Begin

“Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living.  After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four.” – Katherine Hepburn

So the inspirational cookies and ice cream I’ve shared over the past seven months are all good and fuzzy, but what about something tangible an aspiring actor/writer/director/producer can take home with them?  Where does one really start?

While I do think it is imperative to prepare yourself mentally for a career that will at some point massage your insides with a rusty chainsaw, eventually you need to throw on the hard hat and climb the girders.  I’ve recently sat down with several different peers to point them toward that first rung, which is not necessarily easy to find.

One approach is to dive in and start auditioning for student films, independent projects, and open calls.  Craigslist has become a dumping ground, for better or worse, for any producer, legitimate or otherwise, to announce the breakdowns for their projects.  Oftentimes these projects are open to any and all who want to audition, experienced or not.  These projects, almost always unpaid, are great opportunities to get your feet wet and start the ever important networking.

But that may even be putting the cart ahead of the horse.  Even if you have all the natural talent in the world, attending classes will introduce you to others in the same boat as you.  You may charm your way into an aspiring producer’s next project, or a plugged-in actor may introduce you to his or her already broadening network.  And maybe, just maybe, you’ll realize you aren’t the greatest natural born entertainer this world has ever seen and the classes may actually teach you something.  I certainly have and hope to continue.

Sure, many have made a splash without much schooling in the industry, but they are the exceptions.  We all want to be exceptional, but why wait around for luck to find you when you can go out and make your own?  Learn from others’ successes and failures.  I’m happy to continue sharing mine here in this blog, but I’m going to shift my focus a bit and try to be a conduit to other resources detailing the successes and failures of those more established in this business than I.