Careers: Acting, Performing, Directing/how?
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Question
how can i be on disenychannel and I know that we have to
get a agent but why i love to be on diseny channel and plus i am 11 but about to turn 12 and my brithday is in august 6 and how much does a agent cost and i was all most about to be on the lion king movie untill i had family issure but please answer my question thank you jasmine
Hi Jasmine,
Well, you need to taking acting classes as well as acting classes for working on camera. Then you can start looking for an agent after you get your picture (headshot) taken and reproduced. You send the photo by mail to agents you find under "talent agencies" in your local yellow pages.
You include a letter to explain you are looking for an agent in the area and give them your parent's phone number and address. Then you wait to see if they call to meet you.
You want to tell them what classes or things you have done: school plays, dance competitions, whatever shows you have performed before. They would like to see at least, something, if only classes.
Agents take usually 15% of your paycheck when you have done an acting job. No real agent "charges" you before that. If they do, they are a scam.
As to Disney, they want someone who has acted before and you would need to stay in Los Angeles at least a month or so in the spring to be able to go to auditions during "pilot season" (where they look for new faces to put in new shows). Your agent will need to have contacts there to get you in to the auditions. You would be seeing thousands of other kids there, by the way...) If you can't do that, you won't be getting in unless you were to send a headshot and resume and they contacted you, but then they aren't going to come to you or fly you out on their money, you would need to go to Los Angeles and stay to be seen again and again over a period of time until they decided to hire you or not. As you see, it isn't easy. I would start by getting classes and work from there! There are very few shortcuts in life and acting....
Please understand, I have NO CONTACTS with Disney and cannot give any further info on them.
Good luck!
Taylor
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Answers by Expert:
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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