Well well well another casting department is shut down. What does this mean? Where does it all end? Well at the moment I can’t completely answer that for you but I can tell you that with the late Fall 2011 shutting down of HBO’s casting department…the beginning of the end of the beginning…is here and the reason why is simple…the almighty dollar of course. http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/hbo-shuts-down-its-casting-department/ Continue reading
Yep, you got it, I am indeed referencing the classic song/video “Video Killed the Radio Star” which was the first video ever played by MTV in 1980…commencing the beginning of the end of traditional “free radio.” So today, in 2011, while we have had digital technology as well as digital media worldwide for some time now there is a large difference between “what is possible” versus what is daily and normal. I have been talking to and with my fellow actor on a professional business pursuit level since 5/1/91. In that time I’ve made a thousands of observations, comments, statements…and PREDICTIONS. Continue reading
Ahhh….my TAN peeps,
We hope you had a tremendous Holiday weekend…
We are cruising into a crazy month…trust me on that.
No matter what our contract negotiations lead to…the reality is after the writer’s strike there are a lot of productions finding themselves behind …and now if there is any real hint there would be even a brief strike…many many shows will be pushing. Additionally, there was the typical 6-week dead spot in the Commercial world but it has rebounded with a vengeance and that industry will be looking to ensure they get all of their Fall spots cast and inked before any strike. Continue reading
On Sat, May 1, 2010 at 7:23 PM, The Actors’ Network <members@actors-network.com> wrote:
Good beautiful Saturday to you…
Yep, today is the day, May 1st…(19 years…don’t they go by in a blink).
Happy Birthday to The Actors’ Network. What a long strange trip its been.
It was a mere 19 years ago when I first sat down with Bill Bassett, Elisabeth Camara, Kevin Collins, Mel Metcalfe III, Leslie Nattinger, David Ridenhour & (my girlfriend) Suzi Kesler. Continue reading
Well, once again, we’re on the precipice of Summertime, as well as contract negotiations…or the “fear of a strike.” What a perfect time to “check out” right…NOT. At some point you guys, being an actor in this city, has to become something you’re not constantly looking to “put on the shelf.” Again, if you treat something like a hobby…you will get hobby results, as well as be hobby proficient. And I assure you that in LA, while there are a lot of bad actors, there are also a lot of good ones and having “hobby-level” skills…ain’t gonna get it done most of the time. Continue reading
! Build a Strong Professional Network, by Kevin E. West!
If your goal is to build a strong professional network you have to ask why? Why do you need a strong professional network? The simple answer is necessity. In any profession to enjoy a successful career a strong network is absolutely essential. A successful acting career is no different than any other. It requires long term and focused effort to build anything. It is impossible to build a career without a strong professional network as a foundation, and additionally, a strong professional network cannot reap benefits without several years of work and maintenance. So long as you put the time necessary into building and maintaining a
strong professional network, you can achieve a terrific career. What is the make up of a strong professional network? You must have diverse, intelligent, and professional people surrounding you who are moving forward. Ok, so how does this occur? Well…you have to meet them so let’s breakdown this process.
Meeting: (Don’t forget that a lot of acting in Hollywood is TIMING!) Continue reading
So it is November 13th today, and conventional wisdom has it that there is maybe a week or so of legit “busy time” left before we ALL mentally just depart for a flippin’ 5-week stretch.
NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.
Dorothy ain’t in Kansas… and it isn’t the 90’s.
People, do not be like everyone else. Don’t do and think like everyone else… because when you’re an actor “95% of the everyone else” are people who’ve never really worked or really ever began building a career. Continue reading
Well well well, how fun it was yesterday afternoon when Lifers Lisa K. Wyatt and Amir Talai, along with “yours truly”, were interviewed on the Patt Morrison show (89.3). Additionally back on Tuesday, July 1st, we held a Special Guest appearance at the TAN studios with Jonathan Handel and that session was recorded (aired on 7/8) by Brian Watt from 89.3, as well as attended by Vanessa Juarez from EW.com.
Below are the links and information you need to listen to or read about both the AFTRA contract negotiations as well as its dispute with SAG.
Tuesday, July 8
This Week on Patt Morrison
http://www.scpr.org/programs/pattmorrison/ Continue reading
Actors discuss potential SAG strike at Hollywood meeting
Jul 2, 2008, 04:11 PM | by Vanessa Juarez
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY LINK: (Full story below, plus more from J. Handel)
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/07/actors-meeting.html
Categories: Movie Biz, Strike, TV Biz
The Screen Actors Guild and its smaller sister union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, have been trying to hammer out individual contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for several weeks now. Unfortunately, the unions despise each other, which leaves working actors caught in the middle of a political cat fight. And that’s a tough predicament for many since, well, most Hollywood actors aren’t Will Smith. Consider this: According to a Los Angeles Times analysis, 72.1 percent of actors make less than $5,000 per year, and less than 2 percent of them make enough to own a Bentley. Continue reading
Hey Actors’ Network peeps…Please know that the Jonathan Handel appearance this past Tuesday, at its core, is what The Actors’ Network has been built on since 1991.
We can have all the technology in the world, from online photos to on demand demos and I love it…because we save trees and time. But at the end of the day it is “how” you use those tools in life, NOT just that they exist. Actors commonly get caught up in the tools and technology of our profession without realizing that they’re not getting anywhere. Remember the “frame of a house” is only that…a frame, a structure upon which the rest of the actual “living quarters” are built. Our community of actors today tends to “think” they have all they need when they go to class, have a photo, are listed on 200 actor websites + one of their own, a Facebook/MySpace page…get the BDs on the black market and go to workshops. Continue reading
