Are you a performer in the acting business? Do you have a diversified career? Well, I want to discuss how you can branch out, find more gigs, and work more.

Oftentimes actors think that every acting gig they have must be in one particular venue. That might be only theater, or only commercials, or only news casting, but there are so many opportunities for an actor or a performer that you might not have even thought about.

Let’s start with theater. Did you major in acting in college? If you did then you were exposed to a lot of live theater productions. Most colleges don’t even introduce film and television to their theater majors. There is a snobbery among theater professors that if you aren’t doing theater then you are not a real actor. This is not so, but if you are studying under a particular professor with this mindset then you might never be introduced to all of the other working avenues that could be a part of your career.

I have had the pleasure of lecturing at colleges all over the southeast on the ins and outs of auditioning for film and television. I explain to the theater students how they can take the acting skills that they have developed and translate them into an on camera career as well. This is not to say that they should abandon their theater aspirations, but this is just one more tool to add to their actor’s tool kit. Every actor needs a tool kit to pull from when they are auditioning and performing.

Another wonderful way for actors to exercise their acting chops is by auditioning for commercials. Commercial acting is more closely related to theater than to TV and film. The reason is because commercial acting is oftentimes bigger and over the top because you are trying to sell a product. You might need to smile a little bigger, speak a little louder, and have more energy than you might have for your average TV and Film audition.

Are you an actor with a good physical presence? You can be a host of a live or televised show. Some examples of this are a host on QVC, which is televised, or a presenter at the auto show introducing new information on the latest cars. While this doesn’t require good speaking skills, your physical looks can also garner you a nice print ad. Just today I was driving to work and I saw 5 of my actors on the side of a metro bus driving throughout town. I have seen my actors on billboards, bus benches, and product packaging. There are also industrial films as well as brochures that are distributed within an office or business.

There are all types of television shows. There are kid shows (think Disney and

 Nickelodeon), soap operas (Young and the Restless, General Hospital), tele novelas, or

 sitcoms (Modern Family). Let’s not forget performers at the Disney Parks, Universal,

and the like. One of the greatest and often under-appreciated elements of Disney’s

Hollywood Studios are the “Streetmosphere Characters.” These street performers show

 up on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard to complete the illusion that you have traveled

to Hollywood of the 30’s and 40’s.

Part of the magic involves the use of scripted, and often improvisational “acts” along the

streets, often times with Guest involvement (sometimes unsuspecting Guest

involvement!). You have to be a very well trained actor in order to book one of these sought after jobs and many of these amusement parks around the world

There are also so many channels on your television and ALL of them need programming. Years ago we only had ABC, NBC, and CBS. Now there are way too many to even begin naming them. Even companies like Amazon and Apple are getting into programming.  

Another wonderful usage of your talent is your voice. JUST your voice. If you know how to manipulate your voice you can do commercial voiceovers, radio spots, revoicing characters for movies and TV shows, and audiobooks just to name a few. If you speak another language, you can revoice an actor so that particular show can air in another country. The world of voiceovers is a wonderful way to earn a living. It doesn’t matter what you look like, how old, young, big, or small you are. The beauty of doing voice work is that many times, with the current technology, you can actually record the job from the comfort of your personal home studio. There are a lot of ins and outs to working as a voice actor, but I have a great opportunity for you if this is something you are interested in. Lori Wyman Casting is hosting a great way to learn the art of voice acting. Starting on Wednesday night, May 1^st, 2019, Karen-Eileen Gordon will be conducting a 5-week program educating actors on how to set up a home voice over studio, how to look for voice work, and then how to deliver the dialog appropriately in various situations. This is an online course, which means you can take it from anywhere, in the world, for that matter. Due to the wonders of technology, it is so much easier for actors to audition remotely and for voice actors to actually record the job from afar as well. Click on this link: http://theorganicactor.com/product/voiceover-class-with-karen-eileen-gordon-2/

To read up on this and many other course offerings.

As an actor, you need to diversify yourself. You can make a living as a performer if you are willing to seek out many of the possibilities I have presented to you in this article.

Good luck and remember to “pursue your passion, so you can live your dream!”

She can be reached at Wycast@aol.co