This week, two prospective theatrical agents contacted me. The term “theatrical representation” is a misnomer because it sounds like “theatre.” Actually, “theatrical representation” in Hollywood refers to agents who submit actors for television and film roles rather than for commercials.
Interest from theatrical agents is a big deal to me. Common knowledge is that while commercial representation can be difficult to find, theatrical representation is much more scarce.
These theatrical agents have not offered to represent me. Rather, they asked to see a copy of my reel. A reel is a compilation of the best footage an actor has of his work. Up until now, I had never put together a reel because I did not think anyone would be interested in representing me just yet. Besides, some of my footage is not too impressive and some people have told me “having no reel is better than having a poor reel.”
Others have recently advised me that sometimes agents just want to see what an actor looks like on screen. So, even if a reel may not seem impressive, it could get the job done.
This weekend, my primary focus is to complete a reel to send in on Monday. I am unsure how my submission will be received, but I am eager to follow up promptly on every worthwhile lead. Interest here can dry up quickly because there is always another actor who would gladly take one’s spot for representation.
Filed under: Blogroll, Dance, Hollywood, Midwest, Wisconsin, acting, singing
Hello, friends. I have little news to report; recently I have auditioned frequently but not gotten any parts. Nonetheless, some of the auditions have been surprising so I share them mostly for your entertainment.
I have in the last month auditioned for two, count ‘em two, Spanish-language telenovelas. I am called back for one of them this Saturday; the other casts continually, so they could really call me at anytime. This second one is not too picky about its actors, actually. It is a broadcast program–I just watched an episode the other day–but it is quite clear the actors are inexperienced.
In another audition, I played a homeless, mentally-ill Peruvian man called “el americano.” The character was called “el americano” because he looked North American.
I auditioned to play a guest at the prom in a music video by Monet for the Disney Channel. It was to air during “The Secret Life of Zach and Cody.” Part of the audition included “busting a move like we were at the prom.” I now regret not rocking them with “the worm.” If nothing else, it would have been memorable for everyone.
One time I got called back as a Latter Day Saints missionary for a spec commercial; I was eager for this one because a friend had recently said I reminded them of an LDS missionary. For you “30 Rock” fans, the breakdown also said I was supposed to be “like Kenneth from 30 Rock.”
So the answer for most of these auditions is “no.” But I can say pretty genuinely that most of the time, “no” does not get to me like it used to. My perspective is that in Hollywood, you need to knock at every door you can find. The vast majority of the answers you get are “nos,” but you need to keep knocking. Steady on, steady on, because sometimes there are “yeses.”
Audiciones Recientes
Hola, amigos. Tengo pocas noticias que reporter; recientemente, audiciono con frecuencia pero no me ha salido ningún papel. De todas maneras, algunas audiciones les van a sorprender, así que las comparto para entretenerlos.
Este mes, audicioné para dos telenovelas en español. Para una, tengo una segunda audición el sábado; escogen actores continuamente para la otra, así que me podrían llamar en cualquier momento. Ésta segunda no requiere mucho de sus actores. Ahorita vi un episodio y está claro que los actores tienen poca experiencia.
En otra audición, el papel fue de un hombre peruano que vivía en la calle y tenía una enfermedad mental. El personaje se llamaba “el americano” porque se veía norteamericano.
Audicioné para ser un joven en el prom de un video musical de Monet para el Canal Disney. Se iba a presentar durante “The Secret Life of Zach and Cody,” un programa muy bien conocido entre los niños de aquí. Tuve que bailar en esta audición y ahora pienso que debía hacer un movimiento que se llama “el lombris.” De todas maneras, no me dieron el papel y por lo menos así me habrían recordado muy facilmente.
En otra audición me tocó ser un misionero “LDS” (mormón); estaba emocionado por este papel porque recientemente una amiga me dijo que le recordaba de un misionero mormón. Para la gente que mira el programa “30 Rock,” la descripción decía que debía ser parecido a “Kenneth de 30 Rock.”
Pues, en la mayoría de estas audiciones, me dijeron que no. Pero puedo decir con toda sinceridad que la mayoría del tiempo, “no” ya no me molesta tanto como en el pasado. Mi perspectiva es que, en Hollywood, hay que tocar toda puerta que se presenta. La gran mayoría del tiempo, la respuesta es “no,” pero hay que seguir tocando. La persistencia vale la pena porque de vez en cuando la respuesta es “sí.”
Last week, I was particularly excited to audition for a musical theatre version of “Great Expectations.” It would give me further experience acting with a posh British accent, and I am eager to do any project that recreates great literature.
The audition required 16 measures from a ballad and 16 from an up-tempo song, so I pulled out two pieces I worked on with my voice teacher back in Madison. I practiced more or less every day during the five days preceding the audition.
Just an hour before the audition, I began to rethink my choices. Perhaps a different section of “Not While I’m Around” would be more moving. And if I chose the beginning rather than the end of “I Could Write a Book,” it would make more sense to those casting.
I unwisely decided to go ahead with the changes, and appropriately reaped poor results.
The audition was poor in part because the accompanist’s complete reading of the music and driving tempo were foreign to me. Usually I play just the bass or treble clef at whatever tempo seems natural to me.
But this element aside, my audition would certainly have been better had I stuck with the selections I had diligently practiced. Rather than a fair representation of my abilities, I presented an unsure and expressionless performance.
Back in LA after two different vacations, I was ready to be auditioning, so I set to submitting for parts. Last weekend, this began to pay off. I had five auditions over the weekend.
A principios de este mes, regresé a Los Angeles después de dos viajes. Tenía muchas ganas de audicionar para papeles, así que empecé a enviar mis fotos y CV’s. El fin de la semana pasada, empecé a ver resultados. Tuve cinco audiciones ese fin de semana.
Two of the auditions were of particular interest. First, I got called back for the role of Rolf in a production of the Sound of Music. True, the role would have been unpaid, and I would have needed to drive a good thirty miles each way every day. But I always wanted the part, and Rolf’s song is right in my sweet spot vocally.
Dos papeles me llamaban la atención en particular. Primero, me llamaron para una segunda audición para la obra “the Sound of Music” (el Sonido de la Música). No pagaban el papel, y me habría tocado manejar 60 kilómetros de ida y de vuelta, todos los días. Pero siempre quería ser Rolf, y su canción es muy apropriada para la tonalidad de mis voz.
But the night before the callback, I got a call from my agent to audition for a pizza commercial the next day.
Pero la noche antes de la audición de Rolf, mi agente me llamó sobre una audición el próximo día para una propaganda de pizza.
My heart wanted to go to the callback. When would the opportunity to play Rolf come up again? But I have a commitment to my agent. If I do not show up at an audition, this makes him look bad. He also has a rule that if a client misses three auditions for non-emergency reasons, he will no longer represent him.
Mi corazón quería ir a la audición de Rolf. ¿Cuándo tendría de vuelta la oportunidad de ser Rolf? Pero tengo un comprometimiento con mi agente. Si no me presento para una audición, se daña la reputación de él. Además, sus reglas dicen que, si sus clientes pierden tres audiciones por razones que no sean emergencias, él ya no los representa.
So I compromised. I called the play’s casting director to see if I could audition at another time; they said they understood my predicament, but that the times were quite fixed. All the kids auditioning to be Von Trapp children could not stand by while I had my fifteen minutes with the director.
Así que traté de maniobrar la situación. Llamé a la directora de casting de la obra de teatro para ver si pudiera audicionar en otro momento; dijo que se simpatizaba con mi situación, pero que las horas de las audiciones estaban muy fijas. Los muchos niños que tenían que audicionar no podrían esperar mientras yo tuviera mis 15 minutos con el director.
Knowing this, I tried to audition for the commercial early. I saw a posting at the location for a pizza commercial, and I thought “score! This is going to work out!” When I looked closer, though, the posting was for “Masterpiece Theatre” guys in their fifties or sixties. The commercial’s casting director emerged and confirmed that I would need to be there at my call time.
Al saber esto, traté de audicionar temprano para la propaganda. Vi una hoja en la locación para la propaganda de pizza, y pensé “¡éxito!” Pero cuando miré de cerca, la hoja hablaba de hombres de cincuenta o sesenta años de edad. Cuando se asomó la directora de casting de la propaganda, confirmó que tenía que venir al mismo momento que la otra audición.
Then I drove as fast as I could to the callback in case something miraculously changed, but no dice. I waited as long as I could, but the Von Trapp children hadn’t even started when I needed to leave for the pizza audition.
Manejé lo más rápido posible a la audición de Rolf, en caso de que algo se cambiara milagrosamente, pero no tuve tanta suerte. Esperé todo lo que podía, pero los niños ni habían empezado cuando tuve que salir para la otra audición.
I made it back to the pizza audition. I think I did pretty well, but I didn’t get the part. The victory I see in the day is having stuck with my commitment. But I would have loved to play that part!
Llegué a tiempo para la audición de pizza. Pienso que me fue bien, pero no me dieron el papel. La victoria que veo en el día es que fui responsable. Pero, ¡Señor! ¡me habría fascinado tocar ese papel!
I was home to Wisconsin over the holidays, and time was too short. I saw my whole family and my best friends, and before I knew it, two weeks were gone.
This was my second time home since moving to LA, and counterintuitively, it was harder to return to LA this time. Nonetheless, I am now more resolved to remain in LA than ever. In the last year, I have learned about decisions. My friend Minna told me “dreams not fully pursued lead to regrets.” And my own experience is simply that one is more likely to go far if one chooses a simple goal and keeps at it.
Hence, my Los Angeles timeframe has changed. When many first consider moving to LA, they think “I will go give it a try for a year.” For me, it then turned into “one to two years” and then, on my friend Jason Husby’s advice “two to three years.” I finally feel I will be here either for five years if things don’t go too well, or else a lot longer. If I have not accomplished much in five years, I plan to move on to something else. I believe in common sense, so I hear what people mean when they say “acting is a long shot.” But I also think I was given a life, and I ought to live it.
I am back in LA after two weeks of Christmastime in Wisconsin. I saw my family and most of my friends, and I had the third good New Years Eve of my life.
As the New Year begins, my goals include eligibility for the Screen Actors Guild, beginning to book commercials and ultimately, to begin earning my living as an actor.
Each of these goals is a tall order, but I have decided to aim high. God help me.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I wanted to move to LA for as long as I can remember. Our neighbor called me “Hollywood Hans” and I wondered why anyone would live anywhere but California. No fleas on the Golden State, but recently I find my life here boring.
I am fully committed to my once-a-week improvisation class and my casting director workshop, and I am excited about my new commercial agent. But currently, I have no plans approximately five evenings a week.
In college, I stopped watching television and could not imagine how anyone found the time for it. But last night, I couldn’t think of anything better to do. I did not feel motivated to read, I had already gone for a walk, practiced singing, talked on the phone and checked my e-mail. Most emphatically, I had nothing to do that would promote my acting career.
I am hopeful that acting-related opportunities will increasingly fill my time. But what should I do with my time right now? I take deeply to heart the “carpe diem” of Dead Poets’ Society. But what to do when one is temporarily out of worthwhile actions?
I am hopeful that literature may fill my current void. Were I not pursuing acting, I would likely be applying to graduate schools to study English literature. A year ago, I decided to set this aside to avoid pursuing two goals at once. I aim to stay my course, but I think that in the downtime, it is a good idea to delve into excellent books. I may even take some literature courses, provided they do not prohibit my full pursuit acting.
I may also volunteer for a political campaign and recommence ballroom dancing lessons in the New Year.
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
October 1, I began sending out manila envelopes with my headshot, resume and cover letter. A couple of weeks later I heard back from prospective commercial agents, and around November 1 I came to an agreement with the Stevens Group Talent Agency, who will now represent me commercially. Should I prove successful in booking commercials, they will then consider representing me theatrically. A theatrical agent helps one get auditions for movies and television programs.
Yesterday I had another meeting with Steve Stevens, Sr. (he and his son, Steve Jr., run the agency). He had me put several new pictures on LA Casting, the Web-site most commonly used for commercial casting in Los Angeles. Steve said one or two of the pictures I brought in would not work, so I will need to get those together soon.
As I left the meeting, I thought I should feel happier. After all, I accomplished a major goal and achieved a progressive step in my acting career. But after I posted the pictures and began some computer work at home, my mood did not improve.
Later on, I had coffee with my friend Ian, who is visiting from Wisconsin. It was nice to talk to Ian, but what perked me up was the Christmas music playing in the background.
I know many people disapprove of Christmas music as early as November, but being a person who does not, it helped me remember something important: there is more in life than an acting career. Actors, be they as famous as could be, are just like everybody else. They like and don’t like certain kinds of music and certain kinds of food. They like certain activities and don’t like others.
Your job, even if it is wonderful, is not enough: you have to enjoy other things in life. If I am fortunate enough to achieve success in acting, it will be the same for me, and it is the same now. So my new decision, along with doing what I must do to succeed at acting, is to enjoy what I enjoy, whether it is related to acting or not. Among such things are catchy Christmas music, thought-provoking and unscary movies at the theater and daydreaming about the British Isles.
Hello Wisconsin and Midwestern folks! I am originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, and I moved to LA in early 2007 to become an actor.
Feel free to make a comment so we can dialog about the Midwest, acting and Hollywood. I get comments on here from people I know, but even if I don’t know you, I would be pleased to answer any questions about moving to Los Angeles.
