Home to Hollywood

Introduction Whether you are already established or just starting out, congratulations—you are making the move to Los Angeles to pursue a professional career in acting. I applaud you. It’s a wonderful thing to have a dream, and setting out to fulfill it requires courage. In saying this, becoming an actor in Hollywood isn’t easy. A lot of young, hopeful actors think that it’s effortless and that becoming famous is simple. That’s probably because we live in a society where people can become famous for doing absolutely nothing. But one thing you have to take seriously—something that most people won’t tell you but all people in the business know—is that acting is a skill that requires a lot of work. It’s something that people take very seriously, especially all the people you’re working with or trying to get to hire you. Each year, thousands of actors move to California with hopes of making it big. Some don’t succeed, but while the odds of becoming a big film or television star are low, it is still possible, so we want to improve your chances. To do that, before you move, you need to have all that you can set up. This way, you can settle in quicker, focus on your career, and focus on establishing yourself. The world of Hollywood is a mysterious one, and you hear stories of “lucky” girls being discovered on the street. Please don’t move yourself across the country or across the world with the hope that you may be one of these “lucky” ones. Most of the time, luck exists in the form of being in the right place and equally prepared. Perhaps you’re preparing to head to LA and need to be prepared, or maybe you’ve already made the leap of faith. Whatever the case, throughout this book we are going to give you a plan and make sure you always think of yourself as the rule and never the exception. By doing this, we already help to protect you from disappointment. The majority of people I have seen fail have lacked preparation, and Hollywood has no pity for the weak of heart or pocket. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I looked for such a book as I have written here to help guide me on my path, but I wasn’t able to find one. After many trials and errors, I decided to write one myself. I want to give you a shortcut, and I don’t want you to make the same, often-expensive and/or time-consuming mistakes. In the following chapters of this book, we will cover all the essential tools you will need to get started, from housing to headshots and everything in between. If you feel some of the information covered in a specific section doesn’t serve you then feel free to move onto the content that applies to you. The goal of this book is to help you be successful, both as a person and as an actor, so actively use it and carry it in your bag as your practical go-to guide to establishing yourself in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Though before we get started, please do me a favor: don’t have false expectations for this book—there is no model for Tinseltown. The industry is forever changing, the talent pool is constantly growing older, and new, fresh actors are constantly joining the market. Therefore, this book is in a constant state of revision. This is an extremely competitive business, but with the right guidance, it is a fun journey—a journey in which I believe if you can dream it, you can achieve it. I hope some of the information in the following pages can help you facilitate achieving your dreams. Someone might have a germ of talent, but 90 per cent of it is discipline and how you practice it, what you do with it. Instinct won’t carry you through the entire journey. It’s what you do in the moments between inspiration. The film industry is so noisy … but the noise doesn’t interest me—the work does. —Cate Blanchett, Golden Globe and Academy Award Winning Actress