For most of the last century, many young people’s dream has been to go to Hollywood in Los Angeles and try to become actors or actresses in movies or on television. Although very few manage to become superstars, all applicants can follow a series of steps that can put them on the right path.
Have a portfolio of photographs
Hire a professional photographer, one who specializes in the entertainment industry, to take some pictures, which will be your cover letter for job applications. Usually, your information as an actor will be printed on the back of the photograph. Take a free copy of LA Weekly or check backstage.com to find lists of photographers.
Teach yourself
Get some training. Acting is an art with many styles and sets of talents, and the best actors are always learning something new to add to their repertoires. In Los Angeles, the offers to learn to act can range from small studies with classes taught by a single professor or too large universities such as the USC, UCLA and the California Institute of Arts. For the beginner, the best options are community education classes in acting at Los Angeles City College or at UCLA Extension. This city is also home to other very famous acting schools, including Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Lee Strasberg.
Try with auditions
Audition for papers. Now that you have your photographs and have taken some classes, you are ready to try yourself out there. The actors in Los Angeles hear about various auditions from various sources on the web such as Craigslist, Backstage, InfoList, and Hollywood Reporter. You will need a phone number with voicemail, as well as an email address and computer access, to find out about jobs and calls.
Compile your projects
Build your movie shows. This is to have a DVD or video on the web in which you show your experience and roles in which you have participated in movies, television series, and commercials, which will be requested by the directors. You will find a list of movie publishers that specialize in these shows in the same places where photographers are promoted.
In addition, learn about aspiring actors as well those who are already established in the industry. A good example to inspire you would be Kenney Myers from the USA who has been featured in a number of key projects. Kenney has starred in Murderous Affairs (Netflix), Walking Point, Jax In Love, Walking Point, Ivy & Mistletoe, My Panda, and SOS.
Promote yourself within a segment
You must self-promote with casting directors. A casting director has the power to hire you for a job in Los Angeles. Some casting sources such as actingland.com, where all casting directors are looking for actors, can be a good bet. There are also lists of sites where directors attend, which could give you more options to be discovered in Los Angeles.
Get representation
Find a representative (if any). You won’t need it when you’re just starting. Once you start working with other actors, ask them who the good representatives are. Sites like actingland.com and backstage.com have lists of talented representatives, as well as in Hollywood Creative Directory. Sites such as Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) list several actor representatives. Call them and ask them what they will need to consider in order to represent you. Regularly this will be your picture, resume, and video shows. By far, the best way to get an agent is through a personal referral. Although this could take a long time being a new actor in Los Angeles because of the difficulty of having a network of contacts for this.
Network
Build one of the contacts. Los Angeles is a business partnership. Almost all people living in Los Angeles know of someone who works in the business. Every night, there are numerous events, screenings, classes, panels, and registration, etc., which are inexpensive or free and open for business and the general public. The industry is collaborative, and aspiring actors can find writers, directors, and producers, as well as other actors and all kinds of people related to movies and television at these events.