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   149

   

   7-23-11

   David H. Lawrence XVII says:

   Answer: The economies of the major media centers can often be made up of lots of products and services designed to simply separate actors from their all to scarce dollars. The phrase “advance fee talent service” has been coined to describe businesses and individuals that charge you money before they perform a service.

   
   

   Acting classes are everywhere. You can’t walk a block in the business districts of LA, New York or Chicago without bumping into some business that claims to train you in some aspect of acting: kid’s acting classes, adult acting classes, acting classes that teach you “the Method”, weekend acting classes, night acting classes and so on. And in addition to the craft – the “show” in “show business”, there are even more individuals and businesses that purport to be able to get you actual work, marketing you, promoting you, taking headshots, doing on-screen and voice demos, promising to introduce you to agents and casting directors – the “business” in “show business”.

   While many of these acting classes are really fantastic, some of them are downright dangerous – not just because they waste your time and keep you from your acting career, but because they can actually damage your reputation with people who are the true professionals in the acting business.

   
   

   But worst of all? They take large somes of money from you, and give you little or no results in return.

   In 2005, the California Legislature passed SB1687, the Advance Fee Talent Service Law (AFTS). This was designed to make sure that if someone tells you that if you pay them money, they promise to get you work in the acting industry. That’s the long and short of it: give them money, and they’ll get you cast. Some blatantly lie about what they do: they’ll tell you they have connections because they used to work in the industry, and they “know everybody.” Others will tell you that their method is how (fill in famous actor’s name here) got to be so big in acting.

   I’m not talking about casting workshops, as I talk about them in another article. I’m talking about “schools”, “coaches”, agents and managers that take money from you up front, and leave you both cash and job poor.

   These businesses range from acting classes themselves (always look for a reputable school with great references from past students, not someone who claims to be “connected”), to private coaches, lifestyle and marketing consultants, image advisors, headshot photographers and casting workshop companies. I’ve been teaching at some of the best workshop companies in Los Angeles for several years, and I’m always amazed at the companies that will try to mimic what the good companies do, with no regard whatsover for you, the aspiring actor.

   
   

   Another category of Advance Fee Talent Services to avoid is the talent competition companies, especially for kids acting and teen acting. Open Backstage or the LA Times, and on any given day you’ll find dozens of ads

   Avoid any Advance Fee Talent Service that comes your way that smells the least bit too grand, too hard to believe or too desperate. Don’t let your hard earned dollars be spent chasing a dream – the only way to get there is through rehearsal, training, practice, focus and persistence. Oh, and a little bit of acting talent helps too.

   What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

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