Expert: Phil Nemy - 1/1/2007

Question
hey,my name is Simonne I'm 16 and I'm a high school student from PERRIS,CA and i love acting!i love doing plays and things like that but i want more, my mother wants me to do some auditions for Disney because I'm silly and i would love to but i don't really no what to do....kind of new too the hole Hollywood thing so some tips would be very much appreciated,thank you!
oh and my mother is "my Agent".
Simonne


Answer
Simonne,

Thanks for writing. If you want to be cast in a Disney Film or a Disney Television production, you need to prepare yourself first. Begin by enrolling in some acting classes. Since you live in Perris, you're not too far from Burbank and Los Angeles. Consider moving to LA and enrolling in some good acting classes to develop your talent. Since you're in High School, you may also wish to consider going to college and studying acting in a strong acting program. Local schools like UCLA, USC, and California Institute of the Arts in Valencia all have good acting programs.

The next thing you need to do is get experience. Start acting in plays, musicals, short films, anything where you can get some acting experience. Then add these experiences on a resume. My book, GET A REEL JOB, has some examples of what a good actor's resume looks like.

You also need to have professional headshot photographs taken of you. Again, my book explains how to find a good photographer and what a good headshot looks like.

Finally, you need a good agent. I hate to say it, but while you're mother's intent is to look out for your best interests, because she doesn't understand the inner workings of the entertainment industry, nor does she have the necessary contacts in the industry, she's probably not your best choice for an agent, at least at this point in your career. I would advise you to get an agent in Los Angeles that has relationships with casting directors so they may be able to get you some auditions. In addition, you want someone representing you that knows the casting people at Disney so you'll have a better chance of getting an audition there.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil