Film production in the south has seen a rapid growth in the last few years. TV production has been a stable in Atlanta for several decades, but more major Hollywood production companies decided to film in Georgia thanks to the huge state tax credits.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Georgia-lensed feature film and television productions generated an economic impact of more than $6 billion during fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015). The 248 film and television productions shot in Georgia represent $1.7 billion in spending in the state. read more
You would think that it’s easy for actors and crew people to find work due to the huge demand. Unfortunately, there is extremely lack of qualified talent in the south. Most of the principal and recurring roles are still coming from the major markets like LA or NYC.
Therefore it’s really important that actors in the south consistently train and gain experience. Many actors are behind compared to the older established market of actors. The links below is a snippet of my Truth about Acting and Modeling industry guide
First thing is you should seek is high Quality training.
Acting Schools
- Team Greatness
- Pro Actors Studio
- The Actors Scene
- Actors Breakthrough
- The Company Studio
- Atlanta Workshop Players
- Premiers Acting Studio
- Kristen Shaw
Second You need Professional Headshots. Expect to pay between $150 to $350. Do not be cheap with this because this your calling card to production companies. You need to ensure you are working with people that specifically works on “ACTING” headshots. Do not use someone that simply just a photographer. Hire someone that specializes in headshot photography in the acting industry.
Headshot Photography
- Neko Parham
- Dwayne Boyd
- Hollywood Headshots
- Julie Jones Ivey Photography
- Tammy McGarity
- Derek Blanks
Third you need to find auditions. I know many people would assume you need to find a “Talent Agent” as the third step but that is not the case. Gain some industry knowledge before you start signing with the first agency that approaches you. In fact newbie actors should consider doing extra work. This is a perfect way of understanding how filming process works. Understand the terminology of what happens on set. Understand what crew member’s roles are and how they effect the actors. Here are the links to find auditions
Casting Call Auditions
- Facebook: Casting Directors for Actors
- FB Atlanta Film Community
- FB Last Looks
- FB Atlanta Entertainment
- FB Atlanta Extras
- Marinella Hume Casting
- CL Casting
- New Life Casting
- Extras Casting
- WSA Casting
- Southern Casting Board
- Project Casting
- Love 2 Act
- Actors Access (This is what Talent Agents Use to submit you to auditions. You only see 25% of auditions. The rest is for Talent agents that you can’t see) Go ahead an pay the yearly $68 fee and you do unlimited self submissions
Finally here is what most people are wanting. Just keep in mind that you should seriously do your research. You want to ensure that the agent doesn’t have a bunch of people with your same look. Already too much competition let alone trying to compete with your same agency. Watch this to learn how to use IMDB pro for research.
All these talent agents are part of the premier association. Atlanta Coalition of Talent Agents
Atlanta Talent Agency
- Houghton Talent Agency
- J Pervis Talent
- People Store
- East Coast Talent
- Atlanta Models and Talent
- Ultimate Models Management
- Jana Van Dyke Agency
- RSH Management
These are the top tier talent agents. They are the ones that have a been in Atlanta for a very long time, therefore have established local clients. There are many different productions you can get cast from. The lower tiered agencies typically do not have many relationships with local businesses.
Oh you think thats it????? I’m telling you are just getting started. The above is just the foundation of becoming a basic actor. It takes years of experience to make a name for yourself. Talent agents only do about 10% of the work therefore you need to make sure your doing the other 90%. It mainly deals with
Training Training, Branding Branding, and finally Marketing Marketing Marketing
Notice I added an extra Marketing? That’s because that is the crucial part. You need to understand how to market yourself by gaining FANS and getting in the radar of Casting Directors, Talent Agents, Producers, and Directors. First thing you should be an expert on is Twitter. Check out my FREE TWITTER Training for Actors
Now it’s your turn.. Post your comments or questions below and let me know what you think
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