Alrighty, week number two! Gosh it feels like I’ve been here much longer. I’ve done so many things, I didn’t even have time to bake cupcakes! (First world problems much?)Or maybe it just feels like I’ve done a lot because I’m dead right now, since I just went on a pretty brutal hike. I thought hiking= walking. It is not. Be warned.
Either way, it was an exciting week. There was a meeting with an agent, two acting class audits and my first big mailing. Oh, and a pretty exciting new development…So here’s what I’ve accomplished of my list for week two:
Prepare Drama and Comedy Dialogue
Done! This was for the agent meeting of course, but I had already planned on doing these things anyway, to tape something English for my reel, and to be prepared in general. I finally went with exactly the scenes I described in last week’s list although I went back and forth between New Girl and Crazy, Stupid, Love till the very last minute.
Attend All Audits
Done! This included Annie Grindlay’s audition class and Doug Warhit’s on-camera scene study/cold reading class. Both were awesome and I want to do both, if only I had the money…
Annie Grindlay’s audition class is -surprisingly- all about auditioning. You have to do one of the two intensive classes first, and afterwards you can enroll in the ongoing classes. In the intensive they give you scenes -sometimes a day in advance, sometimes twenty minutes- just like with real auditions here. Then you go on camera, and do the scene with a reader, also just like in real Hollywood life. That sounds like an oxymoron, “real Hollywood life”…Anyway I like that they include a reader and not another actor because there’s a big difference. Readers are usually casting directors and they do just what it says: read. Not act. They’re also off-camera and sitting so you can’t really interact with them. I volunteered to do a scene at the audit and got some good feedback, which helped for my agent meeting later that week. And then Annie decided to put me in the more advanced intensive class, yay!
Doug Warhit’s class was at a really nice place in Beverly Hills and very down to earth and I felt really comfortable there. And I suddenly realized how uncomfortable I was in my last LA acting class. I’m not saying it was a bad school but it was just not a good fit for me. I didn’t click with the teacher. I’m kind of amazed I actually stayed there so long. Well, learned a lesson and moving on!
Meet With Theatrical Agent
Done! Went there last Thursday at 4PM after getting my hair all awesomely styled by the Harlot again, and riding my bike through heat and over hills. I arrived in the beautiful lobby and was glad I had to wait for a bit because I was all sweaty and red from the bicycle ride. Then I went in, did my scenes and talked with the team for a bit. It was all really nice and easy going and I felt my scenes had gone good too. The only issue was that I wasn’t SAG yet (US actor’s union that’s tricky to get in to) and still had a bit of an accent. I explained that I could never get SAG before getting an agent because I need an agent to legally work. I also assured her that my accent should be easy to erase with a dialect coach. I hear from them Monday, fingers crossed again!
Schedule Improv Audits/Auditions
The only known improv school that’s nearby enough for me right now is Groundlings. It’s a very good one though. I scheduled an audition for their Level 1 class for Wednesday the 27th!
Set Appointment for Taping Dialogues
Whoopsie, did not do this yet. I shall do it next week. If possible, I shall even tape the damn dialogues next week!
Do All Mailings
Man, are mailings a lot of work! Research everyone on IMDbPro, choose agents, get headshots, choose one or two, retouch headshots, research print labs, submit shots for printing, buy right sized envelopes, write cover letters…And the worst part is that headshots should be in 8×10 format, which doesn’t exist as a standard paper size. What more, your resume needs to be stapled to the headshot and also in 8×10 format. That’s your work cut out for you. Literally. I spent a good few hours cutting resumes. But the theatrical agent mailing is now done and the commercial mailing is ready. I just didn’t want them to arrive on Monday, so am sending them tomorrow. All there’s left is the print agency mailing!
Choose Acting Class
I think I wanna do an improv class first, since it’s important for your commercial resume and I haven’t done a famous improv class yet. Once I get my visa sorted though, I also want to do both Annie Grindlay and Doug Warhit. That sounded odd. I mean do their classes, us Dutchies aren’t as promiscuous as advertised. I’m not, anyway!
And guess what new exciting thing is up for next week? I have a meeting with a manager! So here’s what the plan looks like now..
Week 3 - June 18th to 24th
- Mail commercial mailing
- Do print mailing
- Prepare scene for manager meeting
- Do manager meeting
- Tape dialogues
- Research agent workshops
- Research how to follow-up mailings
So next week is another fingers-and-nose-hairs-crossed-week! I hope I can keep up this one meeting per week thing, that’d be awesome. And I hope I end up signing with at least one company, so I can finally start the visa proces. That would be such a dream come true. And I can’t really go back to Holland anymore, I’ve already said goodbye too many times. And invested so much money in Los Angeles.
Well, time will tell!
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You are truly on a roll! Well done you. I think that writing lists publicly, and then ticking them off publicly must be very motivating! You have motivated me to do more lists, thanks.
Thinking of your progress in the coming week. Be brave and confident. Hollywood is ready for you! :)
Sounding good! Are you working part time also to support yourself? Is that possible on a short term visa?
Thanks :)
No, it’s not allowed so I saved up money in advance :)
Well good on you and good luck! I’m loving your blog! When you’re famous all the journos will be quoting from it in their articles! ha!
Greetings from Melbourne, Australia!
Reading about your todo lists is motivating and exciting, I’m a listperson myself (more to do with bad memory), crossing stuff is nice so
fingers-and-nose-hairs-crossed: check! ;)
Isn’t it odd how crossing things off a list feels better than just doing the task? I need it too, I’ll forget stuff otherwise…This is just a censored list there’s a bunch of other stuff that I need to take care of weekly haha!
Damn, je bent lekker bezig geweest. Veel succes met de rest!
Keep those meetings fast and furious yo… and make sure they know the situation and do what you gotta do to close the deal. Peace out!
Pff even though the VISA isn’t here yet and you haven’t signed anywhere yet, it already seems to me like you’re living the dream! You’re in L.A. and making checklists and attending acting classes. You really keep the hope for me alive that one day I may follow in your footsteps and leave for L.A. myself. But first I have to finish my BA of course! I’m really excited for you and every time you post something I hope it’s good news. I have my fingers crossed for you, you absolutely deserve this!
Greetings from Amsterdam :D
I am really happy that things are doing so well! It feels to me like more good news are coming this week :D
Best of luck, girl!
hey!
i am a fifteen year old girl from Amsterdam, who happens to have the same dream as you!
hahaha i am obviously still too young to go to LA, like you, but when i get older i would love to pursue my acting dream there too!! i just wanted to ask you something because i know it’s very difficult to actually start something in LA but i was wondering how did you do that? you just went there after high school? did you have to save up a lot of money? isn’t it scary to be all alone in such a big city? i hope you can reply to me because i would really like to know what you think of it, instead of my parents telling me it’s o zo moeilijk! hahhaha well for what it’s worth i LOVE your blog and i hope you can make it happen out there! lot’s of luck!
Hi Sofie, thank you for your kind words. This whole blog is about how I did it all, so I suggest you read that haha! It’s step by step almost! If you go all the way to the oldest posts I describe the first time I went to LA, and from there on it goes all the way up to now, almost 4 years later. Good luck and if you come by any other questions, let me know!
Hey lovely lady!
Just want to thank you for your amazing blog, it inspires me to write about my journey but right now I am way too forgetful with such things!
I am from South Africa and LA has been my dream since I could remember. I also went to LA in February of this year to check things out and met the most amazing people and agents! It really is such a different world out there! I also found an agent willing to represent me and took classes at the Margie Haber studio.
However, I am now still stuck at the Visa phase as, even though I have a prospective job (being an actor is the easiest way to prove no one else can do your job) in LA, I don’t have enough credits in my home country.
I might do another trip (as you are doing now) to find out if there is any other way (other than getting married!!!!) for me to get a visa.
But hopefully I will get to meet you one day :)
Congrats and good luck!
xoxo
Hi Bianca, I have the opposite of your problem! I have enough credits in my home country (according to my lawyer anyway) but don’t have an agent or manager yet! Who did you sign with? Keep us updated on your journey! Best of luck!
Hi Shanice,
You were uncomfortable with your last L.A. acting class…if you don’t mind me asking…which class exactly are you talking about?
Good luck on your journey!!
Damn girl, you’re really busy! I like that.
What I also like is how you are still riding your bike all over LA, when every single actor out there would tell you that there is no way to survive this town without a car. Good job on being a rebel!