ACT LIKE A PRO
About
I have worked steadily as a coach for film/TV in Los Angeles for over 15yrs -- some of my celebrity students include Ariel Winter (Modern Family), Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) and Camila Banus (Days of Our Lives) and social media star, Merrick Hanna. Over the years I have worked for many different agencies, management companies and triple-threat studios and I specialize in working with dancers and musicians. I, myself, am an award winning actor/writer and have spent several decades working professionally in the acting industry, both on stage and on camera. I took my love of teaching and working with students and combined it with my love of the craft of acting to develop a smart and concise way of not only preparing actors for successful meetings and/or auditions, but helping them reach their performance or career goals as well. I believe in honest criticism wrapped with positive reinforcement.
I feel my strengths lie in making difficult material easy and helping artists find their unique talent and learning how to use that talent as a tool to find the most success.
Find out more on my website: WWW. ACTLIKEAPRO.COM
I love seeing artists achieve their dreams. It's so hard to make it in the entertainment business and it takes tons of sacrifice. My students constantly impress me and fill me with pride with how hard they work and I believe every little success along the way deserves celebration.
Specialties
Experience level
No experience, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Acting venue(s)
Theater, Improv theater, Musical theater, Film, TV episode, TV commercial, Radio, Not applicable; lessons are for personal interest
People in group
1 person, 2-4 people, 5 or more people
Acting focus area(s)
Hone diction and enunciation, Expand vocal range, Strengthen vocal projection, Refine vocal expression, Develop specific accent(s), Develop specific dialect(s)
Students goals
To prepare for an audition, To build confidence, To explore as a hobby, To continue professional development
Acting type(s)
I can make recommendations, Scene study, Cold reading, Method acting, Classical acting, Voice-over, Improv, Physical theater and movement
Student's age
Under 5 years old, 5 – 10 years old, 11 – 13 years old, 14 – 18 years old, 19 – 25 years old, 26 – 45 years old, 46 – 65 years old, Over 65 years old
Reviews
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Your trust means everything to us. Learn about our reviews policy.
CF
Connor F.
Act Like A Pro is always professional and great about trying to work you in when you have that job you need coaching on last minute. The coaching is always great and you get good, constructive feed back.
April 09, 2018
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Lisa E.
Peters lessons are fun and encouraging for my daughter. Peter is excellent at teaching and breaking down everything so my daughter can easily understand what is expected of her.
March 21, 2018
KH
Kyla H.
Peter tells it like it is, but encourages you. He is very accommodating on rush coaching and my son always feels prepared.
March 21, 2018
MB
Mary B.
My daughter loves working with Peter! He’s very knowledgeable and makes the session informative and fun. He makes sure she’s prepared and confident going into the audition.
March 21, 2018
DK
Deena K.
My son has worked with Peter for the past two years. Peter is always our first choice in coaching. Every minute spent wirh Peter is highly focused and productive. He always takes the acting to the next level that my son could not reach without his expertise. His high expectations are reflected in the quality of the growth I see in his sessions. I know my son is prepared and ready to impress at his auditions after working with Peter.
March 20, 2018
MR
Michelle R.
He is an amazing coach, he teaches my daughter so much. Very funny,great personality, makes class so fun and very informative. We love working with him
March 20, 2018
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I like us to spend a little time getting to know each other 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 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. Every student I work with gets an individually curated experience. I provide a range of services such as getting ready for an audition, beginning as well as advanced level acting classes, career coaching and confidence building. I am most excited when I have the opportunity to help a student achieve their goals...rather than try to fulfill my projection of what I think they should/should not be doing.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
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. Working my way all the way to the top, I am now a proud member of the nationally renowned B Street Theatre Acting Company.
As a teacher, I started with classes and workshops in the late `90s, working with larger talent organizations like John Casablancas and Robert Powers. 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. 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 am a singer and a musician (guitar & piano) as well, so I bring my music and music performance skills to my teaching catalogue as well.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Session prices are based on the amount of preparation needed for training or preparing an upcoming project. Scholarships are available as well, so please feel free to contact me regarding pricing.
How did you get started teaching?
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 execs 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 in the US and abroad.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with students as young as 4 and students who are much older than me. I have worked with artists from all sorts of religious and ethnic backgrounds and I even have students overseas.
I pride myself on making the complicated understandable. I love working with ambitious artists and I enjoy people. This combination has led to a successful teaching career and I really enjoy what I do. 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 changing industry which now requires us all to be multi-talented.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
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.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
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 questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
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.
Services offered
Acting