When I finally got brave enough to go after my life long dream of becoming an actress, I had no clue where to start. I didn’t know anyone in the industry, have any connections, and had absolutely no one to go to-to help lead and guide me along the way. I figured everything out by trial and error. And boy….let me tell you…I made several errors.
Thankfully, I came in at a time where I was able to redeem myself. I look back at some of the first auditions I had and cringe. But I’m so grateful I came in at a time when the Atlanta market was really starting to grow, and seeing rookie actors make silly mistakes (that they don’t let slide as easily today) was a lot more common. But as long as you put in the work and proved yourself, the casting directors would forgive you and give a second chance. BUT……
That was 10 plus years ago, and the market has grown and evolved so much the last decade. Now, when you come in, you gotta come in STRONG. There’s not much room for error. That’s why, once you officially decide it’s something you want to do, you feel you’re ready to get an agent and start auditioning with the big dogs, you gotta make sure you are completely compared.
From having down your acting process, knowing the fundamentals of self taping and how to edit and submit, to overall set terminology and etiquette-there are so many areas we need to be familiar with before we take that next step and start walking into the rooms of the big time casting directors that will help take our careers to the next level.
With that being said, knowing from first hand experience what it’s like to not be prepared or just flat out not know what being prepared looks like, because you just don’t- I always find so much joy in helping upcoming actors as much as I can. I love giving them all of the tips and advice I wish I had in the very beginning when I started.
This video gives an overall breakdown of the industry and where to start. I hope it helps you and answers any questions you may have about what to do next in your acting journey.