A Day In The Life Of An Actor: Part II
Keeping in touch with acting industry contacts
How to keep in touch is something I learned from Brian O"Neil"s seminar and book. I completely transformed the way I approached my business of being an actor, after having taken several forums, during which I met with casting directors and agents. Brian O"Neil"s book Acting As A Business is full of tips and valuable info. It"s easy to see why it"s one of the most read books in the Drama Book Shop in New York. I read it twice!
After putting together my mail, it"s shower time and off to the first commercial audition of the day, which usually isn"t before 11 - 11:30am. The first could be an on-camera commercial audition at House Productions downtown. The next one is around 2pm, for an industrial at Don Case Casting and then another around 3:30pm for an on-camera commercial down at Liz Lewis Casting. There"s no rhyme or reason to what types of auditions. Could be three or four auditions usually either commercials, film, industrial or go-see (term used for commercial print auditions/castings) for print work.
In between all that, there is usually a buffet lunch, dropping off the mail I prepared that morning and the night before and a few phone calls from my agents checking my availability for auditions the following day or to tell me that I"ve been called back. Occasionally, there will also be a series of four, yes that"s right, four reminder text messages from Actors Access that I have been contacted by their CMAIL by a casting director or by someone who has responded to one of my submissions through their website. I have to check them when I get to a computer.
The best use of time
The rides on the subway up and downtown are dedicated to either reading the trade paper articles or a book about acting or to practicing a technique that I learned in class to help me get in touch with my emotions. Or it might just be to observe the different characters to get some more ammunition for my acting bag. It"s a great place to get ideas for acting.
By this time I"m starting to get tired of traipsing all around the city with a backpack and a trolley or one or the other, which contain clothes for my auditions. Gotta take the right clothes to dress the part. In addition, in the summertime, when it"s 90 outside, you must take a change of clothes, otherwise you arrive soaking wet and make a terrible impression. Gotta get there early, change and look fresh! Now I can"t wait to get rid of the bags for a while!
Now it"s off to the gym for an hour and a half workout: abs, cardio, weights and stretching. Then, back uptown to the apartment to drop off the gym clothes and the trolley, check my email, a quick check of the casting sites again, grab a quick bite to eat. After about forty-five minutes to an hour at home, it"s back to the subway to head downtown for class from 7 - 10pm. A drink and slice of pizza with some classmates and then back home again around midnight.
The days I don"t have class, I might take in a movie.
One last check
But the day isn"t finished yet! Grab a beer, turn on the computer and check the casting sites one more time for the day to see if there has been any activity. A couple of submissions, prepare some mailings for the next day, recap the day"s activities, a little self analysis (what went well and what didn"t), go over my notes from class, look over my plan for the next day, get my clothes together for the auditions, an episode of Law & Order, a quick snack and then off to bed around 2am! Tired, but happy to be doing what I"m doing! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Anthony Smith left a successful corporate career as a senior manager in Nike and Levi's after 15 years to follow his dream of becoming an entrepreneur, writer, motivational speaker and actor. While enjoying success in his "new" life, Anthony shares his business insight and acting experience with young actors. Aside from acting work, he has created http://www.actingcareerstartup.com and his first book, Acting Career
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