Thank You from the Readers

This week, I’m going to share a few really great thank-you emails I’ve received recently. Figured this would be a fun way to answer some quick questions and get to know some readers better.

Hey Bonnie,

Just wanted to say I really appreciated your column on the demo reel, especially the part about labeling the clips specifically on Actors Access, something I definitely neglected to do, but fixed today!

Been working with Amy Lyndon in her ongoing cold reading and will start training with Anthony Meindl in August and at the Aquila/Morong Studio in the fall.

Been getting great opportunities from local hire CDs who have requested me to send in tape. Been at callback level, but hopefully will book something nice soon! However, I am just happy to know I have booked a few offices.

Hope all is well and to see you at an industry event soon!

Best,
Anthony Bradford

Love that you are booking the room consistently. That’s fantastic and will pay off down the line, for sure. Probably sooner than you expect! Glad your training is going well and that you changed your demo reel labeling at Actors Access. That’s so handy! Yay!

Hi Bonnie!

I hope things are going well for you. I was just perusing some of your back issues of The Actors Voice and I was able to take some great tips to use on updating my website. I recently got SAG eligibility (through a webseries that I co-produced, wrote, and acted in) and I was trying to find the best way to put that new information out there. As usual, I turned to your online pearls of wisdom.

You are awesome. Thanks Bonnie!

Reese Rigby

Fabulous, Reese! You know I’m your fan. So glad that you did some self-producing, that you got your SAG eligibility, and of course that you were able to find some website tips here in the archives. I am so grateful to the good folks here at Actors Access and Showfax for keeping the archives free and searchable! That’s something that keeps the information within reach. Love it!

Hi Bonnie,

I thoroughly enjoy reading your column and have used so many of the insights in my own acting career.

A little about me: I was born with performing in my heart. As a child I did “commercials” in front of the bathroom mirror. In third grade, our art teacher had us draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew myself in an evening gown on a stage with bright lights and a big audience. Unfortunately, I was a very shy child, growing up in a poverty-stricken area, and wasn’t able to pursue my dream until much, much later in life.

About eight years ago, I finally got up the nerve to do something about it and enrolled in my first acting class. I have an agent now and have been auditioning for the past several years. The bookings are starting to come in now and it feels so good.

My story is probably not all that different from many others except for a few small details: I’m an over-35-year-old mom of three and telecom engineer, living in Dallas, no less. You could say that I’m dreaming the impossible dream, and you’d probably be right.

That’s not going to stop me from going after my goal of ditching the day job and becoming a full-time working actress. Maybe the conventional methods of getting “discovered” have long passed me by but my desire to be a performer defies logic.

I write a blog called Undiscovered Alison that chronicles my journey and shares what I’ve been learning along the way. Hopefully it will inspire others out there that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Thanks again for your excellent column. Keep the advice coming!

Alison Lumbatis

Congrats to you for getting started! I always enjoy hearing about folks who decide to give it a go “later in life” (and everyone defines that differently), because there’s something so passion-filled about the pursuit when it starts up after you’ve headed down another path for a bit first. I love seeing more and more actors share their toys with one another (this is another thing I addressed in my interview with Brains of Minerva). To just put it out there and demystify the journey for others? That’s so fantastic of you!

Bonnie,

I am an avid, devoted fan and follower of yours and I try to stay up with all the articles. It’s been a while since I’ve written but your archived article from March 3, 2008, about regional agents trying to break into LA was EXCEPTIONAL!!

I’ve opened a virtual office in LA but I have an assistant that is “boots on the ground” and lives in LA. Jesse attends the showcases, meets with talent, is SUPER knowledgeable of the industry. I’m blessed to be able to truly rep talent in BOTH markets.

Your comments were the fuel needed for me to explain to my Texas talent WHY I cannot put them on my LA roster. Excellent suggestions! Many CDs do not want pitches but I pitch anyway since I’m a relatively new agent and use it also as an introduction.

I am seeking the BEST LA talent possible that reside in LA, not cross-repping Texas as LA. Even in this electronic age, casting needs to know they can be IN the office in a relatively short amount of time OR that they don’t have to travel in.

You have been our champion and an amazing mentor to me! I travel to LA often. Your schedule is demanding but I’d LOVE to just drop by to say HELLO if you can ever squeeze out five minutes.

This industry is so complex! I was part of the group of six in Dallas Producers Association that created the Texas Motion Picture Alliance that became the lobby group to support incentives for Texas so I understand the need to be involved in all aspects of our industry. I do NOT sit behind the desk as an agent. I’m in the trenches to make it happen wherever I work and live.

My great appreciation for all you do! I will continue to STAY TUNED to your great articles and wisdom.

Linda
Linda McAlister Talent

Wow! Thank you, Linda. Just fantastic! I keep meeting agents and managers who operate out of offices all over the world, but who have LA-based teammates and, of course, clients. That’s so cool! I recently encouraged an actor to pursue representation in New York, because she had so many great meetings there when she was last in town on a shoot, and of course, all of those agents are pitching and submitting on projects here in LA as well! It’s just an ever-shrinking world, thanks to the Internet, taped auditions, and the number of project shooting on location, which means actors would have to travel anyway, so it might as well be from one city as another.

I remember you pitching actors to me on an indie film a few years back. You are always so good about indicating which of your clients is LA-based and which would be willing to go on tape. That’s good hustle! And of course, I love a fellow southerner. 🙂 Looking forward to connecting with you when you’re next in Los Angeles! Here’s to decades of working together in all sorts of ways!


Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!


Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001359.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.

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