An Actors Toolkit

As an actor who wants to be taken seriously in the professional world (aka entertainment industry, y'all!!) there are a few things you should have handy. Here is a basic checklist if you're just starting out:

HEADSHOT

RESUME

WORKING PHONE WITH VOICEMAIL

EMAIL ADDRESS

WEBSITE

MONOLOGUES

REEL

AUDIO DEMO (IF DOING VOICEOVERS)

ACCOUNTS WITH ONLINE CASTING SERVICES

APPROPRIATE WARDROBE

POSTCARDS FOR SHOWS

PENS

BUSINESS CARDS

For a detailed breakdown and to read more: An Actors Toolkit | The NYC Actor

Improv

In my opinion, improv is the key to feeling comfortable with yourself at auditions, on stage, on film sets or simply as an interactive part of a sprawling entertainment community like the one here in NYC.

One of the most frequent situations you will find the need for some improv in is at a commercial audition. The ability to stay on your toes and create/respond to something on the spot without fear in addition to handling the occasional, inevitable slip-up is crucial to being noticed in a casting. And these days, more and more, commercial copy is being created with the flexibility to allow the performers improv to be incorporated into the final spot. If you watch TV and actually pay attention to the commercials that are being made, they are littered with improv actors. Especially the weirder, quirkier ads - which are always the best ones!

Read more: Actors Doing Improv | The NYC Actor