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Getting Started
New to this, or new to a market. The questions everybody has and nobody wants to ask twice.
All boards 18 topics
Sign in to post- What actually counts as training on a resume? I have taken a lot of one-off workshops and two ongoing classes. Do the weekend workshops go on there? Does an online course? I do not want... Jamie Holloway · 2 days ago 3 replies 92 views
- Do I need a stage name? My legal name is very long and gets mispronounced constantly. Part of me wants to shorten it and part of me feels like that is erasing... Selina Odum · 20 Aug 2026 4 replies 108 views
- Is Actors Access worth it if I am not in LA or NY? Albuquerque. There is real production here but the site seems to assume I am in one of two cities. Camila Duarte · 25 Jul 2026 2 replies 84 views
- Moved to LA six weeks ago and I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing I saved for two years to do this and now I am here and the days are just... empty. I submit on Actors Access in the morning, I go to my... Cory Mbatha · 23 Jul 2026 4 replies 168 views
- What is the difference between a manager and an agent in plain English? I have read six explanations and they all use words like "procure" and I still could not tell you which one I should be trying to get first. Isaac Mbeki · 10 Jul 2026 4 replies 121 views
- Everyone says get in the room. How? It is advice I see constantly and it never comes with instructions. Ben Trachtenberg · 2 May 2026 4 replies 346 views
- Should I put my student film credits on my resume? I have four. All student, all unpaid, two of which never got finished. Does that look worse than a short credits section? Camila Duarte · 6 Apr 2026 3 replies 396 views
- Is it too late at 34? Starting properly this year after a decade doing something else. I keep reading posts from people who started at 19 and it is hard not to... Julian Ferreira · 18 Mar 2026 2 replies 210 views
- Nobody told me about the self-tape setup cost Light, backdrop, tripod, a decent mic, a phone that shoots properly. It adds up fast and none of the "how to start acting" advice mentions... Nia Caldwell · 4 Mar 2026 0 replies 187 views
- Non-union and staying that way for now. Is that a mistake? I keep getting told to stay non-union as long as possible and also that I am limiting myself. Both from working actors. Ben Trachtenberg · 23 Feb 2026 4 replies 203 views
- What do I put for height and weight, and does anyone check? Feels absurd to be lying about half an inch but also I have heard people say be accurate. Which is it? Tabitha Vance · 17 Jan 2026 3 replies 299 views
- What should I NOT do in my first year? Plenty of advice about what to do. Less about the mistakes worth avoiding. What did you waste time or money on? Camila Duarte · 15 Jan 2026 6 replies 238 views
- How do people afford classes and rent at the same time? Ongoing class near me is 300 a month. Rent is most of what I earn. I do not see the math working and I am starting to think everyone doing... Ellis Barnard · 12 Jan 2026 5 replies 677 views
- How do I know if a class is any good before I pay for it? Every studio website says the same things. Transformative, professional, industry standard. I cannot tell any of them apart. Selina Odum · 8 Jan 2026 5 replies 498 views
- First paid job today. Small, but it happened. One line, a regional bank commercial, and they paid me more for the day than my actual job pays for a week. I have been chasing this for... Fiona Kerrigan · 14 Dec 2025 5 replies 229 views
- Do I need a reel before I can get an agent, or an agent before I can get a reel? Genuine chicken and egg. Every agent submission page says to include a reel. I have nothing to put in one because I cannot get seen for... Tabitha Vance · 25 Nov 2025 5 replies 373 views
- I have no credits. Where does anybody actually start? Not a rhetorical question. Concretely, on a Monday morning, with no agent and no credits, what is the list of things I should be doing? Nadia Halstrom · 16 Nov 2025 4 replies 577 views
- How many headshots do I actually need? A photographer quoted me for four looks. That feels like a lot for someone with no credits. Is two enough to start? Hana Sugimoto · 1 Sep 2025 1 replies 299 views