entertainment industry coach question 684: I want to do work regularly as an extra. Where should I start?

Making a career doing extra work in Los Angeles is absolutely do-able. If you are in the union, you can even get benefits, so if you're not in the union, it's a goal to aim for.

To start, sign up with multiple extra casting agencies. Here are three to start with:

Central Casting http://www.centralcasting.org/

Bill Dance Casting http://billdancecasting.com/

Prime Casting http://www.primecasting.com/401.html

Next, once you're hired, you want to be on-time, professional, and easy to work with. Remember, being a background artist's job is to blend into the background, not to "steal the scene."

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entertainment industry coach question 621: I'm determined to make the "male" skirt style work! When is it not appropriate?

The question read in it's entirety: I'm determined to make the "male" skirt style work!...it's my "thing" and I get unbelievable POSITIVE reactions for my fashion style!...I get recognized ALL THE TIME all around LA!...if it's above 75, I'm in a skirt!...BUT, I know it causes a scene, which I like, but I don't wanna cause a scene on set, especially as an extra...BUT if I don't wear my skirt, I feel I'm not being true to my "style"...so, my question: when is it ok to wear my skirts, when should I concede my style???... :)

Because you're an actor, the answer is simple: you concede whenever it's not true to your character. Even as an extra, an actor should take pride in the role he/she is portraying. So, put yourself in the mind of the director who is directing the scene and the person who chose the extras. When the director told the casting person, "Send me 'everyday' men 20-45 for a scene at an airport," knowing that a man in a skirt "causes a scene," it is most likely not what the director had in mind for an "everyday" male.

Your skirts are part of your brand, YOU the brand, and it may get to the point where you're known enough for a director to say, "Get me the guy who wears skirts." Until then, your style is not what they're casting, your ability to play a character that is "universal" in the scene is.

If I stuck to my style when I was speaking on stage, I'd be in Ugg boots and thermal underwear, but that's not the "Hollywood" image the people who are hiring me to speak want portrayed on their stage. So, I put on the 5 inch heels, wear the sexy dress and finish it off with sparkly jewelry and viola... they've got their Hollywood Career Coach (but don't for one second think my Uggs aren't waiting for me in the car).

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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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