Category: Question & Answer

How I Started in Audiobooks & Voiceover

11/3/2014

I’ve been getting asked a lot of questions lately about how I got started in Audiobooks & Voiceover. Most often the question is “Where did you go to get started?” or “How do I get into that?” In fact, I owe several people an answer to these questions. So I figured what better way to answer them than to write a blog post about it. This way I can kill two birds with one stone. I can answer the people who have been asking me and I will have a place to direct anyone who asks in the future.

I have to be honest, I sort of just fell into voiceover, slowly. Disclaimer: This is not the way it usually happens for most people, I was incredibly lucky! I was taking an acting class one evening and a local VO Pro was sitting in with us. She told me that I had a great voice, that I should do voiceover, and that she wanted to work with me on it. I immediately loved this woman and was flattered, but hadn’t previously considered doing voiceover. I was still in the beginning stages of acting and was really focusing all of my time on learning the craft. I expressed my interest to her, but never followed up on it. I kept kicking myself over it, but the truth is, I’m glad I didn’t follow up back then – I had a lot to learn about acting in general before I could even think about doing voiceover. In my opinion, if you want to be a great Voice Actor, you’ve gotta be a great Actor first.

So a few years and one agent later, I finally thought, ya know I should see about that voiceover thing. So I contacted Amy Hartman, the VO Pro from my class and she agreed to take me on as a student and help me produce a demo. We spent a great deal of time together working on it. Then I got busy with some film and theatre stuff and again voiceover just kind of got pushed to the side. Several months later, Amy contacted me to let me know that she was doing drop-ins (this is where several VO actors get together and take turns honing their skills in the studio). I started going to these sessions and had a great time at them. After awhile I got busy again and dropped off the VO radar for many more months. Amy contacted me yet again to let me know that she was teaching a group class and that I should join them if I was interested. I had finished up several big projects and had a little extra time on my hands so I agreed. I took the class and had a blast – we all did. So much so that we decided to continue the class through another 6 weeks or so. In all this time, I had done one or two VO jobs when people had asked me to, but I hadn’t really pursued it in the same way I had my acting career. Towards the end of our second round of classes, Amy urged us all to sign up for some websites and create profiles to get our names out there. One of those sites was ACX – a site where you can narrate audiobooks to be sold on Audible. I was hesitant, (after all, I still didn’t have a studio and I knew nothing about editing and mastering audio – required skills if you plan to narrate through ACX), but I decided to give it a try.

So I signed up for ACX and created a profile, adding my demo and other info to the site. Just nine days after I created that profile, I was contacted by Barbara Venkataraman, who wanted me to narrate her books – WHAT?!?! I was flabbergasted and scared and excited and terrified and panicking – I didn’t even have a studio! To make a long story short, I built myself a really great quality studio as quickly as I could and painstakingly taught myself how to both edit and master audio. It was trial by fire. I’ve since narrated 3 books for Barbara and she is patiently waiting for me to get started on a few more. I’ve been contacted by several other authors to narrate for them and I’m branching out into doing promos and other types of voiceover now. Most of what I've learned about this business, aside from what Amy has taught me, has been through trial and error, research, hard work, and the help of some good friends (most notably Justin Fraction and Rebecca Keller). A huge thanks to all the people mentioned here, they have all been instrumental in my voiceover successes!

My VO career is still rather young compared to my Acting career (I’m still learning) and my journey has been anything but typical. So rather than give you a step by step guide on how to get started, I’m going to point you to some resources. You can explore them for yourself in order to determine whether voiceover is something you want to pursue.

In order to do voiceover, you need several things. You need to train your voice, learn how to interpret copy, where and how to breathe, and which words need to be emphasized. You also need to know how to market yourself, which includes having a great demo. Also having a home studio is almost a requirement these days if you even want to think about working in voiceover. And when you’re just starting out it behooves you to get a great DAW and teach yourself skills such as basic editing and mastering. Woo! I know it seems like a lot. It is. Don’t be fooled, just because voiceover can pay really well and it’s something you can do from the comfort of your own home, doesn’t mean it’s easy. It can be a tough business to break into.

The very first thing you need to do is get into a class and get some training. This will help you to ascertain whether voiceover is really for you, if your voice will help you earn money, and just exactly what your voice type is (Yep, just like in acting, you will have a type when it comes to voiceover). You need to take a class before you go out and spend money on putting together a demo and a studio, so that you aren’t wasting your hard-earned paychecks. These classes will teach you many of the things mentioned above – training your voice, breathing, and appropriate word emphasis. I suggest you sign up for one and take it from there.

Here’s a few places you can get VO training in Pittsburgh:
Nancy Mosser Casting – Amy Hartman & Jack Bailey
Market Street Sound – Amy Hartman
Corbriwood Studios – Jack Bailey
Find Your Voice – Jean Zarzour
I have only studied with Amy Hartman, so I can only personally recommend her.

Here’s two books you can read:
Voice Actor’s Guide to Recording at Home…And on the Road
Making Money in Voice-Overs

Here’s two websites that serve as invaluable resources:
Edge Studio
Voice Over Xtra

And here are some sites where you can find work:
ACX
Voice123
Voices.com

There are lots more resources out there, but these are some good starting points. Be sure to check them all out because there is a ton of info packed into each. Hopefully someday you'll be telling your own “How I Got Started” story.

Next Week: Audiobook Recipe - Serves 1 (Part I)

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How Do I Get an Agent?

8/3/2014

I mentioned in an earlier post that I get lots of questions from other actors in need of advice. I thought I’d take this week to answer another one of those questions here. How to get an agent is one question I get asked often, so I recently promised Actor X (you know I never reveal my sources), that I would write a blog post about it. Here it is!

Getting an agent can be very hard or it can be very easy. Whether it’s hard or easy is due to different factors, some you can control and others you can’t. One factor you have no control over is The Roster. Agents often have a stable of actors that include different types that they send out for various auditions. If you happen to submit to an agency when the roster for your type is full, you probably won’t get signed – it’s the luck of the draw on this one. And it also works in reverse, if you happen to submit to an agency when they have an opening in their roster for your type, you have a good shot at getting a contract. Don’t bother trying to figure out if and when these slots open up though, you’ll just make yourself crazy. Alternatively, if you keep hounding an agency every week to find out if they have a slot, you may drive them crazy. Both of these scenarios will result in frustration and/or desperation – neither of which is attractive to an agent.

There are plenty of other factors that are out of your control when it comes to getting an agent, but I don’t want to waste any more time on them. After all, they are out of your control, so let’s talk about what you can control instead. Even with lots of uncontrollable factors in the mix, you can make getting an agent easier if you work on the things that you can control. That said, it takes work to get an agent. So while I can suggest a pathway for you to follow, you need to be the one who does the work – there is no magic pill that will get you representation. You need to be prepared, motivated, and persistent.

1. Make sure that you are ready
Don’t just walk into an agency’s open call and expect to get a signed contract. There are several things that you should do before you even attempt to get in touch with an agency. This is only the first step, but in my opinion, it is arguably the most important one. So, I’m going to spend the most time on it. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. You need to get good experience, have good headshots, a decent resume, know how a professional set works, and be a professional yourself before you can even attempt to start working professionally. I know, it seems bassackwards, but it’s not. If your goal is to get an agent and work professionally, you need to make yourself as attractive as possible to an agent. You can get experience in many ways – work on student and independent films, work in community and semi-professional theatres, work as an extra on a big studio production, etc. All of these jobs will help you to gain experience, hone your craft, and build your resume. Check out my post on Gaining Experience. You need to have good headshots, but don’t get new professional headshots just to attract an agent (unless you really need them). Reason being that once you do get signed with an agency, they may require you to get new headshots that will match the parameters that their agency sets for your type (and you don’t want to be out the cost for 2 new sets of headshots). Check out my post on Headshots. As far as a resume goes, you don’t need to have hundreds of credits, but having about 10 good ones will go a long way towards establishing that you have skills, that you know how to do the job, and that you are capable of booking in auditions – all things an agent is looking for. Check out my post on Resumes. As far as understanding how a set works and knowing how to be a professional goes – the only way to truly gain this knowledge and skill set is to take classes and then get out there and get working and observing how things are handled.

There are a few other things that you need to take into consideration in order to make sure you are ready to get an agent. Are you in a position to go to auditions whenever your agent calls you? Are you able to work during any hours for which you may be needed? Are you physically and mentally prepared to handle taking the huge leap into the professional realm of acting? Are you willing and ready to give up control of part of your career to another person – your agent? Have you thought about what you want your relationship with your agent to look like? Do you have a list of requirements that an agency must meet before you are willing to sign with them? Do you know what your work boundaries are – what you are or are not willing and able to do for a job? Are you ready and willing to give up all no pay or low pay work in the categories in which your agent represents you? Are you willing to sign an exclusive contract? Is your acting at a high enough level to compete in your market? There are tons of questions that you should be asking yourself and the ones listed above are important ones. I can’t stress enough that you should really be READY before you even contemplate looking for representation. You also need to know yourself, your type, and what marketing strategies work for you.

2. Find agencies that fit you
Ok, so assuming you have met all the above, asked yourself any necessary questions, and you are indeed ready for an agent, you now need to decide which agencies are right for you. You can do this by researching the agencies in your area. Check them out on the web, look at their stable of actors if available, ask all of your actor friends who have representation what their agents are like, ask directors and casting directors that you trust for advice. Finding the right agent is just as important as finding an agent. You need to make sure that they know how to represent and market your type. Find out what they specialize in. If they rep models and actors, but their focus is on modelling, they may not be right for you. If you are a gorgeous model-type actor, who is capable of doing print ads, then this type of agency may be great for you. You also need to determine if you are right for them. If you’re 5’1” and bald and an agency has a stable of 5’10” blondes, you aren’t going to be able to do much for them or them for you. Once you’ve narrowed down the list to only the agencies with which you could have a mutually beneficial arrangement, then and only then should you start a targeted marketing campaign for representation.

3. Get an appointment
This is sometimes easier said than done, but there are many ways you can go about contacting an agency. Some people will suggest that you do pay-to-play showcases, however, I never recommend going after an agent in this way. You should never have to pay anyone anything to get an agent. An agent should pay you. So use this method at your own risk. Some reputable acting classes will showcase their actors works-in-progress at the end of the class (for free – no one pays to attend – not the actors, not the agents) and will invite talent agencies to attend this showcase as a means of showing off their talent and helping them to find representation. The showcase will often be followed up by a mixer where you can meet and mingle with the agents and other actors on a personal level. This is the only time I advocate using a showcase to help you meet an agent. I don’t, however, recommend that you try to sell yourself to an agent at this type of function. Instead, use this as an opportunity to find out about the agent and get to know them a little bit. Start building a relationship with them, then maybe seek them out at a later date to talk about the possibility of representation. Consequently, this is how I met my agent for the first time. I was bold and open, but instead of talking about how badly I wanted representation, we talked about the craft of acting and our thoughts and opinions on various acting techniques, methods, and motivations. Eventually, when I felt ready to get an agent, I submitted myself through their website and attended their open call. I like to think that I made a positive impression in that first meeting at the showcase, because they sent me a contract to sign within a week of that open call.

Other methods that can be used to contact an agent are as follows: ask a friend to set up a meeting between you and their agent (only do this with a close friend whom you trust and believes in your work), submit yourself through their website or send a well-crafted email with all of your information, attend an open call to meet with and/or audition for the agency, and you can always send a snail mail marketing packet with all of your information and a well-written cover letter.

So there you have it. While actually getting an agent to sign you may be difficult, the process itself is really that simple. It just takes time, determination, and most importantly – Preparation. Preparation is the key and it is what will help you to stand out in the sea of actors who are begging to be seen.

Next Week: Mind Your Acting Manners

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Should I Ever Turn Down a Role and Why? The Top 5 Reasons.

6/8/2014

Ladder Against a Brick Wall - Stehen R. Covey Quote

Now I know some of you are thinking – why would I even pose this question? There are tons of actors in the world and seemingly fewer jobs, so just getting a call back can be a shot in the dark, let alone getting booked for the job. So why in the world when you’ve actually made it through the entire process should you ever turn down work? What if you absolutely need the money, what if you need the experience, what if you haven’t worked for a while, what if??? And then there’s the idea that you have to take this job because another one may never come your way. Every actor needs to reads this post, but for those of you asking any or all of the questions above, it is imperative that you read it!

I want you all to know that there are times when you should definitely turn down a role. (Before going on, let me add, that this is not something you should make a habit of doing regularly.) Ok, so think about it, do you know of any other profession where it would be in your best interest to accept every job you ever interviewed for and every job that came your way? No, that’s crazy! You want to make sure that the job is a good fit, that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, that you are capable of giving it your all and have something unique to bring to the table, etc., etc. (at least if you want to be successful, that is). I’m sure at some point, you’ve all had a non-acting/day job and you’ve had to make these kinds of decisions.

So why is it that when it comes to Acting Jobs, we all seem to hesitate to make the hard choices, or worse, we don’t even ask ourselves the questions? We suddenly forget about monetary compensation, the job culture, upward mobility, and the list goes on and on… I think part of it is that we love our job and we consider ourselves so lucky to have a job that we love, that we get a little lazy when it comes to making hard choices. I think another part has to do with what we’re told by everyone around us – a career in acting is such a long-shot, there aren’t nearly enough jobs for the number of unemployed actors out there, reality shows are taking over and the stars are having a hard time finding work, etc., etc. And I think the last part, the one that affects our decisions the most, is that we don’t always value ourselves and our skills highly enough or we figure the job is only temporary, so it doesn’t matter if it’s a good fit. These are all roadblocks that every actor faces – successful actors eventually find a way to push through them and start treating their Acting like the Career that it is.

So why should you turn down a role? There are numerous reasons to turn down that coveted spot! Here are what I feel are the top 5.

1. You Don’t Want the Job
This sounds simple enough, right? And you would think that if you didn’t want the job that you wouldn’t have auditioned in the first place – this is the best practice in most situations. It just doesn’t always happen this way. Sometimes you don’t realize that you don’t want the job until after you’ve auditioned. Maybe you meet the director, crew, other actors, etc. and realize that – you just don’t jive, they are not yet at the level of professionalism that you have come to expect, or they are very professional and you just aren’t at that level yet. Sometimes you feel as though you are rusty on your auditioning skills or you’ve taken a break and you may audition for something just for practice or as a means of getting yourself back out there. I don’t recommend doing this all the time, but every once in a while it’s necessary. Make sure that if and when you do audition for audition’s sake that you choose a job that if turned down will not permanently damage your career and reputation. Sometimes you don’t have enough information about the character or the plotline until after you’ve been cast. Then you find out that nudity, politics, hot button social issues, or whatever (something that crosses your personal boundaries as an actor) is involved and it makes you uncomfortable. Note: you should have boundaries that you set for yourself, what you are and aren’t willing to do for a role; you are the only one who can decide what they should be. And sometimes you don’t have enough information about the abilities of the other people involved – you find out that much of what they’ve produced so far has been of amateur quality and you worry that playing the role will actually detract from your resume, reel, and reputation you’ve worked so hard to build.

So should you accept the job anyway because you’ve put time into it and the people who cast you are expecting you to fill the role? NO! Why? It’s simple, if you accept a job you don’t want, you will most likely be letting everyone down including yourself. You may lack the motivation to do the job to the best of your abilities and thus you are doing a disservice to the people who cast you and the other actors involved. While it’s always disappointing to a Casting Director or Director to have their chosen actor decline the job, I’m sure that they would much rather have you decline, than take the job and only do it halfway. Not only that, but by accepting a job when your heart isn’t in it, you are potentially taking a job away from another skilled actor who may be dying to book that particular gig. And lastly, you're wasting your own time. Your time could be better spent looking and auditioning for a job that you are better suited to and will enjoy more, or you could spend that time gaining additional training and skills. Sometimes saying NO to a role is saying YES to your career.

2. Something Doesn’t Feel Right
This is another time when turning down a role is probably for the best. Have you ever gone to an audition or a table read and got that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that tells you something is a little off? You may know what it is that’s bothering you and then again you may have no clue. As far as I know, that “gut feeling” has been around for as long as humans have existed on the earth. It began as a warning system that helped primitive man stay away from potentially deadly dangers. While we are usually no longer in the same types of “dangerous” situations as primitive man, we have still retained this warning system. Whether it’s a sick feeling in your stomach, alarms going off in your head, or red flags popping up in front of your face, it’s your body’s way of telling you that something is not right and this situation is not the best for you. As actor’s, we learn to “hone and listen to our gut reactions” on a daily basis. Allowing these gut feelings and reactions to occur in an acting situation often makes our acting much more honest, real, and just plain better. I’m here to tell you that when you have these same kinds of gut feelings when it comes to the business side of our business, you need to listen. If your gut says to turn down the role, turn down the role! The only exception is if it’s fear talking instead of your gut. Ignore fear, but go with your gut. Your “GUT” wants to protect you and to help you succeed, so it will never steer you wrong!

3. You’re Already Overbooked
This is an amazing blessing when it happens! It can also be heart-wrenching. Our business really can be feast or famine at times. After a dry spell, it’s hard not to accept anything and everything that comes flooding your way. And let’s be honest, it’s an awesome feeling to get cast, to know that someone wants you, and that they want what you bring to the table above everyone else they’ve seen – I mean, who “wants” to turn that down?!? However, you have to remember that when you accept a role, you are saying “Yes, I am going to give you my all, I will be mentally, emotionally, and physically present for you and your project, and I am willing and able to put the necessary time in to properly prepare for this role.” If you can’t make that kind of a commitment, again, you owe it to everyone involved, including yourself, to say NO. Does this mean that you can’t accept multiple roles at the same time? Absolutely Not! What it does mean is that you need to know yourself, you need to know what kind of time you need to prepare, and you need to know what you can mentally handle so that you can give your all to each project that you are working on. Be HONEST with yourself! You also need to be sure that the Director of each job is aware of the other jobs and whether or not they are willing to work out a schedule that allows you to be wherever you are needed when it’s critical. I work multiple jobs simultaneously all the time and there has never been a major issue with a Director in this regard.

Through trial and error, I have come to realize that I can juggle about 3-4 different roles with 1 class thrown in, at any given time, depending on the roles of course. An example of this for me would be the following: 1. a role in a play that is currently onstage, with 2. another play role in rehearsals, while doing 3. a role in a film that is shooting now or an audiobook narration, and 4. a few scattered 1-2 day commercial/industrial roles and/or voiceover roles, and lastly 5. an on-camera or other class. I should note that this is the absolute limit for me and sometimes it can be a bit too much. Remember that Acting is my day job and I focus on it exclusively. My rule of thumb is to always give preference first to work that is paid (if I’ve taken any unpaid roles), second to whoever I committed to first, third to whoever needs me most at the moment (i.e. – Tech week gets preference over a rehearsal), and fourth to my class. If at any point I start to feel overwhelmed and/or as though I’ve taken on too much, my class gets sacrificed (I’ve never dropped a role, and I’ve never had to drop out of a class completely, but I have missed a class or 2 when it was necessary).

You need to figure out your limit – at what point can you no longer devote fully to each project? When you hit 3 roles does one of them get the shaft? Then your limit is 2, stop there. So if you’ve accepted 2 roles and you’ve just been offered a 3rd… Yep, you guessed it, this is the time when you need to turn down a role.

Another situation that fits into this category is when you have multiple outstanding auditions. I use the same rule of thumb for this situation as listed above. In addition, if you have accepted a role and it conflicts with another outstanding audition (i.e. – the conflict is too great to make both work at the same time, for instance 2 plays or films going up within a week of each other with similar or the same rehearsal schedules or shooting at the same time), and you then get offered a role from the 2nd audition, you should turn down the second role. Your commitment should be to the role you have already accepted and you should almost never make the decision to bail. The only times that it “may” be acceptable to drop out of the first role and accept the second is – if the second role is significantly more money than the first, the first is unpaid and the second is paid, and/or the second role is significantly more renowned than the first (i.e. – Second being a supporting role in a Broadway show vs. First being a lead role in your local community theatre). That said, remember that your willingness and ability to commit to the roles that you accept speaks volumes about your character and work ethic. Bailing on a role should never be taken lightly if done at all. And you should never drop out if you’ve already begun rehearsals or shooting. Remember that bailing on a prior commitment may have consequences, so always keep this in mind when contemplating a decision like this. You need to make the decision that is best for your career and sometimes that may mean having to turn down a “better” role in favor of honoring your commitments.

4. It Doesn’t Move Your Career Forward
I can’t stress enough that while you should have fun with your Acting Career, if you really want it to be a Career, then you need to treat it like a job. And that includes taking it to the next level. Many actors work hard and strive to take their acting to the next level, but they neglect to move their job prospects to the next level to match. If you want to be a star or even just a successful working actor, you should always be striving for bigger and better roles in bigger and better companies. That doesn’t mean you should never make a lateral move (in fact, since actors don’t work for one company for 3-5 years with a particular title and then attempt to move on to a higher title at a different company), you will likely make a lot of lateral moves. Maybe you’ll spend the first 3 years training, building a resume, and networking, all while working unpaid on student films and community theatre plays. Then you’ll spend the next 3 years working for local theatres that pay and getting a commercial agent to do some industrial work. And then on to the next step and so on. The important thing here is that you need to set goals for yourself and you need to monitor those goals and keep refining them. Then once you meet that goal, get comfortable in it for a while until it’s time to move on to the next level. At some point, you need to being willing and able to take the next step career-wise. Once you’ve decided to take your career up a notch, you have to do it and be adamant about it. You may struggle to get to that next level, you may not work for a little while – keep training and working on your own and don’t give in to just any job because you are feeling frustrated and want to work. If you’ve decided it’s time to up your game, then don’t settle for less. If the role you’ve been offered at this stage doesn’t move your career forward, then it is likely in your best interest to turn it down and keep plugging away towards the roles you really want.

5. It’s Unpaid or Underpaid
This is very similar to moving your career forward. I have encouraged actors to do work for little to no pay when they are first starting out and I stand by this. However, there comes a time when you have to decide that you are no longer willing (or maybe able) to work for free. Note: You can make exceptions for things like student films because it’s a way to give back, donating your time to help the next potential great director learn his craft. Just like setting goals for the next step, you need to set goals for monetary compensation. And again, you need to stick to them. If you say you need to be paid in order to take a film role and then you go out and do a bunch of unpaid film roles, you are essentially telling people that you aren’t really worth paying. As long as you keep putting this message out there, people will take you at your word or rather your actions. In order to get others to value you and to value your work, you first need to value yourself. You can even start small if it makes you more comfortable (maybe you’re willing to accept $50 to work on a film, but no less, people will start to realize that if they want to work with you, they will have to pay you $50), but you have to start somewhere and then you have to continue. Will this result in fewer roles? Yes, probably, at least at first, and you may be cast aside rather than cast, in favor of someone who will work for free. Eventually though, it will likely mean better roles and if you can convince people that you are worth paying, your work will also be valued more. And those people who got cast because they were willing to work for free, will continue to work for free until they decide that they are worth paying.

One last thing, there are a lot of actors out there and many of them are willing to work for free. Every time an actor is willing to accept a job where they are not being paid, they are making it harder for any of us to get paid. They are diluting the market. It is basically like saying that we, actors as a whole, don’t deserve to make money at our jobs. Would you wait tables for free? Would you clean someone else’s house for free? Would you go buy enough food and make a dinner for 100 people for free? Would you go to your day job every day and then refuse a paycheck? If the role is unpaid or underpaid, this is a time to say NO and turn down the job. And after you have gotten past the beginning actor stages and you’ve built a resume, please help out yourself and your fellow actors by refusing to work for free. If we all value ourselves, each other, and our work, the market will have to take us seriously and value us as well. And that means more paying jobs for actors – we deserve them!

So these are the 5 times when most actors will be faced with the decision of turning down a role. I’ve had to navigate all of these situations at one time or another and each taught me the valuable lessons that I’m sharing with you. The next time you find yourself in one of these situations, come back and re-read this post. You now have the knowledge to make better job decisions going forward.

Next Week: 20 Headshot Tips - "A Picture's Worth a Thousand... Bucks"

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The Age Old Question and What to do About it!

5/18/2014

Hey guys, so I know I said this week’s blog post would be about auditioning and I didn’t forget. I’m going to take a detour this week though and post about something else. Next week will be about auditioning.
I often get asked questions by other actors about how to do things or what decisions to make in certain situations. I got one of these questions this week and I realized – That would make a great blog post! In fact many of these questions are great for posting, so from time to time, I may answer some of these questions here. Names and details will be changed/left vague because I don’t want to “out” my friends for being smart enough to ask when they need help. I've also added a bit to my answer to make it more relevant for all.

Here’s the question:
They are casting for a movie in X city, asking for 18-24 year olds to play highschool students. I am 25, but I play much much younger on screen. Should I still submit, or will that glaring number 25 make them just throw away my submission on first glance? I'm always a little unsure of these things. I don't want to lie, about my age, but I look younger in real life and play younger on screen. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Here’s my answer:
This is a great question and one that gets asked frequently!

My advice? LIE! I'm not someone who ever likes to lie or tell others to lie, but we are in a business of lies (or at least stretching the truth a bit), and if you don't, someone else will and they will get the part. Casting directors aren't always turned off by a person's real age, but many can be, and why give them a reason NOT to hire you?

Have they asked you for your age? If not, then you don't have to lie, just don't offer up your age – take a page from the Military's book: "Don't ask, don't tell."

If they do ask, there is another way of getting around this that doesn't involve lying if you don’t look your age. If you have to fill out a form with your age, give them your playing age range. If you play 15-21, then put that on the form instead of writing 25. If it makes you feel better, you can even add the word “range” or “playing” next to age on the form so that it’s clear what you’re telling them. You can do the same thing if they ask you personally.
I hate lying myself, but I almost never play my own age, so this is a method that works well for me. I've never been questioned about it, because I always make sure that the age range I am giving is both one I can play and one that I look appropriate for.

Ultimately what they want/need to know when they ask for that age is whether or not you can "ACT" that age. The only time this becomes an issue is if you are a minor and lying about your age – that can get you into trouble, so don’t do it! Since you’re not a minor, you’re fine. You can “ACT” the age they are looking for and since you look that age anyway, they won't question it. Not only that, but think of it this way. There is no other job in life where they will ask you your age when you interview. In fact, it's technically illegal to ask someone for their age when hiring – the law views it as discriminatory. Don't try to fight it though, because for whatever reason the entertainment industry gets away with it. If you try to fight this, you’re “bucking the system” and it will only end badly for you, because YOU are not going to change the entire way the industry operates. You will only come across as someone who is difficult to work with. Sorry, that's just the way it is! If you’re feeling unsure or unsettled about all this, just remind yourself that you're giving them what they are really asking you for and that your "real" age is none of their damn business!

Some important caveats: Remember to be honest with yourself when choosing an age range. If you are 45 and they're looking for someone 25, you're probably kidding yourself and they will notice. Stretch the truth this far and that company may never audition you again. And your age range can be between 5-7 years, but any longer than that and it starts to look ridiculous. Also, if this is something you find yourself needing to do in order to have a great acting career, make sure that your "real" age isn't easy to find. Don't post it on websites, social media, or any other accessible area. And be consistent about it, pick a range and stick with it. Use this range on everything you fill out or submit. You can occasionally add or subtract a year as needed. Also, remember to update your range as you get older. If you aren't sure of your age range, start asking people how old they think you look. And if you know someone else is playing roles that differ from their "real" age, don't out them – it's just plain rude and unprofessional!

Next week… Auditioning – But Where do I go, What do I do, How?

photo credit: brutapesquisa via photopin cc /Added Border/Cropped

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