Sex and the Single Actor

All kinds of TV shows and comedians joke a lot about pornos these days. So do a lot of us on social media. I think most of us have probably told a porno joke in our lives at one time or another. But there’s a real serious side to this for everyone, especially models, and actors.

I knew a few actors back in the 80’s, and even the 90’s who just got so frustrated by all the rejection in this business, that after a few years they just gave up and started doing partially nude print ads to supplement their income. It seemed innocent, and harmless enough to them, the money was good, so they kept doing it. Then after a while it became full nude print ads. Then it was just a shot step to doing porn in print. Apparently, the buy out money was very good for a days work. (I guess if you want to call it that.) Then when they were asked, it was pretty easy for them to just do full on acting in porno film VCRs, then DVDs, and even online. The money was even better. In fact, they made a lot of money for a few years. Some even got I guess what you would call porn fame.

They automatically were called porn stars and loved it. But guess what? When it was all over, they had their run, and if they wanted to move on to another career, or settle down and get married, have children, and move on with their lives, they couldn’t. Unfortunately, they found that their past kept catching up to them. It had pretty much completely ruined their lives. Everything from self esteem, to nobody wanting to hire them. Or if they started a business, people found out. If they did get hired by someone, their employers would find out, and they got fired.

Some even bought homes to try and settle down, but when word got around and some of the neighbors found out – they didn’t even want them living on the same block as their kids. Their past would always catch up to them somehow. It was really very sad, but they made those decisions, turned that corner, and now they were paying the price for it. It was as if they were now on a sexual offenders list or something. I guess being in that field was like a narcotic to them, because while they were doing it, the money, and all the attention they were getting was so alluring. When it was all over, they found that their past followed them everywhere they went, and they pretty much couldn’t do anything anymore. There are a few exceptions with a few actually making a transition to legit acting, but not very many.

Please don’t give in, no matter how bad it gets.

Sexual harassment is still a thing, for both males and females in the entertainment industry. So is sexism, especially for female directors and producers, but it’s slowly getting better. There are still plenty of perverts that will promise you work for “favors”. I heard someone jokingly say once, “Sleep your way to the middle.” So keep your guard up, especially if the casting call is to a residence. The online stuff I would be especially leery of. If you’re going to do any of that kind of auditioning on your own, be sure to bring at least bring a friend with you, and let some people know where you are going prior to leaving, how long you may be gone, and that you will check back in with them when you are done. For safety’s sake, please.

I went to a lot of castings in LA that were at private residences, but they were union, and through legitimate talent agents. Plus, when you get there, you see a pile of actors wandering around, so you kind of get the feeling that it’s okay or a zombie apocalypse. I booked a few jobs at places like that, so it does happen. Just be careful. If it’s not through your agent, I wouldn’t even take a chance on it unless it was at a regular business location and during business hours.

I met my wife in 1986, about a year after I started my new career path as an actor. She was outside the acting field, a few years older than me, but we were soul mates, and knew it after a year of figuring it out. We’ve been happily married for 24 years now. The secret for us is 2 things, we always kiss after sex, and we both have separate rooms to do our own thing in. With lots of space between them. I tend to be a louder person. I make a lot more noise, music, recording, watching stupid movies, and etc. I’m a louder person. She, on the other hand, likes her peace and quiet. She reads a lot, and also is an artist. She likes to paint watercolors. (Very talented one also BTW.) So, for “us” to really work, we both figured out that we each need our own space wherever we end up living. All I can say is we still love each other. It works for us.

In the late 80’s when we moved to California - everyone is beautiful out there, everyplace you go! We looked at each other in the car one day and said, “Okay, how about we can look all we want, but we can’t touch.” It was a healthy arrangement for us, because we could comment to each other, and joke about it – yet both still enjoy the scenery.

I have to share a story that happened to me back in Florida in 1985 before I met her. That was my first year in the acting world, and a nonunion agent tried to put the move on me! I went in for a new client / agent interview, and was invited to a “party” later on that night there at the office. Really? Me? Apparently, they were having these agent and actor orgy parties at the office after hours! I just distanced myself from the whole thing, I had only been an actor for a few months, I knew this was way inappropriate, I don’t want any part of it, and that some people were going to go down eventually for it. I was working in Florida, and it was from a talent agent no less. It was a nonunion agent, and during the interview there was this unusual talk about how she thought my bone structure was “interesting”. And that if I did this and that, I was promised I would get this and that…no, I don’t think so.

I got to find out first hand how uncomfortable it can be to be sexually harassed. I was insulted, and pissed off that this was happening to me. I was there trying to get representation, and hopefully a few jobs, not to get an STD. I later found out that they were having these “after hours” meetings with a variety of actors in her office.

Apparently they went too far with some of the other actors, and the agency eventually got busted about 6 months later for it. There was a lot of talk for months about the things that were rumored to be going on over there amongst my peers. Apparently it was a pretty happening scene. Not only did the whole thing make the news, but their state license was pulled, and they later went out of business. A lot men and women were caught up in this scandal. Some were there for the thrills, some just in hopes of getting some work. It’s not right. This was back in the mid 80’s, and, at the time, I thought it was an isolated thing, but it did happen, and I’m pretty sure now that it’s not an isolated incident. I expect it happens in some form in every city, all around the country.

Looking back in retrospect…I totally shoulda tapped that. (I’M KIDDING!) Had I done that it wouldn’t have gotten me a job anyway. Some of the actors who did get caught up in it had their “brand” hurt quite a bit, so I’m glad I stayed out of it.

I guess if it was under normal circumstances, she was a very attractive woman, and had it not been a work related thing, and had I met her somewhere else, not knowing how she was manipulating people, I would have probably considered dating her. I mean, she was a pretty hot looking agent.

When it comes to dating other actors. I’ve heard a lot of them say the same thing about it. While it may seem very tempting, and you might be thinking great, we are doing the same thing, and have a lot in common. I think most people realize that relationships like this usually turn out bad, or end up very uncomfortable. Dating people in your related field of work, whatever it may be, at the office, etc. it’s not a good idea.

For me, that may be because I didn’t start even dating until I was 20. I was a very shy kid, and lacked self confidence. I was worried about what others thought of me more than I did myself. Some small towns can do that to you. I was not exactly the hunk of the class, but I did have a few opportunities. It may also be that my actual parents were only 16 when I was born. Something like that affects you, and your decisions. I probably would have gotten an STD or something anyway. Looking back, I’m glad I waited.

I never really had strong self confidence until I became an actor.

Anyway, we see lots of people in the same career field in movies and TV all the time. Why? Because it happens a lot, and it hardly ever works out. That makes for great conflict, and it plays good on television. But you don’t need that in real life. Even a dorky looking guy like me got hit on by a few hot actresses, and I just didn’t want to go there. Once, with a stage wife on a film, and then even on a game show.

I did know of a few couples where it seemed to be working out, so there are exceptions. Some marry happily, and I think they are very fortunate. I think maybe what happens is they end up competing too much and it puts a strain on the relationship. We have enough problems already. And good relationships are hard to come by.

I guess if you are in a relationship with a non-actor you get more emotional support, and understanding. Trust me, you will need this at some point somewhere down the road.

On the other hand, living with a casting director, producer, screenwriter, or director could be beneficial. (I’m kidding.)

When you work on a SAG-AFTRA union feature film, the highest rating they have is “R” ratings. So, there is that possibility you might be asked to do some frontal nudity in a scene, or nudity from behind. You might even be asked to do what is called a “simulated sex scene”. Doing anything like that is a personal preference, if you are willing to do it, that’s up to you. Ask for specifics of what you will be expected to do. At least you know that if you are in a union film, that’s the most they can ask from you. So if at anytime during a casting if they want anything beyond that, it’s simply not allowed.

Most all the shifty kind of stuff you hear about happens in the print or nonunion world. So that is where you need to be particularly on guard for possible scumbags and perverts. I don’t think an actor should ever be asked to disrobe during an audition. Be especially wary of auditions that do not come from a reputable talent agent. Especially with online ads, newspapers, etc. It’s pretty common knowledge, but I’m just sayin’… The problem is that when it happens, nobody ever says anything, or hears about unless it makes the news or involves a celebrity. For us regular folks it’s hushed up quickly. The casting couch is still around, just that now it’s a $1200 airbed.

Personally, I didn’t need to worry too much. I’m not exactly the hot guy type, especially with my cloths off. But I did get a lot of partial nudity gigs that were comedic. All of them were union jobs in SAG-AFTRA, so I knew going in that it could only go so far, and that was it. Basically I disrobe…people laugh.

I had this one job in particular during a talk show that had a huge live audience. My job description was that I would need to slow motion streak across the stage as the interview was going on. So I come cruising out and crowd just erupts in hysterics, everyone is laughing and screaming at me. It about knocked me off my feet it as so loud. I was expecting something, but not quite like that. I was asked to just be a dead-pan wandering streaker with no expressions at all, and stroll on through. Here I am, the slo-mo streaker. I wasn’t completely naked, but it was pretty close. I was wearing a flesh tone G-String Speedo swimsuit. I looked like a dorky Ken doll. It was one of those Brazilian ones, about the size of a Triscut cracker! They used one of those pixelating blur out spots to make it appear as though I was nude. Sorry for that terrible visual.

Another job required me to be wearing nothing except a white diaper. That was some scary stuff, ans pretty humiliating, but hey, if it’s for comedy, and I’m making $600 doing it – all day long, all week long. No problem.

For another one I was in a very scant bathing suit actually taking a shower live on stage, also in front of an audience. I have to tell you, doing that that takes a lot of nerve to pull off. It may not sound like much, but when the crowd just opens up and goes nuts, it freaks you out. Plus we did a rehearsal before the show – but without the actual water. During the live shot, it was ice water they dumped on me. I was not expecting that. I was prepared for everything except that. When you are performing front of a live audience you only get one take, and you have to make it work no matter what happens, just like in stage work. So my focus was completely on that. Let’s just say I let out a YELP as it stunned the heck out of me, and some things got a lot smaller. But it was very funny. I froze my junk off. Good facial expressions though. Those pricks did that to me on purpose. I took a lot of bullets like that for comedy.

I guess the point is, if you are willing to look ridiculous, or even stupid and be the brunt of a laugh, you can make some decent money. I just hope none of that stuff ever shows up on YouTube.

If you are on an audition, or even on a job, nobody should come at you inappropriately. One suggestion has to do with the possibility that you get caught off guard by it. Even if you use common sense to stay out of situations like this, things can happen that you are not prepared for.

Some people try to use their power over your job to get to you sexually. If that happens, and I hope it never does, do not play the victim.

No job is worth the damage that this can do to your self respect. And performers need to keep their self respect or it will eventually destroy you.

Stand up to the person and make it clear that what they are asking for is not acceptable. These people are bullies. Back them down.

A friend of mine had someone in a position of authority on the shoot came to them after the day's work was done and try to physically intimidate her into having sex. He told her that he was stronger than her and that she couldn't stop him. She replied that he was correct, but that there was one thing she could do...scratch every part of his body that she could reach and then call his wife and tell her where to look. He backed off…

I’m not exactly the type that gets cast in lots of roles where I have a stage wife or let alone get to kiss a woman. The hunky guys get those. I think I’ve had about 12 different stage wives picked out for me by Hollywood people. They must sit around a desk and think, “This is what his wife should look like.” Then they would pick one out for me. Like this is some sort of Mid-Evil thing where they choose your spouse, and you have no choice, you have to accept it. It’s like platonic polygamy or something.

I have all these ex stage wives. And on the other hand, some of the ladies must be thinking, “I had this whole stable of men.” We never meet our stage spouses usually until the first day on the set. I just find the whole thing kind of strange. “Hi, this is your new wife.” “Eeewww, he’s not going to have to actually touch me or anything is he?” The range of types I got paired with was a little surprising. Everything from 300 pound rednecks in hair curlers, to super hot models, and everything in between. On this one film, I had a very attractive American wife. She was really nice, and fun to work with. At the wrap party, and then the screening, Marty was convinced she totally had the hots for me. I don’t know, I didn’t see it. It may have been because I was just coming off being cut from a Mel Brooks film, and I was so happy that my part just AIRED! Yes, residuals, screen credit for resume, etc.

Mostly I would get a stage wife in commercials, and the majority of them were very professional actors. We were paired up and expected to have some sort of chemistry, and most of the time, it worked, and we did our job.

And then there was a couple of times when my new Hollywood wife would be introduced to me on the set like that, I could see the eagerness and excitement would drain from their face as they laid eyes on me for the first time. You can just feel something like that, and it hurts a little. Then when they utter something like “Oh no” it kind of dings your self confidence a little bit. I just thought to myself, “Well, with an attitude like that, I don’t care how good looking you are…right back at you.” Lets get the job done, and get out of there. That kind of behavior hurts no matter how old you get. But most of them were professional actors, and they were easy to connect with in a scene.

Another time in particular sticks in my mind. I got hired for this insurance commercial that was shooting at the Museum Of Natural History. That seemed appropriate. We were to do a series of lines and then she would kiss me at the end.

The actual shoot was after hours, and the museum was closed. It was kind of creepy, there’s all these dinosaurs around and very dim security lighting. Tyrannosaurus Rex is standing there towering over us and everything. Every sound we made echoed throughout the place. It was kind of cool because nobody except the cast and crew were in there. So after reading our lines once for the director, and blocking out the scene, they had all this lighting to set up, so he let us wander around and check things out for a half hour.

This lady that was cast as my actor wife, was kind of average looking, like me I guess. I mean, she was cast as my wife, so you get the idea. She was very intelligent, and seemed pretty nice. I liked her. We wandered around checking out all the different rooms and the prehistoric exhibits in each one. It was like an unguided private tour, but in very dim light. It was romantically creepy. At one point, she said, “I’m getting a little scared in here, let’s go back to the set.” I was okay with that, it was a little disturbing with all these huge creatures looming over us.

So we get back to the set, and on action, we do our lines, and then she is to give me this nice long kiss. She was a nice lady and everything, but my first on screen kiss, felt like falling on a wet mop.

Sometime we get hired and asked to do some rather unusual things in this business. On this one job I was to be in a scene that was these four slacker Santa’s, and also this hot looking female Santa’s helper. One of the Santa’s is sitting on an old wine barrel sipping on a big brown jug, looking all wasted. Another one is sitting there smoking on a pipe. (Smoke machine behind him billowing out smoke and everything.) The third one is passed out on the ground, and then there was me.

I’m the scrawny Santa, with the hot looking helper standing next to me. Upon “action” I was to make this telegraphed very obvious move, grabbing her ass. She then is supposed to get mad and, swing her arm around to pretend slap my face. I then react back and that was it. She was this voluptuous looking woman in a Santa’s helper red mini skirt with a tight fitting red and white fur trim top. She could easily have been a super model, and might have very well been.

I wasn’t quite sure how to do this and not be inappropriate about it. So, I just asked her. I said, “Look, do you want me to just put my hand close?” “Or I could just lightly touch the small of your back so you will know the cue when to slap me.” “How would you prefer that we do this?” I was trying to be respectful. So she completely surprises me and says, “Go ahead and just grab a handful of butt cheek like you mean it.” “Let’s make it look real for the camera.” “Okay”, I said, “Just please don’t actually slap me okay?” So we practiced it once, I grabbed a solid handful, and she swings around and perfectly makes it appear like a real face smack but just missing me.

On action, we did the same thing, four takes. (Or should I say in four grabs.) I have to say, she was a very good actress, and willing to do what was necessary to make the scene look convincing. She was very professional about the whole thing. I grabbed her butt, and she swung that arm around each time perfectly, so it looked like I got walloped good, and did my reaction/fall. That was it, they had the shot they wanted. I thanked her for being so cool about the whole thing, we did contracts, and I went home.

I walk in the door and my wife says to me, “So what was your day like?” I replied, “Well, it was a rough day.” “I was paid $600 to grab a super models’ ass four times.” I had to cook dinner that night, and Tweet from the couch.

If you enjoyed my post, I have a Kindle book on acting that is $6. I know…that’s like a dollar more than a decent latte these days, but I think what I’ve been through, and my experiences will help you. Might even get a few laughs along the way. Check it out on Kindle, you can read the first few chapters, and see if you like my vibe. “An Actor’s Face” It’s buried in that site somewhere, please dig for it.

Shannon

Tips on Self Taped Auditions & Web Interviews For Actors

The only good thing about self taped auditions is you don’t have to wear pants. (Okay, I'm kidding!) Part of our job description as actors is constantly being able to adapt, whether it’s being given some direction, evolving with casting trends, or technology. After almost 30 years in front of the camera, it’s been a challenging adjustment for me also being behind it. Now we can do some auditions from the peace and comfort of our own home. And, even audition for directors while they are in other parts of the country. I’ve been getting more and more of these self tapers over the last 2 years so I thought I would share a few of my thoughts, tips, and feelings about them.

I can tell you this, they get a lot of video submissions for each role, so you have to grab them in that first 10 seconds. Just like when you go to an audition, many casting directors have sized you up by the way you carry yourself when you enter the room, and already made up their minds on you before you’ve even said anything.

No doubt you have heard of the guy who self taped an audition on his iPhone at a soda fountain, and got a lead in a film. But seriously, I do like the convenience of not having to pay for gas, slog through traffic, ignore mind games in a noisy holding room, and all the rest of that fun stuff we do for free at an audition.

I have 2 real issues with self taped auditions though. One is that it’s hard to be objective about my best takes. Just like it’s hard to be objective about picking my own headshots. Each year I pick what I think are the best, and my agent sees something in other ones. They are the experts, and the ones who send them out to casting directors to get me auditions. I never seem to pick what is right, and chances are you don’t either.

I run into that same quandary with my self taped audition takes. I can only send one, and it needs to be the best one I can possibly do. Sure getting a second opinion from someone else helps, my wife, or a non actor friend, I’d grab a hobo off the street if I thought he could help me choose my best. You can’t ask your agent, that’s not a great way to move up their favored clients’ list.

The other problem I have is the meet and greet at auditions. I believe it increases my odds if they get to meet me as me, and then I go into character for the audition. I like the, “Hi how are you” and a handshake if they are one of those “not afraid to touch the actors” types. I like to meet them and show some confidence and experience. Sure some of that registers with self taped auditions, but not nearly as well. Usually the direction is slate and audition. It’s kind of hard to show your glowing personality and how easy you will be to work with, not to mention do “risk assessment” on you as an actor. That’s a big part of what casting directors do.

When I’m in a casting director’s office I either read with them, or they might have another person there as a “reader”. Even if they aren’t giving me that much - reading just slightly above the energy of a corpse, I would rather have someone to look in the glazed over eyes and react to. I like that rush of trying to get the reader’s embalming fluid flowing through their veins, so my audition is more authentic and genuine.

Having so little experience behind the camera, I spoke to a few of my industry friends, director’s of photography, AD’s, CD’s, soundmen, and web techies about how to get the best possible quality for these self tape auditions. So here’s what I have to share:

I’ve found that I have got to memorize the material so I can go completely off book. Reading the sides, or a pdf on your laptop just doesn’t look convincing. If you do use the sides, don’t let the camera see them. Practice doing it if you need to. I have to use someone to read to, or there’s just a bad disconnect. My friends want money, so my wife is usually the reader victim. Who ever your reader is, have them stand right next to the camera so it simulates a casting session. Ignore the camera, and focus on the reader. I like to stand, so my reader stands right next to the camera. I suppose you could be seated, if the reader is seated and camera set properly. I find that I have better energy if I’m standing.

Whatever the instructions for the self taped audition are, think of it like taking direction from a director. If they want a full body slate, medium shot, from shoulders up, ECU, etc. Make sure to do it however they want it both artfully, and technically. We’re not reality show morons that say well, “I know better, I’m just going to do it the way I want to.”

I prefer to use a video camera, as the resolution is much better, and the editing is easier for me. They are relatively cheap these days now anyway. It's a tool we actors need, just like a good headshot. A webcam works in a pinch, but most of them are barely 2 MP in quality, and the audio kind of sucks. Phones and tablets just don't cut it for me either. Again, we want to look and sound as good as we possibly can. If you send a 10 MB emailed audition it looks like a pixilated butt cheek, and you’re not getting that job, let alone even get it looked at. It has to be good quality resolution, HD if possible, and set it for the highest quality setting you can. A few minute audition can be 200MB in HQ. We end up needing a file sharing service like “wetransfer.com” because we're sending very large files. There are a number of other ones, I like that one because it’s free.

This is something they all said, find a steady surface to set the camera on, if you have a tripod, great, use it. If not, pile up a bunch of stuff to set it on if you need to. Don’t go for handheld, there’s already too much shakey-cam in the world.

The camera angle and lighting are almost as critical. If it’s looking up at you with upward lighting – the “Dexter” angle is interesting, but probably not what we want for an audition. Looking down at you is even worse. Try to get that camera looking directly straight at you, just like we see it at a regular audition. Camera to eyeline.

Unless I’m instructed otherwise, I use a medium shot about 5 feet from the camera. I always use a plain white (or very light colored plain wall) with nothing on it to distract from the viewers eyes. Hang up a big sheet if you need to. Create a studio space wall for yourself that you can easily set up quickly. Performing is enough to deal with, so having a ready to go set-up is a big part of doing these. We need to get all this technical stuff figured out so when the audition happens, we can slap it together, and just focus on that. You know about wardrobe, so I'm not going into it.

I try to use natural lighting facing toward me whenever I can. (Even an angled piece of it can look interesting.) I had to locate a wall I could clear out that gets lots of sunlight coming in all day. We don’t want to end up being a silhouette. Do a few tests against your audition wall, get that lighting angle right, and picture looking clean. The “auto setting” does not look good on my camera, and I need to adjust the white balance setting. Once it’s set, I’m good to go, and I leave it set.

Sometimes it’s a rush submission, and there’s no sunlight. Or I might need to do it at night with artificial lighting. Most of the time I have a day or 2 for a self taped audition, so at least I can take my time with these. In both situations I use the common 3 point lighting set up. If you work on cars, it’s just some shop lights. They aren’t very expensive. Google 3 point lighting if you aren’t familiar with how it works. Think about how they had the lighting set up at a few of your past auditions...those bedazzled silver umbrellas reflecting light on you, and so on.

Before you start taping, remember to tell everyone in the house you have the home studio going and you will let them know when you’re done or taking a break. (Don’t forget to do that!) Put the pets outside or somewhere else. Bribe people to shut up if you need to. Turn off your phone! Like a bonehead, I forgot one time, and my best take had a stupid ringtone going off right in the middle of it. What a dope.

When I started doing these I would just bang out 5 reads, then try and pick the best one. Over time, I found out that mindset is all wrong (for me anyway) for self taped auditions. Now, what I do is a couple of takes at 3 or 4 different times during the day. I’ll try things to set a different mood for myself prior to my audition sessions. Read part of a book with a similar theme...listen to some instrumental music...or just go for a walk outside. Anything that will get my head in different places. Then I get back in there and fire off a few takes. To mix it up, sometimes I do a session sitting, (with reader sitting and cam eye line set properly.) Then when I'm all done I take a break, and revisit all the reads I did. I choose the top 5 out of the bunch. That’s always fun. Then narrow it to 3. Then I pick that final choice.

For many of us, we have gotten so conditioned that an audition is usually only 2 – 5 minutes long, we are used to it. We forget that we usually have a full day to tape an audition now. We are home and have all damn day to record this sucker and get the best we can. So we might as well take advantage of all that time we never had before.

Once I started spacing my auditions out over a few different times during the day, (and with different mindsets) I started seeing that one of my sessions was always better than the others. But more importantly, I started booking some of these things. Granted, it’s kind of hard to judge ourselves making a choice on ourselves, after all, we aren’t casting directors. But you can usually tell your strongest read. So with self taped, and voiceovers auditions I record them a few times during the day.

The editing is pretty straightforward. I just trim the video so there is about 3 seconds before the slate, another 3 second pause, and then into the audition. 2 seconds of silence at the end, (unless otherwise instructed) and that’s it.

When I record each audition session I usually slate only once. If I choose an audition that doesn’t have one before it, it’s pretty easy to cut and paste it before the one I chose to send out. That’s just my style, I like to bang out 3 or 4 reads after my slate, and then take a break. For self tapes usually my 3rd or 4th is my strongest. With in person auditions my first take is usually the best. Go figure.

When I’m done making my choice and editing it up, I review all the submission instructions to make sure I have it all correct. I’ve been focused on the reads, not the tech. Often they want the video file named a very particular way, (your name – project – role - agent (sometimes all of that) and if that’s messed up it doesn’t look good. I say a quick prayer and send that thing off to my agent or where they want it sent, and put my pants back on.

I’ve been getting more and more online auditions live via programs like Skype also. Mostly though, it’s more of a live video interview, (or even video conference) so if you aren’t already familiar with it, get familiar. Be sure to also work on your home studio, as well as you home camera stage presence. Even after decades of taped auditions, all the technical stuff got in the way for me at first. Then I had to find ways to be comfortable and relaxed in that setting. It’s a whole new animal.

Self taped auditions, live video auditions, and interviews are the future. The good thing is if you live somewhere away from Hollywood like I do now, projects out of LA that are going to be shooting here, cast some of the guest roles, and day player via self taped auditions. Sometimes they want to use local talent, but don’t have the time or resources to travel there to do it. This way they can see dozens of actors they like much more quickly and at their leisure.

More and more casting is actually happening from sites like YouTube and Vimeo also. Just be sure you are putting some quality work, and quality production out there. I know a few success stories about actors who started a monthly web series, someone saw it, their talent was recognized, and they got hired. You can make your own breaks now, and the cameras cost less. Yay.

A lot of us are getting more voiceover auditions these days thanks to less expensive audio recording equipment costs, and the access to more v/o auditions online. I do my self taped auditions, webcam interviews, and voiceover work, all with the same room set up. I have this one well lit room that gets lots of sun from the West. I guess you could call it a home studio that also doubles as a padded cell on bad days. I ended up springing for a decent microphone once I got a few jobs. I started auditioning, and recording them with just my laptop, and it grew from there.

“At some point in my life I went from loser look to marketable.”

I hope some of this helps you. Please visit my page: shannonratigan.com or dig for my IMDb page. It’s buried here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0711781/

Shannon Ratigan

Copyright © Shannon Ratigan All Rights Reserved.

An Actor’s Perspective on Getting a Good Agent (Or a Better One) in Hollywood

Many casting directors, and even agents tell us we need to be authentic and be ourselves. Well, I agree with that, but we have to get IN the door first, then we can be ourselves. That's the focus of my post. Even as a character type out in LA, I noticed that there were 1000’s of SAG actors similar to me. I had pretty good headshots that just looked like me, that worked reasonably well, but I wasn’t getting in as many doors as I honestly felt I should be. I had to find a way to stand out from the crowd a little bit. I knew I had to try and re-brand myself. That is why I ended up using character specific headshots n 1989.

As a SAG member you can have representation for commercials, and/or for theatrical. Generally speaking it is a lot easier to get signed with a good commercial agency, because they are almost always looking for fresh new faces. Theatrical on the other hand is a lot more difficult. You have to have some pretty serious credits, or a good referral. And even then, it’s hard to work up to the top of their list to get audition calls.

Many actors sign with “across the board” agencies, (commercial and theatrical) and for some of them it works, or it may feel necessary. I like to have 3 different teams working for me. A commercial agency, a theatrical agency, and the team of “me”. Just because I have an agent for each doesn’t mean I should sit there and wait for the phone to ring. I need to be self submitting to trade paper castings, online castings, bulk casting director mail outs every 6 months, and even blindly to shows I think I might be right for.

Let’s face it though, many people new to the business think they can self submit through all these online casting sites and start at the top without even having an agent. Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way. You might luck out and get a day player Scooby Snack, but if you are in NY or LA, you have to have good SAG agency representation or you are pretty much screwed over the long haul. I’m not saying you shouldn’t self submit, and do mail outs, I never stopped doing it, and I never will. Even if you live in other markets, and don’t have an agent yet, self submit all you can. Something to keep in mind though, is most casting directors do not cast actors outside their area. (Name actors excluded.) So if you are non-union and live in Kentucky, submitting to agents and casting directors in LA is probably a waste of your money, or maybe even a scam.

I managed to get quite a few nice roles on my own without an agent. But without SAG agency representation I never would have survived long enough to make them happen. The meat of auditions always came through agents, and it probably always will.

Agents get the breakdowns of roles from breakdown services, and they call the actors they think have the best shot at booking a role. It will probably always be that way. A few of them filter out on to casting sites, but not many.

So getting to LA was my priority one objective. Once I had enough decent credits, a demo reel, and headshots, I made the move out there. Something we lose sight of is that for every role, we are competing with the most highly trained, most experienced, and best actors in the word. After all, it is Hollywood, and that’s where they all go to earn a living.

Going there before you are ready is a huge mistake. There are way too many SAG actors that have only done one SAG role, and the majority of union actors earn less than $5000 a year. If you don’t have a demo reel yet, you are probably not ready. I had to find a way to increase the odds. In the theatrical world, character specific headshots are kind of frowned upon, but not so much in the commercial world. And that is where you can earn the real living for yourself. Getting that breakthrough film role can take years, if at all.

Booking a national commercial on the other hand can happen a lot faster. The average odds of a SAG actor in LA booking a national commercial is 1 in 83. That’s a lot of running around for free. My first year there, it was even worse than that. Something like 0 for 240. A few callbacks, but no bookings. It was very discouraging.

A good national spot pays a whole lot more than a guest spot on a sit-com. Sometimes just a look can get you hired, but don’t kid yourself, you still have to have some chops. Producers, casting directors, agents, and directors can spot experience and confidence. So yes, you do need some years of training and on the ground audition experience. After you get IN the door, you still have to deliver the goods. All the pros are going to be doing it. But nothing happens unless you get in the door first. My hope is that sharing my story will give you a few ideas, and help you a little. What worked for me, may not work for you. We’re all different. Especially me.

Flashback to 1987, I had been in LA for a year. Lots of auditions and callbacks, but no significant bookings. Finally, I lucked out, and worked with a guy who became a friendly acquaintance of mine named Stan Yale. He’s an actor who plays nothing at all but homeless guy characters, and that’s all he does. That’s his read and butter. Look him up on IMDb. (Most anyone who is considering hiring you probably will look you up on there also.)

Anyway, one time on the set in-between shots I asked him, are homeless guys the only kind of roles you do? He said to me yes that’s it. I went character specific because I needed to find a niche’ for myself in this business. I grew out my hair, wore grubby clothes and got headshots done of me as a hobo. I realized that not many actors wanted to play homeless guy roles like this because they think it’s bad for their image of who they wanted to be, or their ego got in the way. I don’t give a crap how people look at me, or if they laugh or feel sorry. I just want to work and make it in this town as a working actor.

That conversation really opened my eyes. I thought to myself, why don’t I do the same thing on a little larger scale? I got laughed at and made fun of all through high school...I can do that. I’ll be a homeless guy, a workman/mechanic with a ball cap on, a lab guy with glasses, a cowboy, and a dopey dad. Let them make fun, or laugh at me…at least now I’ll get paid for it.

As it ended up, it turned out to be a pretty good career move. More like it saved it. There were lots of character specific castings that came along, and if my headshot appeared I got called in for them. Now granted, there aren’t many bums in TV commercials...well...wait. Skip that.

Anyway, I got the wardrobe together for each, scheduled a new photo shoot and told the photographer I needed these 6 looks and negotiated a decent rate. (Up front) At that time we could use an 8 x 10 composite with 4 photos as well as headshots. I wanted to increase my odds, and the comp did just that. I could show 4 completely different characters on a single 8 x 10. Eventually I had a full size headshot done of each look. Yes it cost me a lot, but we as actors have a toolbox. Inside it are all the years of acting training, coaches, and years of shows, auditions, and experience we bring to the table. But on that top rack is our most important tool, our business cards, our headshots.

When I got to LA, I got the list of SAG franchised agents, and blindly submitted my headshot to almost all of them. (100’s) That was pretty stupid, and I wasted a lot of materials, and money. I did get signed with a larger commercial agency, but other than the audition experience I got, I pretty much blew my first year.

So after that first disappointing year, I went agent shopping. There’s just too many to blindly submit to all of them, so I targeted the ones I felt were going to be right for me. With a few exceptions, most of them all get the same breakdowns for roles anyway. I purchased an agency book at Samuel French that they publish monthly. This way I knew who was too big, who was medium sized, who rep’s commercials only, how long they’ve been SAG franchised, what kind of clients they rep, and the contact names and addresses. Getting just a list of agents like I did is too vague, and it’s way too expensive to do mail outs to all of them. I selected 20 primary, 20 as backups, and put together agent packs.

A nicely typed professional looking cover letter needs to accompany it, or the odds that it’s going past the receptionist decrease by half. The letter shouldn’t be more than a paragraph or two at the most. These people are extremely busy and don’t have time to read about your life. Keep it short and sweet but with some personality. I used the same letter for each agency, but changed the agent name on each one, so they appeared individual. It only takes a little longer, and shows that you took the time rather than just a form letter. They don’t need to now you are doing 20. Remember to put your email on the cover letter.

Include a link to your demo reel if you have one. Address it to that agent, and sign it. I hand wrote their address on the front of the envelope, attention to, and my return address in my best handwriting. Rather than just mailing them out, I dropped each one off over the course of my travels in a week. It was a brief cover letter, in a manila envelope, attn: the rep., with no stamp, and that’s it. If it makes it to an agent, they will see it’s an actor pounding the street, someone who’s willing to take some initiative. My plan was a follow up letter, or a call 10 days later.

Even in the 80’s most actors were too lazy to drop them off personally. I didn’t insist on speaking to anyone, just greeted the receptionist politely, handed it to them, I would mention I was seeking representation, thank them sincerely, and leave. 15 seconds at most. They are way to busy to deal with babbling actors or schmoozing. Kind of like I’m doing here. The thing many actors don’t think of, is that one day that person at the reception desk may become an agent or a casting director. If you are rude, they will remember you. If you are prompt and professional, chances are good your envelope might make it back to an agent. One of the best friendly acquaintances you can have IS the receptionist. If you sign with that agency, they know all the inner workings of that office, and everything going on inside it. They can be your best friend. This industry is a lot about networking. Most everybody knows everybody else, and word gets around.

If you are brief about it, most medium sized agencies don’t mind if an actor drops off their headshot seeking representation. These days many actors are so lazy they just email their headshot thinking that’s going to work. Maybe it will, probably not. Going that short extra mile shows them that you are willing to put in a little work, and you are taking the time to do this because it matters to you more than it does than the actor who only emailed it.

So anyway, out of the 20 agency drop off’s, 4 of them called me in the next week. I used a hobo, and car mechanic headshot with my cover letter in each envelope. A few of them got past somebody’s desk, and got me 4 interviews. For each one, I showed up in a suit and tie and did my thing. Not too eagerly either. It was a nice contrast from my character headshots to seeing me cleaned up and professional looking.

At each interview I told them the truth, that I had 4 interviews, and I would make a decision in 24 hours. Most of them want that long, (or more) as well. I felt I would go with the best vibe I got from there. A few said we want to speak with the other agents and we will call you tomorrow. Okay, thank you. I look forward to hearing from you. Others wanted to sign me there on the spot. I asked for 24 hours to make a decision. I ended up going with the one that felt the best to me. I got the feeling they were going to target me for the right things, and not just splatter me all over town. That’s what the larger agency I first went with did. They pretty much ran me ragged, and over time I felt I wasn’t being sent out for the right things. I made that agency move about a year later. It was an expensive learning process.

Loyalty is a big thing with building a working relationship, so I felt it was important to give it that long. I got that new agent booklet, and went through the agent hunting process again. This time I went with a medium sized boutique agency. It was much smaller. It had an owner, receptionist, and 2 agents. I got called for fewer auditions, but I started booking commercials. Nice ones. I was hitting 1 in 25 now. They were targeting me much better. They knew what roles I was good for, and where I fit in the business. I ended up working a lot, and stayed with them for 12 years. They had faith in me, helped to groom my brand, and even when they went through some rough times, and other agencies approached me, I stayed loyal to them. After all, they had invested years in me, like I had with them. A good working business relationship is hard to come by. They worked even harder for me after that.

You just have to be careful about changing agencies. You don’t want to be known as an actor who’s an agent hopper, going from agency to agency every 4 months. Especially if they’ve invested lots of time and work into you, and then you jump ship to what you might think is a larger or better agency. Think about that real hard before you do anything rash. If it’s the commercial season, and you’re not getting a commercial audition or two a week, well yeah something’s probably wrong. Most of us have to have a crap job to get by, but acting is our passion and this is what we want to do. I lost many a day job because of a callback. I don’t regret it either. I booked some of those that I toiled over. You have to earn a living and pay the bills, but sometimes you have to make a hard choice.

If you give your agent some time, and things just don’t seem to be working out, maybe it is time to move to another one. It’s a good idea not to leave until you have another one locked down. Back to the agent booklet, and mail outs again. I think it was smart to be honest with both agencies when the time came, the old agent, and the new one. I want to minimize any hard feelings that might exist. And a good actor agent working relationship is built on honesty. Don’t ever badmouth an agency you were with, to anyone. Even to other actors. Bad words have a way of working their way around. I only know that because I was stupid enough to do it, and it came back to bite me.

I think it’s a good idea to let a new agent know I can do rush auditions, and that I keep changes and headshots in my car so I can do it. They know I’m prepared on a moment’s notice. I had many a rush call audition. That, getting callbacks, and being low maintenance moves you up the list when the breakdowns come in.

But back to one…it was that top shelf in my tool box that made all of this happen for me. Those character specific headshots. When calls came in for any of those 5 looks I got called. And as time went by, for lots of other things as well. Looking back, had I not done that, I wouldn’t have gotten that agent, or those auditions. I would have been just another character in Hollywood with headshots pasted all over his car.

Most of what I’ve written here is about the commercial world. Some of it applies to theatrical, but generally they don’t like character specific headshots. All I can say is it worked for me. Had I not done that, I would have only lasted a year like most other actors when they move to LA. So for what it’s worth, I hope some of this helps you to get an agent, or a better agent, or find a niche’ for yourself in the business. There are just way too may actors to be just another face in the crowd. This worked for me, I’m not saying it’s going to work for you. I’m just trying to help with some of my experiences and things I did to help me survive. Being authentic and just being yourself doesn’t do you much good if your dream gets crushed and you are broke.

I’m also not going to say that seasoned agents and casting directors can’t visualize us in other character roles, but sometimes, (just like in an audition) we have to show it to them. Many of the people involved in the hiring process do lack a bit of imagination. Those new headshots helped to get me past some of that. I have to get the audition before I can bring things to life, and I need an agent to get me consistent auditions.

Once I re-branded myself, agencies interest increased in me, and my auditions turned to bookings. When a cowboy role came along, I was called. A car mechanic? same thing. That bum headshot Stan suggested I do? It got me lots of auditions, and I booked a role on a Mel Brooks film. That headshot was worth the cost just for that. Without that headshot I never would have been submitted for it. Thank you Stan, you gave me the best career advice ever. I left all that “just another actor in the crowd” stuff behind.

Some of you might be thinking well it’s easy for you because you’re a character type. Well that’s true, but believe me I suffered getting there just like everyone else. The point is to try and find a place in the industry where you can stand out, be a little bit different, and get an agent. Then hopefully some auditions. We often loose sight of how many actors there are for every single role. And, how well trained most of them are.

During my first year in LA I really wanted to know my competition, and what I was up against so I interned free for a commercial casting director a couple of months. She kept me busy and kicked the crap out of me, but I learned a lot about how their day goes, and I got to sit in on a lot of casting sessions to watch the other actors audition for the same roles. I got to see how the other actors approached them. More importantly the mistakes they made, and the ones that did things right. The ones that did things different to stand out, rather than making the obvious choices. The ones who took risks. Going forward from that, I had a huge advantage from that little bit of inside baseball. Go to all the casting workshops you want, but you never get to see the real behind the scenes actor auditions. I think looking back, I learned more from that, than probably from anything else.

Unfortunately for newcomers to the biz, reality TV gives too may people the impression they don’t need to put in the years of work and training. They can start right at the top. They don’t need an agent, they can sing on key, and get instant fame just like on FaceBook with a popular cat photo. Sorry, you have to work hard at it like any other career choice. And fame? You’re lucky if you can get work. That was my goal, just to work, doing what I love doing, acting. Fame is a dumb goal, respectability is not.

But wait, get this…watching TV is part of your job! Always be looking at the constantly changing, and current trends in TV shows, and commercials. Try and visualize where you can fit in, and try and work your way into some of those places.

When I was young, I remembered seeing the Big Red gum TV commercials all the time. There was always the couple kissing, and then you would barely notice this generic workman guy that would walk by pushing something, or just standing there, rolling his eyes because they were wasting so much of his time, or he was jealous. Actually, it was both. I became that Big Red guy for 5 years. The point is, after seeing his type of character so often in commercials I created a similar look for myself, and it worked. I became that guy. It was just a trend that was going on at the time. It’s not about the person, it’s about the product, so they don’t necessarily want you to stand out. Just be the necessary body that moves the object. It hurt my ego all the way to the bank. In commercials if you are hired as a principal, it all pays the same. Study the products and their current ad campaigns. Part of the reason I got that one was I knew the workman guy was waiting for the kissing couple. They didn’t say any of that even at the callback.

But that was just one instance, I had other commercials that ran only 1 week, some only ran 1 time, and some not at all. That’s pretty heartbreaking after all we go through to book one. But it happens, and it’s out of our control. I learned to never get excited until I saw a spot air for a few weeks. Talking about one you just booked on social media before it airs is not a good idea. It pisses of the ad agencies, and a few others. Plus I think you can jinx it.

I wanted to be in films and in TV shows like everyone else when I got to LA. As it ended up I started booking commercials after that first year. I kept booking them, and I became typecast as a commercial actor. It wasn’t my plan, I really didn’t want that. It just happened and I made the choice to roll with it. I figured it might lead to film and TV. I was wrong, but it worked out okay. Theatrical agents didn’t want any part of me as a result, I was too well known. No matter how hard I tried, I could never get with a good theatrical agent. And believe me, I tried, year after year.

I ended up booking more TV and film roles on my own. I couldn’t buy theatrical auditions, (Yeah, I also got ripped off on a few paid CD showcases.) so I blindly sent headshots to a lot of TV shows I thought I might be good for about once a year. AFTRA had a show sheet at the time we could pick up at the office. One of those shows on the list of about 50 was the Tonight Show right when Jay Leno took over. And out of the blue, they called me up and booked me and 11 other strange guys to do a poorly donechorus line sketch in front of the audience. It was funny and everything, but after 6 hours with out of shape guys in dance bootcamp, we were all hurting really bad. They used a professional dancer who taught choreography to us. We were lambs to the slaughter. That choreographer kicked the crap out of us learning that routine. I had a whole newfound respect for dancers.

At the end of the day filling out our AFTRA contracts, I overheard many of the actors complaining about it, so I thought about this for a bit. When my turn to fill them out came I quietly said to the talent coordinator, “Anytime you get anything strange, weird, or funny, have no problem doing it okay?” “If it makes people laugh I don’t care what you do to me, call me anytime.” He was kind of shocked after all the pissing and moaning he’d just heard from the other actors. I worked on the Tonight Show for 78 episodes after that. They just called me direct. And no agent was ever involved. The writers thought up something crazy, call Shannon, he’ll do it. Those were some of the most fun, satisfying, and happiest career moments of my life.

I got on a few other shows that way also. Any many came from industry people referrals that I worked with. Always remember to be nice to everyone you work with on the set. You never know who is who, and if you are cool to work with, people will suggest you for roles. People like to work with responsible, professional, and easy to work with actors. It sure is nice when the phone just rings, “Are you available to work tomorrow?” But really, it was the commercials that paid the bills and kept us alive. I never got that big film or TV break, but I worked. So, I guess it wasn’t so bad, I ended up being a working actor, and looking back on it, to me that was success.

If you would like, (or can stand more) please consider picking up my acting book. “An Actor’s Face”. It’s priced at five bucks on Kindle or Nook. I wrote it last year, so it’s not too dated. Other than the unions merging, everything is pretty up to date. I hope I can help you to avoid some of the scam artists I fell prey to. I made lots of mistakes I learned tough lessons from. Maybe I can help you avoid a few, and even entertain you along the way with my adventures, misadventures, possibly save you some heartache, and a few bucks.

My book is over 240 pages of practical advice, casting, and auditioning tips for actors who want to book more work. Also for actors who are making the move to New York, or Hollywood, to pursue their dream as an actor wherever you are, as well as for people, young or old, who are thinking about breaking into the acting business.

I wanted to price my book at $10 or more, because I put a lot of time and work into it. I chose to price it low, because I would rather you had the extra money for more important things, like good headshots. There are a lot of "slightly' overpriced acting books out there. My intent is to inform, prepare, educate, and explain the realities.

I hope that one day, you will do the same thing, and help other actors along. I think reading all the books you can by acting teachers, casting directors, actors, and anyone else who has extensive experience on the front lines is a good idea. That's where it really means something. Make yourself as well informed as you possibly can. This is a tough line of work to get into, and even being a starving actor is expensive.

If you choose to purchase my book, thanks in advance, I really do appreciate it. It makes me feel good to know I am getting some good out there in the world. If it helps just one person from making some of the mistakes I did, then it was worth the effort.

Shannon

ShannonRatigan.com

Now casting: Offbeat, quirky, character types. Translation: We need ugly people.

After I had built up enough credits, and joined the SAG-AFTRA unions, (now a combined union.), I made the move to Hollywood. Obviously, I wanted to do films and TV like everyone else does. I ended up booking a number of commercials during my first year there, and right away I became "typecast" as a "commercial" actor.

Which was okay, I was on the TV all day long playing various roles, and I became pretty recognizable to many casting directors. Many of them didn’t know me, but they had that, “I know this guy from somewhere” thing, and it gave me an edge.

A good commercial campaign can make a career for you. I had three that ran for over four years. I had others that aired just a few times, and some never even aired at all. I learned right away that it’s bad luck to talk about a booking until I actually see it on the air. Plus, it can really piss off ad agencies, and producers to have project information leaked before they want it talked about. You can jinx a job, and even find yourself in serious trouble. Loose lips can sink your $hit.

I got to be pretty good at auditioning, and booked my fair share consistently. It's not like we get to pick and choose roles at the working class level. Just auditioning well, a good callback, and booking work is hard enough. Doing the actual acting job seems like a reward after all of that. Not to mention the years of training that goes into this line of work. Add to that, all the running around we do for free until we book something. (Just like our agents who only get the 10% unless we book something for them.) So naturally, agents want to send out the actors who they think have the best chance to land the role. Our goal is to be that actor in that category, so we get the call before they choose their other clients that are similar to us.

But honestly, doing a lot of commercials did hurt my theatrical career. I didn't mind because a few good “Class A” national commercials with a good run, pays the bills much better than movies or TV until you get above that "earning union scale" level. Don't think I didn't try constantly, and never gave up trying...but the industry kind of chooses who you are, and where you fit in. In the acting business, in some respects it is a small town. I learned to just roll with it.

Some of my friends fought against that, and hated going on commercial auditions, because the odds are so stacked against you. They can see as much as 200 actors for a single role. The ones that fought it, lasted less than a year and went back to the mid-west. In some respects Hollywood is a very small town. The casting directors get to know you, and your reputation as an actor very quickly, so it's critical to take every audition seriously, and be professional all the time. They remember you even more if you screw up, or are unprofessional.

Taking some improvisation classes, and doing stand up comedy helped me a lot with auditioning. I figured if I can handle the pressure of doing that, regardless of the outcome, it would help me to be more comfortable auditioning.

I’m not saying getting an acting coach, or some good acting training isn’t important, because it is. You are up against the very best in the world in this business. But stand up helped me to be fast on my feet, and develop good comic timing. I was able to react to direction better, and booked a lot of jobs over the years. I never wanted to be a stand up comedian, I just wanted to be an actor that could do comedy well. Looking back on it, it helped me probably more than anything. I admit, starting out at open mic comedy nights was terrifying, but if you keep at it, you get used to it.

Writing comedy material that fits your style is difficult, and finding your stage persona isn’t easy either. My strategy was to write a different set each week, and ever other week I was out there. Sometimes I did pretty good. Other times, I got a free salad. It’s all about taking a risk.

Need some advice on getting rejected? Just ask, I'm here for you. Anyway, my Internet Movie Data Base page link is on the right side, or you can just go to IMDb.com and search on my name. I'm #1,673,592 on the star meter...really moving on up there. Was in a few films, and the Tonight Show a bunch of times.

At the end of the day, earning a living as an actor boils down to one thing: winning the job. I wrote it to help my peers. Plus, I figured I could reach more people with an inexpensive book, rather than writing a blog post now and then. (Do people still read these things?) I spent the last few years working on it, sharing my learning’s, screw ups, successes, experiences and stories. If my book helps just one person out, then it was worth the effort I put into it.

The price of my working actor book is $5. It's 240 pages. If you have an Amazon Kindle, or the Barnes & Noble Nook, the book is available there for five dollars. To find it, just search on my name, or the book title, "An Actor's Face".

I priced this book low, because I would rather you have the extra money for more important things like good headshots. There are a lot of overpriced books out there. My intent is to inform, prepare, educate, explain the realities, and help my peers.

I hope that one day you will do the same thing. Although many of us compete for jobs, at the same time, we are all artists, and I believe we should be supportive. My suggestion is to read all the books you can by acting teachers, coaches, casting directors, other actors, and anyone else who has a lot of experience out on the front lines. That's where it really means something. Make yourself as well informed as you possibly can, and don’t go to NY or LA until you are really ready.

Check out my website: ShannonRatigan.com & I encourage you to follow me on Twitter:

@Starving_Actor

I joke around a little about the acting biz, have some fun, and share acting advice, from myself, and others, (as much as I can in 140 characters anyway.) I do follow back.

“Casting: Real People For Reality Show”. Translation: We need idiots willing to go on TV for free.

The Surprising Emptiness of Success

When I was reaching toward that first big plateau of success as an actor, I was motivated, focused, excited, and working as hard as I could to get there. But once I got to it, it wasn’t the feeling of satisfaction I had imagined that it might be.

I had spent my first 3 years working my way up from the very bottom, doing every crap paying job that came along. Many of them extra work, or cheap commercials for $100 or $300 buy-outs, and some even for no pay, just to get the credits I felt I needed to be qualified to work in the big leagues one day. That was my dream, (and my goal) to be a working actor.

After a few years, I finally got enough credits, I joined the unions, moved on out to Hollywood, and landed a decent talent agent. I felt so honored to just be able to say to myself, “I am competing for jobs with the very best in the world”. It was a huge accomplishment for me. But I still had bills to pay. Getting that first big paying job eluded me for about a year longer. It was a national commercial campaign for a fast food chain. There were only 2 actors in the spot, a former big western movie star, and myself. All of a sudden, I was appearing on TV over 20 times a day in front of 20 million people. What a rush that was. I remember when I booked the job, I threw my arms up in the air, like I was “Rocky” or something. I pounded my breasts like Tarzan. But it wore off very fast. Then, after I saw it air a couple of times, the thrill was over.

I think all actors, musicians, people in competitive careers, and even politicians, dream of success, and why not? It’s a logical goal to strive for. I never quite understood why it was that each time I achieved a new level of career success, I was left with a little blankness. It was a sort of stale feeling of emptiness, and an “okay, I got there, now what?” I didn’t quite understand it, and it didn’t make sense to me. I worked my A$$ off, I was focused, determined, shook off all the detractors, rejections, humiliations, and being made fun of. But when I got there, of course there was always this short period of euphoria. But shortly thereafter, I was left with this odd sort of empty feeling each and every time. Was I just an unhappy person? Was nothing ever enough?

Of course, my focus was to get the job. All through the years, that was my goal. Doing the actual acting work was fun, and exciting, not to mention that it paid very well. Then I would see my work air on TV again and again. Some of it ran for years. But it was almost an anti-climactic feeling. I wasn’t as happy as I thought I should be, and I couldn’t quite understand it. I had reached success, and was left feeling empty almost immediately after the job wrapped.

Each time, in my mind, I thought I had succeeded, so why this uneasy feeling about having gotten there? This is what I worked toward, right? I had succeeded, why wasn’t I jumping up and down? And why did this “flatness” set in shortly thereafter? So I would lift my head up, let it go, bear down, and move on to the next job. But every single time, that feeling I craved so badly faded very fast, once I had gotten to that perceived point of success, which was booking the big job. I had achieved what I thought was my goal, and maybe even attained some notoriety among casting directors, and even my actor peers. Maybe that success wasn’t large enough., and I just needed a lot more of them.

I figured that maybe I just hadn’t set my success goal high enough, so I would quickly move on, and get back to work focusing all my energy on the process of getting that next big job – I’ve got to work, and achieve that next success, so I could feel it again. I wanted to feel that satisfaction again. Or so I thought. After all, as an actor, that’s our job description, to get job interview after job interview. Sometimes it was 4 or 5 days a week.

This same scenario repeated itself over and over for 20 years. And there it was, after each booking. I had reached that success plateau or goal, and that blank emptiness feeling would set in almost immediately. I figured that this was just the way it was for life as a working actor. No matter how many successes I had achieved, it never lasted and it was never enough. As Mick would say, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”

I began to understand why so many actors and musicians would turn to substance abuse. Many of them would enjoy much greater successes than I, but many of them would end up on drugs, or end up in various states of depression. How can this be? Isn’t success the real goal? I have been working consistently and earning a living as an actor. I was doing what I always dreamed of doing for over 20 years…is this not what I dreamed of, and isn’t it how I define success? I thought not, and was never satisfied no matter how many big jobs I booked.

I was discussing this whole life question of mine one time. Then a wise, caring acquaintance of mine, stopped me, and asked, “When are you the most happiest, career wise?” It’s a simple question that I never stopped and asked myself. I thought about if for a few minutes, and said, “I am the happiest when I am working hard, and trying to pursue the next success.” But when I get there, I feel this blank emptiness. He said to me, “Don’t you get it? It’s the PROCESS of getting there that is the most fulfilling for you. Once you get there, there is nothing left. You got there. You reached what you were working so hard to accomplish, and now it’s over. It’s the process of getting the job that you crave. It’s like an addiction for you.”

It dawned on me that he was right. I was in my happiest state when I was working toward success. Once I had gotten there, the stale plateau of emptiness would set in again. All that work and focus was now over, I had done it. I realized that the process of getting TO each success was what motivated me. That’s what drove me, and made me happy.

In discussing this with another friend, who was not in the acting business, she said that it is true for all professions. "Success" is a vague concept, so we try to define it in terms of specific goals. Job titles, material possessions, salary, or whatever we think it means for us. Then, when we achieve those goals, it is a rush and then an emptiness. Because a goal is not a single objective, it is one of a series of chapters in our lives.

That was a real kick in the brain for me. All of sudden, I was able to put my entire acting life, and career into better perspective, and I understood what it was about show business that motivated me, drove me so hard, and what I really enjoyed about it so much.

When I started out as an actor, my dream was to work and be successful. I think that’s what many actors work toward. But in reality, it was all the hard work, and the process of getting there that really made me enjoy my acting life.

It’s rather difficult for me to share this story, because it’s very personal. It may even sound foolish to you. But if what I say here can help just one person with similar struggles in life – well…then it was worth it.

But, the real answer to this issue is that none of the external rewards will ever let you avoid that flat feeling. The only thing that does is setting small, one step at a time goals for yourself. Reaching those goals builds your confidence and also you get to keep that sweet feeling of “I did it”.

“If you want a career as a working actor you have to learn to love yourself, even if you hate a few parts of yourself.”

Check out the rest of my acting book, it's $5.95 - I know...it's a dollar more that a decent latte. But, some of it will help you. I put almost 30 years of my life into it, and I hope you enjoy the read. You might avoid making some of the same dumb mistakes I did, and even get a few laughs along the way. Lots of people will tell you how to get work, and live as an actor, that have never earned a living as an actor. I have. I suggest you read as many books by other industry people as you can, but please buy mine. I need a caffeine.

Shannon Ratigan

Copyright © Shannon Ratigan All Rights Reserved.

Stand Up Comedy As Acting Lessons & Audition Training?

I never really wanted to be a comedian, I wanted to be an actor who could do comedy well, and I wanted to improve my acting, and auditioning skills. That was my mindset going into stand up back in the mid 80’s.

Doing stand up can lead to other good paying jobs, but more importantly, stand up comedy helps us get used to performing in front of people, as well as helping with auditioning. We need good comic timing, good improvisation skills, not to mention getting over any stage fright issues as quickly as possible, so we can advance in our career.

I don’t think you really do ever get completely over stage fright. In fact, if you do, I think you lose your performance edge. Even after many years, I would be feeling it every time, moments before going out on live TV, or on stage. I learned there is a razor thin line between fear, and excitement. All I had to do was tip it the slightest amount towards excitement, and the fear was gone. When I found myself in that situation, I would say to myself, “I am excited to go out there and do this!” I learned to channel my fear into excitement.

Just to fast forward here for a bit, when I got out to LA, I used to love hanging out on the patio at “The Bean”. (coffeebean.com) It’s a popular small chain of café’s that many actors and creative types go to and network. After an audition, a gig, or out making the rounds, I would usually stop in there to chill out.

Anyway, one day I was sitting there with a few other actors sipping some “tender coffee”. (That’s coffee with a little too much steamed milk and other flavors added in to it.) Anyway, the subject of doing stand up comedy came up. One of the actors sitting with me commented, “I tried doing it once, and it was the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had in show business”. “I never felt so all alone, and I will never ever do it again!” I shared the story below about my first stand up comedy experience that you are about to read. After hearing about that, he realized that his first time wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. We shared a good laugh over the whole thing. It is kind of funny now, but not so much at the time!

I explained how awful it was, but I managed to shake it off, got back up on my horse, and kept doing it. That, yes, attempting stand up is terrifying, but the more I did it, the more comfortable I was getting performing in front of live audiences. When I got up the second time it got a little bit easier, and as I kept trying it, it did get easier, and I did get better and better, more confident with it. But mostly it was about overcoming my own fears, and how much it helped me to improve my auditioning skills. That first time is always the worst, go into it expecting to fall flat, because that’s what probably will happen.

He rented a few instructional DVD’s and got back up there. A few months later, I saw him perform at an open mic night, and he did quite well. He came over and sat with me, and thanked my profusely for encouraging him to get back out there and to continue doing it. He mentioned that he had booked a very nice job, and that the stand up helped him to nail an improv commercial.

Having a set list of jokes can help you, kind of like how a band will have a set list of songs they are going to play. It helps you to remember where you are in your material if you get lost. When you are new to this, sometimes we can just go blank and forget all our material. The unexpected things do happen, it throws you off, and this is good practice for you in the world of real auditions.

Pulling a set list out of your back pocket is considered kind of tacky, and it’s a sign of a hack by most comics. But having one when you are getting started out is a good idea, to help keep you on track. I got to the point where I didn’t need it, but having it in my back pocket, just in case, built my confidence. We aren’t there to impress all the other comics anyway. We are there to improve at it, most of them know this, and have probably done it themselves at one time or another. Later on, you will find that you don’t need that set list anymore.

For most of us, the hardest part of acting, is auditioning well and getting hired. Stand up probably helped me to audition the most. Even though I had no real desire to be a stand up comic, I knew that it would teach me to improvise better, and help me with my auditioning skills. For me, the actual acting part of a job was pretty easy. I would just play myself most of the time, and imagine I was that character, in whatever the situation was. Having a good imagination and plenty of life experiences to draw from is a big part of this.

Many of the stand up comedy clubs now offer courses in learning how to be a stand up comic, so you might check into that also. These days, you can easily find DVD’s on how to be a stand up comic pretty inexpensively. Maybe look at one or two of those first.

Stand up has become so popular over the years, because the club owners only need a microphone, a sound system, some chairs, and that’s about all it takes. It’s a whole lot cheaper than hiring a band is. So comedy clubs are popping up everywhere now. Most of them have an open microphone or “mic” night. Many have a small cover charge or a 2 drink minimum now. That’s probably my fault, as you will read here in a few moments.

Consider trying your hand at stand up comedy. For me, it was the best auditioning training, as well as free acting lessons. That was why I first got into it in the first place. I didn’t want the life of traveling around the country as a stand up comic. My passion was acting. I couldn’t afford the money to take acting lessons, and I knew I would need to develop good comic timing, and be fast thinking on my feet to audition well. It really strengthened my improvisation skills, and helped me to deal with that unpredictability factor.

Of course sometimes you get the hecklers, curve balls, the unexpected, that type of thing happens. It’s all good training for you as an actor. You also learn how to write comedy. You don’t have much choice unless you are Milton Berle or something. That’s why I tried my hand at it. It was free training in the most brutal of ways. Figure it like this…if you can cope with a room full of other hostile comics, then when you go on an audition with a room full of people in there, it seems like nothing compared to that.

I wasn’t good speaking in front of people. I didn’t even like reading a report out loud in high school, so I knew I need to work on this.

I bumbled my way into it all right. I was cocky, and I figured I could just get up there and slay the audience with no real preparation. I wrote up a bunch of what I thought was very funny material, and then hit up the local open mic night all excited to wow the crowd. When my turn came up, I went up there and at first everyone was laughing at me. It was a great start. My first joke was hysterical, and I was on a roll…for about 30 seconds. Every single thing after that bombed badly. It was awful. Not a single laugh, everything fell flat. The silence was deafening.

The five minutes I was stuck up there alone seemed like it went on forever. Near the end of my time, people were saying things like, “Get out of there!” “You suck!” It was pretty ugly. I had an egg in my hand and accidentally dropped it on the stage carpet. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking. Worst of all, I really was doing my very best up there.

Like a bonehead, I had invited family members, and most of my friends, to come see my performance. My parents had passed away at that time, but I did have some cousins, and relatives. Talk about being humiliated. Even my family members split half way during my act. They were like, “We don’t know this guy!” I got stuck paying the tab for them, and I got thoroughly bitched out by the management afterwards. This was bad.

My very best friend named Tom was there, and he was a little bit too buzzed. He was a pretty big guy in stature, and he felt so bad for me, that he took it out on the comedy club john. He went into the bathroom, and completely destroyed it. I mean he knocked the hand dryers off the walls, he smashed up a urinal, broke the toilet seats, and tore that place to pieces. (He was able to dash out the front door before anyone caught him.) I had no idea that this was even going on until later on in the evening. He tore that club up for me, because of my hurt up there. Talk about a display of friendship.

The cops showed up of course, and when I saw what he did I was like, “Hey I don’t know who that guy was.” “He must be somebody with a good sense of humor.” That was probably the best line I had of the night. I never shared this story with anyone except my later to be wife. She stuck with me even after that. There’s true love for you. I knew I had found the right woman for me. A few years later, I asked her to marry me, and we have been happily married for 22 years.

I did manage to shake that entire first stand up comedy experience off, and get back up on stage about a month later. But, it was at a different club. A few months after that, I went back to that original comedy club when I had some semblance of a routine put together. I apologized for my amateur mistakes the earlier time to the management, and they were nice enough to let me back up on stage again. They did keep a VERY close eye on me though. They were all lined up in the back watching my every move. It was a bit tense, but before long I was there on a weekly basis. I did mange to get back up on my horse.

So my recommendation is obviously to watch a few instructional stand up comedy DVD’s, and get some practice first. Maybe take a class or two at an adult educational center, or something like that, before you just dive up there unprepared like I did.

Looking back, stand up did help my auditioning skills a lot. Absolutely nothing scares me anymore after being on stage in front of people who aren’t in the mood to laugh at your material. (Most of the time at open mic’s the crowd is just other comics, and their friends.) Now the pressures of an audition seem like a cake walk. Call up your local comedy club and see about their open mic night, because I’m sure you are totally psyched about it now.

Seriously though, the more I did it, the better my audition skills got. Be realistic about it, and keep things in perspective. You’re going up there to better your acting skills, timing, and maybe see what you can do. You might end up liking it. I did, even after that. I love doing stand up, it’s a tremendous thrill when you do well and you are bringing laughter and joy to people. Especially the way the economy is right now. People need a laugh now and then, even if it is at you. It’s still depressing when I write a routine that falls flat though. Sometimes the same exact routine will bring nothing but laughter, and with a different crowd another time, it will fall flat. Go figure.

When I got to LA, I discovered that casting directors, talent scouts, and show producers go to comedy clubs to scout for talent. I guess they figure if you have the courage to “tough it out” by yourself up there, you are probably good enough to consider hiring. I was able to get a few jobs that way. Think about all the comedians that have starred in their own sit-coms over the years.

Even though I didn’t really want to be a comic, I felt it was important for me to only do “clean” comedy. I admit it’s a whole lot easier to get up on stage, drop a few F-Bombs and get some cheap laughs. The networks, casting directors, and industry professionals are not going to be all that impressed if you do that, because anyone can do it. That doesn’t work very well on TV either. (Well, I guess it does on a few cable networks.) Writing and doing clean humor is a LOT harder. Most often, it’s the hacks that get out there and use lots of expletives.

The older, classic comedians couldn’t even come close to saying anything profane on radio or TV. Granted some of them had writers, but many of them did not. Study a few of them, and watch how they moved, their timing, and expressions. Watch how they use voice inflection, gestures, and how they wait for the laugh. My suggestion is to learn how to do clean comedy if you want it to help you advance, unless your persona is going to be like “Dice Clay” or something.

Jack Benny was one of my favorite comedians. Many of the comics to follow imitated many aspects of his original style. His radio and TV career spanned a thirty year period starting in the late 1930’s. He created this stage persona that was brilliant. I used to study his old TV shows, and watch how he could get this amazing thunderous laughter with just a simple expression, a gesture, a single word, or a long pregnant pause. He had these dead pan facial expressions, gestures, and this comic timing that was unbelievable. He could sing, dance, and play the violin very well, but the stage persona he presented, thought it could, but couldn’t. He was able to pull off appearing untalented like nobody else could.

He created this character for himself that he was a pompous stingy miserly cheapskate, that was also an insecure and untalented braggart. All of which wasn't true in real life. Even though that was his stage persona, it was also an endearing, very likeable, and even admirable character that he played. It even possessed a certain kind of vulnerability. His on stage persona never was allowed to grow over the age of 39. He was 39 for 20 years! LoL. The rest of the cast would work off of him, and he would usually be the brunt of the joke. It was a brilliant stage character persona. He was also one of the first to break down racial stereotypes. You can often catch a few of his classic TV shows on the cable channel, “Retro” on Sunday nights, and also on a few other channels.

I remember watching an interview where he said, “Everything good that happened to me, happened by accident.” Sometimes that’s just how it goes in comedy, and in the acting business.

Here are a few tips on doing stand up that I learned the hard way, and also a few I figured out over time from watching other comics perform. I noticed that almost all of them fall into one or more of these categories, and adjust their personas to fit. One thing to do is experiment, try a few out, and figure out which style fits you the best.

Here are a few of the more basic comic style examples: “I’m a Victim”, “The Poor Me Syndrome”, “Sarcastic”, “Angry comic”, “Shy and Timid”, “The Opinionator”, The Impressionist”, “Prop comic”, “Egocentrical”, “Political Humor and/or Satire”, “Doing Characters”, “Song parodies”, and the “Observationalist”. I’m sure there are a few more, but those are most of the styles I observed, and at least it gives you an idea. I think the best approach is to add a few of those different elements into your stage persona as it evolves.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t overdo it, just be yourself, and act naturally. Audiences can tell when you are overdoing it. Most all good comedy is based on truth, and emotion, so if you are dishonest out there on stage, they can sense it. Use your truth, and it will likely become the basis for your persona and material.

Try to incorporate your life experiences and individual personality, that’s what makes you unique. Your quirks, delivery style, timing, and finding your “voice”, are things that come form experience. And you get that from doing this a bunch of times. Find out what works for you, and what does not. Believe me, it’s pretty easy to find out when something isn’t working! We are all different, and trying to discover your own comedy stage persona is a good first goal.

I think the hardest part of doing stand up is the writing part. That’s why so many comedians have a writer, or even a team of writers. There’s only one way to get better at writing. You keep on writing, shaping, and editing, and then write some more.

Writing materiel that creates funny visuals in the audience’s mind with words, always worked well for me. And if I could make them feel an emotion, that helped to get laughs also. We as comedians, always over exaggerate things to make them funnier. “I had to pee this morning for like an Hour!”

If you can manage to create funny sounding words or sayings, that works also. The “callback” is a common but effective gimmick to use in your routine. That’s where early on in your comic “set” you do a bit, and then later on you recall it as part of another bit. When we perform, we want to be living in the moment, and not living in the present. There is a big difference between the two.

The opening ten seconds of your routine sets the tone for the rest of your entire act, and for the audience, so it needs to be strong. You need to grab on to them early on, or you are screwed. The ending of your show needs to be strong as well. You want to leave them laughing, and wanting to hear and see more from you.

Anyway…here’s an example of how doing stand up led to some good paying work. I started doing it mainly to sharpen my comic timing, and deal with the unexpected. I got to the point where I was pretty respectable at it, but not great consistently. I didn’t want to just write a routine, and do it over and over. I just didn’t want the lifestyle as a comedian. I had gotten to know a lot of them, and I knew pretty much what the road life and touring was like. Plus I toured for a little while with a few R & B, and rock bands. So what I liked to do was write a new routine each week. It's pretty risky. Because sometimes I would tear it up, and other times I would totally bomb out. I just felt like doing the same routine over and over was boring. That’s not what I was up there for anyway. Believe it or not, bombing out is a positive thing, because it helps you to improve. It just feels like crap at the time.

When you are lucky enough to get some critique or criticism, it’s easy to get defensive, or feel negative about it. Try to remember what it was, and use it to help you improve the next time. Usually it’s meant to help you do just that anyway. There are occasions where it can be a bit vicious; we have to just shake it off.

One time at this big name comedy club in LA, they were having this big comedian contest with a big prize. It was a guest starring role on a popular sit-com. Man that's a sweet prize. I did my very best, but I just wasn't on that night. Sometimes that’s just the case. I was a little out gunned also, most all of the best comedians in town were in there trying out as well.

I knew I hadn't done well, and I was feeling pretty awful as I left the club. Another popular TV show happened to be auditioning comedians on camera outside the club in the parking lot for something. Some guy who had seen me in the comedy club saw my performance, and followed me to my car and asked me to audition. I really didn't feel like it, I was feeling like $hit. But I was flattered I was even asked to do it. So I shook it off, and did a few of my stand up bits.

The policy of this particular show was to tape you, and if the producers liked it enough, and aired it on the show, then you would get union scale, if you were in the union. If not, you got to be on TV, plus got a salad shooter, and some press on nails as a prize. Of course people will do just about anything to get on TV for free now! I'll be doggoned, because they had me on numerous times during two seasons of episodes. The show was “America's Funniest People”.

I was lucky enough to work on the classic Gong Show a few times also. They had to really like your gag if you were a union member, because if they used you on the show it paid union scale for the day. At the time these kinds of shows were advertised in the trade papers like Dramalogue, and Backstage West. (I believe The Backstage paper later bought out the Dramalogue). And you could audition for it without an agent, once a week right at the CBS TV City Studios on Beverly Blvd. You would just write up your own comedic sketch, or routine, and go audition for the show. You were allowed to do two different bits at the audition. I was able to get on there about a half a dozen times out of about twenty tries. Working on that show was an absolute blast. Getting “gonged” was hilarious, and that show is among some of my fondest memories.

These kinds of TV shows were a great way to supplement our income, and we could do them on our own with no agents. I would run into a lot of other character actors over and over at these auditions, and it was kind of funny. In the holding area, we would have these unusual conversations waiting to audition, "So, what did you come up with this week Charlie?" "I'm going to be Jaque Cou-strap this week." The guy played the piano and sang a parody song with a jock strap over his face. Murray, the unknown comic was one of my favorites. He was always very cordial, and supportive to the rest of us. Not to mention funny. He even sat in the audition holding room area with that paper bag over his head. The guy was a crack up. He was one of the innovators, (cool), not someone who copied the others, (hip). He got to the point where he was so popular, he didn’t even need to audition, they would just put him though once he showed up.

Obviously, doing something like this was not your normal kind of a job. When you were hired for the Gong Show, you would hang out in this huge lunchroom size waiting room with all these bizarre people in weird costumes and crazy props. They were all waiting to appear on the show also. What the producers did was shoot five episodes of the show at a time in one day, and it was on a Friday. So this huge room was packed with 100's of these crazy people, and all of them would be going berserk practicing. All of them going off, and rehearsing their routines, it was madness! It’s kind of like you see at the auditions and screenings for shows like “American Idol”, and “America’s Got Talent” or something. You’re in there with these huge crowds of people that are way too excited.

If you drew working in the last episode they were shooting, you could end up sitting there for hours. I felt a lot of sympathy for some of these people waiting to go on the show, because many of them really thought this was going to be their big break in Hollywood, and that they would get "discovered". Most of them ended up with their dreams crushed, getting Gonged up big time. Some of them were just delusional about their talent, and were genuinely devastated when it happened to them. Some people that couldn’t even sing a single note in tune, must have gone through life with everyone telling them what a great singer they were. I always wondered when I watched the earlier version of the show, if some of these people really were “for real”. As it turned out, a lot of them were. It really did happen, and I felt kind of bad for them when reality finally arrived for them. You see it to a certain extent on the Idol, and at the AGT auditions.

Most of us "regulars" just wanted to get on the show, do something funny, and then get gonged out. Then after the gonging, we would get to crack a comical joke with the host. That part was always improvised, so you never really knew what the host was going to say. You had to have a few things ready to go, or be fast on your feet. The show was taped in front of a live audience, so it was a bit of a rush. Some of us live for this stuff.

That was it for us, just get on the show, do a comic bit, get gonged, and get a decent day’s pay. One of my best lines after I was gonged was when the host said to me, "Well, the panel gonged you." (Weird AL got me that time) I quipped back, "That's okay, and I’ve seen better panels on the interior of my Chevy van." It was a pretty good line, and everybody in the audience cracked up. Again, we got scale if you were union. If not, another salad shooter, and a case of cereal. I loved working on that show. Weird AL hooked me up later with Jeff Foxworthy to be the redneck on one of his shows. How cool was that? Being gonged isn’t all bad; it led to a few good jobs later on because he remembered me.

These days, when you do perform in comedy clubs, a lot of them can provide a DVD or video CD of your set. They also do charge you for it, (usually it’s in the $20 range), but it is worth its weight in gold. With most comedy clubs if you ask them for a video, they will do it for a price. Some even do it for free, as a gesture of support and kindness, after they get to know you. They know what we go through up there on stage, and after all, we are helping them put on a show. So asking for a video does work, after you have been there a few times. I always bring along a few blank DVD’s in my car, and offer to let them use it. Many of them have the facilities to record them, but often don’t have extra blank DVD’s. (Or are too lazy, and will say that as an excuse.) Once you have proven yourself, getting a video is a lot easier to do.

If you have a good stand up comedy clip you can use your actor demo reel, that’s a sweet bonus, and looks very good on there. If nothing else, you can watch how you did, and see what you can improve on, as well as remember what you did well.

If you are getting serious about this, at some point you are going to have to spend some money and get with a good acting teacher or coach. Something to keep in mind, is that many failed actors end up becoming acting teachers. I think finding an acting coach is a better idea if you can find one near you. It just depends on where you live. The things I learned from acting coaches stuck with me more than the things I learned in acting classes did. As a newer adult actor, some of these acting classes can be a little bit intimidating and even overwhelming for you at first, but dig in, and try to hang with the rest.

In some areas of the country, there might not be any good acting coaches near you. So an acting class is really your only option, other than watching a few DVD’s. You need live acting training to grow as an actor. If you can find an acting class that is made up of other newcomers who are also serious about becoming adult actors, that sounds like a good class. You want to avoid the ones that are filled with dreamers, hobbyists, and people that are just dabbling in the field. Like I mentioned, most of them will let you sit in, or audit one of their classes first. Then you can make a more informed decision. Do some research first, and be sure you aren’t over paying for this, because it happens a lot.

A good coach will serve you better at that level. I learned more from them than I ever did with all the acting classes I took over the years. They tend to work with you individually, and on your particular weaknesses. That helps you to grow much faster as a professional actor.

These days, you don't have to rely on guess work anymore, or the opinion of one actor saying this is a good acting teacher, or on someone else. You can just do a search, and Google them and see what's up. Search your city and the key words "acting" and " teacher" or “classes”, and see what is around you. Look for reviews and opinions written about them, to help you make up your mind.

Talk to as many actors, and industry people in your area as you can find. I never took a class where the teacher wouldn't let me at least audit one of their classes first to see if it was right for me. If they won’t let you audit one, something's wrong. If you are starting out, or even experienced, you need to be constantly training and working on your craft.

I did community theatre when I couldn't afford acting classes, just to stay sharp. I still believe the best way to learn, is to do. We are all as different as our fingerprints, so no matter how much training you receive, you still have to adapt it to your own individual style and personality.

Try to figure out ways to get as much live improvisation experience as possible. Many of the smaller art centers, and adult education centers offer some inexpensive basic acting classes, and probably even some stand up comedy classes in your area. I took a few classes in adult education at a facility called The Learning Tree when I was in LA, and they were pretty good. They were taught by experienced actors, and/or comedians. They help you with a lot of the basics, reading scenes, auditioning, improvising, writing material, timing, and lots more. At the finish of this one comedy course the entire class went to a comedy club for a live performance.

If stand up is something you just plain don’t want to do, consider joining a comedy improv group. Most of them do cost money, but it’s worth it for the training.

At the end of the day, earning a living as an actor boils down to one thing: winning the job. I give you info about increasing your odds, and putting yourself in the best possible position to get hired.

I earned a living for two decades as an actor, and I just published my book about it. The things that worked, and the mistakes I made, that I learned tough lessons from. In it, I share ways to audition better by being more prepared, to gathering information that will help you get the edge on the competition, and book more jobs. I discuss common sense ways to acquire the best possible tools at the lowest possible costs. Things like how to have the most effective headshots, resumes, websites, and optimizing everything else including your online presence. I share low cost ways to get experience, and training. I mix in a few of my personal acting, and casting anecdotes that I hope you will find interesting and/or amusing. I priced my book low, because I wanted to share my experiences, and help fellow artists.

Please consider picking up my recently published 240 page book titled, "An Actor's Face, Audition, Casting Advice, And Anecdotes From A Working Actor". It's available for $5 only at the Amazon Kindle book store.

Lots of practical advice, casting, and auditioning tips for comedians, and actors who want to book more work. Also for actors who are making the big move to NYC, or LA, to pursue their dream as an actor, as well as for people who are thinking about breaking into the business.

Anyway, Break an Egg!

Shannon Ratigan

Copyright © Shannon Ratigan All Rights Reserved.