Tuesday, July 27, 2010

entertainment industry coach Question 510: Should a college student be in LA or stay in Vermont where there are no distractions?

The question read, "This question is for a friend I met on set yesterday. She is a 19 yr old just in town for the summer she is interested in staying here and transferring to La City College rather than going back to Bennington college in Vermont to complete her education. She has been out to LA the last couple summers doing extra work and taking classes. Last summer an agent told her to stay in town, but she decided to return to school. Do you think it's a better idea for her to study theatre in Vermont where there's no distractions or stay here and be closer to the action?"

Well, I didn't go to school in Vermont or LA, but I can tell you, no matter where you go to school, if you want to be distracted, there's always a way. So, let's leave distractions out of the equation. The bottom line is, does she want a college degree to fall back on or does she want to be in Los Angeles splitting between her studies and getting a jump on her acting career through networking? It's a really big decision, one that she will have to make by weighing the pros and cons. I can tell her that there are ways to create relationships from Vermont, it's different than creating them in LA. I'd have to know more about why she's torn, why it's not an obvious decision for her in order to coach her to come to her own decision.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That's a tricky one. I recommend stay in Vermont for a short while to benefit from coaching without distraction and then relocate to LA. May also depend on how much coaching you really need. If you are a talented actor/actress, you should not have much of a problem. But if you suck, you might want to stay in Vermont for a while to get your act straight. Getting in the action is not that simple. There will be lots of competition when screening for a play, movie, commercial, etc… Check with you promoter or agent to get help with that. Also, what do you plan to do in LA meanwhile while waiting for your big break to get into the action. You either need to know someone in the business that wants you for the job, or you are just gifted with special charisma that stands you out among the rest. So worry a little about how you are going to survive in LA while waiting. Check with your friends in LA to stay with (pay low rent) until you can get your break? Also might want to carry a resume on you to use to get a regular job while waiting? You do not want to wind up homeless in LA; just don’t make it hard on yourself and think ahead. If you think you have enough money to survive the long haul in LA, think again. Money can always run out; a medical condition can burden your schedules or plans; family and loved ones can put a positive or negative change in your goals. Bottom-line; have a well thought out plan with alternative backups.

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