Patience

This is not an industry that you can immediately break into. Sure we have all heard the stories of people that arrive in LA and become famous in 2 weeks. What we don't hear is that they have studied for years, have contacts and probably have really really good karma. In all seriousness this is a hard road to walk on. If your goal is to be famous you probably need to rethink your goals. If you love to perform and are constantly challenging yourself to play new roles -you may just have a good chance. JUST BEING GOOD LOOKING IS NOT ENOUGH! Maybe for print work-but there are a lot of really good looking people out there and a lot of them know people in the industry. You need to be savvy and meet some of these people. Make something happen for yourself-do shorts, do free theater. Make your own experiences to build up your resume. Patience is important too, don't bother your agents and manager asking them whats wrong or why your not getting out. Its a waste of time for people that are working hard for you.

Now I need to amend my last blog about my son. The missing auditions for important childhood milestones. I have a client missing an audition for the first day of school- he is 6 years old. This is an important day for him and I think that this is a valid reason to miss an audition. Kids have not chosen this path for themselves, they are discovering who they are and what they like. Being involved in all sorts of activities is a part of being a kid. Forcing an audition is never a good idea. BUT...you adults out there have chosen this path, you know that you want to be an actor, adults should not miss auditions! Adults are waiting tables so that they can make auditions, doing odd jobs in hopes of making it in this industry. Don't miss opportunities. Even small jobs can turn into big jobs. Maybe you will meet a up and coming director that will remember you in the future, or a small casting company may grow and want to hire you later down the line.

Congrats to all of the L & L Talent peeps that worked this summer. Thanks for helping the agency grow with your talent!

here are some links to some of the jobs that our clients have worked on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vSYU421-tU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qCQaLVkWwg&feature=related
http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Systems/rockband.html?ILC-lps&FTTR=RBUGDPgutter_gutter_left_rockbanduninfo

Daniel, my client- my son

Today is my son Daniel's 4th birthday. He was the inspiration for me starting L & L Talent. I didn't want anyone else to represent him. I started the agency from our home in Sierra Madre, while watching him play with his duplo blocks and toddle around.

I think he is so beautiful and perfect. Many parents think the same of their children. It is how it should be, every parent should think-and know that their child is the most beautiful child in the world. I often get emails and phone calls from parents echoing the same phrase-"my child is so beautiful. Everyone always tells me that he/she should be in commercials or be a model." These parents are testing new waters, most have never done anything in the industry before. Most parents of young children are not seeking work to make money, rather, they do it for the thrill of seeing their kids on television. Which is fine because many jobs are very low paying for children.

The problem here is that everyone thinks that their kids are made for this industry. Many are, however, there are limited jobs out there for babies and kids. A lot of the ads are reused for years and years, that pampers baby that you see on the box could very well be 12 years old now! Having a child actor is not easy. There are lots of trips to and from LA, a lot of waiting and disappointment. It is the parents job to keep things in perspective for the child. School and activities should come first, then auditions.

I think Daniel has a great outgoing personality and is beautiful. I submit him on everything I see come in. He has only been on 8 auditions in the last 3 years-been on avail twice and booked once. I would never have him miss something that he wants to do at home or with his friends to go to an audition. He missed an audition 2 weeks ago for "wacky water Wednesday" at preschool. To an adult this seems so silly, but to him this was the most important activity for the week. I wasn't going to let him miss out on this to go to an audition. When we do go to auditions I tell him that he is "meeting new friends." He loves meeting new people and it takes the pressure off of him feeling like he needs to perform.

Happy Birthday to the little man behind L & L Talent, my first son and my very first client.

On your side!

We are on your side. Agents are not against the actor, neither are casting directors. We want you to succeed! There are so many scams out there that I try to stress to clients and potential clients that we are legit. We never ask for money, the only time we get paid is IF you work. Some potential clients interview us as if they are taking a chance on us. In reality we are taking a chance on the talent. We put a lot of effort into each client and sometimes we see no monetary rewards from the months/years of work. A bad actor can give the agency a terrible reputation.
Auditions do go in waves, you may go out 2x a week-you may go out 2x a year. Just make it good when you do in the door. We are sending you out-we have to in order to make any money at all!
I have a new little baby client (9months now) She has only been on 2 auditions since June, she booked both! She is doing her job and I am doing mine. My part of the deal is to get you the audition-the actors part is to book the job.
We are looking forward to a great year! Sept should pick up and we hope to get everyone some amazing auditions. Dont forget to follow us on twitter "melodylltalent" and "laralltalent".

LAST MINUTE AUDITIONS

Some actors hate last minute auditions. We call you at 10am and say "you need to get there before noon!" its a frantic race for all involved, changing schedules, getting out of work or school. learning your sides etc.
Dont blow off last minute auditions if you can help it. There is less competition, some people cant get out of work or just cant make it with little time. Also if they give you a last minute audition they usually have hand picked a few people for the job.
We just had a client get a last minute same day audition. She only had 4 hours to get to the audition and decided not to go. I got a call from the casting director very upset that she was the ONLY person they called in. They just wanted to make sure that she did in fact look like her picture. The casting director was very upset as was I. The reason for missing? She had a conditioner in her hair and didnt feel that she had enough time to blow dry it. To that I say throw on a cap and run in. Casting directors are smart, they can see the potential if you are rushed into an audition.

Importance of a Smart Phone

I cannot stress the importance of a Smart Phone for an actor. This industry is quickly becoming more and more electronic and the actor needs to keep up. It was only about 5-10 years ago that we started online submissions. Before that it was all hard copy submissions and couriers. We slowly have switched to 98% electronic submissions. The next phase of the industry going electronic is audition notifications. No longer does the Casting director call out auditions. Now they are emailed out. The agency in turn now forwards the emails and texts information on.

As an actor it is important to stay in touch with your agent. Confirming auditions quickly!
An actor also needs to be able to receive texts and be able to text back. We are constantly submitting on breakdowns and it is easy for us get a text confirming an audition. Stopping to chat on the phone greatly interrupts the very important work we are doing trying to get auditions for our actor.

Even with the recession and the cut backs on commercials as well as the SAG negotitations-our agency has done very well. I think that this is because we are available constantly to our casting directors via email, text, cmail, and phone. This industry has a lot of time constraints and using technology is very helpful. Some agents are working the way they did 10 years ago, refusing to utilize technology and are suffering.

I personally think going electronic is amazing. Not only is it green, the amount of paper that is being saved is incredible. It is saving the starving actor a ton of money-Not having to reproduce photos as often. Also it saves the agent money by not paying a courier and printing costs. The cost of text messaging is minimal. Missing audition information is devastating.

Having a smart phone allows immediate notification of auditions, avails, bookings. If you have Internet access you can then confirm directly with LA casting or with your agent. You can also access sides and character information. If any last minute changes occur on the way to an audition we can stay in contact. Smart phones have the capability to record auditions, voiceovers, take photos (some casting directors want a photo of actors as they look at this very moment, especially kids, since some headshots do NOT look like the actors). Maybe they want a picture of your hands for a hand modeling job, snap it, email it and you are all set!

Technology scares some people, but it is making our lives easier and those who do not keep up could be left in the dark!

Its a Job

I have been thinking about my actors and their frustration with not working all of the time. If you think of this industry as a business you cant expect to reach CEO level in one year. You need to work toward it. Put your time in. Sure there are a few people that seem to just come out of no where and become famous. But usually if you look at their past, they have put in the time and you just havent seen them. (or they have a famous relative)
Ways to put in your time and work towards a great career-
-TRAIN, a theatrical background is the best thing! Casting director workshops, College Courses!
-SKILLS, be interesting and different (every one can throw a baseball... but can you juggle 5 of them?)
-BE PREPARED-it IS hard to get an audition-so when you get one NAIL IT!!!
-NERVES-lose them
-DESPARATE?-Lose it, a casting director smells fear like a bee... go in confident, do your job and don't act like you will die if you do not book this job.
-BLAME GAME-don't blame anyone for not making it, your agent wants you to work-this is the only way we get paid...we are on your side and pulling for you. Same goes for the Casting director, they want you to be the one for the job, that way they can stop looking!
-BE POSITIVE-dream big and be happy-it looks good on you!

When I acted my first agent got me out all of the time, it was a small agency that no longer exists (Color Me Bright) I constantly blamed them for not getting out enough and for not gaining my union status. It wasn't until I took control of my own career that I started booking. I gained SAG/AFTRA status on my own with no agent, then seeked new representation. I worked hard. Even with all of the work I put in (about 5 years) I slowly eeked my way towards national commercials and some TV, with no notoriety and probably only breaking even financially.
If you think that being an actor is a glamorous and easy job you are mistaken. This is a long haul, filled with disappointment and rejection. It is truly for the love of the craft that we are all in this. If you are only auditioning because you think getting into night clubs and having your picture taken by paparazzi is exciting you are in this for the wrong reasons and most likely will not make it.
For kids this is fun stuff, enjoy the auditions and be yourself! The industry is into REAL people right now, real moms and kids, real soccer players, real kids...not model polished kids. They want confident kids with great smiles looking to have fun. Training for a kid probably isn't needed until age 10 and over. The competition and expectations get bigger and higher as you get older. By 18 you are expected to have a union and a big resume. My advice for kids is to take as many acting classes as you can in school-they are extremely expensive outside of high school and college. Even if you aren't in school you can take classes at your local junior college.

AVAIL

One of the most common questions I get from actors is "What is avail?" Its a funny thing. I will try to explain as best as I can.
When an actor goes on a first audition it is usually just a camera man and the actor in the room. The video is reviewed by casting directors and/or the production team. From there and actor may or may not get a "call back."
A call back is a little different than a first call. The actor will do the same thing, but the room will have the camera man, the director, producer and often the ad agency will be present as well. It can be a bit scary with the panel sitting in front of you!
After the call back your video is reviewed again. If they cannot decided between actors you may be place "on avail" until they decide. This way they know that the actor is available to work those shoot days. This is ONE reason for avail. Another reason for avail is that you (the actor) may be the only choice for the job but they do not know the shoot dates yet and will hold you for a longer amount of time to be sure they have you when they figure the schedule out. Another reason for avail could be if the project is not on for sure, or on the verge of being cancelled. Either reason for avail is an accomplishment.
As far as I am concerned a call back is a sign that you are doing something right! Its hard to even get in the door to be seen much less being asked to come back!
So all my actors out there reading should set goals for themselves to start getting called back and always be "AVAIL."