The Hollywood Survival Guide For Actors by Kym Jackson

 

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Publisher: Perfict Books

Visit the Author: Imbd|Twitter|Facebook|Goodreads 

About the Book:

This text shares all of the current information an actor needs to have a successful career in film and television today.

Proofed and edited by over forty top Hollywood professionals, the book covers basics like headshots and resumes, but flows quickly into hundreds of more intricate and rarely revealed topics like audition protocols, how films are financed, how TV shows are created, how and where to network, SAG-AFTRA contract categories, on-set terminology and behavior, where legitimate film and TV auditions are sourced, and literally hundreds more pieces of knowledge that are vital for anyone seriously pursuing a film and TV career.

It is a tell-all of the insider secrets that author Kym Jackson (Criminal Minds, NCIS: LA) spent nine years researching and compiling into this one resource guide for anyone hoping to navigate the rough seas of the film and TV industry.

This 352 page text is currently in over 80 bookstores and in ebook and hardcopy via Amazon.com and sold in over 30 drama schools worldwide. While writing this book over the past years, author Kym Jackson has worked consistently as an actress, playing lead and supporting roles in film and television.

Add to your Goodreads TBR List! 

Excerpts:

 

TRUST ME... THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME
Which actors most frequently book work in LA? The talented ones? The passionate ones? The attractive ones? Absolutely. However, there are many talented, passionate, attractive actors here. The actors who are hired repeat- edly are also methodical, consistent, diligent, confident, and professional.

It’s often said that the key turning point for most actors in LA is three years. I agree. Allowing a year for visa and Greencard paperwork, let’s in- crease that number to four years for most international actors. Furthermore, it seems to have taken most working actors an additional three or four years before they were able to support themselves financially from acting alone.

Eight years is a long time. How old are you now? How old will you be then? I’m not saying you’ll be famous in eight years, or even rich. I’m saying that if you are a talented and consistently proactive actor, four years from the day you arrive in LA is when you will probably have solid mid-level rep- resentation, be on the radar of the ‘CDs’ (casting directors), and frequently doing union auditions. I’m saying that eight years from the day you arrive in LA, with the help of the advice contained within this book, you might just be a working actor. It also takes a whole lot of luck.

An overnight success is a rarity. Lindsay Lohan and Scarlett Johansson were competing for roles when they were (respectively) eight and ten years old. Even Kristen Stewart and Zac Effron were working in lesser-known movies and television for years before Twilight and High School Musical came out. In the majority of cases, it’s not just about having one hit role. It’s about having many roles over time so audiences and industry members begin to know and trust your ability to create great characters and engage an audience. It’s about building a body of solid credits to help you book that one hit role, and following that role up by attaching to high quality projects.

The reason it takes so long to get into the game is that Hollywood is built on trust, or (more specifically) nepotism, familiarity, and referrals. You need to work hard over time to earn the trust of the filmmakers, representa- tives (agents and managers), and CDs around town. Investors are spending a heck of a lot of money on these projects, so the producers need to know that the people they are hiring can do the job.

Trust takes a great deal of time to earn and prove. Each legitimate film or TV credit on your resume helps convince CDs and filmmakers to trust you, because if you’ve worked with professionals before, it is likely that you will behave and perform like a professional. Having an agent or manager who is trusted by CD’s around town is a vital commodity for up and coming ac- tors, as the reputation they have built for providing solid talent is what will get you into the audition room. When you show your ‘demo’ (demonstra- tion reel) or do an audition, you’re giving the filmmaker evidence that they can trust you to do justice to their character.

Once you gain the trust of the industry and become a public figure, you must earn and maintain the trust of audiences by doing solid performances in well-written, well-produced projects. When an audience watches a film “because celebrity x is in it”, it’s because the audience trusts the celebrity to bring them a story that is worth the cost of the movie ticket or DVD rental. After several bad movies starring the same celebrity, the audience has their trust broken and will be less likely to see the celebrity’s next film. This is why stars must be very careful about which films they select and with which directors they choose to work.

Working consistently in Hollywood takes time because earning people’s trust takes time. If you’re in this business to succeed, make sure you’re in it for the long haul.

My Thoughts:

 So, I've never really had any big dreams of being an actress. Yes, everyone for one small moment has that thought of how awesome it would be to see their name in lights, but that's never been me. For some reason, though, I was prompted to read Kym's book. I thought, hey, maybe I will be able to provide some feedback on the overall feel of the book, and not the actual content--if that makes sense. 

 I was surprised, however, as I read further because I felt like the advice displayed so pleasantly by Kym could actually be put towards many aspects and careers, not just the acting profession. This book actually didn't read as preachy to me so much, well, fun. I honestly picked it up and couldn't quit reading, much like a favorite fiction book. If I ever know anyone wanting to be an actor or actress, this is the book I will recommend. It is easy to read and doesn't have that feel of this is what you HAVE to do to be a good at acting. It just gives pleasant advice from someone who has been there and knows what she is doing. I highly recommend for anyone who does have dreams of acting. For you, it's a MUST READ!

About Kym:

Kym Jackson was born in England, moved to Logan City, Australia at age 3, Sydney at 21, and Hollywood at 22.  She spent her first six months in LA working in film finance and production for an eccentric billionaire, followed by three months living in a storage room with thirty cases of Arizona green tea and a noisy but lovable cricket.  She eventually got a real job: buying stuff for a post-production company.  She was so good at haggling million dollar contracts that they let her leave whenever she wanted for acting auditions.  She got laid off during the writer's strike of 2007, which worked out well because she has since performed supporting and leading roles in over twenty-five Hollywood feature films and TV shows.

 

As an actress, Kym's 2013 releases included a recurring guest star role on NCIS: Los Angeles, lead and supporting roles in feature films Snitch (Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sanrandon, Barry Pepper), Iron Sky (Udo Kier, Julia Dietz), Redline (Nicole Gale Anderson, John Billinglsey), Dark Power (Sean Patrick Flannery, Kristanna Loken), Fatal Justice (Frances Fisher, Bryan Krause, Cynthia Watros).

 

Her 2014 upcoming releases include Cardboard Boxer (Terrence Howard, Thomas Haden Church), Bordering On Bad Behavior (Tom Sizemore, Bernard Curry), Jonestown (William Russ, Leandro Caine), The Half Dead (John Rhys Davies, Tasma Walton), Aussie indie feature Breeding in Captivity, and several other film and TV roles.