You’ve done it! You’ve gotten an amazing voiceover agent. The sound equipment you’ve put together is perfectly suited for your voice and your home studio is an oasis of creativity. After months of commercial auditions, your inbox dings with the opportunity you’ve been waiting for since starting your voiceover journey: an animation audition! Panic sets in. It has been your dream to audition for animation since you were old enough to know what cartoons were. You run through all the silly voices you can possibly do in your head, but nothing is working. Perhaps they all feel like they are derivati ..read more

3 Tax Tips for Actors from David Turrentine by Adriana Trajkovski As most actors know, the hardest part of this crazy biz is staying afloat financially while pursuing your career. These Tax Tips for Actors are here to help! Actors need to manage their money and find daytime gigs that have flexibility for auditioning/rehearsing.  One essential part of money management is understanding taxes; something that actors can find scary and often overlook. In comes David Turrentine! Enrolled Agent and Chicago actor, who followed his bliss of crunching numbers after receiving an MFA in Acting from ..read more

You booked that commercial job. Congrats! What happens next? Typically, your wardrobe fitting. The fitting will be your first official in-person encounter with the production team as a commercial actor. Logistically, wardrobe fittings take place in either the production company’s office space or facilities at the soundstage (e.g. Cinespace, Essanay) where the shoot will bel taking place. When you arrive, the 1st or 2nd AD will check you in and then bring you to the wardrobe stylist to start your fitting. A standard fitting time is one to two hours per actor. It’s also good to know that there i ..read more

The How-To of using Aircheck to create your demo reel.  by Justin Mobley You’ve self-taped and booked the job, your scene has finally aired, and now you’re ready to assemble your demo reel. The only problem is you don’t know how to get the footage, and I understand your frustration with the process. Well, I’m here to show you how and tell you where to get your footage. Amazingly, it’s all on Actors Access! Here’s the reel deal. Justin in Justified City On Actors Access, you can use their ” Aircheck ” service to get standard or HD-quality clips of all your footage. Conveniently, legally ..read more

So, you graduated from acting school or finally made that move to the big city…only to be greeted with the double whammy of a SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike. Maybe you’re a professional working actor, hit with the same hiatus. What may seem like an overwhelming time is actually a historical one; a major milestone for the entertainment industry. The question is, how do you map out your acting life during this strike? We want our students, alums, and actor peers who may feel overwhelmed during the strike to know that you’re not alone! Progress is finally being made at the bargaining table…so stay pos ..read more

7 Ways To Make a Living As An Actor  by Chris Agos ASC is excited that our friend and colleague, Chris Agos, has updated his popular book, Acting In Chicago–now in it’s 4th edition! Lucky for us, he’s taken time to share his thoughts on 7 types of work that actors can be focusing on in 2023. Have you thought about how you’re going to add to your actor toolbox in 2023? The acting world is not monolithic. There are many different types of work you can pursue & eventually book. Though they all fall under the umbrella of acting, they don’t all look the same or serve the same purpose. R ..read more

Are you getting hung up on writing a cover letter for submitting to agents? I know lots of actors who procrastinate on applying to agencies because they stress over writing the “perfect” cover letter. You’ve had your headshots taken, you’ve put together a professionally formatted resume, you performed in local productions and taken classes. You are eager to apply to talent agencies for representation- so don’t let the cover letter slow you down. Our advice? Keep it professional, short (no more than a page), and specific. Below is an example of a cover letter that you can follow if you’re look ..read more

First, you want your headshot to look like you.  Beyond that, though, a great headshot is going to capture a piece of your personality as well.  Even with all of the branding considerations that can be important to consider from look to look (wardrobe, mood, energy, etc) great actor headshots should always be rooted in authentically capturing YOU! Ian McClaren, headshot photographer Headshots are one of the best tools for marketing yourself as an actor. They are your way of showing casting directors and agents who you are by giving them a glimpse of your personality. A good photogr ..read more

Four steps from Chicago’s top agents on how to know when you, as a parent, are ready to obtain a kids talent agency for your child. “There are many ways to be in the business. [Acting] can be a wonderful, creative outlet done with a local community theatre or by taking classes. If your child is interested in a career as a young performer, it takes a significant amount of time and commitment from the family to make it happen.“ Dawn Gray, Gray Talent Group WHAT EXACTLY IS AN AGENT? ASC loves working with our young acting students and we want them to be as successful as possible. We are often a ..read more

5 tips to researching acting classes for kids…and avoiding scams! Are you a parent who has a kid constantly putting on performances for you? Imitating commercials on TV? Have you been the camera operator for your child “vlogging” the next viral video? You don’t have to know the ins and out’s of the entertainment industry in order to find the best acting classes for kids. However, there are a few important points to keep in mind before you spend any money enrolling your child in a class. Acting Studio Chicago is here to help with 5 tips to help you find the best acting classes for kids…and most ..read more