From the Midwest to Hollywood

One difficult element of moving to Hollywood is uncertainty over what is worth pursuing and what might be a scam.

I was hesitant to take casting director workshops because they sound particularly scam-like. In my experience, workshops will tell you they pay casting directors to be there. Furthermore, they post directly on their Web-sites that participation in workshops is for learning only and is certainly not a guarantee of work.

Nonetheless, I have concluded such workshops are worth a try, or perhaps many tries: in Hollywood, a long shot is still a shot, and an ethical shot is worth taking. My roommate has booked three small television roles through contacts he made in workshops. Such credits are essential in the progression of one’s acting career.

In a workshop, a group of 10 to 20 actors pays $35 to $60 per session for a class taught by a casting director or a casting director’s assistant. The casting director hands out portions of scripts from shows she or he casts. Actors get a few minutes to prepare. Then they perform for the casting director as though they were auditioning.

As in my roommate’s case, on rare occasions, one books work through a casting director workshop. But as he sees it, workshops are less about immediately booking work and more about becoming known to a casting director. Because they are familiar with him and his acting, casting directors will have an idea of whether he would be appropriate for a role when his headshot crosses their desk.

A couple of words about investing one’s time and money in casting director work shops. For my $50, I get some practice, and usually some advice, on auditioning. This is more a guarantee than many opportunities one finds in Hollywood. But individuals experienced in the entertainment industry tell me one should choose workshops carefully.

First, my agent says to be careful about workshops with a casting assistant rather than a casting director. Some casting assistants play a major role in casting, but others have little influence in their office. Second, some groups that host workshops accept any actor willy nilly. Casting directors are unlikely to take actors they find there seriously. Other groups carefully audition their actors, and these are the workshops one ought to pursue.

 I have begun worshops at Act Now: http://www.actnownetwork.com/aboutus.htm