L.A. SURVIVAL GUIDETIPS FROM BACKSTAGE EXPERTS

MAKING THE MOVE TO LOS ANGELES CAN EITHER BE SCARY OR THE BEST THING YOU’LL EVER DO FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CAREER. MAKE IT THE LATTER. THESE TIPS FROM

OUR L.A. BACKSTAGE EXPERTS CAN HELP!

Don’t compare and despair. Here’s a common L.A. actors scenario:

You’re driving to work in your beat-up car that needs a new bumper on

the way to your waiter job which you need to pay the bills and you’re late

because you just had an audition in the valley, and you look up and see

a big billboard of a movie you auditioned for and didn’t get and you start

comparing. You daydream about the actors in the movie—beautiful, rich,

sipping cocktails by the pool, being offered the best roles. And then you

start despairing. Then next thing you know you’re pulling a u-turn and

driving back to North Dakota or wherever home is because you haven’t

“made it.” The truth is that it’s all an illusion; the actors on the billboard

are still dealing with the same “problems” you are. That’s the truth. Fo-

cus on your own unique journey, stay focused, and keep moving forward.

You’ll find you’re doing just fine!

Never think you’re “above” a job. Ashton Kutcher spoke about this

recently at the Teen Choice Awards. Good advice for teens, great advice

for actors. When you’re starting out you need experience. Be the pos-

itive person on set whom everyone wants to be around. Make genuine

connections. Give it your all. You never know when the director, writer,

or producer is going to have their career take off…and they just might

remember you.

Get rejected. Yes, you read that right. If you want to be a successful

actor you’re going to get rejected many, many times. That’s a guar-

antee. If you’re getting rejected it means you’re putting yourself out

there—you’re auditioning, you’re asking someone out—you’re becoming

activated in the world. You’re not waiting. You’re doing. And don’t take

rejections personally. They’re nothing more than fuel for the fire. Most

of the time the rejections have to do with the other person’s “stuff” and

absolutely nothing to do with you anyway.

Anthony MeindlACTING COACH / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,

ANTHONY MEINDL’S “ACTOR WORKSHOP”

Cathy ReinkingCASTING DIRECTOR FOR “FRASIER,”

“A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY”

Joseph Pearlman

ACTING COACH/OWNER OF “PEARLMAN ACTING ACADEMY”

Explore the city. Los Angeles has so much to offer that isn’t related to

the business. It’s overflowing with museums, historical architecture and

monuments, universities, and parks. Take a walking tour of a part of L.A.

you’ve never heard of. Go to Union Station and catch a subway (Yes,

there is a subway in Los Angeles!), Metrolink, or train, to anywhere north,

south, and east. You’d be surprised by the diversity and beauty of the

landscape all around the area. And go to the Pacific Ocean as often as

you can.

Enjoy. You have taken the plunge and are pursuing the profession that

you desire. Don’t fret over the little things and don’t complain about

the traffic. In fact, I will go out on a limb now by stating that if you suffer

from impatience and sweat about the small stuff, you probably shouldn’t

pursue professional acting.

Put yourself out there. What you’re doing is important, valuable, and

requires all your effort. But don’t be annoying. Don’t pester anyone. Keep

it cool and real, just like your acting should be.

Do your homework. Research your acting teachers!

Be proactive. In L.A., things don’t land on your lap the way that they do in

NYC. You have to be proactive. There are some amazing opportunities in

this city, but you have to actively seek them out.

Risa Bramon Garcia

CASTING DIRECTOR FOR “ROSEANNE” “200 CIGARETTES”, DIRECTOR AT “THE

BRAMON GARCIA BRAUN STUDIO”

Steve BraunACTOR, DIRECTOR AT “THE BRAMON

GARCIA BRAUN STUDIO”

If you’re an actor, call yourself an actor. Even if you don’t feel like one

sometimes.

Don’t try to make money as an actor. Make yourself a valuable actor and

the money will come.

Manage your money. Figure out your finances outside of your acting

work so you never audition from a place of desperation.

Make your own work. L.A. is a backdrop for everything and anything.

Shoot something. Grow your reel.

Do theater in L.A. Yes it exists; it’s thriving in fact. Do it for its own sake,

for the workout, and the business will find you.

Don’t date other actors just because it’s convenient. There are all sorts

of amazing people in this town.

Give yourself a full film and television education. You’re in this town so

know your stuff. Who is John Cassavetes and why is he know as the pio-

neer of independent films?

Be a part of your community. What cause is important to you? How can

you help change legislation? Volunteer, mentor—get out and do some-

thing that matters besides acting.

You are in the land of well-being. Find places to meditate, do yoga, Pi-

lates, Qigong. Take care of your body and your spirit.

Expand your artistry. Write. (Everyone else is!). Paint. (There is no more

gorgeous place to make art). Create!

Your car is your new BFF. You’ll spend a lot of time in this relationship so

make it work. Download the Waze map app and use it!

Books on tape. For the car. A lot of books on tape.

Go easy on the craft service tables.

Don’t use an iPad instead of sides at an audition. We’re just not there yet.

Find a class that is your weekly acting workout. Your lifeline. Grow in it.

Do it for your emotional and creative health, not for your résumé.

Stop aspiring and start acting.

When Uncle Dave back home says, “You know what you should do? You

should get on that ‘CSI’ show,” just nod and say, “You’re right. I’ll make

some calls.”

Craig WallaceACTING TEACHER, CREATOR OF “THE

WALLACE AUDITION TECHNIQUE”

Joanne Baron, D.W. Brown

ACTING TEACHERS, OWNERS OF “THE JOANNE BARON/D.W. BROWN STUDIO”

Have a notebook in your car. After each audition, when you get to your

car, record what happened in the audition from beginning to end—

How did you feel in the waiting room? Were you a strong presence

in the room? How did your choices work? Did you deliver the adjust-

ments?When you’re done, close the book on the audition—literally. Open

it back up for your next one to make sure you repeat the strengths and

correct the weaknesses of the previous one. This will also make you a

better driver on the way home!

Stay connected with other actors. Meet at least once a week with a

group of friends that hold you accountable for your career goals. L.A. is

very spread out and it’s easy to get isolated. You need to make an effort

to see people and stay connected.

Exercise outside. We are so lucky in L.A. We have great weather almost

all the time, the mountains, the beach, numerous parks all within our

reach. Getting outside and being in nature clears the head and feeds the

soul of the artist. Take advantage of this wonderful L.A. gift.

Go to In-N-Out Burger at least once a week. It will remind you how great

life can be for only a few bucks!

Be excellent. Train seriously.

Be centered. Meditate, exercise, breathe.

Be solvent. Get a job that supports your life and acting.

Be grateful. Keep positive by celebrating your achievements no matter

how small.

Carolyne BarryACTING TEACHER, COMMERCIAL

AUDITION COACH

Paul BarryACTING TEACHER, “ACTING 4 CAMERA”

Get a job that’s not just for money. Get one that makes you feel good

about yourself. So many new actors quit before their careers have a

chance because they either hate their job or because when they go to

audition, they don’t have confidence because their job is not empower-

ing.

Choose to live in an area with easy access to all the places you need to

go. Driving in L.A. is challenging, so find a safe place to live that makes it

possible to get where you need to go. Often new arrivals choose to live in

less expensive surrounding areas but the gas costs and the money lost

driving long distances (that you could be making at a job) can cost you

more.

Give, give, and give. L.A. is full of people who need something. Are you

one of them? Perhaps that’s the problem. Become someone who gives

people what they need, and you’ll be surprised at how little competition

there actually is.

Be very. Very something. Very sexy, very quirky, very funny, very hairy,

very round, very tall, very witty, very emotional, very serious, but be very

something. It may be very you, or it may not be, but be very it. Whatever

it is. Then do it consistently. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Very stands out.

Live like there’s no yesterday. If you thought you were great then, you

can still be better today; if you weren’t, then now’s the time to start!

Don’t rest on your laurels or lament the past. What was it your grand-

mother used to say? Only look in the rear view mirror if you want to go

back there…

Brand yourself. Actors don’t like to do this because they don’t want to

be pigeon-holed. They want us to think they can do everything, but the

problem is we end up thinking they can’t do anything specific. Take a

look at the marketplace. Ask yourself which is the widest slice of the pie

you fit into and make sure all of your marketing elements reinforce it—

including how you walk into a room.

Do your own thing. While you’re doing whatever you can to get us to hire

you, create your own thing. Not only will it give you creative fulfillment on

a regular basis, but industry insiders will be more responsive. You’ll ap-

pear to others more like someone in the game vs. someone who wants

to be. That’s always more attractive to people you want to hire you.

Learn how to create for the camera. The actor’s process provides actors

with many wonderful things except how to create for the camera and

Los Angeles is a camera town. There are specific things actors can do to

create cinematic choices and characters, and achieve cinematic power.

And as wonderful as the actor’s process is, it doesn’t include them. Find

a class that involves putting you on camera and make sure someone’s

showing you how to use it, think like it, and create for it.

John SwanbeckDIRECTOR, “THE BIG KAHUNA”

Gwyn GillissACTING COACH, FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF “THE ACTOR’S MARKET”

Mae RossACTING TEACHER, OWNER/ARTISTIC

DIRECTOR OF “3-2-1 ACTING STUDIOS”

Have a sense of humor. No matter what setbacks you have—coming

close to booking a major job, missing a callback audition, even driving on

the 405—taking anything too seriously accomplishes little. Laugh!

Have patience and persistence. Keep in mind you may have to meet/au-

dition for network execs, CDs, and even agents a number of times before

they “get” you. It’s not just about one audition or one callback. You have

to just keep going.

Leave the L.A. area frequently. There are so many beautiful California

vistas to enjoy—the ocean, mountains, desert, forests. Go rejuvenate

your spirit and come back energized.

Be organized. Plan your days and weeks dividing the priority stuff into

the following: training, acting, or auditioning classes; your survival job;

relaxing and seeing friends; marketing to the industry—building your

network so people get to know you and hire you!

Research parking. Before you go to every audition or job research the

parking situation. This is Los Angeles, and they issue lots of parking tick-

ets and they will tow your car. Not fun. Do your research ahead of time

and find out—Is there ample street parking? A designated parking lot?

Do I need to bring quarters? Parking fines add up quickly and towing…

well, we don’t even want to go there! So plan ahead and save money to

put towards your acting career.

Learn to say no. Keep your integrity intact and say no to those auditions

or jobs which go against your personal values. Know what you are and

are not willing to do and stick with your decisions. Be sure to tell your

agent and manager so there is no confusion and you don’t get coerced

into doing something you swore you would never do.