What's it like to be an actor? Is it all glamour and fun? How does one plan a career in acting? How difficult is it to achieve success as an actor? All of these important questions will be answered in this chapter.
THE WORLD OF ACTING
Based on scripts, actors perform their roles in theaters, movies, and radio and television productions. Whether the characters they are portraying are young or old, or the part is dramatic or comedic, actors bring their characters "to life" using voices, gestures, and movements.
Though acting is often viewed as a glamorous profession, the truth is that many actors are forced to put in long and irregular hours (including rehearsals and performances) with little payment in return. In addition only a few actors achieve recognition as stars on the stage, in motion pictures, or on television. A somewhat larger number are well-known, experienced performers who frequently are cast in supporting roles. Most actors struggle to break into the profession and pick up parts wherever they can. Many successful actors continue to accept small roles, including commercials and product endorsements. Some actors employed by theater companies teach acting courses to the public.
On the Job
Acting demands patience and total commitment, because there are often long periods of unemployment between jobs and rejections when auditioning for work. And while under contract, actors are frequently required to work long hours and travel. Evening work is a regular part of a stage actor's life.
In order to secure a part, actors must audition. If they are selected for a role, they must memorize their lines and rehearse with other cast members, often for approximately three to four weeks. It's important for each actor to understand his or her character and for each personality to mesh with the others in the production. Flawless performances require tedious memorizing of lines and repetitive rehearsals.
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
Successful actors recommend that those who aspire to this profession should take part in high school and college plays for the experience these activities provide. Large cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles have public high schools especially for the performing arts.
Formal dramatic training and/or acting experience is generally necessary, although some people enter the field without either. Training can be obtained at dramatic arts schools in New York and Los Angeles and at colleges and universities throughout the country offering bachelors or higher degrees in dramatic and theater arts. A master's degree in theater is considered an additional plus. Most people take college courses in liberal arts, theater, directing, play production, design, play writing, speech and movement, practical courses in acting, and dramatic literature. Many experienced actors get additional formal training to learn new skills and improve on old ones.
Desirable Qualities
Desirable personal qualities for actors include talent, determination, perseverance, persistence, social skills, a good memory, a fine speaking voice, creative ability, and training that will enable them to portray different characters. Training in singing and dancing is especially useful. Actors must have poise, stage presence, the ability to affect an audience, plus the ability to follow directions. Physical appearance is often a deciding factor in being selected for particular roles.
Actors need stamina to withstand the heat of stage or studio lights, heavy costumes, the long and irregular hours, and the adverse weather conditions that may exist on location.
Building a Career
The best way to start building an acting career is to pursue local opportunities and then move on from there. Acting groups and local and regional theater experience may help in obtaining work in New York or Los Angeles. Modeling experience also may be helpful.
Most actors list themselves with casting agencies that help them find parts. Many also take advantage of the services offered by the unions listed at the end of this chapter. Many professional actors rely on agents or managers to find work, negotiate contracts, and plan their careers. Agents generally earn a percentage of an actor's contract.
As actors' reputations grow, they work on larger productions or in more prestigious theaters. Actors also advance to lead or specialized roles. A few actors move into acting-related jobs as drama coaches or directors of stage, television, radio, or motion picture productions. Some teach drama in colleges and universities.
The length of a performer's working life depends largely on training, skill, versatility, and perseverance. Some actors continue working throughout their lives; however, many leave the occupation after a short time because they cannot find enough work to make a living.
Extra-Extra-Read AH About It!
In addition to the actors with speaking parts, extras who have small parts with no lines to deliver, are used throughout the industry. To become a movie extra (also known as a background artist), one must usually be listed by a casting agency such as Central Casting, a no-fee agency that supplies all extras to the major movie studios in Hollywood. Applicants are accepted only when the number of persons of a particular type on the list is below the foreseeable need. In recent years, only a very small proportion of the applicants have succeeded in being listed.
STRATEGIES FOR FINDING A JOB
Armed with your college degree, basic knowledge of the acting business, and some experience, you'll need to prepare a portfolio that will highlight your qualifications, acting history, and special skills. This will take the form of a resume. You also will need to have photos taken by a professional photographer (one who shows you off to your best advantage). These are the essential tools of your trade. Attach your resume to the back of your picture with one staple at the upper left and right hand corners. Once you have your portfolio ready, you can start making the rounds of casting offices, ad agencies, producers' offices, and agents. Several trade newspapers contain casting information, ads for part-time jobs, information about shows, and other pertinent data about what's going on in the industry. Among these are Back Stage in New York and Los Angeles and Ross Reports in New York. There is also the weekly Variety. In Los Angeles there's also Daily Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, and Drama-Logue. You will even be able to find out about casting calls and other opportunities on-line through the Internet.
Once your drop off your resumes and head shots, you certainly shouldn't just sit at home waiting for the phone to ring. It's wise to stay in contact, so stop by and say hello. Check in by phone every week to see if any opportunities are available for you. If you are currently in a show, send prospective employers a flyer. It shows them that you are a working actor.
When you get past this initial stage and actually win an audition, here are some things you should remember:
Audition Tips
- Be prepared.
- Be familiar with the piece; read it beforehand and choose the parts You would like to try out for.
- Go for it, don't hold back.
- Speak loudly and clearly and project to the back of the room.
- Take chances.
- Try not to be the first one to audition. If you can, observe others so that you can pick up on what the evaluators seem to like or dislike.
- Appear enthusiastic and confident.
Keep auditioning even if you don't get parts. You are getting invaluable experience that is bound to pay off.
First of all, you don't need an agent to audition for everything. There are many things you can audition for that do not require an agent, such as theater, nonunion films, and union films. However, most commercials are cast through agencies, so you would most likely need an agent to land one of those.
While waiting to be chosen for a part, acting hopefuls often take jobs as waitresses, bartenders, taxi drivers, etc. These jobs provide a more flexible schedule and some money to live on.
JOB OUTLOOK
Employment of actors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Rising foreign demand for American productions, combined with a growing domestic market fueled by the growth of cable television, home movie rentals, and television syndications, should stimulate demand for actors and other production personnel.
The growth of opportunities in recorded media should be accompanied by increasing jobs in live productions. More and more people who enjoy live theatrical entertainment will continue to go to theaters for excitement and aesthetics.
Touring productions of Broadway plays and other large shows are offering new opportunities for actors. However, employment may be somewhat affected by government funding for the arts. A decline in funding could dampen future employment growth in this segment of the entertainment industry.
Even with all of the positives mentioned, it is important to know that acting is still considered an overcrowded field and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. This is because the large number of people desiring acting careers and the lack of formal entry requirements will continue to cause keen competition for acting jobs. Only the most talented will find regular employment. There will always be a greater number of actors than there are roles for them to play.
SALARIES
Minimum salaries, hours of work, and other conditions of employment are covered in collective bargaining agreements between producers of shows and unions representing workers in this field. The Actors' Equity Association represents stage actors; the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Screen Extras Guild cover actors in motion pictures, including television, commercials, and films; and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) represent television and radio performers. Of course, any actor may negotiate for a salary higher than the minimum.
According to limited information, the minimum weekly salary for actors in Broadway stage productions is $1,000. Those in small off-Broadway theaters receive minimums ranging from $380 to $650 a week, depending on the seating capacity of the theater. For shows on the road, actors receive about $100 per day more for living expenses.
Actors usually work long hours during rehearsals. Once the show opens, they have more regular hours and work about thirty hours per week.
According to the Screen Actors Guild, motion picture and television actors with speaking parts earn a minimum daily rate of about $500, or $1,750 for a five-day week. Those without speaking parts, the extras, earn a minimum daily rate of about $100. Actors also receive contributions to their health and pension plans and additional compensation for reruns.
Earnings from acting are low because employment is so irregular. The Screen Actors Guild also reports that the average income its members earn from acting is $1,400 a year, and 80 percent of its members earn less than $5,000 a year from acting. Therefore, many actors must supplement their incomes by holding jobs in other fields.
Some well-known actors have salary rates well above the minimums, and the salaries of the few top stars are many times the figures cited, creating a false impression that all actors are highly paid. Many actors who work more than a set number of weeks per year are covered by a union health, welfare, and pension fund, including hospitalization insurance, to which employers contribute. Under some employment conditions, Actors' Equity and AFTRA members have paid vacations and sick leave.
PROFILES Meet Jennifer Price
Jennifer Price studied theater and dance at the University of California in Los Angeles and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. As a member of the dance team, she was a UCLA cheerleader for three years. In addition to cheering for UCLA's football and basketball teams, she also entered national dance team competitions.
"I grew up in Cerritos, California, and received my first taste of acting at St. Linus elementary school in Norwalk, where I played the leading role of the princess in Beyond the Horizon, says Price. "Happily, I received the Performing Arts Award while attending Whitney High School.
"Following my college graduation, I got my first break playing Eolani, the wife of Dr. Jacoby in David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks. (The result of my very first audition!). Then I got an agent and joined the Screen Actors Guild. I have been performing in various theatrical productions and am a founding member of Theatre Geo, as well as an active member of Theatre West and the East West Players Network. (Watch for me in a national commercial for Ford trucks.)
"My television credits include: Weird Science; The Paranormal Borderline, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Santa Barbara, and Twin Peaks.
"Film credits include: The Party Crashers, Prisoners of Love, AFI's it makes you wonder... how a girl can keep from going under, UCLA's Fleeting Vanities of Life, USC's Unexpected Love, and NYU's Free Love.
"Theater credits include People Like Me at the Playwrights Arena, Gila River at Japan America Theatre and at Scottsdale Center for the Arts in Arizona, Cabaret and Sophisticated Barflies at East West Players, the PAWS/LA Gala Benefit at the Pasadena Playhouse, the S.T.A.G.E. Benefit at the Luckman Theatre, The Really Early Dinner Theatre for Kids at The Hollywood Playhouse, Boys' Life, Hold Me!, Scruples, and Watermelon Boats at Theatre West, Mistletoe Mews at Theatre Geo and Is Nudity Required ? at Playhouse of the Foothills.
"I remember performing at family gatherings ever since I was a small child," says Price. "I always enjoyed being in the spotlight. To me, acting is like a child's game of pretend, something I always enjoyed. I see it as a career where you can earn a lot of money, while having a lot of fun. At the same time, you are entertaining people, impacting them, making them think, helping them to feel certain emotions, educating them, and helping them escape from their current lives”.
"Most actors who are starting out hold some kind of side job, day job, or part-time job. For me it was a career in the health care industry working for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. I then became a health care consultant for one of the big six accounting firms, Deloitte & Touche LLP. I was such a good employee that my managers would be flexible and let me go out on auditions”.
"After a few years I realized that I was working too many hours, seventy to eighty per week, and I finally had to make a decision to quit my day job and focus 100 percent of my time toward acting. After booking a few jobs, including a national commercial, I was able to do so. It was a big risk, but one I felt necessary to take. I remember what my acting coach would say, 'part-time work gets part-time results.' The more I put into acting, the more I got out of it”.
"Don't be fooled," stresses Price. "Acting is a lot of hard work! I am at it seven days a week, mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends-forty to sixty hours per week. And if I'm not working on the creative side of acting, which is doing my homework for a job that I booked or for an audition, I am working on the business side of acting-talking to my agents and managers, networking, sending my head shots to casting directors, producers, and writers, attending seminars, meeting people, etc. I also try to keep my stress level down and take care of myself by getting enough sleep and exercise, eating healthy, and having some relaxation time. And I have been fortunate, the sets I've worked on have all been positive experiences for me.
"What I like most about my work is that I can say that I am making a living doing what I absolutely love to do, and that I am pursuing my passion in life. Not too many people in this world can say that. What I like least about my work is that there are a lot of politics in it. It's not always the best actor who gets the job. Some of the time it's a certain look, what your credits are, who you know, etc., that determines who gets the job. There are a lot of things that are out of your control. That's just part of the business and you have to accept it.
"I would advise anyone who is considering acting as a career to pursue your dreams and be persistent but only if it's something you absolutely love to do, and there's nothing else in the world you would rather do. Pursue the creative as well as the business side of acting. Don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do. And always keep up your craft by continuing your training."
Meet Charlie Schnader
Charlie Schnader earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and advertising at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He attended various acting classes at LSU and Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California. He also attended Chicago's Second City Training Center for more than a year and The Actors Center following that. He is a SAG and AFTRA member.
"I had always wanted to do stand-up comedy but didn't pursue it until graduating from college when I began working with an improvisational comedy group," explains Schnader. "Four months later, the military sent me to Monterey, California, for language training. While there, I did my first staged reading and my first show. I'd never felt such elation as when I performed. Nothing in my life had given me the sheer thrill and rush that I experienced by creating a character and maintaining that throughout a given period of time. Nothing else mattered but that moment on stage, my other actors, and the scene we were performing.
"After completing the language program in November of 1990, I returned to Baton Rouge. There I began the long process of introspection about my career choices and what I wanted to do. I began to audition locally and started reading and studying acting. I still had not made the jump to being an actor; I was merely investigating the possibility.
"One night while watching an interview with John Goodman, I realized how important acting had become to me. I knew that it possibly meant a life of macaroni and cheese and noodles, but I knew that up until that moment, nothing had made me as happy or as motivated. While I believed I had the skills and the drive to make it in advertising or whatever career I chose, I decided that acting was my only logical choice.
"Whether it's rehearsing a show, performing improvisation in front of an audience, or even auditioning for a commercial, it is fun. If you can separate the sense of rejection most actors feel from not getting a part, auditioning for anything becomes your job. Rehearsing becomes your life. Just as a carpenter's job is building a house, as an actor, I look at my job as building my performance. The final product is there for me to look at and admire (if executed well), but the path to that product is the thrill.
"Unfortunately, I'm not at a point in my career where I'm making enough money to quit my day job. I'm close, but not close enough. I still feel the need to have some sense of financial stability or I lapse into thinking about money. It's all about balance and deciding what's really important. Sure I'd love to have an apartment with central air and a balcony. I'd love to have a car that is still under warranty. But, I know that by putting my efforts and money into my acting career, those other things don't matter. What matters is how it makes me feel. Cars and apartments don't give me the satisfaction that being an actor does.
"How many hours I work and how busy I am depend on what I'm doing. Over the last year I've worked with five other actors to open our own theater - Broad Shoulders Theatre - and have found my time constrained. On top of that I have been pursuing, with some success, a voice-over/on-camera career in addition to working a full-time job. Yesterday I finished six days of shooting on a graduate thesis film, and last weekend we opened our first show (Theatre Sports, Chicago, Improvisational Comedy) at our new theater. We have another opening which I'm not performing in tonight and expect to open four more shows in the next three months. I've also taken a year of guitar classes and maintained my presence in acting/on-camera classes and workshops. I'm always busy and continually looking for the next chance to market myself and increase my salability as an actor (train, study, perform, work).
"I love the process of acting and sometimes just the fast-paced, eclectic nature of the business. There is always something new to learn and something new to try. The sheer excitement of performing live is amazing and the personal satisfaction of getting an audience to laugh or cry simply by your words and actions is very gratifying”.
"There are many people who take advantage of an actor's desire to perform. As one of the only professions where there is an abundance of people willing to work for nothing, producers/casting directors/agents/ managers who only care about the money will take advantage of and abuse actors for personal gain. Being an astute actor helps prevent much of this, but one must always be on the lookout”.
"I would advise others who are interested in this career to work where you are. Perfect your craft. Move when you 'have' to and you will know when it's time. And above all, trust your instincts."
Meet Todd Reynolds
Todd Reynolds, a graduate of Northwestern University, has been a working actor since 1978. Regular television appearances include Battlestar Galactica and Young and Restless. Episodic television appearances include Lois and Clark, Viper, Designing Women, Quantum Leap, Perfect Strangers, Growing Pains, Knotts Landing, and Dynasty. In all, he has appeared in forty prime-time television shows and numerous movies-of-the-week and miniseries. He was also co-star in the movie, Chattanooga Choo Choo. In theater, he had parts in My Fair Lady and Oliver at the Grove Theatre in San Bernadino County. Other play productions include The Music Man, Annie Get Your Gun, Fiorello, Can Can, The Music Man, Mister Roberts, and Guys and Dolls. His list of achievements also includes parts in more than two hundred commercials.
"I started as a child actor, but really didn't become a professional until I graduated from college in 1978," says Reynolds. "I simply sold my car, moved to New York, and hit the pavement!”
"I grew up in the industry. My mother worked for Warner Brothers and was W. C. Fields's radio producer. My father produced the March of Time for radio during WWII. He then founded his own advertising agency and was responsible for many early television series in the days when the ad agencies had tremendous creative input into a television show. Many notable celebrities used to spend time in our living room. As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a performer. It has been my burning desire despite my parents' best efforts to dissuade me from the vagaries of the industry. They would have been happy for me to pursue a more stable and lucrative career.
"Unless you are on a series or are a celebrity, you are constantly battling the belief that you will probably never work again. Thus, your workday consists of looking everywhere and calling anyone who might give you a job. Once you have done all you can do, you inevitably wait for the phone to ring. The vast majority of the time, it doesn't. So, most actors have other jobs-temporary work, or selling, or in my case, teaching tennis-anything to make enough money to pay the bills so you can pursue your craft. When you are finally hired for a day or a week or a month or whatever it might be, every moment in your day suddenly has purpose. You get to do what you were meant to do, even if it is only for a short time or if the part is minuscule. You are on top of the world. Then it is over, and it is back to square one.
"The best thing about your work is the work itself. An actor lives by his emotions and his ability to convey them to an audience. A good actor makes it look easy even though it is very hard. That is why so many actors work for free. It is the work that fulfills them. Of course, if you get paid, it is much better. The recognition factor is important also. That is why so many actors return to the stage. The gratification is immediate. Any actor who says the applause means nothing to him is probably lying.
"The worst thing about the industry is that absolute lack of tenure. You are only as good as your next job. Your history, experience, etc., don't mean much. This is because there is no studio system any more. With no continuity, it is difficult to slowly work your way up the ladder of success. The easiest way to get hired today is to have the executive producer of a hit show as your brother-in-law.
"The question I am asked more than any other is how to get into this industry, and the answer is easy. If you have an absolute, undying, uncontrollable passion to do this and I mean you will die if you don't then by all means give it everything you have got. But, if you are the slightest bit timid or unsure, choose another career. This is a business based on rejection, and it can destroy you. If you sell cars and somebody doesn't buy one, they simply don't want that car. As an actor, when you are turned down, they don't want you. It's difficult not to take it personally. You have to be very strong to keep at it."
Meet Chip Corderro
Chip Corderro is an actor in the Los Angeles area. He is a high school graduate who has some college, vocational, and military training. He also participated in the Vanguard Theatre Ensemble Training for four years. He considers himself at the beginning of his acting career.
"I was in the Marine Corps for six years and attained the rank of Sergeant via Meritorious Promotion," says Corderro. " I thoroughly loved the United States Military Corp. It tended to reward a person who acted as if he enjoyed this kind of life, and I was such a person. It seems that I have always been able to act appropriately in any given situation. Older people usually find me charming. Younger people usually find me cool. I love to be the chameleon.
"Five years ago, a friend was attending a model/talent showcase that piqued my interest. I ended up doing it, and he didn't. Even though it was a fiasco, it had revived in me my love of performing”.
"At my present level, I do a lot of background work. My military experience gets me a lot of work in productions that have a need for people who have 'been there' to add a flavor that normal actors don't always possess. Much of this work involves firing military weapons (blanks) and the knowledge of the safety concerns therein”.
"There are not many typical days in acting because every production is very different. It is like working for a different company in a different capacity every day. I may be asked to simply put on a costume and chat (mime) with another actor for eight hours one day. Another day I might be asked to put on the full battle dress uniform of a branch of the military and fire an M-16 at a monster that isn't there! It varies widely, and that is why I love it”.
"The hours and working conditions also vary greatly. Typically, jobs consist of ten-hour days with pleasant working conditions. Sometimes a shoot can be as quick as three hours, and sometimes thirteen. It all depends on what the director is looking for and when he or she sees it”.
"I enjoy being involved in the artistic side of life. I love the people who populate the arts. They are intelligent, funny, and varied. Nine to five has never been my style. I languish and fade under fluorescent light...ahhh, but shine a spotlight my way and watch me grow ten feet tall and bulletproof!”
"I most enjoy the variety and the opportunity to become a character. I have worked my share of day jobs and I hated the monotony of them. Fame is not my goal. Riches are not my goal. I simply want to do what I love and get paid for it. That is my dream”.
"The only thing I don't like about acting is that there is a lot of classism. If you are on a shoot as a background actor, many do not afford you the level of treatment that featured or lead actors enjoy. It is simply a fact of life. Most actors at a high level do not act snobbish to the lowest-rung actors, but many of the production people do”.
"I would advise those interested in this field to study the craft and art of acting as if your life depended upon it. Enjoy life and experience it to the fullest because good artists bring all their life experiences to their art. Don't let anyone tell you that you are a fool for following your dream. Would you rather be in your rocking chair saying to yourself, 'I wish I had at least tried,' or, 'I gave it my best shot, and had fun along the way?'"
Tip Fragomen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He has earned his livelihood as a full-time, freelance voice-over talent since 1985.
"I've always had an outgoing, performing kind of personality, so this profession seemed natural to me," says Fragomen. "I've come to understand the fact that what I have is a gift for which I am very appreciative.
"My background includes studying various musical instruments with private teachers-piano, drums, saxophone and guitar. Then I performed in folk groups and rock bands during high school, singing and playing guitar. While attending college, I first worked in radio at a college station, where I learned the basics of on-air work-production, commercial writing, voice-overs, etc. Then I worked as a professional musician (bass, guitar, vocals) performing in clubs throughout the Midwest, playing in folk, rock, jazz, country, and oldies groups. Next I worked in a small-market cable TV station (Janesville, Wisconsin) in every imaginable capacity. These were definitely the dues-paying years. In the two years I was there, I functioned as a talk show host, sports anchor and play-by-play, advertising salesman, commercial producer-writer and voice-over, camera operator, and telethon host. I can only describe this stage of my career as a real eye-opener, a true learning experience. But it gave me a great deal of perspective regarding what was to come”.
"I then worked for a small-market radio station as program-director, disc jockey, commercial producer, voice-over. There I did my first freelance work for a handful of clients as commercial writer, producer and voice-over.
"Subsequently I relocated to Indianapolis and worked as a recording engineer in a studio specializing in commercial production. At the same time, I continued to expand my freelance voice-over work. When the freelance income surpassed my salary as an engineer, I decided it was time to step out on my own.
'Today about 90 percent of my work is actually done in Chicago where I moved in 1988. Actually, my employers are all over the country, but the work itself is done in Chicago recording studios. There are several studios in the Michigan Avenue area of downtown Chicago that do voice-over recording as well as music and video production, all within about a mile radius of the major advertising agencies they serve. I occasionally work in suburban studios in Evanston and Oak Park. In rare instances, when the client cannot travel to Chicago or refuses to do the recording via telephone, I do the recording out of town. However, one of the advantages of living in Chicago is that most out-of-town employers would rather work in Chicago, traveling here, sometimes combining business and pleasure.
"Ironically, what I do is actually very basic. I talk on radio and TV commercials (as well as for industrial films and tapes). My voice is heard over the picture portion of television spots. It's recorded in a studio, after I have been selected (either from a demo tape, audition, previous employment, or word of mouth) and hired via my agent by an ad agency that has requested my voice. I read from a script and am directed by the producer or copywriter who has written the script. In the case of television work, I read to a video that has already been assembled or 'cold' without the picture. My voice, music, and sound effects are then edited to the picture to complete the commercial. Very seldom do I see or hear the finished product when my part of the job is done, either in television or radio, unless I happen to see or hear it on the air. This can be frustrating, and it would be much more satisfying if I could see what I'd contributed to the completed commercial. Then I wouldn't feel so detached from the creative process.
"There really is no typical day for me. Because of that, it is really up to me to give my day-to-day existence some structure and discipline. The need to keep an even keel is, to me, the single most important aspect of my job. That is because of the unstable and volatile nature inherent in this field. There is very little predictability in the amount of work, income, time required, stress level, or personalities involved in my work. That can be both good and bad. The variety can be very stimulating, as well as stressful.
"My work can be extremely lucrative (a definite plus). With some national commercials, as little as eight or ten hours a week in the studio can be sufficient to earn a handsome living. A vast majority pay much less, however, and because of the occasional big payoff, the field is extremely competitive. For that reason, extensive (and expensive) marketing is a must. About 75 to 80 percent of my workweek is spent outside the studio either doing auditions or promotion and marketing. If I get one job in fifteen or twenty auditions, I'm doing extremely well against the several hundred people competing in the Chicago market. To promote myself I do the following:
- Send two to three mass mailings a year to twenty-five hundred creative (writers, producers, creative directors) at ad agencies in about ten mid-western markets. All are custom designed and written, either by me or freelancers I hire. Because agency personnel are constantly changing, updating these mailing lists is an ongoing job.
- Produce a voice demo tape or CD (it's my resume) annually and send copies to the same twenty-five hundred people. This involves collecting copies of commercials I've done, assembling and editing them into a two-minute sample of my work. I personally finance the production, duplication, and on-stage expenses of the tape as well as the mailers.
- Pay a personal representative to make visits and calls on my behalf. With the number of voice-overs in the market, keeping contact with potential employers is a must.
"Adaptability is an absolutely essential trait, and long-term planning is sometimes impossible. Making good use of free time is very important because I never know when it might end. That time is spent working on promotion and staying informed about my industry by reading trade papers and networking with other voice-overs, producers, recording engineers, etc.
"The pace is hectic and unpredictable. There's a lot of 'hurry up and wait' going on. Some weeks I may have only one audition and no sessions. I must wait and at the same time be prepared to be at a session immediately. So it can be slow one minute and very busy the next. Other weeks I may have four sessions on Monday, then nothing until my Friday afternoon audition. In either case, sessions and auditions are very seldom booked more than a day or two ahead of time.
"Depending how busy one is doing sessions and auditions, this career either can be relaxed or stressful. It is most relaxing when there is a slow, but steady, stream of sessions and auditions, a condition that almost never exits! Perhaps the most unsettling part of the job is its unpredictability. Being extremely busy can be hectic and stressful but preferable to and certainly less stressful than no work and no income.
"Sessions themselves can also range from a relaxed atmosphere, perhaps with a producer and client you like and know well, to very stressful, with many personalities (writer, producer, account executives, client, engineer, other voice-overs) and egos, many of whom you may even not know are involved. You may have the wrong voice for the job. Or you may be ill. Or you may simply have an off day. You've auditioned and are hired and paid to do well. If you don't, you probably won't work for that producer, agency, or client again. When you have a bad day, it makes them look bad.
"It's hardly ever physically dangerous. The most dangerous thing is if something were to happen to prevent me from working. If I don't work I don't earn. If I became disabled, private disability insurance wouldn't begin to replace my earnings. There are no paid vacations. If I leave town, I might miss work that could potentially pay thousands of dollars. Learning to relax on vacations is a real art. I have to put lost income out of my mind so I can enjoy my time away.
"The other danger is that my voice will somehow go out of style that whatever people like about it will no longer be in demand. I've accepted that I really have no control over that. I've learned that all I can do is continue to remind people I'm available, give it my best when I'm called, and save my money when the big jobs come along because as one recording engineer said to me at the end of a recording session, 'you're fired again.' In some ways that sums up my existence as freelance voice-over. Every time I finish a job, I'm unemployed again and in search of the next one.
"When I am hired for a job, I take great satisfaction knowing I've beaten the best in the business to get that job. High risk, high payoff. The financial rewards pale in comparison to the joy I experience doing what I love. I feel blessed to have this job, one I am proud to say I do well. I love what I do. And, in spite of some of the pitfalls, I wouldn't trade it for any job in the world.
"A friend in the voice-over business says he feels like a thief. He fears that earning a living this way might be outlawed. He says that he's sometimes hesitant to answer his door. He's afraid the police may come to arrest him!
"My advice is to keep your seat belt fastened. Keep your shirt on. Keep your sense of humor. Keep your ego in check. Don't take anything personally, especially rejection. Keep your head. And when you make money, keep it. Remember, when you're working, you're making more than anyone in the room. Make their job easy. Make them look good. "Enjoy it. You're lucky."
Meet Andrew Guftason
Auditioning for a television commercial at the age of five was enough for Andrew Guftason to become hooked, and he currently works as an actor and a stand-up comedian in New York City. He attended trade school at the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland and has also been an actor-in-residence at the International Film & Television Workshops. Other training includes Stand-Up New York (comedian school) and the Mike Fenton Scene Study Workshop for Film. He has performed his comedy routine at several comedy clubs in New York and his favorite acting credit is the part of Jimmy Lee Shields in the pilot episode of Homicide.
"I've always had a fascination for the motion picture industry," Guftason says. "I enjoy the camaraderie and collaboration that comes with a film or television project, as well as the challenges. I liken it to being in a football game, where you are given the ball and you run with it. As an actor, I try to expand on the ideas given me by bringing my own uniqueness to a role.
"I like surrounding myself with creative, enthusiastic, and energetic people. There is nothing better than working with folks who truly love their work and get excited about what they do. As a stand-up comedian, nothing is more exhilarating than laughter and applause. It is sweeter than any candy, and it doesn't rot my teeth!
"I owe everything to my mom and dad. I performed at talent showcases in elementary school and was into magic tricks in my preteens. After high school I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and mom came to the rescue again by suggesting a trade school for broadcasting. I was about nineteen or twenty when I landed my first paying gig as a DJ for an AM radio station in the college town of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
"I got my SAG card when director Christopher Leitch cast me in a principal role in the feature film The Hitter, starring Ron O'Neal and Adolph Caesar (who was an Oscar winner for A Soldier's Story).
"I moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s and had an absolutely horrible experience there. I couldn't get work, had my car repossessed, went bankrupt, and was in poor shape emotionally. It was the darkest time of my life, and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. But I finally got my act together and moved back east, and that's when Barry Levinson cast me in the pilot episode of Homicide on NBC. The 'Gone for Goode' episode that I appear in aired after the Superbowl in 1993 and was the highest-rated Homicide episode ever.
"I decided to pursue stand-up comedy as a means to network and get myself out there. So far I have performed at Stand-Up New York, The Comedy Store, and The Fun Factory.
"The bulk of my typical day is actually spent looking for work. I track casting leads wherever I can find them, either through personal contacts with the industry professionals I've been associated with over the years, via the Internet, or just the good old grapevine. This is a crazy business. Sometimes it's busy and full beyond belief, and there's barely time to catch my breath. At other times, weeks and even months can go by with nary a job in sight.
"If I'm working on a film or television show, the days are very long, between ten and fourteen hours a day. There is either a real camaraderie that forms on a set, or a real paranoia, depending on any number of circumstances and variables in or out of your control that are inherent to the industry. In most cases it is quite enjoyable, as cast and crew are very professional and you, more often than not, will get kudos when the director or producer likes the work you are doing. I've found that the entire production and creative team literally evolves into a family.
"I like to work! I love meeting and working with creative, talented actors and directors. I love the business and wouldn't trade it for anything! But the thing I like least is not having any work, having to sit idle. I see an acting coach once a week and take classes to stay tuned up.
"The most important thing is to love your work. Know that there is much competition and some lean times, but always remember to enjoy what you do and have fun doing it!"
