasting.com/html/classes.html
Mike himself is a brilliant teacher, who teaches with love and
offers genuine concern and interest in his students.
B) Commercial Acting classes. These will teach you skills
needed when auditioning for commercials. These skills include a lot
of techniques which are foreign to everyday life and everyday acting,
such as how to read commercial copy, where to put emphases,
how to speak, pause, smile when mentioning the product name,
freeze at the end of your read, etc. Commercials are loathsome
things to most actors, but they are the bread and butter, and
competition for them is fierce, so make sure you've got the tools.
Most of the casting agencies offer these classes.
C) Film Audition classes. Once you've got the basics
of film acting down, you need to make sure you are able to show
them in the 30 seconds to two minutes you are allotted. Tough.
Taking a class on auditioning techniques for film is important.
You may be the next Meryl Streep, but unless they can somehow
magically intuit that in the space of seconds, you have to be able
to showcase yourself.
D) Commercial Audition classes. You will learn most of this in
a commercial acting class, but the audition classes will make sure
your product is as polished and ready as can be.
Additional Classes. Additionally, you may want to invest
in Speech classes, Voice-over, Teleprompter and Earprompter
classes, etc., depending on how much you wish to diversify your
portfolio, so to speak. Choose judiciously, based on your interests
and of course finances. Check out the "Class Acts" page.
3) Your appearance. You want to be the best-looking you that
you can be within your type. So, go to the gym, eat your veggies,
get that haircut, manicure, etc. Also, make an investment in audition
outfits, clothes that you only wear when you audition. Most places
will prefer you not to wear red, white, or black, for reasons of
the camera, also bold prints, stripes, and logos are to be avoided.
Figure out what your type is, and dress accordingly, in colors and
styles which are flattering to you and in which you feel comfortable.
II. You've Got the Product, Now What?
1. The Headshot
The very first, and most important, ingredient in marketing
your product is the headshot. I remember Diane Heery,
CSA, saying that for every audition you go to, your headshot
goes to ten you might not even hear about. The headshot is
your first introduction to the client, so make sure you have
a great one. Not necessarily one in which you look
unbelievably beautiful, but one that LOOKS LIKE YOU!
By this, I do not mean just going to a portrait photographer—
headshot photographers know what the industry is looking for.
You need an 8x10 headshot that looks the way you will look
when you walk in the door. The most important thing about
the headshot are your eyes—can we see who you are as a person
looking through your eyes? Is that person inviting, intriguing?
Headshots cost an arm and a leg, but it is the most important
investment you make for your career, so make it, and make
it good. Get them taken by a professional experienced in headshot
photography, not by your cousin, not the guy who can give you
a deal, not the guy who takes your Christmas photos.
There are a few good headshot photographers in Philadelphia,
and New York of course has the cream of the crop. Research
potential headshot photographers carefully—look through their
portfolios online, at their studios, through mail. Speak to the
photographers, and see if you hit it off with them. You have to
feel comfortable with the photographer, because if you don't like
the person who is taking your pictures, it will show in your eyes
and in your bearing in your pictures, and then you've got a batch
of wasted shots. Another good way of finding a photographer
is looking at the headshots of your friends and the people you
meet in classes, and asking them about their experiences.
The man generally regarded as the top headshot photographer
in Philly is Paul Sirochman.
Paul Sirochman PhotographyIn New York, the tops seem to be Robert Kim, John Hart (a wonderful
338 Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: 215-629-1119
photographer, and a sweet man, he is a wizard in lighting, esp. red hair),
Nick Granito, Kristin Hoebermann, and Julie Brimberg.
For more photographers, Backstage.com is a starting place.
Okay, when you have your contact sheets, pick the
headshot you think is best. Ask the photographer to
help you pick, also a few people who know you well,
an acting teacher, casting director, etc. One or two of
these will be your main headshot, then pick another for
your postcard (I'll explain in a sec). For your photo
business card, you can use your headshot image, or
for variety, pick yet another picture. The photographer
will make you the masters of these pictures. Usually,
one or two are included in the photo session price, and
you have to pay around $15 and up for the additional shots.
Once you have your masters, be very careful with them—
Do not get fingerprints, food, or anything on them, and
whatever you do, do not lose them—these are the ones
you use over and over again to get reproductions. Nowadays,
you don't have to do photographic reproductions, which are
very expensive. The accepted practice is to get lithographs
which look just like matte photos, but which are on cardstock.
They are much cheaper than photos, and have the added
advantage that you can print your resume directly onto them
with any good laser printer—no more gluing, taping, or
stapling your resume, and then trimming off the leftover paper.
The undisputed champion of lithographic repros is
ABC Pictures. Through them, you can also get
your photo business cards, and your postcards (get the bigger
size, 4x6). Postcards are indispensable in this business.
You send a postcard to all your contacts periodically,
to touch base, and to make sure your face stays under the eyes
of those in power, to inform the same of your current projects,
to thank for auditions, and to follow up on headshot mailings
you've done. Casting directors and agents are busy people
who get hundreds of headshots a week—they cannot
look at all of them all the time, but everyone looks at a
postcard, because there is no envelope to open, and it
only takes a few seconds to glance at it. Make sure you
have your name and phone number printed on it.
III. You Have Headshots, Now What?
You need to print your resume on the back—only make
as many at a time as you need, plus a few extra. That way,
the next batch you make has the most recent updates, and
the resumes you send out are always current.
Folks will tell you that as a rule, extra gigs should not be mentioned,
but if you haven't yet had anything else in TV or film, you may want to
show that you're not a complete stranger to the medium. You can keep
them there until you have something better to stick there.
Formats vary, but there is one rule: NEVER lie, or pad your resume.
There is no shame in having only a few things on the resume.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Include school projects,
and every "cat christening" until you have better credits.
Then you drop those off and fly on the strength of your new credits.
There is shame in lying, however, and you don't want to start
a career being blacklisted as untrustworthy, if/when you get caught.
IV. Marketing Yourself.
Okay, now you're ready to start marketing yourself, getting
an agent, and getting on file with the casting agencies.
First, the Casting Agents. This, because most of the
agents will ask you straight away, if you're on file with
the casting agents. In Philadelphia, the order is this
1. Mike Lemon CastingSecond, the Talent Agents
These guys have the most jobs, film and commercial,
having cast films like Signs, Unbreakable, Beloved,
Philadelphia, and Twelve Monkeys. Check their
website for their open call information.
or call 215-627-8927, ext. 120.
Once you get put on file, make sure to dole out the money
for the webcasting file (optional) —clients can browse your
picture and resume online and ask for you to be called in
to audition, or even cast you on the spot.
2. Diane Heery Casting
Diane's office casts the extras and "under-5's" for the TV shows
Hack and Cold Case Files, and also films (Shyamalan as well
as independents, not to mention commercials galore. Get to
the open call as soon as your headshots are ready.
3. Kathy Wickline Casting
These guys do a lot of commercials and industrials,
as well as extras casting. The website is often inaccessible,
so you may want to call them directly at 215-739-9952.
Once you are put on file, you are required to pay the money
for their webcasting—unavoidable, because you want
to be on file—they will not cast you in their projects
unless you are on file....
4. Philadelphia Casting
A lot of industrials and some commercials and voice-over.
Find out about their open call on their actors' hotline
215-592-7577.
Whereas the Casting Agents work for their respective clients,
not for you, the Talent Agents' sole source of income is the
15% commission they get from the jobs they get you. They
only get paid, if you get paid. So don't let anybody tell you that
you have to pay them anything up front.
That said, here is a list of the talent agents and managers
in the Philadelphia area. The most respected are Reinhard
(mostly only represent models and those with extensive
professional experience), Gail Williams, and Greer Lange.
I suggest you send your headshot with a nice introductory cover
letter to all of these agents, since in the Philadelphia area you
don't have to be exclusive—you could have 10 agents, for all
anyone cares. Careful with the managers, though. They require
you to sign exclusive agreements, and their contracts can be mighty
tricky. My suggestion as you are starting up, is stay far away from
managers. In Philadelphia, you don't need one if you have an agent.
Once you have an agent or two in Philadelphia, you may want to try
getting an agent in New York. This is a very tough proposition, and
one that I haven't quite figured out yet. If this is your desire, however,
get the wonderful book by K Callan, The New York Agent Book.
V. Now I've Done All That, My Agent Will Do the Rest, Right?
WRONG. The only person to whom your career is first priority
is you. Agents have many other clients, you only have one.
You have to promote, promote, promote. The next thing that
you need to do is find out about everyone you can send your
headshot to in hopes of getting an audition.
1) Film.org
The Greater Philadelphia Film Office has a page for casting.
Check this daily, and send headshots out to anything remotely
suitable. Mostly this is student films and small independent
films (indies) that involve no, or very little, pay. At this point in
your career you cannot afford to be choosy, because it is
a means to an end—you are trying to build a resume,
a reputation, and to make a "reel"—a videotape with
samples of your work that you can send to people and show
at request.
2) Backstage.com
This is the website of the weekly trade paper that appears
in New York and LA with casting notices, etc. Subsciption
costs around $10/month, and that price includes all the
casting notices, articles, and so forth, and also includes
the chance to get your headshots (2) and resume in their
database. You can update it at will, and if you ask me,
it's a pretty good deal. In case you want to check it out
here is my page. The casting notices include
everything under the sun, and will give you the chance
to branch out to New York stage as well as NYU, NYFA,
and Columbia University student films. Nothing to scoff
at, since the student films are shown to industry pros.
If, as you're starting out, this is a $10 you'd rather use
for food (understandable), they offer a free casting notice
service, where you get a few on the Wednesday of every
week. Better than nothing, right? To sign up for the free
e-casting, go here.
3) Ross Reports
Ross Reports Television & Film is a publication
by Backstage, that appears monthly. They have the addresses
of everyone in the business, virtually, and list shows and films
in production, as well as their respective casting directors.
You can get it at your local Barnes & Noble, and the casting
agencies. Get this periodically, if not every month, and
mail away, mail away!
4) Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia Website
This website has casting notices of local pro and semipro
theatre companies, free. Worth checking if you also want
to do theatre. Very hard to break into the pro theatre scene—
They want you to be Equity (Theatre actors' union), but to
get into Equity, you have to be in enough Equity productions,
which are tough to get into unless you're Equity—a nice
Catch-22! Seems the best way to get in is to know people....
You tell me. The Theatre Alliance also sponsors an annual
open audition of the pro and semipro theatres, familiarly known
as "The TAG-Ps." The deadline (May) for this year is past, and
competition for non-Equity audition slots is insane, but trying
never hurt, right? (I felt a little hurt last year, actually).
5) Stage Magazine
The Stage actually has mostly community theater
listings, but what is an actor if he does not act. If you feel
that your resume could use more plays, by all means do a
community theater play now and then. Just keep in mind
that your time commitment there may conflict with any
parts you may get in the professional arena. If you're
serious about going pro, choose judiciously. The theatres
which are worthwhile when judged by pros, are Hedgerow
and Montgomery Theater Project (both are semi-pro),
Plays and Players and The Players' Club of Swarthmore.
These are of course not the only ones; many community
theaters offer rewarding experiences.
The Stage does not yet have a website, though
they are planning one in the near future. For now, you can
send a $10 check payable to EPTC for 1 year subscription,
with your name & address, to:EPTC
c/o Ethel Guy
403 Michigan Ave.,
Swarthmore, PA 19081
6) Yahoo! Groups
ActorsNY
ActingPhiladelphia
PhillyCasting
These are e-groups on Yahoo! that send out casting notices
of projects they happen to find out about. While I've never
found them to be extremely useful, the emails and postings
are free, so what have you got to lose?
7) Greater Philadelphia Film & Video Production Guide
This is a big fat guidebook to everything film in Philly.
They have listings for all the film and production companies
and you may want to do a massmailing. I don't know.
I think it may be a bit expensive considering that it's a real
longshot that anything will come of it.
Well, like I said, this is just a rough guide and starting point.
There are many books out there, most of which are a waste of time
and money. The following three are ones I found useful. You can
read descriptions of them at Amazon.com, and make up your
own mind.
Callan, K. How to Sell Yourself as an Actor:
From New York to Los Angeles and Everywhere in Between.
Studio City, CA: Sweden Press, 2002.
Okay, now this is the one that really tells you what to do,
with a lot of information that no-one else will give you.
Also, for those who like to have 5-year plans, this book actually
breaks down a 5-year plan in an easy diagram. If you only get
one book, get this one.
Henry, Mari Lyn and Lynne Rogers. How to Be a Working Actor:
The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film, and Television. 4th Ed.
New York: Back Stage Books, 2000.
This is the industry standard book.
Kerr, July. Acting is Everything:
An Actor's Guidebook for a Successful Career in Los Angeles. 10th Ed.
Studio City, CA: September Publishing, 2003.
This one has a lot of useful info, even though we're not in LA.
Please, don't email me asking questions about how to start your
career. I've posted this here to tell you the majority of what I've
found out, but I've got to concentrate on my own career, and
simply do not have the time or energy to field queries.
I wish you all the luck in the world, and the emotional, physical, and
financial stamina and drive that you will need. May you be happy
while pursuing your dreams, and may they all come true!
With much love,
 |
(Who says you can never go home again?) |
This particular page created May 6, 2003. Last updated May 18, 2004.
Copyright ©2003 Anniina Jokinen.
Print it out and use it to your heart's content, link to it as much as you wish,
but post it on another website, and I'll have a lawyer on you like a cheap suit.
And I'm not kidding, so don't tempt me.