Actorpal is the site we wished we’d seen before we began our journey in LA! After the huge decision to turn it all upside down and take the family to LA to jump in, we searched and searched for any and all information on the biz that we could find. There is a fair amount of information on the Internet, but it is all in separate places. We’ve learned a lot in the past year and a half through many, many sources, and now we want to share that with you, and to also share the wisdom of other professionals in the business with you.
Our goal is to help actors of all experience levels. Whether you are considering the move to LA, planning a move to LA, fresh off the bus, or a working actor, our goal is simply to be the best source of information on the Internet for you.
My name is Chris, and my lovely wife is Kelly. We both love to help people! Both Kelly and I have business backgrounds in the “people” business as well (as in staffing and recruitment). We took our approach to acting in LA in a pretty straightforward business approach, and already being intimately knowledgeable about staffing, there are many similarities from that business to the business of casting. Since we love to help people, we’ve found ourselves constantly informing other parents on what we’ve learned since coming here, and one thing that is said quite often, especially to Kelly, is “gee you should write a book”, or “heck you should be a talent manager”. Well, we’ll take a pass on the manager part, but this blog is a great way to do that book, one piece at a time!
We thought a lot about the options of keeping our anonymity on this site, but then decided it was better to show you who we are in the hopes that doing so will add to the credibility of this site and it’s information. Are we experts on the subject of acting? Well, no, not really. But we do have the experience of navigating the waters successfully so far, and we’re always on the pursuit of knowledge from any source possible! Our acting experience is limited to (for now) a 10 week Improv course.
Our kids have seen some early successes though. Our oldest daughter has been acting professionally for almost 6 years. She came out to LA for pilot season as green as they come. After a busted pilot season, we got some encouraging words from a few friends and people in the know, and decided to get really crazy and just move the whole family to LA. Just about the time when we were all starting to really wonder about the odds (more on that in the blog), the mountains shook, and it all came together. I’m still shocked by it, but still very proud to say that she booked a decent part in a major feature film, a PSA, a lead role in an independent feature film, and most recently a series regular role on a TV pilot.
Our son, who is six, grew up around acting, and from seeing his sisters go through the motions, started to ask us if he could do it as well. After a few tests to see if he could handle the work of it all, and still enjoy it and want to act, we got him started as well. He’s done two national commercials so far, and snagged a guest role on a well known tv show.
We have another daughter in the middle of both of them, and she is also in the trenches, learning her way, and taking her lumps like a champ. This is an incredibly tough business, and she is learning just as we are, that the road to success in acting, is a very unpredictable one that usually doesn’t make a lot of sense to anyone. She’s done 2 music videos, some voice over work, and some independent short and feature length work too.
Anyway, besides our own kids, we’ve been blessed to meet many other families with kid and young adult actors, and we’ve met and become good friends with many adult working actors as well. Some are still hard at it without any bookings, and others we know are booking gigs all the time. I won’t get in to names just yet (without their permission), but many of these friends and kids are in big shows on TV (both network and cable), commercials, movies, etc.
Our plans are to interview them all, and have that information about their journey…what they’ve learned, how they work, all of it, right here for you. We’ve also befriended a few folks on the business side of the isle, and are working on doing the same for them, so they can share with you their own thoughts on what they look for as a casting director, an agent, a manger, a director, etc.
Stick around. Join our site. Send us your stories about your journey. Be a pal.