First Steps

Whether you’re a brand new actor or a seasoned pro, here’s a list of helpful tips and thoughts to advance your career.

Here are the 12 basic steps to consider as you make your way into an acting career. These are things to do before you reach out to a manager or agent for representation.

1. Learn How To Act. Get GREAT at it. Attend as many acting classes, like scene study, on-camera acting, and improv, etc, as you can. Check out all of our Online Classes. Get into theater. Act as much as you can and get as good a possible before you do anything else. If you do nothing else, watch this before you move on to Step 2.

2. Accept that the entertainment industry, and especially Hollywood, is a “type” driven industry. Typecasting is a real thing. You need to know what types you play and how you’re going to be cast in order to make the best use of your time and efforts. Knowing your types allows you to market yourself in and to get work in the most efficient way. Once you know your types all of the steps below will fall right into place. To find out what types you play, and what makes you unique from others in your category you might start with our Actor, Know Thyself class. If you’d prefer one on one coaching to learn your types we encourage you to book an Image Consultation with Mark Atteberry. For more info check out our Coaching page. 

3. Get professional headshots from an established, top notch headshot photographer. See a list of photographers here.

4. Create your acting profiles on these three legitimate online casting sites:: Actors Access, Casting Networks and Backstage. For a list of vetted casting websites check out our list of Online Casting Websites. Then, set up your IMDb page. We highly recommend you subscribe to IMDbPro.

5. Get your work on camera. If you don’t already have existing footage of your work that is professionally shot then record one, two or three short HD clips of your acting. Please make sure your skills are at a professional level (see step 1 above!). If necessary, you can “self-tape” a scene or a monologue with another actor. Make sure you use good lighting and good sound. You can even shoot it in front of a blank wall, if you want. For example check out here and here. Better yet, have your scene professionally shot by a company that specializes in shooting scenes for actors. Check out our lest here. 

6. Upload your footage to YouTube, your IMDbPro page and your Online Casting Website profiles. If you are good at social media feel free to post it there as well. This will allow agents, casting directors and others to see your work. As you work improves and you get more footage, continue to update and post your footage.

7. Create a professional actor’s resume. List your credits, training and special skills in industry standard format. An actor’s resume is very different than a regular business resume. Put it on your online profiles, if you haven’t already. For more more info on putting together a professional actor’s resume check out our helpful resume page here. You can download templates there as well.

8. Submit yourself everyday on the casting sites mentioned above.

9. Book 5-10 short films, student films and webseries. Set your goal on getting principal work, not background work. Background work doesn’t go on your resume.

10. Continue to update your resume as you book work. Make sure casting knows what you’ve been up to. Add your bookings and acting classes each time you do something new. Announce whenever something you’ve shot is available to be viewed. Let the world know you’re a “working actor.”

11. Put together a solid 1-2 minute acting demo reel from the scenes and clips that you received from all your hard work in Step 8. Edit together two, three or at most four 20-40 second scenes featuring you with your name up front and at the end. If you need help editing your reel or want more information on how to put a reel together check out our helpful demo reel page here. Finally, put your professionally edited demo reel on YouTube, IMDbPro and the casting websites mentioned above.

12. Get representation. Contact agencies and mangers in your area and submit your materials (headshot, resume and links to a reel and/or footage). Check out each representative’s website to see how they prefer you to submit. For a list of SAG-AFTRA endorsed agencies check out our Agencies List.

*If you need professional, one-on-one advice on how to get started as a working as a professional actor or if you need any help regarding the above items check out the Coaching Page.