ACT LIKE A PRO

I like to get to know them first. Acting is so much about "bringing yourself to the role". To me, that means that every character we play is going to have a little bit of ourself in it so that we can remain truthful. Because of that, I like to interview new students first before we begin any acting performances or exercises. I find that I can also use that time to evaluate other factors like interview skills, confidence level, sense of self, body language control, etc. After getting a better sense of who I'm working with, I can then better approach what type of training or guidance I can provide the student. The services I provide can range from getting ready for an audition, to beginning-level acting classes, to career coaching and confidence building. I am most excited when I help a student achieve his/her goals...rather than try to fulfill my projection of what I think they should/should not be doing.

I have spent over half my life training in the craft of acting. My degree is in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville and I completed a year-long internship with the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, CA. I started teaching classes and workshops in the late `90s, working with larger talent organizations like John Casablancas. Meanwhile, I never stopped pursuing acting work myself and moved to LA in 2003 where I quickly started working in film and television. While in LA, my teaching also took off and when my first student of note -- Ariel Winter--started to have great success on Modern Family, my student base really grew. This led to teaching positions at many different studios, teaching small classes and large workshops. I began with mostly teen and younger actors, but now I have actors of all ages all over the world and getting the chance to work with such a broad range of age and talent really is gratifying as a teacher. I still pursue acting work myself. I enjoy working for both on-camera and online content and I continue to work on stage as well. In 2005 I was named an Acting Company member of the B Street Theatre who just opened their new $29M Performing Arts Center, The Sofia. I am a singer and a musician, so I bring my music, my stage background and my on-camera experience to my teaching so that I can handle almost any performance situation.

Sessions: $100. Most sessions last a little over an hour.

Block Sessions: 4 Sessions for $300. Sessions must be completed within an 8 week period. 

Taped Audition: $150. Includes coaching/taping/uploading.

*All cancellations have to be at least 12hrs in advance

*Sessions begin at the agreed time, not any later

I started teaching small classes for Modeling Agencies and Dance Studios in my 20s. However, when I first arrived in Los Angeles, I was having great callback ratios as an actor-- I have always auditioned well. My manager noticed this and asked if I could work with her daughter who was obviously talented but struggling to get a lot of callbacks. After working with this young actress for a few weeks, she started booking job after job. This led to me coaching more of this manager's clients. Then that manager spoke of what I did to an agent and I started getting referrals from agents. Then agents started talking to other managers and studio heads and...next thing you know...I was teaching a lot of students in a lot of different areas and I have always considered myself quite fortunate to get the chance to help shape the careers of young artists. 

I have worked with students as young as 4 and students who are much older than me. I have worked with Americans from all sorts of religious and ethnic backgrounds and I even have students overseas that I work with on video chat.

I pride myself on making the complicated understandable and I enjoy people. This combination has led to a successful career teaching and I enjoy it thoroughly. If I had to pie-chart it out, I would say that I work mainly with dancers and musicians. This is a result of working with many triple-threat studios and the common assumption that the entertainer of the future has to be multi-talented. 

It's hard to pick just one. I'm so proud of all of my students. In Los Angeles, you have to work so hard to get ahead and so many of my students have to make sacrifices that most of their peers in other parts of the country don't even realize. Every little success is such a joy for me because I know how hard it is to make it in the entertainment business. So when I see a student sign a multi-million dollar contract, or a student book a Disney pilot or a student on a national commercial...it's hard to pick just one. I'm blessed to work with such talent.

Do your research. The internet is an amazing thing. Use imdb.com and look names up. And, most importantly, look at the "product". There are many people in the entertainment business that claim to be "connected". Don't be fooled by branding. Look at the success of the students. Are the students of said teacher getting legitimate professional work? Is the teacher helping the student get professional work? There are many so-called acting teachers who sell prospective students on the idea of being a star. And there are many mediocre acting teachers who can competently teach the basics of acting. But if you're looking for a teacher that can help you become a professional, you need to hold them to a high standard and evaluate how much that class is helping the student reach his/her true goals. 

What are your goals? Think long term. Think 5 years ahead, rather than 1 year. What kind of life would make you the happiest? What would you want to see yourself doing? Is there something you've always wanted to be good at? Is there something you're weak in but would like to be better at? 

It's best to have some sort of task list. Then, a good teacher can use that to develop a gameplan. But you should be guiding your own path. Don't seek a "lifepath" from a teacher. Let the teacher help you acquire the skills and confidence needed for you to have the career you want and achieve the dreams you've had. 

For example, I find it hard to appreciate students who say, "I just don't know. Should I be a professional actor?"

I prefer students who say: "I was born to be on TV, but I live in Nebraska. What do I do?"