londonjei wrote: London here. Having been versed in the entertainment industry for 10 years Im often asked if I can coach new talent or tell them what it takes to break into the industry, and what they should be aware of. I love to pay my knowledge forward so this is for those of you that want to do break into FASHION MODELING and/or ACTING. Brace yourself Go BIG or Go HOME Above all input I share with people my biggest word of advice is to graduate become an educated contributing individual to society. Believe it or not, fashion modeling and Acting will always be there for you if you really want it, whereas a prosperous education is once in a lifetime. Have an open dialogue with parentals or family about your dreams and aspirations. Its incredibly difficult to break into the industry without a strong support system. With firsthand experience, it hurts more than just a checkbook, it beats down at your self-esteem, confidence, self-worth, body image, and so much more. To be a strong thriving success you will need support. One thing I stress to everyone is that you have to be confident in yourself before you can really set out to achieve anything. There is a big difference between confidence and cockiness. To be confident you believe in youre best while retaining a sense of humility, whereas cockiness is an unrealized but apparent self-indulgence in ones self. Ive gone to so many casting calls and auditions the holding rooms the air is always the same its like looking into a mirror sometimes, sometimes you can get nervous or intimidated but you must always try to be retain whatever it is about you that is special. With or without a support system, I find that starting a progress journal and creating/finding a MANTRA a personal quote, theme song, bible verse, saying, etc. exceptionally beneficial in providing a personal shield. As with any aspect of life, this industry is incredibly competitive, while youre in school try to keep up appearances and do your research. If this industry is what you aspire to, you must understand that you are now a commodity a product to be bought or sold. Skin care is very important, it is the first this people see when you go to an audition or go see. Some important tips to keep your stocks from plummeting are to always use moisturizer and sun block, get plenty of rest, eat healthy, and exercise. Wake up each day with your MANTRA and keep it playing in your head pushing you closer to your aspirations. To keep physically fit, I tend to work out at least 45min-1hr EVERY day Mornings especially. Working out in the morning is the most effective way to burn calories as well as giving you energy for the day and continued effective calorie after-burn throughout the day. Be advised that a combination of Cardio/weight training increases stamina, flexibility, and as Elle Woods would say exercise release endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people dont kill their husbands Legally Blonde. Cardio/Weight training could be walking around the block a couple times with light hand and ankle weights, to jogging, or swimming. Make sure youre constantly stretching throughout workouts before, during, and after. Dont push yourself too hard theres a difference between PAIN and the BURN. Remember muscle weighs more than fat so try not rely on a scale for overall results because you could be gaining muscle and loosing inches. Exercise isnt only necessary to LOOK THE PART, but to keep you healthy and happy. Start off slow and intensify the workout when you feel like its getting easy. Your body cant get too comfortable, change is a good thing. Documenting your progress is the best source for change. What youll want to do is take your measurements and/or accompanying photos optional weekly or bi-weekly. Youll measure the chest widest part, True waist stand straight and bend torso to the left/right, hips widest part, Upper arms and thighs, etc. When dealing with eating healthy, and lets face it most people hate it. However, its about making healthy choices. Personally, I was obese for most of my life and suffered from eating disorders, but I gained so much knowledge about health that I learned that it takes little steps to achieve a big goal. Ive learned that by slowly decreasing and limiting your sugar intake including most fruits and starches, Increasing proteins and fibers in the first 3 weeks to a month your body can effectively use the food you consume and evenly distribute energy needed on a daily basis. Ive learned that i must eat 5 times a day. Breakfast, a small snack, Lunch, a small snack, and Dinner in order to have enough daily energy. By having frequent meals you foil yourself from over eating during key meals and suppress hunger. Remember to keep to single servings of food normally the size of a closed fist is sufficient. Consult a doctor before applying this regimen. This is what was necessary for me personally. I am NOT a dietician Diet is nothing without exercise a vice a versa. Now for the real work, researching local talent/modeling agencies isnt as hard as people make it seem. Get familiar with them by asking plenty of questions. I suggest looking into local Modeling schools and acting classes whether high school drama classes or acting workshops because acting and modeling work hand in hand. For actors always expand your studies, Meisner, Strausberg, Method, Stanislavski, etc. each method is an amazing experience. TRAINING: Everyday is a lesson never think that youre too good to learn something new. Finding the right dramatic comedic monologues and scenes are sometime difficult, however I find that its a great learning experience when working with complete polar opposites of you as a type. EXAMPLES of TYPES: Nice guy: the bully, the girl next door: the bitch, Nerd: Jock, etc. Working on POLAR OPPOSITES will help you work on the range of your work you can get, but also work to find your TYPE-CAST the role that is exactly or is as close to you as possible. In the beginning many actors start by playing TYPE-CAST roles then venture outside the TYPE. As for scene work, find a partner that will help you, but NOT outshine you believe it or not happens very often a casting director will see a submission tape for one actor but want the scene partner. So you have to be balanced if not more trained than your scene partner. For MODELS, work on your runway walks, discover your signature walk as well the walk that you are most confident. For example, the PRADA dead pan walk or the VICTORIA SECRET sultry strut. I make everything I wear a runway show it may sound absurd but it works. Practice makes perfect, also try walking in a variety of shoes guys and gals alike. Train yourself to practice walking in 4-5in heels, platforms, boots, sandals etc. Also different surfaces can alter your walk so practice on concrete, pebbles, ground, grass because you never know what a designers concept is for a runway show. Work on balance and posture. As you can tell with modeling theres a lot of territory to cover. Work on your angles for print, it might sound droll but knowing your good side is going to be invaluable for a successful career as you build your LOOK-BOOK AKA the portfolio. For finding agencies, BIG CAUTION for NEWBIES: know that you should NEVER have to pay to become part of an Agency. Agents dont get paid until you get booked for a job, follow through, and get sent a check for your booking. Be aware of COMPETITON Within your Agency: when doing research check and see who else in the Agency is in your TYPE... meaning, theres already a lot of competition out there so you dont want to have to compete within an Agency. So for instance, if youre a minority, see how many minorities are represented that look like you and vice versa. Shopping for agencies: An agency that requires you to pay them, or have a photo shoot with them that you would have to pay for in order to be a represented talent is usually a fraud not always but it tends to be the case. USUALLY being the key word, it is AGAINST the LAW for an Agency to accept money from you in order to become part of the Agency. I can not stress this more. DO YOUR RESEARCH its really very easy to get screwed over in this industry. Be cautious of talent scouts. Remember that this is a multi-billion dollar industry some are legitimate whereas others are looking to make a buck off of your ignorance. When you have found a LEGIT Agency that youd like to represent you, your first step is to send them a SUBMISSION PACKAGE. A SUBMISSION PACKAGE includes: 1. A letter of interest letting the Talent Coordinator get to know who you are and why you want the agency to represent you. 2. A resume communicating what work youve accomplished: FILM/TV/THEATRE/ETC, training, interests, special talents, unique wardrobe. For Newbies just convey what you think best represents you on paper. 3. Youll need 3-5 Pictures of yourself. You DO NOT have to have professional headshots made for your submission package because MOST AGENCIES/AGENTS will have specific ideas on how they want to market you. REMEMBER you are now a commodity. ACTORS: You will need a Theatrical and Commercial headshot. The differences are really easy to spot. Like the name Theatrical is very dramatic usually used for FILM auditions. Whereas the Commercial is a fun lighter side of you. HEADSHOTS have to portray who you are and have to be phenomenal because the fact of the matter is that if your head shot sucks itll just be tossed. MOST OF THE TIME Headshots are seen by INTERNS first weeding out the ones that dont work for them before they are actually seen by a casting director. MODELS: you will need a diverse LOOK BOOK or portfolio containing Commercial, Print, Catalogue, High Fashion, Couture, Artistic, Close Up beauty shots, body shots non-nude, basically show how diverse you can be as a model. 4. Lastly youll need a demo reel. For MODELS a demo-reel is optional however is a good tool to have. Newbies wont have one so what youll want to do is finding a monologue/scene and have some one film you. Have confidence in your work and itll take you far. Once youve MADE your SUBMISSION its up to the Agency to call you in for a meeting. DO NOT PESTER an AGENCY some agencies get 100s if not 1000s of SUBMISSIONS so asking whether they received your SUBMISSION or when you can make a meeting is a BIG NO-NO. Also DO NOT be discouraged if you are rejected, there is such a huge turnover in this industry that some agencies usually keep submissions for at least a month and may eventually get to you. NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS. These are all guidelines and are in no way a guarantee of success, however with first hand experience youll realize that most of the previous information will be as Ive stated. NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS. Okay so down to the hard work and believe me it is WORK, one of the most difficult, emotional, and rewarding jobs to have. ACTORS, MODELS, ENTERTAINMENT ROOKIES NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS. be FIERCE be LOVED be BLESSED be London be YOU