From BUD LIGHTS “I Love You, Man” campaign to the celebrated CORVETTE “Anniversary” spot, directed by film-maker Andy Davis, Jeff Gerrard and his associates at Jeff Gerrard Casting have cast over 3500 television commercials. For over twenty five years Jeff has been
responsible for casting a myriad of major campaigns such as AT&T, Coke, McDonalds, Kellogg’s, Canon, L’Oreal, Mattel, Suzuki, Mountain Dew, Nintendo, Nissan, Nike, Direct TV, Pepsi and numerous .coms.

He has cast every up and coming young actor thru the years, from Patrick Swayze roller skating for “A&W Rootbeer” thru sending Andy Samberg of “Saturday Night Live” to Japan for “Honda” and his first SAG job.

Gerrard and his staff have made their name not only in casting image spots but virtually every style of commercial: dialogue driven spots; precocious kids spots; thought provoking PSAs and beauty spots.
Frequently traveling on location or “out to the streets”, he has cast numerous real people spots. Jeff has lent his “hands on” approach to a variety of on-air advertisements, voice-over’s and feature films. He has cast over twenty five feature films; most recently “Conspiracy” starring Val Kilmer, Jennifer Esposito & Gary Cole, the madcap comedy “Whose Your Caddy” starring Big Boi, from the singing group Outcast, Sherri
Shepherd, Terry Crews, Faison Love, Garret Morris, Finese Mitchell as well as “BALLASTIC: Ecks vs. Sever” starring Antonio Banderas & Lucy Lui. He has cast films and television projects starring the likes of Treat Williams, Faye Dunaway, Ice T, David Hasselhoff, Andy Dick, Tim Curry, Melanie Griffith, Dee Wallace, Morris Chestnut, Claire Bloom, John Rhyrs-Davies, Steve Guttenberg, JaRule, Nia Peeples, Vinnie Jones, Chita Rivera and Academy Award winner Mo’Nique.

This personal touch combined with his vast knowledge of the industry has earned Gerrard the respect of actors as well as his peers. He has served for over fifteen years as the president of the Commercial Casting
Directors Association (CCDA).

Tim Weissman is now a theatrical agent at C.E.S.D., formerly with The House of Representatives. He represents actors who are in series regular, guest starring and supporting roles on TV and in Film. He also handles various developmental clients. Tim got his start working in music. His senior year in high school he started a fundraiser to built a radio station at his school. He graduated and went on to study at Emerson College in Boston where he majored in communications and minored in marketing/advertising. At Emerson he worked at and eventually became president of the college record label, managed the jazz program on his college radio station WERS 88.9 FM, helped setup charity concerts and events with various non-profits, as well as managed local bands. Tim also worked at WAAF 107.3 FM helping out in the studio as well as running on-site promotional events for the station.

After working in the corporate music scene Tim decided it was not the career he wanted to pursue. Tim moved to Los Angeles where he interned for Miramax and Dimension Films helping to secure product placement deals for upcoming releases. When his internship ended he found he current home working for Ginger Lawrence, Pam Braverman and Denny Sevier. When Ginger left the agency in the spring of 2007 to pursue volunteer work, Tim was promoted to full agent.

Emily Henneke is the sole owner/manager of EHM. Emily grew up in Oklahoma and always knew she would find her place in the entertainment industry. As most managers do, Emily started her entertainment career as an actor. After deciding to put her organizational and "motherly" skills to use, Emily transitioned into management. She worked for several different production and management companies (including Eclectic Pictures, among others) before incorporating EHM. Emily works with a select number of actors and prides herself on having close and personal relationships with each and every one of her clients. Emily feels that the most important job of the manager is to completely know his/her clients in order to best place them in the industry. Emily holds both her clients and her employees at an extremely high standard. It is the work ethic and personal relationships that define EHM as a company.

Kenneth Michael Suarez is a partner of Brick Entertainment and a commercial agent.

Being an actor, is truly the easiest thing in the world, no really it is. Why, you ask? Because stop and think about what is required to “call one’s self an actor?” Answer: absolutely nothing. There is no entry barrier such as a degree, or uniform training, and there are no “approval boards” or standards and practices who hand you a card that says you’re “allowed to be an actor.” A union card does not mean you’re an actor, as you can get one by having a friend give you one word on a show or by sitting around getting (3) background vouchers while doing nothing of consequence.

Therefore it is VERY easy to have the word “Hobby” come into play quickly. We can love performing, we can be really good at performing, but is that what we mean by a “career?” No, it isn’t. The Actors’ Network, nor Kevin, has ever had an interest in doing anything other than helping one achieve their dreams. But at one point are you just waiting for someone to hand you a winning lottery ticket versus actually starting that journey of a thousand miles with the first step of a CAREER? This topic is designed to help you see and organize the elements required of truly wanting to treat this as a career v. the lottery.

Ron Luscinski (www.imdb.com/name/nm4276193/) is an innovative digital 3-D Director based in Los Angeles at The Culver Studios. Ron combines 20 years of experience across feature films, television and commercial production with a vast knowledge of 3D digital cinema.  He has directly supervised over $120m of production and has been involved in casting more than 50 projects as a Director, Producer, Writer or Creative Director. Currently, Mr. Luscinski is developing a one-hour drama for 3D television and has two 3D features in development.

Recently, Mr. Luscinski directed and produced four military-themed 3D Featurettes (Starring TAN Founder/Prez, Kevin E. West).  Two of which will premiere at the GI Film Festival in Washington DC this May.  Mr. Luscinski directed and produced the first-ever 3D film for the United States Navy as well as the first 3D film for the US Army.  

Over two decades, Mr. Luscinski has produced content and marketed feature films for four major film studios including DISNEY, SONY, PARAMOUNT and WARNER BROTHERS, as well as for IMAX, and has produced content for 18 networks and cable channels including NBC, ABC, FOX, HBO, CINEMAX, ESPN, THE DISNEY CHANNEL, TNT, TBS, UPN, FX, CMT, G4 TECH TV, TVG, and DIRECTV. Mr. Luscinski has also marketed over forty studio feature films with total box office receipts exceeding $1 billion dollars, including Pretty Woman, Dick Tracy, The Rocketeer, City Slickers, Boyz N the Hood, Prince of Tides, My Girl, Radio Flyer, Bram Stoker's Dracula, El Mariachi, Payback, Strange Days, Escape from L.A., Event Horizon, Face/Off, Tin Cup, For the Love of the Game and The Rat Pack.

Mr. Luscinski has also produced original programming for every major broadcast sport and marketed for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS Soccer, NASCAR, PGA, Wimbledon and World Championship Boxing on HBO, and was responsible for launching the NFL on FOX, the biggest network sports
launch in sports history. Mr. Luscinski has owned and operated a leading entertainment agency/production company in Los Angeles from 1999-2008, The Ballpark, and has held producer and creative executive positions at entertainment leader Seiniger of Beverly Hills from 1994-1999, as well as at Creative Domain 1992-1993 and New Wave Entertainment 1990-1991. In 1993, Mr. Luscinski was a screenwriter represented by William Morris and wrote Producer Oren Koules’ (Twisted Pictures/SAW franchise) first project that was developed for Disney.

Mr. Luscinski has been recognized with a multitude of awards including the
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Emmy and two Cable Aces. He proudly attended the prestigious USC School of Cinema and Television in the Graduate program.

Born in Burbank, California, across the street from Walt Disney Studios, Mary Ellen started her career in 1980 as a delivery person at the Carey-Phelps-Colvin Agency. She progressed rapidly to the position of receptionist/contract person and then talent agent in the voice department in 1982.

In 1984 Mary Ellen was hired by Rita Vennari to work as a voice agent at Sutton, Barth & Vennari (SBV). Her association with SBV has afforded her the opportunity to represent and work with the most talented performers, agents, producers, and directors in the voice industry.

Her involvement has touched on every aspect of voice work from casting to contracts, including: feature films, television, feature animation, animation series, trailers, on-air promos, commercials, books on tape, interactive games, internet projects, voice recognition, and documentaries.

Mary Ellen continues to enjoy working with SBV in this challenging and dynamic industry.

Since the late 90s the concept of performing in a callback scenario has drastically changed. From Commercials, to television producer sessions to modified film agreements what we face today when walking into a callback scenario is ridiculous. From the location changing from the original audition, to multiple people arranged oddly in a room to extra cameras to commercial clients eating lunch and talking during your audition. It takes a lot more than being talented, it takes being mentally prepared for what you instrument may have to block out.

Allen Martinez recently completed his latest effort, a new feature film teaser "Bits and Pieces", which is a dark sci-fi piece dealing with health care in the near future. Martinez’ political thriller "Intelligence" starring Milo Ventimiglia (NBC's: Heroes, Rocky Balboa) won 6 awards. Early in his career, executive producer Lawrence Bender (An Inconvenient Truth, Good Will Hunting, Inglorious Basterds) gave Martinez a start by hiring him to direct commercials through Quentin Tarantino's company: A Band Apart. Since then, Allen has been directing national campaigns for corporate giants such as: Coca-Cola, In-Bev, Subway, BlockBuster, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Hilton Hotels, Burger King, Univision, Yamaha, Miller Lite, Proctor & Gamble, McDonald's, Heineken, Orbitz, Wrigley's and others! Allen was selected by celebrities Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to be a top 10 finalist for Project Greenlight 2 on HBO. He has was won ACIP awards and a Clio award. You can keep up with Allen’s career here: www.allen_martinez.prosite.com/

BIO is coming soon!

ARTHUR TORETZKY has been in the business for almost 40 years.  After graduating from the State University College at Oneonta in upstate NY (famous for being the alma mater of BILL PULLMAN), he moved to NY to become an actor.  After some success (touring companies of 1776 and DAMES AT SEA, along with a musical at the Manhattan Theatre Club), Arthur decided that he loved the "business" more than the "show", and became an assistant at the FIFI OSCARD AGENCY, a very well know boutique talent agency.  Within 6 months, he graduated from assistant to theatre agent.  Two years later, he left Oscard and moved on to the BRET ADAMS AGENCY where he had the pleasure of working with such clients as Brian Dennehy, Judith Light, Judy Kaye, Kathy Bates among others.  One day in August, 1979, Arthur was asked to fly to L.A. to "temporarily" fill in as the head of the Adams west coast office until a replacement could be found.  He ended up staying.  In 1983, Arthur went into partnership with his associate Trice Koopman, and they opened up ATM ASSOCIATES TALENT AGENCY.  After 4 years of success, Toretzky and Koopman sold their agency and joined forces with the GORES/FIELDS AGENCY.  In 1993, the G/F AGENCY (with the acquisition of a number of talent and literary agencies) became PARADIGM.  Arthur was one of their founding agents, and helped grow the agency until 2008.  Interested in returning to his roots, Arthur decided to leave PARADIGM to become a partner in the prestigious boutique GAGE GROUP TALENT AGENCY.  This marks his third successful year with the agency.  He recently joined forces with agent, Judith Moss, who was also a founding PARADIGM agent.  Clients include Conchata Ferrell ("Two and a Half Men"), David Hall ("CSI"), Lenny Clarke ("Rescue Me" and the new Chelsea Handler Show), George Wendt, Shirley Knight, Tovah Feldshuh and others.

His interests include golf, poker and his position as a member of the board of directors of weSPARK CANCER SUPPORT CENTER.

Yes, there actually is a proper format to an actor Commercial or Theatrical resume. However, we’re now in an entirely new world with regards to technology. So now you have to mix in just what the value of the resume is, how it is reviewed etc. Too often casting and agents complain at the lack of structure in a resume. There IS a proper format to the categories and credits themselves that are the foundation to such things as design and appearance options. Make your resume both informational through proper format and yet customize your look to stand out. Also, learn ways to have your resume create a stronger perception without false padding or lying, which can wind up being worse than nothing.

Laurie Records (Casting Director, CCDA) has been working in the commercial realm since 2004. For three years she cast hundreds of commercials as Associate Casting Director in a bustling commercial office. In 2009, Laurie opened her own company. While Laurie continues casting all types Commercials ranging from National Network to web only spots, she has broadened her horizons to include casting web content for Network Television, Television Hosts, various Web Series, Industrials, and dabbles in casting Film. Laurie writes a monthly column titled “Commercial Actors Should Never…” for Casting Networks. She regularly attends LA theatre.

After a ten-year on-air and production career in Boston radio and television, Brad relocated to Los Angeles in 1981 to accept a position as a publicity executive for Norman Lear’s Tandem/TAT Productions (later Embassy Television, now Sony Pictures Television). He left that position in 1983 to establish his own agency, Lemack & Company Public Relations/Talent Management (LemackCo.com). Since then, the company has established itself in the areas of and talent management and career development for actors, as well as entertainment, personality and book publicity, business and non-profit public relations, and special event creation and production.

Brad is the author of two books for actors, the popular “The Business of Acting: Learn the Skills You Need to Build the Career You Want,” first published in 2002, and the just-published “The New Business of Acting: How to Build a Career in a Changing Landscape.” He is also the host of the Web TV series “Inside the Business of Acting” (InsideTheBusinessOfActing.com) and has been a member of the faculty at the Emerson College Los Angeles Center since 1995, where he teaches courses in the Business of Acting and in entertainment and interactive public relations.

This discussion is actually the core foundation of why Kevin created and continued The Actors’ Network. When you begin to get completely PRESENT with the difference between what you accept as an actor versus what you pursue, a HUGE weight will be lifted. When you naturally and simply let things go because they’re outside of your “focused pursuit” Hollywood becomes a more manageable place and your career more within your grasp. Because we’re constantly inundated with what are considered career-oriented TIPS or projects or possibilities we easily fall into the TRAP of just “accepting it.” The question is are you going to just continue to judge your destiny by what you’re willing to accept or by what you truly wish to PURSUE.

This could be representation, something in a trade, an audition you heard about, or the place where you can find a filmmaker and talk to them. The reality is there are lots of choices on what you desire versus what you’re offered. When you’re clear on WHY, then you’ll be more involved and care more about the result of your efforts. We claim we don’t know what to do or are not sure if we’re allowed to do blah blah…but is that really the issue? We know that the general belief amongst actors is a fear of rejection, which is what leads to slowly settling back into accepting whatever is the path of the least resistance or not really having a direction…so your career meanders aimlessly for years.

You’ll find that you’re far less worried about bothering or upsetting a professional person if what you’re going after …is truly in your professional heart to create progress. The line that exists between being pushy and being professional when promoting your career, requesting a meeting, asking for career help, looking for an agent, getting a general with a casting director, or just wanting to get career advice we feel lies within your CORE REASON for wanting to pursue it. Learn how to define and remain clear over the years of your career regarding the difference between pursuing versus acceptance so that you can become more effective in your career and even social pursuits. Playing small or shrinking into the proverbial corner of your career will not help you unless you have tremendous representation. Additionally there are dozens and dozens of opportunities out there for you and moments when asking the right thing at the right time or not mentioning something is the way to be pushy, but only if you’re unclear within yourself on WHY. Actors tend to have little patience and try to push for everything at the moment because the situation, project or circumstance is just “there” or available, instead of a specific moment created by pursuit.

Hervey/Grimes Talent Agency was founded in 1991 by Marsha Hervey & Pam Grimes. Hervey/Grimes is a boutique SAG franchised agency. Marsha and Pam were both personal managers before becoming agents; they now have a great combination as agents to meet their talents personal needs.

Marsha Hervey: "The agencies general philosophy is that we are here to get you work. We love what we do, so our clients should absolutely love what they do. We're working hard for them, and we expect our clients to do the same. If we give 100 percent, we expect our clients to do 200 percent. As actors, it's their job to be the actor and be professional. That means everything from going to classes and getting the proper training to getting your pictures to us on time. We're here to have fun. We're not here to nag people, so you better do what you're supposed to do."

Pam Grimes: "We view our association with actors as a partnership. We at
Hervey/Grimes are your business partners. Our goal is to work together on
your career and get you where you want [and need] to be. So when we
make one phone call to the actors to do something — to get pictures or whatever — we don't want to have to keep calling them. It's a partnership, and we expect them to do what they expect us to do.

As of 2012 this is now an ACTIVITY, which means NO LATECOMERS & NO leaving early!

It is 90-minutes in length.

This is an opportunity to discuss any issues and concerns you may have regarding your career or pursuit. It's a great time to discuss situations that may have occurred or will occur due to your pursuit. Get other actors perspective on your issue so that we all become more prepared and informed about our careers. An issue can be as simple as asking about an acting coach to as difficult as how to handle an agent who is asking you out on a date.

3-HOURS LONG: NO LATECOMERS, NO LEAVING EARLY, NO EXCEPTIONS. Park on a side street not a meter.

The Actors’ Network created a specific form to “Type” each other in four areas: Visual, Essence, Stereotypes and Professions. The results are designed to assist you in understanding how other folks see you, what type of feeling they get from you and how they would cast you. It is one of the most valuable tools you’ll ever get as an actor. Type is Three hours long. Realize that how you wear your hair and attire play a major role. We recommend doing at least two or three of these per year. Come to each one with a different look.

Talent Ink LA-Chicago-NY is a talent management company dedicated to enhancing the careers of quality talent. We work with large and small talent agencies. We are known for character actor's of all ages. Our clients have appeared in films with Robert Downy Jr., Clint Eastwood, Will Smith, Maria Bello, Jennifer Aniston, and almost all the major TV shows. We have a solid presence in the commercial world too with a number of National spots running. Terrie started out as an actor herself…most notably as Aunt Leslie in Home Alone 1 and 2.

All day event