Expert: Phil Nemy - 6/15/2009

Question
Dear phill,



i really appreciate what you're doing supporting people persuing an acting career. i am one of them am now almost 24 years old  and would like to start an acting career in the US (the homeland of movies). i live in a small town in israel which doesnt have any theaters or acting classes , so i have no experience, however i can start a B.F.A degree (which has some acting training)combined with an B.A in english degree at the tau university.this whole process will take 3 years.

i have to decide by october what to do, take this 8 week workshop at the NYFA and try to dig for an agent to find me some work, or go for the degrees and then travel to take the course and try to find some work, maybe the second method will impress an agent seeing that i have a B.F.A on my resume.



i have only an israeli passport, so i need to have a student visa or an HB visa to establish my self in the US , the only way i could get the HB visa is to work for any agent who has some work for actors, i seek aid with the decisions . i am motivated to start this career but i want help and guidance.



also is it common for an agent to issue a visa for foreign actors?



thanks for any tip or answer , and i would really appreciate it if you send me an e book about starting an acting career.



E.owda


Answer
Esam,

Thanks for writing. To address your questions, first - I am not a big fan of NYFA. I have not heard good things about their training for actors. If you want the best training as an actor, enroll in a college or university that has a very strong program and an excellent reputation for training actors. Schools of this caliber will offer a BFA in Acting.

DO NOT study acting for film. Instead, study the craft of acting for the professional stage, even if you have no desire to have a career on the stage. Acting in professional theater is THE BEST training you can receive as it is the foundation for all forms of acting, whether it be film, TV, radio, commercials, etc.

As far as visa's go, Agents do not issue visas to foreign actors. Only the US Government can issue a visa. Agents do not employ actors. Production companies that produce film or television shows are the entities that employ actors. That said, most companies do not want the headache of having to apply for an HB or O-1 visa on your behalf because it costs them money, it's time consuming, and it can often be a big headache. I share this with you just so you know what you're up against. If you intend to be in the USA by October, you had better start not applying for your visa as it will take some time.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil