Three Things Cash-Strapped Actors can do for Top Training and Marketing Material
We tend to romanticize the life of an actor — or any type of artist. We call them starving artists… but in truth, it takes money to pursue a life in the arts. Kind of. We see all the glitz and the glamour of the red carpet events and premieres but we rarely see the days upon days of being rejected and schlepping from one audition to another, the 12–16 hour days on set, and the dry spells in-between bookings.
It shouldn’t be, but as with so much of the world, disposable income makes a huge difference whether or not an artist is going to be successful. One of my favorite comedians — Julia Louis-Dreyfus — is an heiress. Taylor Swift’s parents were financially well-off. Many of the success stories in the acting and entertainment industry are because the performers are able to obtain the best education and marketing material.
Most of my students that are successful have parents who are able to fund the best classes and can afford individual coaching before each big audition. They are part of a household where one (or both) parents have a flexible job that allows them to take off at a moments notice for auditions, or one of the parents is a stay at home mom/dad. They can pay for the travel associated with the audition (especially last minute flights to Los Angeles) and not worry whether or not their son or daughter books the job. That takes a lot of money and a certain level of financial security. That’s why I have always offered my services for a discounted price or a scholarship to teens that honestly did not have the financial means to take the classes. Even when an actor lands a series regular role on a network show or a very lucrative commercial, there are still periods of time where the roles/work aren’t there. It’s a very volatile industry and having a strong foundation (family-wise and financially) is the bedrock of a sustainable career.
I definitely did not come from a privileged background, and even now, being a single mom, acting coach, and a working actor is still feast or famine at times. If you are one of those actors who like me who love the art but don’t have the means to get into the best classes, these are the ways that I have acquired the knowledge, training and marketing material that put me at a same-ish competitive level as those who do have the privilege of having more money:
1) Scholarships — Many schools have scholarships or grants for people who have a financial need. They also may have programs that target specific demographics like women or people who have a military background. That’s why I am thankful for scholarship programs at UCB and at the American Conservatory Theater — if I wasn’t a recipient of those programs, I would not be where I am now. I applied for the diversity scholarship at UCB and was able to take their improv and writing program and meet a bunch of talented people in comedy that I now collaborate with regularly.
2) Work/Trade — When I was younger, I got my first headshots done with Cynthia Smalley as a trade. My parents were not able to afford the cost of professional headshots, so I wrote her a letter telling her how much I loved her work and that I would be willing to help out with holding lights or a white balance at her next shoot. I also pay for a majority of my film/tv acting classes (even today because I believe in never-ending improvement) by exchanging writing and office work for class tuition. I was able to negotiate headshots with the top headshot photographers in Los Angeles by helping out with a marketing campaign for one of their pop-up shoots.
3) Internships — I learned a lot about the business of acting firsthand by interning for a few managers and casting directors. I also volunteered my services with showrunners and production companies and asked if they needed any extra help around the office. It was a great way to learn the business of show-business and network in a non-creepy way where you are actually providing a much-needed service.
One more thing about art and finances — I see so many of my friends who are phenomenal actors get down on themselves because they have to take on a day job, but a lot of actors make their everyday living money in ways other than acting. It doesn’t take away from their talent as an actor. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t successful. The nature of the industry itself is very fickle and we have to redefine what it means to be successful, regardless of the money attached or the number of bookings. For me, it is the amount of joy I create for myself and others. It is the creation of stories that are told that move the needle of society, even if it is just a handful of people at a time. It is the ability to open hearts to more empathy by seeing the world from someone else’s perspective.
About Giovannie:
Actress and filmmaker Giovannie Espiritu was nominated alongside Academy Award Nominees Alfre Woodard and Amy Irving for Best Supporting Actress at MethodFest for the Mynah Films feature film Fiona’s Script. Her primetime credits include a recurring role on ER (NBC), Bones (FOX), Gilmore Girls (ABC), and Trauma (NBC). She can currently be seen as the series lead in the Amazon series, “Dyke Central,” which was featured in After Ellen, BuzzFeed, Bust Magazine and Curve Magazine as a top LGBTQ series to watch. As a filmmaker, she was featured in Elizabeth Banks’ WhoHaHa Media for her parody song, “An Introvert’s World,” and her storytelling has been featured in Ms. Magazine.
She coaches kids/teens online nationwide through HollywoodActorsWorkshop.com. Her students are represented by the top agencies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles and notable student alumni include William Lipton (Cameron on General Hospital) and the Espina Sisters (Hosts of Dreamworks’ “Life Hacks for Kids on the Road”). She was just named as one of the top 40 Audition Coaches in Los Angeles by the Hollywood Winners Circle founded by Wendy Alane Wright, a top talent manger.
