Actor-Preneur

Erin Cronican of the Actors Enterprise posted an interesting article on why actors need websites. IN addition to the basic online services actors have, such as Actors Access, LA Casting, Erin makes great points.

The Actors’ Enterprise: Blog and News
: Why Actors Need Websites: “”

There is a great story in today’s Kansas City. com web site about John Leguizamo and his acting career.

The article asks the question, “How’d you wind up in acting classes?”

My high school math teacher suggested it. They were going to expel me because I’d never stop being the class clown. …

The article written by Joseph V. Amodio goes on to ask, “So when was your “aha” moment — when you knew you had to be an actor?”

There’ve been three. One was in acting school. My first scene … was from (the Sal Mineo film) “Dino,” about a street kid. I rocked it, man. I thought, “Wow, I can’t do anything right, but I can do this.” The next time was (in a performance art showcase). I went on last, 2 a.m. and I was like, nobody’s gonna care, but everybody stayed and I got a standing O. I thought, holy … I can make these white people laugh. They get me. The third moment was in (the movie) “Carlito’s Way” — I realized, this is what acting is about.

Please read the article in it’s entirety here.

A recurring conversation among aspiring actors, and somewhat trivial matter is “How do you adhere your acting resume (CV)” to your Acting Headshot. The simple answer is four staples, one in reach corner. Why it is even brought up, I do not understand, as some actors ask can they use two staples on top. With the current cost per staple….just put a staple and each corner.

Kaufman Astoria Studios, one of New York City’s three largest movie studios, is moving ahead with a major expansion plan.

The studio in Queens, will break ground this fall on a $20 million building, with an 18,000-square-foot soundstage and 22,000 square feet of support space, on a plot of land diagonally across 36th Street from its current building, which is between 34th and 35th Avenues.

Silvercup Studios, in Long Island City, Queens, announced that it would build a $1 billion complex on the East River waterfront, south of the Queensboro Bridge. It is to have eight new soundstages, production and support space, two towers with 1,000 apartments, an office tower and stores.

Four-year-old Steiner Studios, is renovating a 289,000-square-foot building adjacent to its current soundstages in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, for use as production and office space.

The SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card isn’t something you should try to get so that you can become an actor. Instead, think of it as something that comes to you when you’re ready for it.

SAG’s membership department is busy everyday processing Taft Hartley forms making it possible for non-union actors to work and become members of SAG.

So what is the Taft Hartley Act?

The Taft-Hartley Act, is a United States federal law greatly restricting the activities and power of labor unions. The Act, still effective, was sponsored by Senator Robert Taft and Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr. The Taft-Hartley Act amended the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA; informally the Wagner Act), which Congress passed in 1935.

The term Taft-Hartley has a special meaning in the entertainment industry. Specifically, for film and television actors, an actor not in the union who becomes a “principal performer” (says a line) is immediately eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild and is covered under the SAG contract with the production company for 30 days, at which point he or she must either join SAG or cease working on any union productions. Once joining the union, the actor may not work on any non-union production, per the terms of the bylaws. This allows SAG to get around the rules forbidding closed shops by providing a mechanism for new members to join the union.

Most aspiring actors are confused to understanding why you need a SAG card and how to get one.

The SAG card is not as important as you think and it’s not as difficult to get as you think.

Thanks to technology, actorpreneurs can now live in Münich, Sydney, Dallas or whereever and have a Los Angeles or NYC telephone number! The organization “skype.com” offers anyone a local number in most major cities. This way, as an actor, you can be an actor in London and have a Hollywood or Broadway number - which makes you a local actor. Just be prepared to always be available for auditions, which means catching a flight at the last minute for an audition in Los Angeles or on Broadway. Telling an agent, you can not make the audition, because you are in Perth, will not score you points.

Australia’s ABC Kids commissions the kid-targeted reality series Escape from Scorpion Island. In the series 16 British and Australian kids 11-14 are stranded on an island and must compete on teams in various challenges to be the first figure out a way to escape the island. Seasons two and three (60×30) of Escape from Scorpion Island will be shot back-to-back in Australia July 26-August 16. Season two will bow on ABC TV later this year, with season three slated for 2009. Escape from Scorpion Island is an RDF Media/Freehand production for BBC and ABC TV. The first season of the series, filmed in Brazil, was produced by UK based RDF for the BBC.

It actually happened! According to the web site, North County Times, regional film casting director Tina Real from San Diego was looking for extras for the film “The Ugly Truth”.

According to the article, “Only 14 people came to the four-hour casting call at Embassy Suites and some of those just happened to be sitting in the hotel lobby at what could turn out to be a lucky time.”

The extras casting for the movie is being done by San Diego-based Tina Real Casting. By the way, according to her web site, she charges $25! Ca Ching!

Recently I purchased the Amazon “Kindle”. After traveling with the WSJ newspaper, two of three hard covered books and of course my iphone, blackberry and a few other unlocked GSM mobile phones….and that does not include at least one Mac Book Pro and now the Mac Book Air. I was relieved after waiting two months after ordering my “Kindle” on Amazons web site.

The electronic pad can hold 200 books! Newspapers, magazines, and blogs. All downloaded wirelessly via the A&T GSM network.

Now consider how cool to have all the film scripts you can be reading while you are determining your Film next project!

Artistic Director of Auckland’s Studio 111 is holding a “Burma Aid Fair” on the 31st of May, from 9am - 3pm. Sally sent me an email with the following;

“Lets get together and support the Aid work in the devastated, Cyclone-ravaged ‘Yangon’ by getting rid of what we no longer need

***If you have things - books, computers, clothes, ornaments, Art-work etc ( in good nick) you can donate to sell, please drop them off to Studio 111 on Friday 30th May. If you can only drop off before that we have some room to store it but not much.Let us know a.S.A.P if you are intending to donate, come or help on the day”