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Careers: Acting, Performing, Directing/i rllly want to actbut i cant seem to find any real agencies for free aroundd where i live

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Expert: - 2/18/2008


Question
Im 14 years old and i live close by to the NYC.Ive been looking on the internet for all kinds of casting calls for free just so i can see how i feel abotu acting before i spend a lot of money. Yet, so many agencies tell the same stuff, and its mostly fake or impossible to do. Do you know fo any agencies with great help and that are actually ligit?

Answer
Hi Vinny,

No one legitimate charges for "auditions".

Seldom (like almost never) does a casting call go public.
That means that they go through talent agents to get the TRAINED,
professional talent that have an agents.

How do you get an agent? You get trained by taking classes until you
are a good actor, then look for one. The teachers you will meet
have names of local agents to submit your resume and headshots to BY MAIL to attempt to get signed. The agencies call you if they like what they see and read, or never answer at all some times.

Just being good looking, won't help much if you have no educational credits to list.

An agent want to have talent that is able to generate cash and not embarrass them by being untrained and not knowing what to do when they are sent to an audition. If the talent sucks, the agent looks bad, if the agent looks bad, they don't get called on to send talent because they are a joke!

Take classes Vinny.

Best, Taylor

Careers: Acting, Performing, Directing

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Taylor Sheppard

Expertise

I can answer questions: on starting a career in acting, mistakes in acting, etiquette when dealing with industry contacts, finer points on how to act, and things to avoid in the field.

Experience

I have been a professional actor 21 years, with appearances in TV, Film and commercials. I have made good decisions and potentially damaging mistakes. I believe anyone who has a dream deserves to explore it, and I take their aspirations seriously. That being said, I do not pull punches. I try to be tactful, but I will not lie to someone, honesty is more effective. My last film role was in "Teeth" which was picked for Sundance in January 2007. It was sold to Lionsgate and Weinstein Co. for somewhere over 2.5 million. The role was "Mr. Griffith", a sex-ed teacher.

Organizations
Ciao Agency-Austin/Georgetown, Texas. (Formerly known as Donna Adams Agency. Matthew McConaughey was a good friend and fellow member. I also have belonged to agencies in three other Texas cities, but they have since closed.) TXMPA -Texas Motion Picture Alliance. Various other internet networking web rings as well as Actors Access. I was instrumental in advising actress Krista Allen on getting her career in acting started in Austin,Texas (we worked at the same Health Club in the early '90's).

Publications
Previously wrote on a now defunct website such as this one. I enjoyed helping new actors.

Education/Credentials
I have acted for 21 years. I studied under James Nelson Harrell as well as other talented actors at Southwest Texas State University. After college, I have taken classes with Julliard graduate Mona Lee, Bill Johnson, Van Brookes, Marco Perella and others in Austin Texas. I am constantly attending classes to maintain my edge and explore new directions. In addition to attending strictly acting classes, I have also taken business workshops with respected casting directors, such as Shari Rhodes ("Jaws","Close Encounters", "Raggedy Man".) Barbara Brinkley, Jo Edna Bolden and Donise Hardy, (Castingworks LA).

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