The Actor's Survival Guide: How to Make Your Way in Hollywood »

While college theatre programs focus primarily on training and technique, business or marketing skills are never taught. Inevitably, many aspiring actors yearn to play in a bigger pond, and nothing outshines Hollywood for the promise of success.

But newcomers often find Hollywood an unforgiving maze, and end up wasting valuable time and money. Every year, thousands of career hopefuls arrive in Los Angeles, and within months most will fail and give up, having made unfortunate business decisions that doomed their professional quest. Why? Just as most medical programs don't teach doctors the business skills to establish a private practice, college theatre programs don't teach actors the business skills they'll need to compete in their field. And Hollywood most certainly has its share of bottom feeders who will suck the life out of any promising actor who is unprepared for the business realities of the industry.

As a handbook, The Actor's Survival Guide provides a compilation of the most current professional resource information: maps, charts, appendices, documents, and glossaries. Topical information is organized to anticipate the reader's questions. As a guidebook, it provides an insider's experiences of living and working within the Hollywood film and television industry that few college programs teach and that would take a Hollywood newcomer years to learn on her own. There's an enormous amount of hard-won advice in this book, which should prove helpful to all aspiring actors with Hollywood on their minds.

About the Author:
Jon S. Robbins began his professional career as a working actor in Los Angeles in 1978, appearing in many professional plays, commercials, andfilms. He has been working in education since 1986, teaching acting, directing, theatre history, and arts management. Currently an adjunct professor and the Managing Director of Performing and Media Arts at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Jon continues to work as a professional actor in Hollywood and the Seattle area, most recently appearing in Fox Television's Who's Your Daddy and TLC's Untold Tales of the ER

Acknowledgments     xiii
Preface     xv
Moving to Los Angeles: "Simple Is as Simple Does"     1
What should I do before I move?     2
What shouldn't I do before I move?     6
Living in Los Angeles     9
Los Angeles County     11
Los Angeles City     11
88 Small Towns in Search of a City     12
The Hills-Hollywood or Beverly?     12
The Canyons-Beachwood or Laurel?     13
The Beaches-Santa Monica or Venice?     14
The Valley-NoHo or Burbank?     15
The Basin-West Hollywood or Silverlake?     17
Surviving in Los Angeles: Employment, Housing, and Transportation     23
Implementing Your Business Plan     24
Employment     25
Who hires struggling actors in Los Angeles?     25
Where do I look for employment notices?     27
What jobs should I avoid?     28
What's better, employment or entrepreneurship?     29
Housing     30
What do I do first?     30
Should I rent, lease, sublet, or live with someone?     30
Where do I look for housing?     32
What should I look for when I inspect the unit?     32
What application fees may I be charged to rent/lease a unit?     33
What additional fees can I be charged if I'm approved?     34
What are my renter's rights?     35
Transportation     36
Do I really need a car in Los Angeles?     36
What are transportation corridors?     36
What's with the freeway names?     36
What are my public transportation choices?     37
Public transportation versus private vehicle     37
What about parking?     38
The Business of Hollywood     40
How do I find a paid acting job?     40
Who are the buyers?     41
Who are these "major studios"?     42
How does this production process work?     43
Who are the sellers?     44
What is the product being bought and sold?     44
How well do ethnic actors do in Hollywood?     45
Marketing Tools     50
What marketing materials do I need?     51
Headshots     52
If casting is done electronically do I still need headshot?     52
How do I find a good photographer?     52
How do I prepare for the photo shoot?     55
What should I expect during the photo shoot?     56
How do I choose a headshot?     56
Where do I have headshots printed?     56
Resume     57
What should I put on my resume?     57
How should I organize my resume?     57
What should I NOT put on my resume?     59
Do actors lie or exaggerate on their resumes?     59
How should I format and reproduce my resume?     59
Photo Cards     60
Do I need photo business cards?     60
Actor's Reel     60
How do I get clips of my work?     60
How do I go about making an actor's reel?     61
Personal Website     61
Should I have my own Web site?     61
How do I establish a personal Web site?     61
What is the Academy Players Directory?     62
Talent Agents and Personal Managers     64
What is a talent agent?     65
What does a talent agent do for the actor?     65
Are there different kinds of talent agents?     66
How does one become a talent agent?     67
Must an actor have a talent agent?     68
How do I find a licensed talent agent?     68
How does a talent agent find new actors to represent?      68
What should I expect when I meet with a talent agent?     69
Is it important to have a SAG franchised agent?     70
What is the difference between a SAG agency contract and a GSA?     70
What is the difference between a talent agent and a personal manager?     71
How do talent agents and personal managers work together?     72
How do I know a manager or management company is legitimate?     72
What scams should I watch out for?     73
The Unions     76
A brief history     77
What does a union do for an actor?     79
Which union(s) should I join?     80
Why doesn't everyone just join AFTRA and not SAG?     80
How do I join SAG?     80
The Right Place at the Right Time     81
The Casting Couch     81
Be an Extra Body     81
The Waiver Game     82
Use the Stage Door     83
The Casting Game     85
How does an actor get an audition?     86
How does an actor learn what projects are being cast?     86
What are breakdowns and how does one get them?     87
What is electronic casting and how has it changed casting?     87
Does everybody use electronic casting now?     88
Can actors subscribe to this service?     88
Which electronic casting services should I subscribe to?     89
Actors Access     89
Now Casting     90
LA Casting     90
Craigslist     90
What different types of casting notices are posted on electronic services?     91
How do you know if a project is legitimate?     92
If everybody uses electronic casting, why do I need headshots?     92
How do I create professional looking hardcopy submissions?     94
How should I address the envelope?     95
Auditioning     97
Who are casting directors?     98
What is the casting process?     99
Is the casting process the same for all projects?     100
Are there audition scams I should avoid?     102
What information should I request when I receive an audition call?     103
How should I prepare for an audition?     104
What should I keep focused on during the audition?     105
What shouldn't I do during the audition?     108
What shouldn't happen during auditions?     109
What could happen after an audition?     109
Working in Hollywood      112
What kind of contract and booking information will I receive?     113
What should I expect of a union contract?     115
What are the contractual differences between the various kinds of projects?     118
Film     118
Television     120
Commercials     121
New Media     122
Theatrical     122
Industrial/Educational     122
Interactive Media     123
Background Actors     123
What other legal documents must an actor know about?     124
What should I do to prepare for filming?     125
What should I bring with me to the set?     125
What shouldn't I bring to the set?     126
What should I do when I arrive?     127
What can I expect from nonunion projects?     127
What kinds of nonunion projects are available?     128
Films     128
Television     128
Commercials     129
Reality Programs     129
Music Videos     130
Stage     130
Bookkeeping: The Cost of Doing Business     131
Do actors have any special tax liabilities?     133
Does the IRS offer any special tax incentives to an actor?     134
What deductions may actors take on their income taxes?     134
Commissions and Fees     135
Contract Labor Fees (Services)     135
Legal Expenses     136
Professional Registries     136
Professional Services     136
Travel     137
Local Travel     137
Out of Town Travel     137
Communication     137
Office Supplies     139
Equipment Purchases     139
Marketing Materials     139
Continuing Education     140
Professional Supplies     140
Office Space     141
How do I maintain these records?     141
What should I do if I'm audited?     141
What five mistakes should I avoid?     142
What items are not deductible?     142
Continuing Education and Training     145
Why should I continue with my education or training?     146
What training options does an actor have in Los Angeles?     147
Academic Institutions     147
Acting Studios     148
Workshops     149
Coaches     150
Pay to play?      150
What scams do I need to avoid?     150
What other kinds of research resources will I find in Los Angeles?     151
Epilogue     153
Maps     155
Entertainment Industry Parallelogram     155
Los Angeles Neighborhoods     156
Satellite View of Los Angeles     157
Los Angeles County Neighborhood Statistics     159
Forms     175
SAG Television Commercials Agency Contract     176
SAG Employment Contract: Industrial/Educational Film or Videotape     180
Standard Employment Contract for Performers Engaged as Extras in Television Commercials     181
SAG Taft/Hartley Report     182
An Actor's Film and Television Glossary     183
Works Cited     195
Books     195
Magazines     195
Web Sites     196
Legal Agreements     200
Governmental Documents     200