Category Archives: how-to

September 3, 2013 · 7:59 pm

Acting 101 – Headshots and Headshot Photographers

Headshots are the marketing lifeblood of an actor. They are on every casting site, website, social media page and with you at auditions. A good headshot can help and a bad headshot can kill. As important as they are, people don’t always take them seriously. For the actor just starting out the up front cost of everything can be a bit daunting: casting sites charge, classes charge, some showcases charge and then there’s gas and general living expenses… it makes sense to look for ways to cut costs.

Don’t skimp on your headshots, though!

I’m not saying to spend thousands of dollars – that’s excessive – but you should be prepared to spend between $150-$450 on a good photographer and between 2-4 different looks.

Let’s talk definitions:

Headshot Photographer – A headshot photographer is not:

    • Your cousin who has, “A really good camera.”
    • Your friend that took that really good picture of you once.
    • A portrait photographer.
When looking for a headshot photographer it’s important to know that they can shoot what is considered a “headshot.” A headshot is more than just a good picture of you, it is a marketing picture of you so it needs to show what you look like (what you really look like, not the idealized, super Photoshopped you), your personality and have that special “something” that will help it stand out among the thousands (yes THOUSANDS) of other submissions that are coming through the casting director’s inbox. There’s a reason why a good photographer costs and it’s because they have developed a way to get all of those elements into a picture. It’s not that any photographer can’t produce those results, but when you’re talking about your career, especially when starting out, do you really want to take your chances with someone who hasn’t developed this skill?
Looks – A look is an outfit or style of dress that you take a series of pictures in. In my last headshot session I did three looks: Casual Business (seen above),
Comedy Casual,
and Casual Commercial. 
There are plenty more you can do as well like Theatrical, Character shots (although those are less viable now a days), “Young Dad or Mom…” There are as many variations as you can think of. Know your type and plan ahead. If you have an agent then ask them if they have any looks they’d like you to shoot. They are trying to get you work, it’s a good idea to give them the materials they need.
So now you may be saying to yourself, “OK, I get it, I need good headshots. Fine, cool. Who do I go to?”
If you have an agent ask for their recommendations. They will usually have a list of people that they like. If you have friends who have killer headshots that you love ask who did them, then interview the photographer and make sure they can shoot what you need. If you live in California here are four photographers that I have used and recommend in no particular order:

Alan Mercer – He does a great job at capturing personality and making a promo photo look and “feel” like you. Lots of celebrity clients, but not celebrity prices: http://www.alanmercer.com/

Aaron Huniu – The nice thing about Aaron is that he will absolutely work with you to create what you need. He shoots documentary style, portrait style, artsy-fartsy, whatever you need:  http://www.aaronhuniuphotography.com/

Molly Hawkey – I just did my new headshots with her and she is an awesome shooter! Lots of fun, funny and, as you can see from the site, she likes to capture the natural “you.” : http://www.hawkeyphotos.com/

The Schultz Bros. – 30-something years later and these guys are still kickin’. OC local and they can do everything. Fun Fact – The Schultz Brothers did my very first headshots over 28 years ago: http://schultzbrosphoto.com/

If you have questions don’t hesitate to ask in the comments.

See you next time!

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July 8, 2013 · 6:00 pm

Actor 101 – The Audition

Auditions: they are the key to employment as an actor in the entertainment industry. You want an agent so you can get auditions. You subscribe to LA Casting and Actors Access so you can get auditions. It’s the mantra of the struggling actor, “I just need an audition!”

Auditions are literally the job interviews of the acting world. Just getting an audition is an accomplishment in and of itself (that’s a story for another time), but what we all really want is the job at the other end of that audition! There are some key things to remember you go into an audition and many of them might not be what you think.

When I talk to the actors in my class about auditioning I ask them what they feel they need to do to succeed in that audition room. The common answers have to do with their technique:

  • Bring strong choices into the room.
  • Take direction and apply it to the best of my ability.
  • Connect with the reader to make the emotional reaction stronger.
These are all great but they all have to do with your talent. Yes, your talent has a lot to do with why you are in the room, but  it’s kind of expected that you have the ability. Casting directors are purposely looking for good people. Nobody really wants to be in the the business of grooming talent (although finding the next great talent isn’t bad) so when you get the audition there’s already an expectation that you are good or at least good enough. So that may not be the final decision maker. You need to have a good interview.
It’s easy to forget about the interview aspect of the audition. You’ve done so much work on the character and scene, you’ve been memorizing as much as you can, maybe you’ve picked out the perfect audition outfit, so there’s already a lot going on in your head and now we need to add another level to it.
  • It’s an interview with the casting director not just this show. 
Casting directors don’t stay in one place forever, they get new jobs too. And when they move on they know who they liked and who they didn’t so it’s a good idea to treat every audition like a general meeting (General Meeting: A meet-and-greet with a casting director or casting decision maker without a specific project in mind.). Don’t be afraid to have a small conversation, be personable and, it should go without saying but….
  • Be Polite!
I really wish I didn’t need to make this a bullet point, but it’s shocking how many actors will forget the general courtesy of being polite. C’mon, your parents should have taught you better than that.
  • “Own the room.”
There’s an old saying that I remember from my earliest days of auditioning, “Go in and own the room!” Translated into specifics it means to go in confident and prepared. Be friendly and ready to meet people. It DOES NOT mean be annoying or obnoxious. For some folks this can be a tough line to walk. If you aren’t sure whether you’re bubbly or obnoxious ask a good friend – the kind of good friend who will tell you if you’re being an ass. 
  • Take away the reasons to say “no.”
When you walk into an audition there are already 1000 reasons why they can say no. You could be the wrong height, wrong body type, wrong hair, you may not match the family that has already been cast, casting could be having a bad session, the person ahead of you was kind of a jerk and it has everyone on edge… lots of things you have zero control over. It’s your responsibility as the professional actor to bring in as few reasons for them to say no as possible that includes all the things bullet pointed above, including the talent based ones, and also being sensitive to the energy in the room. Don’t walk in all loud and boisterous if they are trying to have a small private meeting before you begin. Don’t be the depressed guy if they’re all laughing and joking. Be aware and be appropriate.
There’s so much more that can be talked about when it comes to auditions but these are a few things that are good to start with. Do you have specific audition questions? Post here in the comments. Also, come check out our scene study and audition courses at Studio 105.
See you next time!

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July 14, 2009 · 4:24 am

Actor Stuff


I got a request to do more blogs about my work on TV, specifically from my time on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Intellectually I thought this would be a really good idea, but when I actually sat down to write about it I had a really hard time getting anything on paper. I think this is mostly because I don’t know where to start or really what to talk about. I could bring up fun stories about being on set, the actual process of being a supporting guy on a network show, what it’s like being in your early twenties and not sure what to make of some really rapid success or all of the above but the line between “interesting” and “self-indulgent” seems pretty thin and I want to be very careful not to cross it.

So today, as I try to keep up my pace with daily blog updates, I thought I’d offer some free advice to the young actors that are out there who really want to have a career but don’t know what to do about it. What I’m going to talk about are some pretty basic things that you might already know about and also some insights from what I have seen recently in the world of show business.

Who is this blog written for: the young actor or actress who is 11 years old or older who knows that this is what s/he want to do and has family support or a babysitting job to be able to fund some of the costs of doing business. For kids that are younger the business is a bit different and the expectations of that age is pretty different. These are some of the proactive things that an actor can do to start getting work and make a name for themselves.

  1. Watch TV & Movies. I always laugh when I here people call themselves “intellectual” and their proof is that they don’t watch television. You’re not an intellectual, you’re a prick. If you want to work in television and film you better know what is getting made on television and film. You will find it very difficult to audition as “an Archie Bunker type” if you have no idea who “Archie Bunker” is. Especially with the growth of children’s television, if you don’t know how an episode of Hannah Montana typically goes you might not get some of the nuances of the audition material. You don’t want to go to a doctor who hasn’t seen other patients and no one wants to hire an actor who doesn’t a show. Know your media – its your job!
  2. You Need Headshots. There are certain costs of doing business when you decide you’re going to be an actor and headshots are one of them. These are the pictures that you, your agent, your manager, whomever gets you work uses to send to casting directors and are the first cut when you try to get a job. Your headshot should look like you. It sounds ridiculous right, why wouldn’t your headshot look like you? You’d be AMAZED at what some people’s shots look like! I have cast a few things myself and hate it when I see a picture, it looks right, we call that person in and then when they get there you can’t even recognize them! Sure you let them read, but if I need a fat redhead and you come in as a gaunt brunette I can’t use you no matter how good you are, dude. I’ve also heard stories of actors who use other people’s shots just to get in the door and then expect to impress casting so much that they get the job no matter what the breakdown. Has this ever happened, ever? Maybe, but it’s the stuff of legend and more often than not you’re just wasting every one’s time and pissing casting off. So, make sure your pictures look like you! You don’t need to be a raving beauty – you need to be honest. There are roles out there for you! So where do you go to get your shots? I’ve got two photographers that I really like and that I use. Shultz Brother’s Photography and Alan Mercer Photography. Click on the links to see their sites and if you use them let them know I sent you, maybe they’ll cut you a deal. If you’ve been to my MySpace page or the Facebook Fan Page then you’ve seen work from both of them. The prices are reasonable, not cheap but certainly not expensive, you definitely get what you pay for and, trust me, it’s worth paying for quality. I wouldn’t endorse these guys if I didn’t work off these pictures and I do. That’s about the best endorsement you can get. When getting your pictures printed I use Reproductions LA. Again the prices and quality are both pretty good. Printed headshots are not as necessary as they used to be. Back in the day I’d go through 300 pictures a year. Now a days, because so much casting is done online, I can’t even get through 100. you need hard copies, but you don’t have to print as many as you used to. Get 100 and reorder if you need to.
  3. Know Your Type! Sure every girl wants to be the ingenue and every guy wants to be a leading man. You need to be honest with yourself about where you actually fit, though. I’m not the leading man type. I’m the goofy friend type. I’m skinny and average height and have big teeth. I make people laugh and get to wear fun, outlandish outfits. That’s what I do and I am really good at it. Even if you are the leading man or ingenue type you may want to try and market yourself differently. There are LOTS of people out there trying to be the next Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but it’s a well know fact that character actors work forever, while pretty people have a shelf life. Look at Chris Pine. Sure now he’s Captain Kirk, but he was working way before as crazy people – go look at Smoking Aces again and see if you can spot him.
  4. Sign up for LA Casting & Actors Access. These are the two casting sites that are used by casting directors in town. Let me link them again: LA Casting & Actors Access. They cost money, again cost of doing business, but it’s an investment. You need access to the job breakdowns and this is how you get it. More than likely you are not union. These sites have both union and non-union work on them. Another site that you’ll probably want to sign up on, that is free, is the Casting Frontier. It is a single place to put your headshot, resume and all of your sizes – saves you a hell of a lot of time in the waiting room and most commercial casting offices require that you have an account now.
  5. SAG? AFTRA? Union? It’s every young actor’s goal to get their Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) card. It’s hard to do and there are several ways to do. However, for the purposes of this blog, it’s not a “start-up” type thing so I will not cover the aspects of getting in the unions here – that’s for later.

This is a good place to start. I hope this helps and if you have questions or comments I look forward to hearing them!

See you tomorrow!

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